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Canadian semi-soccer-fan here. By that, I mean I watch when it's compelling...generally once every four years. I'm a huge sports fan though, so I tend to look for reasons to watch.
 
Now, as I said, I'm Canadian. What that means is that I have an inherent, built in dislike for any and all things American (even though there's no doubt that the USA is our biggest cultural and political influence...maybe because of that...it's the whole 'elephant in the room' theory), notwithstanding the fact I cheer for a US baseball team, and enjoy my vacations down there, etc, etc,. In any case, let's just say that if the USA is playing some other country in pretty much any sport you care to name, I'm generally cheering for the other side.
 
So, Slovenia 2 - USA 0? Woo-hoo. Down in flames, yanks!
 
Then Donovan scores to make it 2-1. Something about that goal tweaks something deep inside my psyche. Against my rational brain, my gut starts to root for an American comeback. Weird. 2-2...go go go U-S-A!!
 
Then this. A bag-job extraordinaire, as Doc so aptly puts it. And the more you look at pictures and videos (as in the stills above), the more obvious it becomes that something was just not right.
 
Today, against Algeria, I'm solidly rooting for the USA. And to my amazement, there's yet another botched call?! Is there anti-American bias? As one who in the past may have been happy to see it, I can only assume so.
 
In hockey, in basketball, and to a lesser extent in football, and possibly to a lesser extent still in baseball, with the possible exception of the strike zone, we see referees, umpires, officials...make "make-up" calls. Nothing so horribly blatant, but if there's a borderline call that goes one way, you'll often soon after see a borderline call go the other way if there's an opportunity. You can feel it coming oftentimes, especially if it's clear that there's been an actual error that can't be fixed properly at the time the call is made. It's human nature. "Sorry 'bout that lads, we'll get the next one"...
 
Is there an anti-American bias? How can an official (even though it's another official, another day, a different match...in this case the call that came before it was so egregarious that it shouldn't matter) call that offside against the USA, negating yet another goal?? It was close - it could have gone either way - this is true. In most situations, if that call is made, you shrug your shoulders, disagree, and move on resolutely. But, knowing that there was a call that completely messed with their World Cup tournament the game before, how does the USA not get the benefit of the doubt on that offsides call?
 
Is there anti-American bias at the World Cup? My eyes tell me, yep. My heart tells me, yep. And that bias, and the American team's reaction to that bias (little complaining, mostly resolute, overall just a terrific "us against the world" type response), has just earned the American soccer team a most unlikely fan. Because the one thing I'm NOT a fan of, is injustice.