U.S.'s early exit leaves fans empty

Amid despair, heartbreak and disbelief, sat John Saponara. In a black and blue Italia jersey, he was beaming as others cried in their German and Czech ale as they watched the World Cup in Germany at the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria last Thursday morning, June 22nd.
American and Czechoslovakian fans alike packed the Astoria watering hole at 10 a.m. sharp, each hoping to see their respective teams advance. They both lost, however - the U.S. to Ghana, 2-1, and the Czech squad to Italy, 2-0 - ending their runs before they could even start.
”It's devastating,” said Aaron Bruckart, a native of Sharon, Pennsylvania, who came to Astoria with his family to visit his brother, Jeremiah. &#8220I hate to feel that way after a sporting event. But when you pull so hard for your national team, it's heartbreaking.”
Deirdre Cunningham of Long Island City felt the expectations for the Americans were a tad high after they reached the World Cup quarterfinals in South Korea four years ago. For one, they were in the so-called Group of Death. &#8220It was a nearly impossible group,” she said, referring to the always-tough Italians, second-ranked Czechs, and the surprising Ghana club. &#8220I'm proud of them. They lost to the best team in Africa.”
Saponara, meanwhile, couldn't suppress a smile. He watched Italy tie the U.S. the previous weekend on a handheld television during a trip to Washington, D.C. For their final Group E match, he decided to head into enemy territory - a Czech bar a friend of his read an article about. &#8220I figured it was a great environment,” he said. &#8220It felt a little weird coming in here, but everybody is just soccer fans, so it's okay.”
He felt even better after the win. &#8220They played smart, they played their game. It's good to advance.”
Others couldn't share that sentiment. Raoul Thomas, who works the graveyard shift as a consumer service representative at a digital print company in Manhattan and whose father played for the Canadian national team in 1972, sat in disgust. &#8220I'm extremely disappointed,” he said, citing one questionable call that gave Ghana a penalty kick, which led to the one-goal differential. &#8220It felt like they [the calls] were against us.”
After getting out of work early in the research lab at the New York Hospital Queens branch in Astoria, Ariel Kohane raced over to the beer garden and caught most of the devastating loss. &#8220The way they played four years ago was much better than today,” he said of the sluggish performance. &#8220I wasn't thinking that they would win the semifinals, but I thought that they would at least make it to the semifinals. The team needs to make some changes and rebuild; they need new players and fresh blood.”