Deja vu all over again.

Just like in 2006, Ghana put a four-year hold on the United States run at a World Cup title.

Ghana 2, U.S. 1.

America’s hopes? Let down.

It’s dream turned nightmare.

But with America receiving the boot from the world’s most renowned tournament, we turn our attention to the positives.

The United States finally has an appreciation to soccer.

More importantly, I became a fan of the game.

Whether it be the coaches’ son, Michael Bradley, coming up with a clutch goal or the rightly dubbed “miracle on grass” with Landon Donovan’s extra-time strike against Algeria to keep the U.S. alive, these games were memorable.

Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Carlos Bocanegra and Tim Howard became household names, and Donovan rules supreme in the sports world, at least until the other football starts.

They made America relevant in the world picture and showed the bridge between the U.S., the world and the game of soccer has finally been closed.

Ultimately, they brought men, women and children together not for their race, religion or home-state team, but rather for the red, white and blue.

Saturday’s game wasn’t dictated by referees or disallowed goals, it was lost the right way — with pride, passion and endurance. Ghana had the talent, the luck and a home-field advantage. The U.S. had hope and drive, but they were plagued once again by an early goal that proved the difference in the game.

The mistakes of past matches came back to bite them.

Soccer could be better, though, and adopting some American philosophies would help gauge U.S. interest.

A multi-million dollar sport that is practically a religion to countries outside of the U.S. should have no reason for not adopting instant replay, and Americans saw the worst of that this World Cup. The human eye can only see so much.

What about stoppage time or a better system for all the tie games?

All in all, the roots have set in and the foundation was laid.

I don’t expect Americans to go running out to soccer fields or children to be born to the sound of vuvuzelas.

American football still, and almost always will, reign supreme in this country.

But there were a couple more children born named Landon the past two weeks, and bars were filled with stars and stripes.

For me, it’s admittance.

The time to finally concede there actually is something to this primitive sport.

The time to recognize that the names Ronaldo, Kaka, Wayne Rooney and Donovan should be mentioned on the same playing field as LeBron James, Alex Rodriguez and Peyton Manning.

I may not understand the entirety of the game, see the value and soul that it spreads across nations or even care how the rest of the World Cup finishes out, but I will admit I’ve become a fan.

Americans are finally getting all the buzz surrounding soccer.

And that’s not just the sound of the vuvuzelas.