Bah Humbug - US Men vs. Guatemala

We've been treated to several World Cup Qualifiers this week, through the magic of Fox Soccer Channel and TiVo. I didn't write about the Sunday game vs. Mexico (on ESPN) because, well, it got my blood pressure up too high.

Last night (on ESPN2) wasn't much better, even though they won. Sunday's game had me asking myself what would happen if they didn't qualify for the World Cup. Last night's game told me that even if they did, they still wouldn't get very far. Unless their finishing and their defense really picks up between now and then. A distinct possibility, of course, but I'm not holding my breath (pessimist!).

Can't tell you how many times an American missed a fantastic chance at net and SigO turned to me saying, "Rooney would have buried that."

After having watched the EPL for the past few years, it's hard to see the US men's squad as anything but pretenders. Sigh. So they get the quaint, non-profane expletive that I use whenever something annoys me or is generally too silly for further comment: Bah Humbug.

That or "wet popcorn", referring to the ages-past era when my friends and I used to dip our popcorn in our Kool Aid and throw it at the TV whenever Boss Hogg appeared on the screen during our Friday night sleepovers. (That'll put me on the chronological map for ya, won't it?)