Now that the match has been over for nearly twelve hours, I’ve finally calmed down enough to talk about USA-Slovenia. It was… disappointing, for lack of a better term.

Koman Coulibaly. We might as well start there, for the discussion of this match starts with he, the Malian referee. All match, the USA would swing the ball into the box, only to have play stopped for some mystical, invisible foul that had been committed. The disallowed USA winner was not the first.

But that’s the talking point, because it should have counted. I’ve seen the replay a few (hundred) times now, and here’s what I notice:

  1. Maurice Edu scores, of course.
  2. Michael Bradley is locked in a bear hug by a Slovenian defender.
  3. Josy Altidore is being held.
  4. Clint Dempsey is thrown to the ground.

Perhaps FIFA would like to go back and give us three penalties? (We would settle for the goal.)

My greatest wish is that I had not heard the whistle go before Edu scored. I knew what that whistle blast meant, I knew the goal wouldn’t count; I regret hearing that, because had I not heard the whistle, I would have – for just a moment – felt that wonderful soaring late-winner feeling. There is no better feeling, people. Soccer is designed for that feeling. That feeling is why people become fanatics for the game.

All of that said, of course, it never should have come to that. Oguchi Onyewu‘s ridiculously bad defending made it 2-0 at halftime. I wrote before the England match that the USA was good for two comically bad defensive errors per match; I’ve been right on the money so far. Slovenia got two goals to show for it, England got a goal plus a breakaway that Emile Heskey hit straight at Tim Howard. Presumably, either Algeria will have to fail to take their chances, or the US will have to win 3-2.

I hardly want to think about Wednesday’s match against Algeria: win, or (probably) go home. There are unlikely scenarios where a draw works out, such as if England lose against Slovenia, but – even after the Three Lions drew with Algeria – it’s still hard to imagine this happening.

Still, on the flip side, it’s easy for the USA going into the match: just win. That’s all. Victory or failure. No shades of gray.

To sum up: to be denied the clear winner was disappointing. To draw is both frustrating and miraculous in equal measure; to fall behind was awful, to come back from the dead, tremendous. We live to fight another day, and I suppose, that’s all we can ask.