Yes, soccer needs to grow as a sport in America. It is happening, it just will take time. The structure is in place, US need to develop good players with talent.

I'm 47 ... not in my lifetime .... American advertisers want no part of a game with no commercial breaks.

No, not unless they send an all women's team. They are always way more talented and play with more desire and emotion than the men.

Baseball, football, basketball are the American sports, hockey borderline, but not cycling or soccer, never.  So we won't win the World Cup, not enough interest --- and if there hasn't been after decades of trying there won't be in the foreseeable future.

Soccer is a sport that requires no equipment other than a ball for 2 teams to play, poor countries with poor people have no equipment so their best athletes gravitate to soccer. In America our best athletes tend to move to baseball, football, basketball and hockey. We have money so we can play sports that need equipment. Maybe in a few years of the obama administration when we are all broke and can't afford $200 baseball gloves or $1800 worth of hockey equipment our athletes will be forced into soccer, but until then it will just be an activity for young kids who haven't developed the hand/eye coordination to hit a ball with a bat.

Football is our game, not soccer!!!

Not as long as there are stupid rules that allow a player to fake an injury while the clock ticks off three minutes of the game..... the rules need to be changed to punish this sort of abuse. I have never seen so much fake drama from fake injuries watching any sport in my life... players falling down hoping to get the other team carded is %$#%^&$## !

Beer cup yes..who cares about soccer in the USA..not an American sport..never will be!

Most boring sport..even under Synchronized swimming.. now thats the pits!

I voted no, but never is a really, really long time. So sure, it's possible some day.

But I also voted no because it's not our game and I'm not sure we have to win the World Cup.

Sure, I'm disappointed that we aren't moving forward. But I'm also glad that Africa remains represented. Ghana played really well. And we won'[t beat the likes of Ghana (let alone Germany, Argentina, or Brazil) until we have a great scorer. We can play as well as anyone, but we still won't win until we do better at scoring.

American will not win a world cup because soccer doesnt sell in the US...

Yes. Of course, the U.S. will, one day, win the World Cup. Americans are some of the best athletes in the universe. Albeit, I also agree that what is really killing us is our other sports. Can you imagine if we had guys like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Randy Moss, Ken Griffey Jr, etc., on our lineup? It's so irritating listening to people's constant negativity about U.S. soccer. You really want us to win? Then start pushing your children towards this sport and making it a part of your home life. Those with more luxury to travel and explore the world tend to expose their children to international styles of play (e.g. soccer), as it is a very 'cultural' sport. At, least one of my four children will dominate in this sport, and that's one more difference for the future of U.S. soccer. You can all help us to win the World Cup in our lifetime.

At best, Soccer is no more than the sixth most popular sport in the U.S.  Unless and until that changes, Soccer will never attract the best athletes in this country.  The rest of the world plays with the best athletes it has.  We play with those who cannot make our top five.  Good athletes but not the best we have.  Just think if our best point guards, running backs, defensive backs, shortstops, outfielders, sprinters and hockey players all played mainly Soccer growing up - we would be a consistant Soccer powerhouse.  Not going to happen anytime soon.  Oh, and the money issue ... enough said!

After watching the US play this World Cup, I'm minutely more confident in saying "not absolutely no." America has an actual surprising amount of talent on it's team. Over the next four years, the coaches need to sit down and just start watching film after film of what America does WRONG.

IMO, America really needs to tighten up. We need to become a more aggressive team. Making it this far, there should have been a greater sense of urgency. Today, however, we played- it seemed to me- like we were playing a game on an afternoon in the park. We need to go after it- to want it. America also needs to work on their running. A lot of Ghana's offense was it's ability to out run our players. They need to learn to capitalize on the mistakes of their opponents. They need to better keep control of the ball. They need to come together more as a team. Too many times, one player had the ball while his teammates we off on the other side of the field, twiddling their thumbs (at least that's how it seemed to me as I was screaming at my TV ;]). They can't rely on just a couple of key players. Everybody has to step up to the plate.

So, no: I wouldn't necessarily say, "America? Win a World Cup? Pshaw Not in a million years." just yet. We have a long way to go. There needs to be a change in how our team is coached. In how they are playing. They can't rely on just a couple of key players (i.e. Donovan, Dempsey). Everybody on the team has to step up to the plate.

This is game played by so many countries that do not have our Football, they play Soccer (their Football).  Unfortunately, when we all support our kids to play soccer until about High School and then our soccer kids lose out.  But I still think it is a wonderful sport and...yes someday it we can win the World Cup.

Incrementally the US National Team is improving as well as the MLS. The rest of the world has embrassed the game for decades and in some countries, it is the only game in town.

The US has lots of sports and we have managed to hold our own in tennis and golf, not an American invention. So, to the world, don't count us out and for the non believers, Italy and France went out in the first round and England came in second in our bracket.

In 2014 maybe we can advance to the quarter finals. I just want it in my lifetime!

I think a valid point was made earlier regarding economic factors that keep the United States from being a consistent threat to win the world cup. In most countries that play soccer, the best players are identified to play early on regardless of their economic background. There is no distinction between rich and poor, the best players will advance through the system. In the US, one needs money to even have a chance to compete at the highest levels of youth soccer. My son plays soccer and baseball and both sports have become the bastion of the upper middle class. To play competetive soccer at the age of 9u or 10 u you need to shell out between $350 to $500 a season to have access to decent trainers and competition. How many talented athletes miss out on these sports because their families can't afford the high fees. Football and basketball have found ways to make their sports accessible to youth who do not grow up in wealthy families. There are a heck of a lot of NFL players and NBA players who come from impoverished backgrounds but you won't find too many American soccer players who come from similar circumstances. Until we figure this out, we will continue to miss out on some of our best athletes playing this wonderful sport at the highest levels.

I'ts time to support them, not drag them down. This goes for the media as well as the public. So if you don't like the sport don't belittle the the team. I don't watch basketball, my newspaper told me they had won, when i didn't even know about the finals. The US will win a world cup - probably within 20 years - and when they do, all you guys who back winners only will be right there. So get there now!!! and support losers. This is when they need your help and support.

Until Americans get over their arrogance and the attitude of "Well, if we make the World Cup, we'll pay attention, otherwise we don't care" the U.S. will never win a World Cup. Only when as much attention is paid to the sport as to other sports by the media and the public and not just every four years will the game catch on here. It is typical U.S. provincialism that keeps it from gaining in popularity every four years and typical U.S. colonialist thinking that says, "Oooh, well, we made the World Cup! Now we'll show the rest of the world how the game is played and take the Cup! Aren't we exceptional!"

The fact that the rest of the world even recognizes our team is amazing to me. We ignore the rest of the world the rest of the time and then bulldoze in.

If you love the sport, then love it all the time. Not just during World Cup. And please, let's find another name for American "football." They only use their feet to kick the ball. It takes talent and skill to handle a ball only with the feet. Stop calling it "Soccer."

The US men sports does not bow well at this time in soccer, Let the women's US team play the men of the world and they can beat anyone!

I agree with the point that we don't need a large population playing the Sport in order for America to win a World Cup. We have an amazing amount of talent already. I also agree with the idea of working on our running, and may I add foot work. The Ghanans foot work was amazing and they ran the length of the field. Many people in this nation was enthralled with the game. The second half was amazing, and then came the overtime (or whatever you call it). Soccer or Football...I don't really care what you call it and why the heck should that matter?

I am consistently amazed at team USA. I don't know how badly they want to win at time. But soccer like any sport people is completely unpredictable. I agree that FIFA has got to stop allowing players to fake injuries and they should be penalized at least with a yellow card if they do. So yes the US goes home and licks our wounds. Revels in the fact that we won our group (isn't that an accomplishment to be proud of?) and starts reviewing the strength and weakness of their players.

Oh and on a side note: 2006 winners where Italy. Keep hearing it was Brazil, it wasn't. Just correcting the opinion. Italy was eliminated by Slovakia. So the fact that we did better then the current world cup holders is quite an amazing accomplishment. Congrats USA on a good run. See you in four years. And in case you haven't noticed. I am not so much a soccer fan as a USA fan.