At half, with the count 1-0 in favor of Ghana, here are some things I have learned in this, my first sustained day of World Cup watching:

• Steve Cherundolo is a white guy from Rockford, Illinois / San Diego / Portland who bears a passing resemblance to Zach Gilford, not an African immigrant.
• Why everyone hates John Harkes. He spouts more cliches in 20 minutes of play than Joe Morgan does in a full nine-inning game. Early on, he referred to one US player as "knowing what it feels like to score against [Ghana]", referring to a goal he scored against that side in 2006. This was just before a discussion of how Ghana has the youngest team in the entire tournament, so, to the extent it matters who you score against in the first place, the turnover on Ghana from 2006 to today is probably like 85%. It's the equivalent of the A's broadcast yesterday showing Ben Sheets's career record against the Pirates. It's utterly irrelevant.
• Why everyone jokes on Twitter about the shoutouts to the American troops serving abroad, etc. Ian Darke spent a full minute thanking the troops for watching and explaining where said troops are.
• Ghana wear really tight shirts.