I did see an interesting bit on ESPN before the game that reminded me of a longstanding argument that arises every four year or so.

What if the United States' best athletes played futbol?

If you were to rank sports by their level of importance to the U.S., I think it would look something like this:

1. Football (American)
2t. Basketball
2t. Baseball
4. NASCAR
5. Golf
6. MMA
7. Hockey
8t. Tennis
8t. Football (Soccer)

With the lack of a following and respect that the sport gets here, it is little surprise that our country's best athletes choose more lucrative and glamorous sports.

I know the skills don't translate directly, but what if Chris Paul, Adrian Peterson, Reggie Bush, LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, Darelle Revis, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Johnson, and Chad Ochocinco had been playing their entire lives. Meanwhile, Dwight Howard has been working on diving stops on goal with his 7'5" wingspan since he was four years old.

It's always fairly pointless to play the "what if" game, but as the U.S. team is more of a punchline than a contender, games like this are more fun to play than actually devoting emotional capital to the outcome of these matches.