America the boot-i-ful, Venus still shines bright & good to see ya Tiger ....

The U.S. team in this World Cup wasn’t supposed to make it out of what was called the “Group of Death.”

But did.

Jurgen Klinsmann’s team shouldn’t have beaten Ghana, which has beaten us in the last two World Cups. But did. Now that team is still playing when Spain, the defending champ, has gone home, and England has gone home, and so has Italy. So has Portugal. And the U.S. has a game against Belgium on Tuesday afternoon.

You know why the American players believe they have a great chance to make it to next weekend?

Because not one thing has happened in the tournament so far to make them believe they don’t have a great chance.

By the way?

Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal was a lot more popular in this country on Thursday afternoon than he was last Sunday night, right?

If Phil Jackson can find a taker for

Raymond Felton, do you think he can do the same with J. R.? What, I can’t ask? If the bullhorn media is already ramping it up this way with Hillary

Clinton, it must be more worried about her than anybody imagined.

Ann Coulter, who made soccer sound like some kind of jihadi threat to all that is good and decent in this country, has become the most pathetic kind of fading celebrity, the kind trying way too hard.

In a few years, I have a feeling that people might wonder how it was that

Marcus Smart fell to the sixth spot in this NBA draft.

Hey, at least the Knicks’ second pick in the second round, Thanasis

Antetokounmpo, will never have to buy a vowel.

Oh, no, you need a vowel bad, you’re going to have to come to him.

Somehow the republic seems to have survived the controversy about whether or not one of Rex Ryan’s playbooks might have ended up in the hands of Bill Belichick.

The American League West has turned into the compelling story that the AL East is always supposed to be.

And will remain one if Mr. Cano and the Mariners continue to win ballgames.

I can’t be sure of this, but I think that home run Mike Trout hit against the Royals on Friday night just landed.

Josh Harrison of the Pirates ran outside the baseline twice on Friday night against the Mets, even doing a belly-flop at one point on the infield grass.

But the play wasn’t subject to replay, so apparently it didn’t happen.

Afterward the umpires who blew the call didn’t have a good explanation, but at least Harrison did: “Stop, drop and roll.” For a couple of hours at Wimbledon the other day Venus Wil

liams, even in defeat and even at the age of 34, reminded you how she won five singles titles on Centre Court, and why she is one of the great women’s champs in the history of the place.

And while we’re on the subject, I would very much like to believe that

Roger Federer can atleast get himself one more shot at the title.

Things I like:

Filip Bondy’s World Cup diary in this newspaper, which is always a scream.

Clint Eastwood’s movie version of

“Jersey Boys.”

Ian Darke’s play-by-play calls on the World Cup.

A rock-and-soul group called Vintage Trouble I should have known about sooner.

Last Monday’s episode of “24: Live Another Day,” which might have been the best hour in the history of the show. It matters not at all that Tiger

Woods missed the cut at his own tournament, the Quicken Loans, this week, his first tournament appearance since back surgery.

What matters is that he got back in the game, a few weeks before a British Open at Royal Liverpool, where he has won before, and handily.

I continue to believe that if Tiger is going to win another major — or two — his best chance might be over there, not here.

For all the hand-wringing about injuries to Yankee starters, tell me who among us, at the start of spring training, was expecting huge things this year from CC, or Nova, or Michael Pineda?

Brett Gardner is having a terrific season. What is going to be quite interesting in the AL East is whether or not the defending champs of the whole baseball world are buyers or sellers at the end of July, right?

I’m just putting this out there, but it may be time for Shia LaBeouf to stop sleeping with Lindsay Lohan’s picture under his pillow. Or act like he’s in training to be JayZ’s sister-in-law.

The Mike Lupica Show can be heard Monday through Friday at noon and Sunday at 9 a.m. on ESPN 98.7.