Is This Good For Soccer In The USA?

On Wednesday morning the goal heard around the world was Landon Donovan of the USA putting in a rebound past the fallen Algerian goalie in the 91st minute of the last round robin game to give the USA a 1-0 win and put them through to the round of 16 in this year's World Cup. It was a stunning moment, because without the goal in extra time, the USA would have been knocked out of the World Cup. With the win, they have unbelievable momentum and the attention of a whole nation.

Soccer in the United States has been gaining traction since 1994 when the World Cup was held on home soil. The US has had mediocre results in the last few tournaments but with a thrilling run in the Confederation Cup last year and now this moment, could soccer have reached the tipping point?

The casual fan will probably always be that, there are too many other sporting options for them to choose, but those who may have been following international soccer, things like the UEFA Champions League or the English Premier League might now find it interesting to follow their international players when they return home to play in the MLS. This will lead to better quality soccer and then a better chance in 2014.

So would a win today be good for soccer in the USA? I say without a doubt. As much as the international soccer world probably loathes the fact that the Americans are getting good at "their" sport, the longer the USA stay in the tournament the more attention it gets in North America. That is good for the growth of soccer not just in the United States, but internationally as well.

With expectations building up on Donovan, Tim Howard and the rest of Coach Bob Bradley's team can they exact revenge on Ghana who ousted them from the World Cup four years ago in the final group stage game? I don't believe they can. Ghana has an attacking squad who has produced a bunch of chances in their group stage games. With a shaky back line, those chances might turn into goals pretty quickly. Also, Ghana was the lone African team to qualify for the knock-out stage, which means the whole continent can unite in one loud vuvuzuela. My prediction Ghana 2 - 1 in an exciting up and down game.

World Cup Talking Points

2010 is a big year for major sporting events...we already had the Olympics and now less than 5 days away is the World Cup. The most watched and played sport takes centre stage for a month in South Africa.

Here are some tips on players and teams to make you sound like you follow the beautiful game year round...

Best Teams:
Brazil - The number 1 ranked team in the world by FIFA. They are always a force in the World Cup and this year should be no different. They lack the true goal scorer of past years, but don't count them out.

Germany - Along with Brazil, you can almost always count on them making a deep run in the tournament. They are big and strong team with good touch around the net.

England - This may be a pipe dream for a squad that hasn't lifted the trophy since 1966, but the Three Lions put out their best team on paper this year. If they can avoid any more serious injuries (Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham out for the tournament) than they could find a way to be in the finals.

Spain - Now that the team that always had the knock of not being able to win the big tournament has shaken the monkey from its back by winning the European Championship in 2008. They feature some of the biggest names in soccer who play for the biggest clubs. Although, they will face a big 2nd round game vs. the second place of the "group of death" they are looking like a team to beat.

Players to Watch (club team in brackets):
Lionel Messi - Argentina (Barcelona) - the best player in the world has phenomenal touch on the ball. If he gets into space, he has the ability to make 3 or 4 defenders miss and score goals.

David Villa - Spain (Barcelona) - Villa was the top scorer in the 2008 Euro Championship and turns his great season with Valencia into a huge off-season transfer to Barcelona. Villa has a knack for scoring goals and that is why odds makers have made him the favourite to win the golden boot. Look for him on SportsCentre.

Wayne Rooney - England (Manchester United) - The English bulldog is the key to the attack of England. He came into his own this season with the club, learning to score with his head, as well as his feet.

Arjen Robben - Netherlands (Bayern Munich) - The Dutch squad always play great soccer, but have the same monkey on their back as Spain - never being able to win the big tournaments. Robben is coming off a year with his club team where he led them to the league and cup championship and lost in the Champions League final. If he can bring that winning attitude to the Dutch locker room, along with his great shot and hustle, the Orange could do some damage.

Kaka - Brazil (Real Madrid) - The leader of the Brazilian squad and the former "best player in the world", he has taken a back seat in that conversation for the past year and a half. With Brazil being such a strong team overall, look for Kaka to stake a claim to the title once again. The creative midfielder will not only create goals for others, but has a shot to seal the deal as well.

Jozy Altidore - USA (Hull City) - Although, most fans of the American squad will say Landon Donovan will be the deciding factor if the USA can make it out of the group stage, it may well rest on Altidore right foot. The striker finished the season on a sour note getting red carded in the last game of the season as his team was relegated. He likely won't return to Hull City, but he could find a new club very easily by scoring some goals and leading the US team.

England Name World Cup Squad

Today in England was equivalent to the day about 6 months ago when Team Canada Hockey was named for the Olympics. The England FA (football association) named the team that will represent the country at the World Cup in 10 days.

As it was in Canada when the hockey team was named, there is much second guessing about the team that was named. Who was omitted, who was named and who will start on Fabio Capello's team when they take the field against the USA for their first game.

As usual, when a team of this magnitude gets named it is the snubs who were the talk of the back pages. The first name on everyone's list was Theo Walcott. The Arsenal stand-out made the team back in 2006 as the youngest ever player for England at 17. He scored a magical hat trick during the qualification rounds, but lacked form during the Premiership which eventually caused Capello to exclude him from the squad. A very disturbing turn of events for Walcott. He is young enough to make it back from this and contribute in the run up to 2014.

The other big name excluded was Darren Bent. Bent finished 3rd in scoring in the Premiership this season while playing for Sunderland. He was electrifying at times, but the main concern with adding Bent to the squad is that he wouldn't play well with the others up front - namely Wayne Rooney. Could the two co-exist and Bent can be quite temperamental - just look at his twitter feed.

The other omitted players have either been injured and tried to make a comeback in time for the World Cup or youngsters who have shown some promise (Adam Johnson of Man City or Leighton Baines of Everton) and will likely play key roles on the next team.

Anyway you look at it, the Three Lions have lots of pressure on them to perform starting on June 12.

Follow me on Twitter - @MMMMBLT - for instant reactions during all of the England games.