Team USA has advanced to the World Cup knockout rounds. Although US has Ghana to thank for the latter's 2-1 loss against Portugal in Brasilia, there is also another reason Buzzfeed thinks that allowed USA to retain its standing in the "Group of Death.": defender Omar Gonzalez.
Although pundits were surprised that Geoff Cameron was replaced by the center back, Gonzalez somewhat silenced his critics when Klinsmann picked him first-start in the tournament. Gonzalez's brilliant but nerve-racking defensive moves on Germany's Thomas Muller in the 15th minute and denying Mesut Ozil's header in the 47th minute helped the US keep its slim deficit, Goal.com said. At the end of the match, Gonzalez had proven himself worthy to be a member of the team with 10 clearances by the end of the match, which is over twice as many as any of the other US players. He also led in the recoveries for US field players at 5, and he is second in the number of duels won at 5 to Jermaine Jones at 10.
Gonzalez's journey in the US national team can also bring to mind how the US have been sluggish with its position on immigration laws. Although Gonzalez was born in the US, the 25 year-old is born to Mexican parents, holds a Mexican passport and carries dual citizenship with both countries.
Gonzalez almost had initially not made it to the starting USMNT, thanks to a hip surgery, which he himself admitted had slowed him down at the time when everyone is needed to pick up their game ahead of the World Cup, SB Nations said. The push for immigration reform through Washington was also full of hurdles in the past two years, no thanks to political back-and-forth by both the the GOP and the Democrats. But the main difference between the plight of the immigration bill in the US and of Gonzalez's journey to a now recognized rising football star thanks to a last-minute replacement decision by Klinsmann, and the backing of scores of US fans from both the sidelines in Recife and back home, is that there was hope that the team would made it in the coveted knockout round at least, including in Gonzalez.
Which is what is lacking in the push for immigration reform. According to the Washington Post, some of the most vocal proponents of a legislation overhaul has given up with the possibility that parties involved in the US Congress, would be able to reach a deal. On Friday, activists would be marking the day the one-year anniversary since the Senate has approved a comprehensive immigration bill on a bipartisan vote. And with the few remaining days left in the year for Congress to approve the legislation, it seems that whatever hope for some 12 million illegal immigrants on their statuses has completely diminished.
