A half minute into the match, something magical happened. Clint Dempsey walked in into the box, left a Ghana defender in his wake, and fired a shot off the far post and in. 1:0 USA. Wow. It couldn't be this good, could it?

And then it wasn't. First Jozy Altidore went down after spraining his hamstring; the ex-Metro left the field on a stretcher in the 23rd minute. Then, Ghana began to dominate. Ex-Metro Michael Bradley, usually so vital in the American midfield, could do little to control the game (we blame his current whereabouts in Toronto). Ghana came in waves. Thankfully, the US defense stood tall, limiting the Africans to shots from outside the box. When Ghana was able to penetrate the American fortress, ex-Metro Tim Howard was up to the task.

Still, the writing was on the wall. With all the possession in the offensive third, the question of Ghana's score was not if, but when. It came in the 82nd, when Andre Ayew put one to Howard's short side. The game was level, and, in all honesty, it looked like the best US could do was hang on for the draw.

But the soccer gods smiled. Two solid changes the US had the entire game: the Dempsey goal and the corner kick taken four minutes from time. The corner kick that landed on the head of second-half sub John Brooks and bounced into the Ghana net. 2:1 USA. It couldn't be this good, could it?

It was. The US held on, stealing vital three points. At the end, it wasn't magical, but in the World Cup, it'll more than do...