GOALKEEPER Tony Meola became an instant American hero when he wrapped the Stars and Stripes around him and proudly walked off the field after Team USA beat Colombia last Wednesday.
The host nation had pulled off the biggest shock in World Cup history since delivering a 1-0 karate chop to England at Belo Horizonte in Brazil 44 years earlier.
Meola had played a heroic part in the epic win and newspapers across the nation had huge pictures of the New Jersey-born 'keeper and teammate Alexi Lalas clothed in the country's flag.
But it was sackcloth and ashes not the Stars and Stripes for Meola yesterday as he allowed himself to be beaten at his near post by an angled shot from Romanian defender Dan Petrescu for the only goal of the final Group A game.
Combined with sad Colombia's 2-0 defeat of Switzerland, that dropped America to third spot in the group.
Fortunately for Meola, the biggest television audience in soccer history here would not have realised his basic blunder - they are still learning about the game as we go along. But Meola, punching the ground in frustration, knew only too well that international goalkeepers aren't beaten at their near post.
Team USA will go through to the second phase as a wild card team but will have to wait officially until Thursday to find out their opponents.
