A great day for sports. It all starts on ESPN2, with the US's first game of World Cup qualifying (yes, they begin qualifying a full two years before the tournament begins), then it moves on to the Angels/Cubs game, which fades into the Laker game. I will not be moving from my couch today.

Like I said, this is the first round of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup (in Germany). The have been paired with Granada in a home-and-home series, to be decided by aggregate goals. The first match is being played in Columbus, Ohio- of all places (IMO, every US MNT game should be played here in Carson, excluding of course those against Mexico, which should be played in Foxboro).

On a side note, how odd is it that just days after the burial of Ronald Reagan, the tiny island of Granada once again pops into view? The world is an odd little place.

To say the US are the prohibitive favorites would be an understatement. The talk going into the game was "how many goals will the US win by?" or "how do you put the aggregate score out of reach, yet not run up the score?" I mean, soccer isn't even the day job of half of Granada's players. The goalkeeper loads freight at the port of St. George. Certainly none of the experts thought the result was in doubt going in.

It's funny how often experts are wrong.

Grenada played fairly even with the US in the first 30 minutes. They arguably had the best two scoring chances in those minutes. Granada has been playing like a team possessed. They leave almost no room for guys like Donovan and Beasley to move. They shut down almost every ball immediately. The lone forward for Granada is a one-man wrecking crew, as he has single-handedly kept the pressure on the US defense. Most importantly of all, they never fold- the backline has cleared at least three sure goals off the line thus far.

The US needed extra-time to break open the scoring, going 1-0 up on a Beasley header. I think it's safe to say that this is the worst the US MNT has played in several years. I give the Grenadians much of the credit, but let's be blunt: the US is playing like crap. The passing has been beyond lazy. The finishing has been atrocious. The defense has been non-existent. In summary, the US MNT is playing like the Lakers. They know they're going to win, so why bother with all that "playing" stuff.

Hey guys: in soccer, same as life, showing up is half the battle.

UPDATE: As I was writing this Beasley struck again to make it 2-0. I'm still not impressed.

UPDATE: Ex-Galaxy defender Greg Vanney adds a third in second-half stoppage time, with a great individual effort. It ends 3-0 to the US. They'll be pleased with the result, but the way it was achieved is nothing to beat your chest over.

Even when they sucked, there was one thing you could say about the US National Team: they always played hard. Well, you can no longer say that after today.

What a pitiful display. The European-based players should be especially ashamed of themselves. Guys like Steve Cherundolo and Eddie Lewis were just awful. They never got into game, looking as though they were playing in slow motion. Hopefully Bruce Arena picks a mostly MLS-based side for the second leg in Grenada. Let's get some guys who treat playing for their country like the honor it is.