The World Cup is over for the USA and I am not even sure who to blame. 

Is it Arena's fault for starting 5 midfielders three games in a row? 

 Is it the team's fault for playing flat in game one? 

Do you want to blame this on the red card happy referee against Italy? 

Do we blame it on the PK out of nowhere call the ref made against Ghana? 

Is it all Reyna's fault for turning the ball over and gifting Ghana a one goal lead? 

Is it Landon Donovan's fault for being the worst "star" of the World Cup?

Truth is that all of these things had a huge impact on the USA taking an early flight home, but that is not what this blog is about.  I want to actually look for a second at what the United States did right and who deserves some props.

DeMarcus Beasley.  No one played worst in that first game and no one made it worse by complaining all week, but just when you thought Beasley should never play for the Red White and Blue again he comes off the bench and scores the game winner against Italy (we won't go into how the goal got called back on another shaky call).  Then in a must win Beasley starts and really gives it his all for 90 minutes.  Setting up play in the midfield and eventually making the perfect assist to tie the game at 1-1.  Beasley you regained my respect.

Oguchi "Gooch" Onyewu. Lead the defense and was everything he was hyped up to be.  Even after getting a yellow in the opening game against the Czech "Gooch" bounced back and played physical but smart in the remaining three games.  He played near flawless defense for 270 minutes in his first World Cup.  The CB position is locked up for the US for a long time.

Clint Dempsey.  Dempsey fans will always wonder why he did not get to play in the first game?  Dempsey brought attitude, offense, and most importantly a goal to the United States World Cup team.  Another young player we can look forward to seeing in the future.

Brian McBride. The bloody face will long be remembered and it should be.  The older McBride gave it everything he had in all three games playing up front all by himself.  We never should have made him be the lone striker but we did and he did the best he could.  It just was not good enough.  Future World Cup teams can look back at the heart McBride played with and try to equal it.

Jimmy Conrad Another youngster filled in for the big shoes of Eddie Pope and played his heart out.  Conrad is big, young, smart, and proved he is not overwhelmed on the worlds biggest stage.  Conrad alongside Gooch is something the U.S. can look forward to in the future.

Plenty of other players gave it there best shot as well.  All nine men that were left on the field to face Italy's ten, deserve credit for the effort they put forth.  Eddie Pope fought hard from a poor injury riddles year in 2005 to do a solid job in 2006.  Bocanegra and Mastroeni deserve some mention even though Mastroeni was not great in the first game and got red carded against Italy.  He was a spark plug in that Italy game and played with fire.  Keller was not the wall we needed him to be.  Most of the goals he could not really be blamed for but we needed three miraculous performances out of him and we got about one.

We have to wait four more long years for USA to be back, but I believe the team in 2010 will be a great one.