Saved by Math: USA through to the round of 16

Taylor Twellman said it. Today's 0-1 loss to Germany in the final game of Group G in World Cup 2014 felt a lot like 2002. Why? The Americans were saved by math and Klinsmann knows how to work the problem out.

As I put it in a previous post. A "small" team has to try to go for 4 points and a decent goal differential in order to go through. USA came into the game with 4 points while Ghana and Portugal had 1. Ghana had -1 goal differential and Portugal -4. 

A loss to Germany was highly probable. They have not been eliminated at the group stage since 1954 and they have one of the most talented sides in the World Cup. Klinsmann knew it and acted accordingly. A win versus Ghana was a must. Done. At least a point versus Portugal was crucial. They almost won. The rest was just math, as Portugal was undone in the first game and could not defeat Team USA in their second outing.

For the players it comes down to Jermaine Jones being the absolute MVP in this tournament for the Americans and Howard showing why he's one of the top 5 goalkeepers in the world. Dempsey has partly made up for Altidore but the New Jersey product will be required versus a highly talented Belgian side.

Some deltas include Michael Bradley's subpar performances. This is very disconcerting considering his pedigree as a player, but Jones has made up for it. Beasley, Fabian Johnson and Matt Besler have also played their best, as did Omar Gonzalez in his first start today. 

Now anything is possible. Belgium is an entirely different team. They will be difficult for the USA in terms of their speed and athleticism and their highly-skilled midfielders. Think of them as a mix of Germany and Portugal. It's no wonder some dub them the dark horses of the tournament. In this World Cup, however, all logic has gone out the window.

And let's say it: We Believe.

How Team USA could still be ousted by Ghana in Brazil 2014

Photo credit: Getty Images

Americans love drama and there's nothing like what the Germany-USA match has to offer, plus the simultaneous Ghana-Portugal match. For those of you that thought our Ghana-World Cup nightmares had been exorcised, think again. There is still a way that Ghana can go through and oust the Americans in the process.

The standings

Group G

#	Country	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1	Germany	2	1	1	0	6	2	4	4
2	United States	2	1	1	0	4	3	1	4
3	Ghana	2	0	1	1	3	4	-1	1
4	Portugal	2	0	1	1	2	6	-4	1

It's simple. USA wins and they're through. USA ties and they're through. But it's never simple at the World Cup.

With Germany at 4 points and +4 goal differential, it will take a monumental takedown by Team USA to knock the three-times champions out. That, coupled with another goal-fest by Ghana. Highly unlikely but this tournament has been odd.

If Portugal manages to take down Ghana by 3 goals and USA also loses by 3 then Cristiano Ronaldo and company go through and the megastar lives another day.

The Manaus Factor
Fact. To date, every single team that has played in Manaus has gone on to lose their following match. That would mean that both Portugal and USA will come out with zero points from their final Group G games.

Ghana Returns
The Ghanaians are no pushovers. They controlled the game versus the Americans and probably deserved better. They showed why in the second game against the Germans. They almost won that game and it set up a nightmare scenario for their now-eternal World Cup nemesis: USA.

If Ghana wins by two goals and USA loses by one goal the Africans will go through. Plain math. It would be a heartbreak for a hard-working American team and the third time they knocked the USMNT out of the World Cup. First it was directly with a win in group play, second was in the round of 16. This time via math.

Hold your breath.

When Suarez bites it damages the game

Photo credit: Getty Images

Luis Suarez did the unthinkable. Again. He bit Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder in today's deciding match in group C between Uruguay and England. But where does this leave him, FIFA, and the game of soccer?

For Suarez this should be no coincidence. In 2010 he bit PSV Eindhoven's Otman Bakkal when playing for Ajax of the Dutch Eridivisie. In 2013 he bit Chelsea's Ivanovic when playing for Liverpool FC of the English Premier League.

Clearly, the man is disturbed. Such a childish, hurtful and plain disgusting gesture lies outside of professional sports. Just ask Mike Tyson. Is this what we want to show the quarter-billion children watching this World Cup? These are kids looking up at role models. What should we tell them when Suarez commits such an act? It's certainly not part of the game.

The match ended in a 1-0 win in favor of Uruguay, with the lone goal coming a couple of minutes after the purported bite. Italy was down a man after Marchisio was ejected and had little to show for as they combated the well-poised Uruguayan defense. We can't credit the win to Suarez's bite, as Godin scored a perfect header to put the "Charruas" in front. Still, some measure of psychology has to work itself into the conversation.

Should FIFA act, it will likely be a suspension for Suarez. Maybe a ban for life from international competition. Why not? This is the third offense of this type.

Let's also not forget that most of Africa already harbors a deal of dislike for Suarez for his handball at the mouth of goal, with the goalkeeper already beaten, to deny Ghana the goal and the win. Ghana would have advanced to the 2010 semifinals, the first African team to do so. Instead, they settled for penalties and Gyan missed, sending Uruguay to their first semifinal since 1970. 

And also we should remember his racist remarks towards Manchester United's Patrice Evra, his suspension for this, and, once back, his refusal to shake Evra's hand. So, my friends, as much as I like to watch him score and play for club and country, I have to say this: time to let him go.

Brazil's undeserved penalty is a call for use of video replay

Photo credit: Reuters

Brazil defeated Croatia yesterday in the opening game of the World Cup by the score of 3-1. The go-ahead goal however, came due to a controversial penalty kick.

The goal came in the 79th minute, just in time to give Brazil the psychological bump it needed to bring the crowd into the game. However, how this PK came is debatable. In fact, it is clear from the replays that Fred wasn't touched, at least not ith enough force to pull him down.

This latest lack of fairness in a major soccer match has called, once again, for action from FIFA. But will they ever get this to happen? The goal line technology that is finally being employed took more than a decade to implement, even though the capability has been around for other sports, such as hockey, for much longer.

There are the usual arguments. Referees are part of the game and human error is a tradition, of sorts. This has been Michel Platini's assertion, for example. And yet, as the game gets a further hold of the North American sports scene, it is likely that more pressure will be placed on FIFA to act.

The way that the Mexico and Spain games went also add credence to the argument that at least one replay should be allowed per team per game. A couple more minutes per game is something most soccer lovers can live with. Giovanni dos Santos had a goal called back without a clear reason and Spain's lone goal versus The Netherlands came through another questionable penalty. Clearly, goal line tech is a great start, but it's still not enough to make the beautiful game also a fair game.