An opportunity lost?

It was hard to put my arms around the idea that the World Cup was over for the United States after a 2-1 overtime defeat to Ghana in the round of 16.

Paul Kennedy of Soccer America reports on the lost opportunity for the United States, and about the future for the US team.

The overwhelming sense you got after the USA fell to Ghana Saturday was that it was an opportunity lost. A chance to, as even Bob Bradley said right after the game, "go deep in the tournament." But the USA's dramatic advancement to the round of 16 and its favorable bracket created expectations that were far greater than reality.

This wasn't the first time the USA lost an opportunity to do something big. In 2002, it reached the quarterfinals, where it outplayed Germany but lost, 1-0. Your immediate reaction then was that the USA could go years and never get close to the final four again.

How fragile a World Cup campaign can be was proved four years later when the USA went out after three games with what was a more experienced team.

A lot of factors go into a successful World Cup -- player personnel, of course, but also team chemistry, preparation, coaching, the draw and luck. If any one of them is missing, a World Cup can be doomed.

This was a World Cup where everything seemed to be working. You could see it in the body language of the U.S. players. How they prepared for the games. How they celebrated together. It was a lot like 2002 in South Korea, where Bruce Arena had arranged for the players to stay in the heart of Seoul with their families.

Then as now, the USA was one big happy family. Problem is, that only gets you so far. The USA simply wasn't good enough.

The difference between the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, of course, was the interest level.

The games eight years ago were played in the middle of the night. In 2002, ESPN broadcast the games in an arrangement brokered by MLS. In 2010, ESPN had paid heavily for the rights and took a big interest in promoting its coverage.

Soccer is eight years on, and it's that much more entrenched in our sports culture, particularly among those in their 20s and 30s.

I know that there are a lot of fans who are disappointed that our team has been eliminated, but one of the great signs of how far we have come as a soccer nation is how the expectations for our team has risen - sports fans now expect our team to do well in the World Cup, as we will all have to wait until 2014.