Join Now
Heartbreak Kid
Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 05:46 PM by Bill Archer
There is no joy in Mudville...
As I sat there watching Sunil Gulati and Jack Warner shaking hands with some bunch of guys before heading off to the VVIP room Gala Reception Dinner Dance, the only image I had in my mind was Clint Dempsey, holding the Bronze Ball trophy like it was infected with the Black Plague and trying manfully - and ultimately unsuccessfully - to hold back the tears.
Like the man says, it's not the fact that they lost but rather how they did it.
But I'd just like to say that coughing up three second half goals - and the Championship - to Brazil, while painful as hell, isn't what the US takes from this game.
This tournament has finally, at long last, made us fall in love with this team.
It was a long, hard struggle. They called and wrote, they knocked on our door, they sent flowers and candy, they got down on their knees and begged.
And we rejected them. No heart, we said, no soul, no pride in the shirt. Sure they can beat Granada on a bad day but come on; they'll show us a little leg every now and then but they'll never deliver the goods.
Say hello to the goods.
The talking heads and keyboard pounders are going into overdrive even as we speak, with a long list of the "lessons" the team will take from this game and about "growth" and "maturity" and blah, blah, blah.
That's OK. They get paid to say that stuff.
But to me, the thing they won was not the second place trophy which "they would have been happy with a week ago".
No, what they won was more than that.
What they won is our respect.
As I sat there watching Sunil Gulati and Jack Warner shaking hands with some bunch of guys before heading off to the VVIP room Gala Reception Dinner Dance, the only image I had in my mind was Clint Dempsey, holding the Bronze Ball trophy like it was infected with the Black Plague and trying manfully - and ultimately unsuccessfully - to hold back the tears.
Like the man says, it's not the fact that they lost but rather how they did it.
But I'd just like to say that coughing up three second half goals - and the Championship - to Brazil, while painful as hell, isn't what the US takes from this game.
This tournament has finally, at long last, made us fall in love with this team.
It was a long, hard struggle. They called and wrote, they knocked on our door, they sent flowers and candy, they got down on their knees and begged.
And we rejected them. No heart, we said, no soul, no pride in the shirt. Sure they can beat Granada on a bad day but come on; they'll show us a little leg every now and then but they'll never deliver the goods.
Say hello to the goods.
The talking heads and keyboard pounders are going into overdrive even as we speak, with a long list of the "lessons" the team will take from this game and about "growth" and "maturity" and blah, blah, blah.
That's OK. They get paid to say that stuff.
But to me, the thing they won was not the second place trophy which "they would have been happy with a week ago".
No, what they won was more than that.
What they won is our respect.
Share
Post a Comment
Total Comments 90
Comments
-
respect due
I watched the game on Argie TV and really enjoyed it. It was a heartbreaking loss. However, the Argie announcers thought Donovan was fantastic and they said the US really missed Bradley, whol along with Dempsey and Donovan, could play anywhere.
The Argies were clearly hoping for a US win but our team just ran out of gas at the end. They also said that tactically, the US was smart and that Bradley Sr did a great job.Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 05:52 PM by fuentga 
-
"What they won is our respect."
No ********ing doubt.
I've been a harsh critic of Dempsey and Donovan, but they showed be what they were made of tonight. They both ran hot and cold tonight but their heart was not in doubt and that's what I care about.
Well done.
No shame.Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 05:54 PM by MeridianFC
-
GREAT article, Bill.
Totally sums up how I feel about the US Men's Soccer team today.Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 05:54 PM by perc2100
-
It all starts with Donovan. Game in, game out, he has shed his image as a drifter, a player who is only occasionally interested. That guy played the same energetic, skillful, leave it on the field game in every single match - except that this time he took one for himself.
Onyewu showed his strength and determination. Demerit is blameless for that goal - how much more covered could Fabiano have been? Spector's one pin-point cross to Dempsey's head and one pencil-point cross to Dempsey's shin excuse him against claims that he doesnt' get forward enough.
And Davies - what a revelation.
If only we can find some subs that add something more than "fresh legs".Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 05:56 PM by westcoast ape
-
And, I must say, I was absolutely shocked to see Dempsey's tears. His expression usually connotes apathy or frustration, but apparently his stony visage has been misinterpreted.
Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 05:58 PM by westcoast ape
-
I've always loved this team. That's why watching them go through the motions and not show any heart in the previous Brazil encounter was so hard to take. I'll always love this team, all i want is hustle and heart every time. The important wins WILL come.
Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 06:01 PM by vreleven
-
Helluva run.
I'm bummed about the second half but proud of the way they played in this tournament and very proud to be a fan of American soccer and our national team.
For 60 minutes we hung with Italy despite being down a man for half of that.
We got our asses kicked by Brazil but didn't hang our heads and came back and dominated a very good Egypt team that had beaten Italy and given Brazil all they could handle. And we dominated them so soundly and, with a little help, got to advance...
Where we beat the No. 1 ranked team in the world and ended their record winning and unbeaten streaks.
And then we were up a brace on Brazil at halftime and led for most of the game.
Yeah, it didn't end the way we wanted but it was a run that got great exposure for American soccer, gave us great experience in tough, meaningful games and allowed us to expand our depth thanks to showings by the likes of Demerit, Spector and Davies.
Yes, I was cussing when Brazil scored their goals but I'm still very proud.Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 06:03 PM by Sandon Mibut
-
I agree with you. I do think though that the emotional displays from our players was great to see. No "oh well at least we feel fortunate to get 2nd place". I'm hoping this will motivate the team now that they know how bad it feels to lose in a final. As someone who lost in the state finals in high school 3 years in a row, I understand how much worse 2nd place can be than 3rd through last.
Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 06:14 PM by chalaron
-
Wow...low standards, huh? Why so happy? Why so much pride? We ********ing lost! Aren't you all tired of being happy with so little? Why are you happy? Because we only lost by one goal? A loss is a loss. Back in the 90 everybody was happy with a good performance and a loss by a small margin, because we were actually building a team. Almost two decades later, when everybody was expecting us to become one of the world's soccer powers, we are still satisfied with an OK performance and a small margin loss. Shoot! Time to actually step it up. We are a huge country, a great talent poll. Time to hire a high caliber coach and win some silverware. This Confederations Cup competition is a joke. All the players from Italy, Spain, Brazil come after long seasons (leagues, cups and UCL) with 50-60 games each. They are tired and they don't want to or simply can't give 100%. US players are fresh, in the middle of the competition, in what supposed to be top form. I know, we do have some players playing/or being benched in Europe as well, but they play for mediocre teams, who are not involved in the UCL or so.
Yet, Italy killed us, Brazil killed us twice, and we won against Spain by luck. By the way, i saw some statistics and the last team to beat Spain was Romania. Which is a shitty team. So why making this competition such a success for us when it was in fact a failure? It was a whole bunch of luck, combined with some ref's errors and that's about it. In the next WC, we will be again one of the worst teams, because luck doesn't last forever. And there, the other teams won't treat the competition as a joke, how they did with this Conf Cup.Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 06:17 PM by Sula Uriasa
-
I liked Dempsey's goal celebration in tribute to Michael Jackson.
Posted 28 Jun 2009 at 06:19 PM by TOTC
|
Post a Comment
|
Total Trackbacks 0
