FIFA announced from Zurich on Thursday the awarding of the 2018 World Cup to the Russian Federation and the 2022 cup to the tiny, Persian Gulf state of Qatar. Both decisions can be considered upsets. England, which hosted in 1966, had been considered the favorite for the ’18 competition. The United States, which hosted the most profitable World Cup ever in 1994, had been the favorite for ’22.

Sunil Gulati’s announcement over the disappointment only begins to describe the problems with this decision.

While I can accept giving the cup to the land of the modern mafia, I don’t have to like it. England, the cradle of the game and the home of the best football league, deserved a second chance to host. Seriously, Uruguay and Mexico have each hosted twice and Brazil is getting a second shot in 2014. Perhaps it is a lingering upset over the West German goal that wasn’t in the ’66 final, but this seems ridiculous.

With the tendency to spread the game, and the likelihood that an African nation will get a shot before another European country, England might be looking at a 2030 bid. Sixty-four years between games is a pretty impressive stretch and would match Brazil’s experience.

For the ’22 games, I am still trying to make sense of awarding it to one of the hottest spots on the planet over the USA. How much does FIFA hate Uncle Sam? Evidently, it’s far greater than I guessed. To turn your backs on the nation that hosted the most successful games ever, and possessed the stadiums, hotel rooms and fans to trump that success says everything.

In its own reports, FIFA expressed concerns over Qatari facilities and, more importantly, the ability to hold matches in 120-degree heat. The biggest concerns for the USA bid was a lack of government underwriting and the reality that soccer is not the most important game on the American sports landscape.

Those same factors were true in ’94, and that only led to the most successful cup. Ever.

Perhaps attentions should turn to putting forth a 2026 bid, and again offering Invesco Field in Denver as one of the sites. At this moment, I’m too bitter to care.

Ultimately, the 2022 vote has to be seen as FIFA again backing a state with a strong central government able to dictate its support over a noisy, messy democracy.

The US staged another second half comeback to tie Ghana 1-1, and then simply ran out of gas. The US followed the script by falling behind early, rallying in the second half, and then not having anything left at the end. Ghana got one good counterattack early in the first extra time period when the US was snoozing. After that, there was nothing left.

So, what lessons can we learn from the US’s departure in the second round?

Capable: For once, the Yanks took care of business in a weak group. Alexi Lalas was right when the draw was announced. This was a group that the US should be able to get out of. The US did get it done. Past US teams would have botched this opportunity.

The 2006 and 1998 squads would have killed to have been in any of the positions that this squad found.

Comeback Kings: The US could come back. England, Slovenia and Ghana all lead early. The US managed to tie up each of those games. The second half was the US friend, and the comeback against Slovenia and the finale against Algeria were fantastic.

Looking Back: The US never quite figured out the center of defense. Carlos Bocanegra does a passable job there, but he was beat on the final Ghana goal, and he’s better on the outside. Jay DeMerit was stellar. He seemed to get better as the tournament went on. The man from Green Bay, Wisc., gave everything.

The injury to Oguchi Onyewu last fall was probably more devastating to central defense than I thought. I have never been a huge Onyewu fan. He always seems too likely to run over an opponent and draw a silly foul. This wasn’t a problem in South Africa, but Onyewu was not 100 percent. He gave all he had, but it wasn’t enough.

Stuck in the Middle: Michael Bradley did fantastic work in the center of the field. His best companion was Maurice Edu, as Ricardo Clark and my personal fave, Jose Torres, came up short.

Looking back, I wonder what Edu-Bradley could have done with a full 90 minutes together every game.

This leads us to the other issue for the US, why isn’t Benny Feilhaber a starter? All he does is hold the ball, light up the field and make the right pass time and again. I’m sorry he didn’t get more opportunity.

Going Forward: There’s a forward problem. None of the strikers scored in the tournament. All the US goals came from the midfield, (Clint Dempsey, Bradley, Landon Donovan) plus Edu’s disallowed finish.

Coach Bob Bradley is probably going to face his most questions here. Jozy Altidore played a great second half against Algeria. That’s not much of a return for starting four games in the World Cup.

Herculez Gomez made a difference, but he didn’t spend much time on the field. Edson Buddle got one chance, which probably wasn’t enough.

What did Robbie Findley do? I was grateful he wasn’t available against Algeria. He may be fast, but he couldn’t finish. You have to finish chances at this level. Findley got his chances, but he didn’t do the job. I still don’t see the Findley allure.

Four More Years: Now the long wait to the next World Cup begins. This time, it’s in Brazil, and I can’t wait to go.

In CONCACAF, the US is a likely representative. Who will be on the field?  

At keeper, Marcus Hahnemann was in South Africa for veteran stability and Brad Guzan was there to learn. Tim Howard was the man from start to finish. He did nothing to dislodge his place. I expect to see him in the goal in 2014. I suspect the two sitting on the bench will two names I haven’t mentioned.

Defense is in for an overhaul. Steve Cherundolo is 31. This was his final World Cup. Bocanegra and DeMerit are unlikely to be back in four years. Jonathan Spector is a serviceable sub, but he’s unlikely to get another sniff. Onyewu might be back, but he’s a borderline case. He’s going to have to stay healthy and play some outstanding club football.

Jonathan Bornstein needs to take his play in the final game and keep building. He’s shown promise and stagnation in equal measures. Clarence Goodson rode the pine. I suspect Bornstein and Goodson will get a chance for 2014. Both are likely to make it after the taste they got this month.

Dempsey and Donovan will play in the midfield until they can’t. Expect both of them to make heroic last stands for one more cup in 2014. Each will be nearing the end, but I don’t see either one of them missing out.

Bradley is a pup. He could lead the midfield for the next decade. Edu, Clark, Feilhaber and Torres will all be in the mix. Despite an atrocious half, I still believe in Torres. Stuart Holden shows some exciting possibilities. Midfield is the one area where the US has to feel good.

Forwards are a problem. Buddle and Gomez were in-form strikers who got their shots. Neither will be in the mix in four years.

Findley was useless. I never got his charm, and I still don’t. However, he gets four years to prove me wrong. If he can figure out how to finish, he will have a case to go to Brazil. Altidore also needs to step up his finishing and learn how to play 90 minutes as a top flight professional.

Of the four on the roster, only Altidore is likely to be back.

Next Up: I’m going to try and forget about today’s fadeout and enjoy the rest of the tournament. Plus, the Colorado Rapids and  the rest of the MLS come back online today. After a two-week break, I wonder what we will see.

That’s the question for the U.S. Men. After a nervy tie with England, a rousing comeback and unjust goal decision against Slovenia, and then the 90-plus goal to upend Algeria, what do they have left?

Hopefully, after this rollercoaster ride, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Co. will have enough fuel to push through 90 minutes against Ghana. Ghana has the team speed and quality players to score, but it also has a shaky defense. The one thing I have believed about this U.S. team from the naming of the original pool of 30 players was that this group could score.

Dempsey has been unlucky and the referees have been unkind. I don’t see either of those streaks continuing. The U.S. will score goals, just to keep me from losing my mind. I don’t think I can take another anxious afternoon.

Regardless, Saturday should be a great match. These teams have a lot of the same virtues and vices. I can’t wait.

1930 Redux: By beating Algeria, the U.S. won its group for the first time since the first World Cup in 1930.

Just for a little perspective, that first team went to the semifinals. Argentina crushed the Americans 5-2.

Guessing Game: With all the first round games, it’s time to review my prognasticating skills. My predictions are here.

On the plus side, I got 12 of the 16 teams that advanced to the second round. I regretted picking France for the second round before the first game. The French only made it worse. Kudos to Uruguay for topping the group. I should have known better to discount any team with Diego Forlan.

I’m not sure what to make of Italy’s flameout. As a team, they just waited until too late to play. The final 10 minutes of the Slovakia game was one of the most entertaining portions of any game this tournament. I don’t know, maybe Italy packed its sense of urgency in a different bag.

Still, kudos to Slovakia and farewell to the ’06 finalists, France and Italy.

Also, South America is due for all possible respect. Only one team lost even one game, and Chile’s 2-1 loss to Spain on the final day of first round play was no embarrassment. Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and Brazil each came out and took care of business. Very impressive to see five of the final 16 coming from South America.

Asian Surprises: I thought the home continent advantage would push Nigeria through. The Super Eagles never came together. South Korea, which seemed to be regressing at a rapid pace since 2002, played solid defense and found a way to score. In one group, you got a pleasant surprise and a sad disappointment.

I also thought Japan was done. However, the Japanese seem to be getting better as the tournament progresses. The game against Denmark was fantastic. It was a well-deserved 3-1 win, and it’s not unreasonable to picture the Japanese in the quarterfinals.

African Disappointments: Ghana was the only African team to get through the first round. Of the other four, the only one that looked likely to make it was Nigeria. Ivory Coast was a trendy pick, but I never bought into that belief. Cameroon showed little in qualifying and little in the tournament.

This leaves the hosts. Bafana Bafana did everything but qualify for the next round. The team played attractive soccer and showed that they belonged. It would have been a storybook to move on to the second round, but there is no shame in bouncing out. I doubt it will reduce the sound of vuvuzelas, but the hosts are on the sidelines.

Everybody in Group C ended the day the way it started – everyone has a chance to go to the second round. Two of those teams are going to fulfill that chance.

The day didn’t start that way.

At the halftime of the U.S.-Slovenia game, I was writing off the coaching career of Bob Bradley, the second round hopes of the U.S. and questioning my own dedication to the team.

After a dreadful 45 minutes, I was reliving past disappointments. There were the 2006 flameouts against the Czech Republic (3-0) and Ghana (2-1). The 3-1 collapse against Poland (Poland? Poland!) and the rescue by South Korea in 2002 (Great hosts.). There was the whole 1998 meltdown, punctuated by a loss to Yugoslavia (Tell me Steve Sampson, why was Preki not on the field for the entire game?).

My stomach churned, but then this U.S. team did what it seemed most capable of before the tournament, it started scoring. Floundering in a 2-0 hole against a team that had given up only four goals in qualifying, the U.S. started attacking.

The Move: Bradley took off a lost Jose Torres and an ineffective Robbie Findley at halftime. The unlikely pair of Benny Feilhaber and Maurice Edu came on, and the game shifted. In the 48^th minute, Landon Donovan delivered one of the goals of the tournament on a no-angle shot that nearly peeled the skin off the Slovenia goalkeeper’s face.

 The team was alive, but I saw it as an attempt to keep the goal differential down.

But the Yanks kept coming. Oguchi Onyewu went off as Herculez Gomez came on as a third striker. And it was Gomez who made a move to get clear in the middle of the box and open the space that Michael Bradley filled with the sole of his shoe and delivered the tying goal.

The Goal: Suddenly, more than pride was on the line. I was watching one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history. Then, Donovan delivered the perfect free kick and Edu buried it in the roof of the net. For an instant, I was seeing the greatest comeback in World Cup history. And then … no goal.

A whistle pulled the goal back. The reason for the tweet remains a mystery. Suddenly, the referee had taken away a sterling goal.

And the game ended with a 2-2 tie and more questions. U.S. hopes hung on two points and an England team looking to take out Algeria.

The final score there? 0-0.

Now the denied goal looms large. Three points would have put the U.S. in the group lead.

But it all comes down to the third game in the group. If the U.S. and England win, they’re both in. If Slovenia and the U.S. win, they’re both in. If Slovenia and Algeria win, they’re both in. If England wins and Algeria wins by two, they’re both in.

It’s nuts, but if the U.S. wins, they’re in and they could even claim the group. They just have to do one thing they’ve never done and one thing they rarely do – win the third game in the group stage and beat a team they are favored against.

Whatever happens, I don’t think my stomach can handle another day like today.

You’re Kidding: Perhaps I should have seen this coming. The officiating was almost as bizarre as the result in the first game of the day. Germany, playing with 10 men, fell to Serbia 1-0. The double booking and send off of Miroslav Klose in the first half for transgressions that hardly earned a whistle in the second half was ludicrous. Lukas Podolski missing a penalty kick in the 60^th minute was surreal. But teams play the game and reputations don’t.

Where Were You: Germany last lost a game in the opening round in 1986. They fell to the Danes 2-0 during the tournament in Mexico. That was the day I learned that the Danes played solid defense and could kill you on a counterattack. Not pretty, but effective.

Who’s Up Front: Findley earned a yellow card for a phantom handball in the first half (This should have been the sign of trouble to come.) and will miss the Algeria game.

So, who pairs with Jozy Altidore?

Bradley could turn super sub Gomez into a starter, or shift Clint Dempsey or Donovan up top. I’m betting Bradley wants to keep Gomez in his hip pocket for a late spark and Edson Buddle gets to go forward.

Your thoughts?

Too Soon: I’m a Torres fan, so I was distraught by his performance. Other than some promising free kicks, he was adrift in midfield. Starting him was a bold move, and it didn’t pay off.

Still, I believe his best days are yet to come.

Midfield Woes: England and Slovenia each found seams in front of goal by coming through the middle of the midfield from right to left. Tim Howard was right to yell at Edu late in the game for middling marking in the same space. Whoever is next to Bradley has to work with him to shutdown that gap. If I can see it from my living room in Denver, every Algerian coach can see it too.

Based on today, I’m ready to put Feilhaber there. Your thoughts?

Fighting for Five: Before the tournament, I predicted the U.S. would need more than four points to advance. Based on results so far, the U.S. could finish with two, three or five points. Five would be enough to go through, and even contend for top of the group. Three would be asking for trouble. Two would be a sure ticket home.

Oh well, at least it won’t be four, the highest total the U.S. has mustered in a group stage, and just enough to advance in 1994 and 2002.

Of course, history was on my side. In the nine previous meetings there had been seven wins for England, two for the US and no draws.

Oh, well.

I also didn’t figure on such a good crowd turning out on a downtown street in the cold and the rain to watch. The British Bulldog and the Colorado Rapids are to be commended for organizing the event that closed down a couple of blocks and opened up a lot of beer taps. It was a good Anglo-American get together, with lots of  US and England jerseys and cheers.

The only odd moment was the end of the game. The referee blew the final whistle and … nothing. To describe the reaction as muted is to disrespect the term. Perhaps everyone has used their cheers, but the crowd went from shoulder-to-shoulder to quietly walking for the exits. Weird.

On the 11: Bob Bradley delivered one surprise by putting Robbie Findley on the field as a starter. Clearly, I don’t get the Findley charm. He was not a significant presence on the ball, but his off-the-ball runs opened space for Landon Donovan and goalscorer Clint Dempsey. I have to give that to Bradley.

Despite my hopes for Jose Torres, Ricardo Clark got the nod in midfield. Clark didn’t get ejected, but he also lost Steven Gerrard on the England goal. I’m still not impressed.

Against Slovenia, I hope Bradley gives Torres a look. We need a possessor in the midfiled, and Michael Bradley can cleanup on defense. However, I suspect Bradley won’t make a change unless someone is injured.

Following: Now, with a point in hand, the US and England are both in good positions to advance. It also makes the Friday match against Slovenia that much more engaging. The US needs to win, and I think the States will.

I pity Algeria, which I suspect will face the wrath of England. The English do wrath well. It will be ugly.

I’ll take the US to win, 2-1. The English will put at least three in the net against Algeria.

Elsewhere: I fell for Ghanian (Ghananian?) soccer at the ’92 Olympics. They were a fun side to watch with some of the best fans in Barcelona. Now, I’m still seeing one of the strongest African sides at this World Cup.

I picked Ghana second out of its group behind Germany. This ran against conventional wisdom that says Serbia is at least the second-best or possibly the top team in the group. After the result this morning, I’m feeling like a genius. Ghana was composed, Serbia erratic, and the west Africans won 1-0.

Nice!

Twice the US made it out of the group stage. One ended in a gallant second round 1-0 loss to eventual champions Brazil in 1994. The other ended in a gallant quarterfinal 1-0 loss to eventual runners-up Germany in 2002.

But in all these appearances, the US has never tallied more than four points in the opening group stage. A 1-1-1 record has been just enough to advance. The question now: Will four points be enough or will the US manage — or need – more?

Looking at the group, I don’t think four will be enough. I think the US will need to win two games to ensure moving on to the next round.

Your thoughts?

Pick ‘em: Regular reader Carson Cunningham has been after me to pick a starting 11 for the US since Bob Bradley named his initial 30. I have struggled with this in part because injuries could easily change the look of the squad.

However, Bradley insists that Oguchi Onyewu and Jozy Altidore are healthy. So, with the game less than a day away, here’s my starting 11.

We’re sticking with a 4-4-2. Tim Howard is the anchor in goal. Across the back are Carlos Bocanegra, Onyewu, Jay DeMerit and Steve Cherundolo. Onyewu starts, but Clarence Goodson better be ready to go.

In the midfield, it’s Landon Donovan on the left, Clint Dempsey on the right and Michael Bradley in the middle. This has been true since the 30 were announced. These three were always going to be on the field, the only question was where. Donovan and Dempsey can play up top, but are better in the midfield. Who to pair with Bradley is the question.

This one tears at me. In my book, it’s Jose Torres. I would rather have his possession than the physicality of Maurice Edu or Ricardo Clark. I don’t think Bradley will agree, and playing against a stolid English side, I suspect he starts Clark. I’m not excited by the choice, but I’ll go with it.

Finally, up top, it’s Altidore and Edson Buddle. This is Altidore’s chance to shine and Buddle is big and scores goals. I like the pairing.

So, there’s my 11. Feel free to tell me I ignored someone critical.

The Game: And no thoughts would be complete without a score prediction for Saturday. As much as I root for the my native land and home, I don’t think they can beat England. I think England is playing too well, and even without Rio Ferdinand, will be headed for the finals.

The US can score goals, but looks suspect in the back. Wayne Rooney can also score, and he will get that chance.

I see a free-flowing game for both sides, but I think England goes by 2-1. 

As I will be standing outside The British Bulldog in downtown Denver watching the game on the big screen while it rains and the thermometer struggles to make 60 degrees, wearing my denim and white stars ’94 US jersey, I will be hoping I am wrong. I would love nothing more than a 1950-style stunner.

And you?

The former Colorado Rapids player parlayed a career resurgence in Mexico and cemented a roster spot with a Tuesday night goal in one of the most improbable routes to the 2010 World Cup.

Coach Bob Bradley announced his 23-man roster on Wednesday for the U.S. Men’s National Team competing next month in South Africa. The mainstays — Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra — were all there. The surprises came in some of the players who looked to be on the fringe or out of the mix entirely prior to Bradley’s announcement of the initial 30-man roster on My 11.

None were bigger than Gomez, who tied for the Mexican league scoring title after several non-descript MLS seasons, but Robbie Findley’s inclusion was unexpected. The Real Salt Lake forward is fast, but he has contributed little for the club this season. After not seeing the field in a 4-2 exhibition loss to the Czech Republic, I penciled Findley out. Again. My mistake.

Edson Buddle used a strong start with the Los Angeles Galaxy to gain a trip overseas as one of the four forwards on the squad. Buddle leads the league in scoring with 9 goals, and he has been linking well with Donovan, which made his inclusion likely.

Forwards left home included Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson. Ching is recovering from injury but showed promise on Tuesday and has been a Bradley favorite. Johnson’s inclusion was a mercy killing. His spot on the original roster was a wasted space, an observation Johnson reinforced on Tuesday.

Midfielders Alejandro Bedoya, Sacha Kjlestan and Robbie Rogers were also dropped. None will be missed, and of the three, only Rogers appeared to be on the cusp of making the team.

Defenders Chad Marshall and Heath Pearce — neither of whom looked likely to make it two weeks ago — were also left behind. Marshall appeared to be on the roster as a courtesy. Pearce might have had a shot, but was awful on Tuesday. Both can look forward to their MLS seasons.

The Roster: 

Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Howard (Everton, England).

Defenders: Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover, Germany), Jay DeMerit (Watford, England), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan, Italy), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England).

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany), Dempsey (Fulham, England), Donovan (Los Angeles), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Bolton, England), Jose Torres (Pachuca, Mexico).

Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Buddle (Los Angeles), Findley (Salt Lake), Gomez (Puebla, Mexico).

Weighing Predictions: When the initial roster was announced, I came up with my seven cuts. They were Gomez (Wrong!), Findley (Wrong?!), Johnson, Rogers, Kjlestan, Marshall and Pearce or Goodson (Wrong, but I’m cutting myself a little slack because he was borderline.)

After Tuesday’s game, I updated my cuts. They were Findley (Wrong?!! Again!), Johnson, Rogers, Kljestan, Marshall, Pearce, Bornstein (Wrong.) and Bedoya. I reduced that list to the necessary seven by including Rogers on the final roster.

While I’m surprised Ching didn’t make it, I’m more surprised Findley did. Clearly, he’s showing something in practice that Bradley likes. I wonder if it isn’t the speed at forward that was lost when Charlie Davies suffered serious injuries in an October car accident.

Perhaps I was also too hard on Bornstein. A couple of years ago, he looked like a promising national defender. Maybe he is about to blossom, but he just seems to have stagnated since about 2008.

Finally, I’m just going to be grateful that Bradley didn’t keep Johnson.

Great to See: I’m happy to see DeMerit and Spector on the roster. They earned their spots and will work to justify their inclusion.

Beasley and Holden fit the ”Pleasant Surprise” category. Neither is as stunning an inclusion as Gomez or Findley, but I wouldn’t have predicted either one to make it at the start of the 2009/2010 league seasons. Beasley has always had the potential, and this is probably his last change to realize that potential. Holden delivered some fine free kicks, but he is likely along just as injury insurance.

Torres probably won’t see the field, but putting him on the roster is a vote for 2014. He has shown some of the best ballhandling skills of any American player. He lacks seasoning, but he could easily make a difference for years to come.

Overall: There’s the U.S. squad. Your thoughts?

On Wednesday, Bradley will cut his 30-man roster to the 23 he plans to take to the World Cup in South Africa. The initial roster already looked like it had at least a half-dozen pretenders, and after watching the team in action in East Hartford, Connecticut, here’s how it looks.

Book ‘Em: First, there are the definites. Start with the eight players who didn’t dress for the game. Goalkeeper Tim Howard, defenders Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit, midfielders Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Benny Feilhaber and Michael Bradley, and forward Jozy Altidore will go to South Africa. Most of them will likely play Saturday in a tune-up against Turkey.

Of the eight, the only one I doubt is Feilhaber. He always seems not quite good enough. While Altidore did little for Hull City, he will get marquee time on this trip. Bocanegra is coming off hernia surgery less than three weeks ago, but Bradley won’t leave his captain behind. The other five form a stout core.

The ‘Keepers: Brad Guzan gave up four goals, but he will be going to backup Howard and fight with Marcus Hahnemann for space on the reserves bench. I still don’t think much of Guzan, but Bradley seems likely to stick with him.

At Defender: Chad Marshall and either Clarence Goodson or Heath Pearce were the defenders least likely to go to the World Cup before Tuesday. Marshall never got on the field and won’t be around. Goodson looked good in the air, but questionable on the ground. However, the coach complimented him after the game, likely putting him in the final 23. Pearce was largely responsible for two Czech goals and looked bad. Pearce will watch the games from home.

Of the remaining defenders, Oguchi Onyewu looked rusty, but he played 65 minutes and will be facing England on June 12. Steve Cherundolo was passable in the first half and dangerous on attack in the second. He wore the captain’s armband for the night and will get a chance to practice Afrikaans and Swahili next month. Jonathan Spector sat on the bench and will likely do the same in South Africa. Jonathan Bornstein looked mediocre, and probably lost his spot to Goodson.

So, subtract Marshall, Pearce and Bornstein from the 30.

Middle Muddle: Maurice Edu scored his first international goal in a scramble in the 17th minute, and got exposed in the air on the Czech’s fourth goal. He’s a borderline choice, but he likely crossed that border on Tuesday. DaMarcus Beasley and Stuart Holden, both questionable choices on the initial roster, showed the hustle and game sense to make the squad. Holden was a surprising scrapper and his corners set up the two goals. Beasley looked better than he has in years.

Alejandro Bedoya and Sacha Kljestan each saw the field for the final time as second-half substitutes. Neither did anything to merit inclusion on the 23-man roster. Robbie Rogers delivered a thunderous shot and added some spark to the side, but he remains on the fringe.

Then there is the X factor, Jose Torres. I was elated to see him start. On a night where everyone wanted the ball, he was one of the few capable of controlling the sphere. He may not see a minute on the field, but he’s going to be on the World Cup roster.

The original 30 loses Bedoya, Kljestan and Rogers.

Up Front: There’s only one cut left to make, but there were several more players deserving of the ax.

Exhibit 1: Eddie Johnson. This was a wasted space the moment his name was announced on the initial roster. Johnson did nothing. Again.

Exhibit 2: Robbie Findley. Didn’t get on the field. Not getting on the plane.

Edson Buddle didn’t score, but played well, and has been linking with Donovan at Los Angeles. I still think he is a lock to go. Brian Ching delivered a nice backheel pass and hustled — these items will likely take him to South Africa as the lesser Brian McBride.

Which brings us to Herculez Gomez, and I owe him an apology. He scored the team’s second goal (A header no less!), showed flashes of speed and appears to be the player he was in glimpses during his time as a Colorado Rapid. I didn’t believe it 14 days ago, but I believe after tonight that the guy with one of the coolest names ever (Come on, it’s Herculez!) is going to the World Cup.

Finally, a Surprise: For those of you keeping track, that brings us to eight likely cuts, one over the needed seven. This gives Bradley the chance to pull one name from the pile of Marshall, Pearce, Bornstein, Bedoya, Kljestan, Rogers, Johnson and Findley. I’ll go with my gut and take Rogers. His shot was a screamer, and he lit up the pitch for about 20 minutes at the start of the second half. I think he got his spot. Now, I just have to hope that Bradley agrees and doesn’t waste the choice on Johnson.

Paring Knife: Ultimately, this process seems to have existed to cut away the MLS players. Of the nine invited to camp, Bornstein, Marshall, Pearce, Kljestan and Findley are likely staying home. Rogers may barely squeak in, joining Ching, Buddle and Donovan on the final roster.

Of the European-based 19, only Bedoya, playing in Sweden, and Johnson, in Greece, are unlikely to make the final roster.

And, the two players from the Mexican league, Torres and Gomez, both appeared to make the cut.

Next: Now the wait begins for Bradley to announce his roster in about 12 hours.

I need some advice. Where do you draw the line between the, apparent, better judgment of your other half and the prospect of watching your sporting heroes? I received the following text message from my brother Mike this morning (and trust me, this HAS been watered down to avoid causing any offence) :

“A woman who works with the wife has a daughter whom I have never met nor knew existed until 5 mins ago. We have been invited to the daughter’s engagement bash. It will come as little surprise that said ‘party’ clashes with the first England world cup match. Help?”

My brother’s wife is the tolerant sort but I think that, having signed him up to the social event of the year, my advice of “Get a belt. Add some trousers. Wear them !!” is likely to fall on deaf ears. Although he may, indeed, end up getting ‘a belt’ if he attempts such a strategy.

So it comes down to two things. Firstly, who has the crass insensitivity to book an engagement party or worse, a wedding, on the day of the first World Cup group game? It’s England v U.S.A. The World Cup has the largest audience for a sporting event on the globe. Literally a quarter of the population of Planet Earth are tuned in by the time we get to the final. Why do you think the local village hall, or wherever the engagement farce is due to take place, was free on this date?

Secondly, and the more important, how the hell do you wriggle out of it? As that renowned philosopher Homer Simpson once said, “Weasling out of things is what separates us from the animals. Except the weasel.”

My brother can’t be alone in being dragged along to unnecessary social events that clash with major sporting occasions . The question is – what can you conceivably give as a legitimate excuse?

As a frame of reference, he does actually have past form. The exact same thing happened during Germany 2006 when cousin Mark, whom I will happily name and shame, got married during our first group game. For the record, England struggled to a 1-0 victory against Paraguay with the winner coming from a Carlos Gamarra OG. (See what I meant in the last column about England going AWOL when it matters?)

I say, “Married.” To compound this already unforgivable offence, we later found out that what we had been invited to had actually just been a church blessing with the real ceremony taking place two days earlier in a sparsely attended registry office.
Would it have made a difference? Probably not. My brother and our respective fiancées watched the first half in a local pub before making a last minute bolt to the church, sneaking in moments after the bride.

I’d happily have played that golden ‘ get out’ clause then, had I possessed it. My brother’s sanity depends on it now !!

In the absence of Matt Groening’s finest, all other suggestions gratefully accepted.