The United States’ improbable World Cup run came to a disappointing end Saturday as the Yanks lost an overtime thriller, 2-1, to Ghana at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa.The United States’ World Cup run was nothing less than a roller coaster – a seemingly solid draw to the English, followed by a disappointing draw to Slovenia, capped with a thrilling victory against Algeria to put the U.S. on top of Group C before a disheartening loss in the second round.The team’s exit was met with mixed emotional reactions back in the States.Michael Pellissier, communication disorders junior and a member of the intramural co-rec soccer championship team Fist Pump, called the American performance rather encouraging.”I think we could’ve done better, but I definitely wouldn’t label our performance as disappointing,” Pellissier said. “Winning our group was encouraging, and if not for a couple of errors against Ghana, we’d still be in the hunt.”LSU Men’s Soccer Club President Eric Yohe said the United States’ showing wasn’t necessarily a failure, but still disappointing.”We have ourselves to blame,” Yohe said. “We didn’t finish our chances, and we gave up a couple easy goals … too many mental mistakes. And those will come around and bite you in the butt.”Kenny Farrell, head coach and general manager of the New Orleans Jesters, said despite the initial letdown following the loss, the long run effect is a positive one.”It has to be considered a success,” Farrell said. “In the very immediate, it’s a disappointment because we know we can beat Ghana … but overall it has to be a tremendous success.”Despite the United States’ early exit from the World Cup, the hype and interest surrounding soccer has undoubtedly been on the rise in recent years. Farrell said he has seen more and more people are beginning to get into the games, and the increasing support is something to build on.”There were a lot of people watching the game that normally would never get emotional about a game of soccer,” Farrell said. “We need to capitalize on the fact that people are now watching the game and realizing how big the World Cup is and how great the game is and getting emotionally invested in it.”LSU soccer coach Brian Lee said he has also seen a tremendous growth in people’s interest and following of soccer due to the World Cup. And although the hype will die down when the World Cup concludes, Lee thinks the sport will gain more and more followers with the increasing coverage of foreign soccer leagues in the United States.”Every game we’ve played, I’ve gotten texts or calls from friends around the country, just saying how amazing it is,” Lee said. “It’s certainly going to die down some [when the World Cup is over] because it’s the biggest tournament in the world, but ESPN’s pretty vested in the English professional leagues, so I think it’s going to keep going.”Both Farrell and Lee said they see a bright future for the game of soccer in America. Lee said it is only a matter of time before the U.S. is among the elite countries in soccer.”Eventually we’re going to become more of a world power,” Lee said. “It’s just a question of when.” Farrell agrees the U.S. is and has been on the rise throughout the past years and will continue to succeed into the future.”I think we are not a global superpower yet. but we’ve been taking baby steps for the last 20 years,” Farrell said. “We have a tremendous interest from TV stations here in the United States, and I think this World Cup has propelled us a long way.”Farrell said the key to pushing soccer to one of the elite sports in America is through Major League Soccer. While positive steps have been made in the MLS, Farrell said more big-name players need to be brought in to improve the talent level and the appeal to the club teams.”We’ve got to get our leagues up to the standards of other leagues,” Farrell said. “The only way to get the league to the standards of the EPL, Serie A or La Liga is to have those players playing here. It’s a steady process, but it can’t be done overnight.”And while there may be differences in opinion on America’s performance in the World Cup, the commonality seems to be South America’s dominance thus far in the tournament. Regardless of the United States’ early exit, many students will continue to follow the World Cup and both Pellissier and Yohe named Argentina as their favorites.”Despite our exit, I will keep watching the World Cup. It’s still a very exciting tournament,” Pellissier said. “If I had to choose a champion, I’d pick Argentina.”
 
 
 
—-Contact Mark Clements at [email protected]