Right after a winless 1998 World Cup, U.S. Soccer Federation brass created Project 2010 to have them ready to contend for the tourney by then. The world chortled. Last year _ as they beat Spain and nearly Brazil in the Confederations Cup final _ forward Charlie Davies vowed they could win the World Cup. The world chuckled.
But going in tomorrow’s Round of 16 game against Ghana (2:30 p.m., ABC), few are laughing. After their thrilling 91st-minute win over Algeria, after topping their group for the first time in eighty years, stars Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore are talking about being able to beat anybody and reach the final. And why not?
“Now it’s a one-off game; anything can happen,” Altidore told Yahoo. “We’re playing to play in the final.”
Americans love drama and respond to those that overcome adversity. And with President Barack Obama calling in congratulations after the Algeria win and former President Bill Clinton having a beer with the players after that game, the public has embraced this team like never before.
From injuries to incorrectly disallowed goals against Slovenia and Algeria, from second-half rallies and Donovan’s injury-time winner, they’ve done the near-impossible _ forced the planet’s biggest sport into the mainstream back home.
With America bringing more fans to South Africa than any other nation, a favorable bracket and record TV ratings _ the Algeria game’s 4.6 was an ESPN record for soccer or any weekday AM show _ they have a chance to change the perception of American soccer abroad and domestically, and plan on taking it. They face a seminal moment in the game, and the seeds for soccer growth for years to come can be planted over these few weeks in South Africa.
“Now the tournament really starts for us,” said Altidore, an ex-Red Bull born in Livingston, NJ. “We wanted to get out of the group and then make statement. We have the opportunity to do that.”
It won’t be easy. They lost to Ghana 2-1 in the group finale in the last World Cup, ruing tough goals from a PK on Onyewu and Claudio Reyna’s injury/giveaway.
“A lot of the guys were on that team that got knocked out by them,” said Altidore. “They all understand what the game means and how important it is.”
They understand, and have already overcome tougher breaks than that team faced.
“I’ve already put that behind me. This is a chance to do something very special,” said Donovan, who says last summer’s Confederations Cup experience and being hardened in qualifying has made this team better than the 2002 version that reached the World Cup quarterfinals. “We have a really good group that believe that they can pull off anything, and these three games have boosted that even more.”
The United States _ upon whom odds of winning have dropped from 125-1 to 46-1 _ will be buoyed by a bracket in which their No. 14 FIFA ranking is the best. While England must face Germany and possibly the Argentina-Mexico victor, the United States gets Ghana and perhaps Uruguay or South Korea for the semis.
“Now we get to the knockout phase,” said coach Bob Bradley. “It’s an opportunity to see how far you can take it.”
Does Bradley put returning forward Robbie Findley back into the lineup alongside Altidore, and who does he pair with his son Michael in central midfield, Maurice Edu or Rico Clark? And does he use struggling centerback Onyewu or go back with Carlos Bocanegra in the middle and Jonathan Bornstein at left back?
“I certainly think we have as good a chance as any,” keeper Tim Howard said on CNN. “We took a lot of confidence from the first three games. I feel like we match up well against Ghana. We did expect to certainly go out of the first round and hopefully do good things going forward.”