After their opening-match debacle against the Czech Republic, the U.S. team was left for dead. However, after this weekend?s draw with Italy and Ghana?s shocking upset of the Czech Republic, the U.S. (with an assist from an harmonic convergence of events) might actually survive the group stage, and move on to the round of 32.

At the very least, the U.S. must defeat a very sound Ghana squad on Thursday. A victory there coupled with other events, the most likely of which would be Italy?s defeat of the Czech Republic on Thursday, would see the U.S. through to the next phase.

If they get that far, the U.S. would face the unenviable task of a match against Brazil. They have just a thread of hope, but after the humiliation of their opening loss, it?s more than could have been hoped for days ago.

Although winning both their games, favorites Brazil and England have both performed indifferently. Argentina and Spain have looked awesome. France and Portugal, despite their array of talent, continue to disappoint.

The performance of Ghana and Angola portend a time in the not too distant future when African teams will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the world?s soccer powers. Finally, despite pre-tournament fears, host Germany has ridden the wave of home support to advance to the next round: a development that only enhances the excitement surrounding the tournament. It?s all shaping up to be a tournament for the ages.

Phil Jackson, a freelance writer, can be contacted at [email protected].