Some observations from a futbol fan:

I would have never thought the USA could get out of the Group Stage without Eddie Johnson, Landon Donovan, and Jozy Altidore. But we did. That's a huge accomplishment by itself.

The USA played it's best when it was down a goal - against Portugal for 65 minutes, and against Belgium in the last 15 minutes. The USA played poorly when it was up a goal (vs Ghana for 83 minutes) or even (Germany and Belgium).

All four teams the USA played were better technically. They won one game on grit and luck (Ghana). They tied one game they should have won (Portugal). And they were clearly inferior to the Krauts and the Waffles in the last two games.

The coach was right that the US could not win the WC this year. They are not at that level. But he was wrong to leave Landon and Eddie behind. They didn't have a replacement for Jozy when he was injured, which Eddie could have done, and their midfield was a mess without Landon as a stabilizing force. Michael Bradley was a disappointment. Without his leadership and without Landon, playing a possession game through the midfield was not going to happen. And it didn't.

Tim Howard is the best keeper on the planet. The USA's defense makes sure of that (per Todd's observation). He won't get bored back there...

We need more players like Fabian Johnson and Jermaine Jones. Both were beasts. Jones was our best player who can't use his hands.

I wish Clint D. displayed more emotion and teamwork than he does. Seems like he's there to help himself, but nobody else. He might get more crosses into the box if he did.

The future of USA soccer is bright. Most of Jurgen's personnel decisions were for the next WC (2018), not this one. I'm optimistic for the future.