Aargh: The Aarghing

Win or lose, fuck Bob Bradley:

• Goalkeeper: Tim Howard. 
• Defenders: Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein. 
• Midfielders: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey. 
• Forwards: Robbie Findley, Jozy Altidore.

Yeah, start the line-up that, minus Robert Green's life-changing blunder, couldn't score.

Ricardo Clark?

Fourth midfielder IS this team's greatest, probably fatal, weakness.

• I can say this: the sooner USMNT crashes out, the sooner I stop getting two hundred hits a day looking for images of Landon Donovan's ex-wife, one of which I posted in July 2009 because I had no idea Landon Donovan had a hot (now ex-) wife.
• Players on yellow cards who'll miss the quarter-final if they're booked tonight: USA: Right-back Steve Cherundolo, centre-back Jay Demerit, striker Jozy Altiodore. Ghana: centre-back Jonathan Mensah, midfielders Anthony Annan and Dede Ayew.
• I do wish Carlos Bocanegra didn't look like Max Bretos.
• Yap in comments, I'll post them up here (probably).
• What minute does the Ghana goal come? Twelve.
• Randal goes Desi on Lucy Bradley: Oh, Bob, you got some 'splainin' to do.
• Ghana's kit is awesome.
• 110 - Run, Jozy.
• 430 - Missed it by eight minutes. Ricardo Fucking Clark gives it away in midfield, Prince Boatang runs past DeMerit, beats Howard (who should have done better).
• 630 - Clark takes a stupid retaliatory yellow. FUCK BOB BRADLEY!
• 1130 - Mick Fucking Jagger sitting next to Bill Fucking Clinton. Explains much about the world you live in.
• 1230 - I guarantee you've never seen or heard a Rolling Stones song on this bleg, and - my promise to you - you never will.
• 1300 - When does the second Ghana goal come? Eighteen.
• 1630 - Findley almost poaches a headed backpass.
• 1700 - Cherundelo bad foul just outside box, takes yellow, would miss next game (at the moment, doesn't look like it's going to be an issue).
• 1800 - Jack says: "Yeah, Black Stars."
• 2000 - Ghana playing smarter, more bravely, more urgently.
• 2200 - Better, Dempsey plays in to Bradley who square, keeper grabs.
• 2300 - Ghana's players both faster and quicker.
• 2600 - USMNT ball-watching on offense - no one making runs.
• 2700 - Ghana should have scored there. Defense not communicating.
• 2730 - And who the fuck was Cherundelo passing to?
• 3000 - Fuck Bob Bradley. Wasted substitute. What a dumb motherfucker. Fuck Bob Bradley.
• 3400 - First good buildup by USMNT - ball on Findley's foot, should have done better - should have scored - though Ghana keeper did well to make himself large.
• 3600 - OMFG, John Harkes just said what I was about to type: Where the fuck is the Altidore we saw Wednesday.
• 3630 - DeMerit has another horrible experience with ball in air, gives up pointblank shot, saved well by Howard.
• 3800 - USMNT free kick from right 35 yards, Donovan hits it well, off Ghana head for throw in.
• 3930 - More from Jack.
• 4000 - USMNT looking a bit more dangerous, though Bradley's pass into box very poor.
• 4300 - CK USMNT, too high for Bradley, to short for anyone else.
• Halftime - only being down by one feels almost like a tiny victory. USMNT looks slow, disorganized, disinterested. To an extent, maybe it was inevitable that they'd come out flat after the emotional win Wednesday, but that does not excuse bad passes, shitty giveaways, lack of hustle. I imagine there will be screaming at halftime.
• Halftime - and if I was Ghana, I'd be extremely disappointed to not have at least one other goal. USMNT was there to be beaten in twenty minutes and Ghana didn't put them away. If Ghana lose, they'll deserve it.
• Halftime - Jack is sick of Darke and Harkes. Elric recommends Univision.
• Second half - Feilhaber in for Findley. Fuck Bob Bradley. Two wasted substitutes - what a fucking and stubborn moron.
• 4630 - Great run by Donovan who crosses, Ghanaian defenders flub cross, Feilhaber almost scores.
• 4800 - Ghana defense suddenly disorganized, panicky.
  
• 5200 - Earthgirl screams at John Harkes to STFU.
  
• 5230 - Run, Jozy.
• 5500 - No, that wasn't a penalty.
• 5730 - Well, DeMerit saved a goal there on counterattack. There will be at least one more goal i this game.
• 5800 - USMNT takes foot off the pedal, lets Ghana catch its breath.
• 5900 - Though they are working the right flank with repeated success.
• 6030 - Yes, that was a penalty.
• 6150 - Yes. Deserved. Jeebus, he almost missed it, hitting the post.
• 6300 - Planet texts from Indiana - "Yay!"
• 6400 - Got a feeling a straight red is coming. Probably Ghana.
• 6500 - Earthgirl calls Harkes an ass, tells him to STFU again. This July is our 22nd anniversary.
• 6830 - Please stop showing me Mick Jagger.
• 6900 - Ian Darke ask John Harkes why Feilhaber doesn't start. Let me answer that: because Bob Bradley is a stupid and stubborn FUCKING MORON.
• 7030 - Ghana is on it's backfoot. I can't see them scoring except on counter - which is very possible, mind - but they aren't even trying to build.
• 7200 - First (I think) Ghana sub.
• 7430 - Should this go to overtime, USMNT legs might be spent - the energy level is already dropping - and Bob Fucking Bradley should have three subs in his pocket, but he's a fucking moron and only has one.
• 7530 - Incredibly weak finish by Bradley on a well-timed pass from Altidore.
• 7700 - Boatang out, Appiah in.
• 7800 - USMNT defense vomits on shoes in box, is lucky not to give up bad goal.
• 7900 - USMNT running out of gas. Passes are again sloppy and mistimed.
• 8000 - Altidore in box, probably not a PK, he almost scores falling down. Not going to get that call in the 80th minute of a knockout in a tied game.
• 8100 - USMNT FK thirty yards out right of center. Dempsey on ball....
• 8130 - straight into the wall. Gah.
• 8430 - I know you want your striker to be selfish, but Altidore tries dribbling through two with Donovan waiting five yards away to make a cross.
• 8700 - Legs for both sides are dying.
• 8900 - USMNT out of gas. DeMerit makes good (but desperate) header out of box. Playing now just to get to overtime.
• 9000 - Three minutes stoppage.
• 9045 - Ghana maintaining possession, though Altidore breaks away and is taken down for a yellow.
• 9230 - Ghana will have last chance. Bornstein heads ball out. CK Ghana.
• 9300 - Goes out. Overtime.
• USMNT was as superior in second half as Ghana was in first. USMNT should have put the game away and didn't, though they didn't create as many clear chances as their possession deep should have.
• Have I mentioned that Bob Bradley is a fucking moron? What could a creative coach - what could Guus Hiddink - do with the talent on this team? I'm not saying USMNT would be a serious contender, but they'd certainly be better, more dangerous.
• Gomez in, Altidore out. GOOD! Gomez is a poacher, and Altidore wasn't himself, perhaps slightly injured - he did have the bad ankle.
• 9200 - Sheeyit, USMNT looks tired, and KABANG! Ghana scores. 
• 9300 - It was an exceptional effort by Gyan, but Bocanegra should have done better, and DeMerit shouldn't have been ten yards behind the play.
• 9400 - Howard should have done better. The ball went directly above his head.
• 9600 - USMNT has chance in cross, Feilhaber bangs it off defender for a CK.
• 9630 - Where was this urgency in the last 20 minutes of regular time? Oh, right, in Bob Fucking Bradley's pocket!
• 9830 - Ghana carrying ball deep. There might be a third coming soon. USMNT out of gas.
• 10100 - Ghana taking air out of ball. Bunker time!
• 10200 - Referee just allowed Ghana one minute for a throw-in. He's out of gas too.
• 10230 - USMNT on breakaway, ball on Donovan's foot, he softly makes a bad pass. Out of gas.
• 10500 - One minute stoppage. Ghana in control.
• 10600 - USMNT trying to dance through eight in middle. They created space in second half going wide, no longer have the legs to do it.
• 10700 - Bradley's poorest game this WC.
• 10800 - Bornstein earns a FK just out box top left. Punched away by keeper, though it was delivered far too close to goal by Donovan.
• 10930 - I'm sick of Ian Darke's act.
• 11000 - Ghana player fakes injury, two minutes now. Earthgirl is outraged, says American players would never do that. This explains much about why I don't talk about politics with her as much as I used to.
• 11300 - CK USMNT.
• 11345 - USMNT doesn't have enough energy to make even basic crosses. That was dismal.
• 11500 - CK Ghana. This should take a minute.
• 11600 - Darke and Harkes begin the eulogies.
• 11800 - Fuck Bob Bradley. This is on him. Fire his ass tomorrow. Even if they miraculously win.
• 11930 - Ghanaian player gives up his face to save Dempsey shot.
• 12000 - CK USMNT, punched out by keeper. Three minutes stoppage.
• 12200 - "They are dying, but dying bravely." Shut the fuck up.
• 12200 - USMNT can't get ball, game over.
• Fire Bob Bradley now. What a stubborn, stupid, motherfucker.

Blarg the First later. And there's a United game at 730 on Comcast and on your computer.