Going, Going, Ghana

Okay, so the United States lost to Ghana in their World Cup game. All right, so they don't advance to the quarterfinals. But -and you knew I was coming to a "but," and it's a heck of a "but" - they got more Americans interested in soccer and attracted more fans to the sport. The Major League Soccer All-Star Game next month is likely to draw its largest audiences ever. Landon Donovan is a celebrity on the order of David Beckham. The U.S. has now competed in six consecutive World Cup tournaments. And when the MLS championship is played this fall, even the most apathetic Americans will be able to tell you who won, just as even Americans completely disinterested in football can tell you the New Orleans Saints won this year's Super Bowl.

Okay, maybe not so much on that last point, but the American team can now be taken seriously. They played with heart and passion, and they won the hearts and attention spans of millions. They won their group and outperformed the French and the Italians - the two teams who played for the Cup in 2006. They made it difficult for Ghana to win. The United States men's soccer team returns home with their heads held high and their dignity intact.

But did we have to lose to Ghana, the same country that eliminated us from the 2006 tournament?