How's your day going? Me? Well, I woke up at 2:30 in the morning only to realize that my alarm clock was off -- and so were my air conditioner, my internet connection and my refrigerator. Most of my food is spoiled, and it's supposed to get into the high 90s later today where I live. I know what you're thinking: yes, I tried flipping the breaker already. Something must've fried overnight.
All that said, I'm having a better day than the United States men's national team, and most of their fans who woke up early to watch the team play. On a dry overgrown field in Dusseldorf, Germany, in front of a couple thousand fans in a 55,000-seat stadium, the USMNT began its final pair of pre-World Cup matches by getting absolutely pummeled by Japan's B-team, losing 2-0.
These games were supposed to, you know, be a warm-up -- a reason to get some training sessions in, build up some more chemistry among a mostly settled squad and gather some more data to make a few final decisions about the fringe World Cup roster spots. Instead, well, the USMNT put in the kind of performance that will make the skeptics continue to question the validity of Gregg Berhalter's project.
It's only one game, but should you be worried?