This is a translation I made of the article that appeared in the June 6 Le Monde about USA v. Portugal. It is followed by the original. Astoundingly flattering, no? The original...
If the Nats played anywhere close to my hometown I'd be there. I don't give a damn who they played. It could be the Ivory Coast and I'd be wearing the red,white,and blue and giving all the ivory coast fans mortal hell!!!! We need to support the Nats and that's the bottom line.
I believe I wept that day... drunk at 7:30 AM, piling out of a bar onto 3rd Ave and heading to work. A camera crew put me on CNN and a friend saw me. Total euphoria.
Yeah, right. Ah, but the French do write so magnificently, don't they? Such aplomb, such, "joie de vivre," such "je ne sais quoi". Such CRAPPOLA! What we witnessed in that game was but the second biggest sucker punch in this WC, after the one by Senegal in their ambush of "les blues." Nothing more, and nothing less. Snap out of your fantasy, cause in four years it'll be a whole new ball game.
Re: Yeah, right. What are you talking about? The French report was fair-handed and, if anything, complimentary of the Yanks.
Re: Yeah, right. If you want to call dominating most of the first half a "sucker punch" and Portugal looking hopeless a sucker punch, go ahead. What will happen in four years? Will Portugal display another "golden generation" performance. I want to be in their group if they do, assuming Portugal qualify.
What a great article. One thing's for sure; the US will not be overlooked the next time by any European team.
I think he means not relying on supposed superhuman powers to win the game but thinking in terms of strategies are actually likely to work in the real world (not your imagination)... Unlike the Brazilians who are absurdly skilfull and trying dare-devil tactics. Nick Hornby wrote a post-Cup article in the July 15 New Yorker saying of Brazil/Turkey: ... The US wasn't going to get anywhere trying to play like that. I think "realism" is a perfectly apparent usage, here... I also provided the original and you can see that it is "réalisme." (I am a translator, so I take this personally but no worries...)
So us and Senegal just "Sucker punched" into the last 8? Did South Korea and Turkey suckerpunch the world too? What is this 4 years stuff? DeRosario is going to win the Golden boot?
So practical, efficient, tactical soccer...is that it? Well of course we played that way. The US played just that way in 1994 and 1990 as well, but didn't have much talent to succeed. Using words like "realism" means writing without "realism", in my opinion. I'm sure your translation was good, just wasn't clear on the author's exact meaning. I don't call it realism...I call it intelligence. The US played very intelligently and just lacked a tiny bit of skill to move to the final. Obrigado.
Wrong. Of course there have been a gazillion threads on this subject but when I read your response I happened to be staring a picture of Oliver Khan lying on his bier with ball hover above his ass on the goal line and Jens Jeremies (right?) just tapping it out. Germany were more than "lucky" to get by us. Another BigSoccer member made this comment But of course we don't want to get into that here. As for "realism," yes... I don't think the author had quite mastered the football vocabulary and realism was his rather theoretical contribution. It seems to make sense that he meant we played smart, tactical soccer but it would stand to reason that ability must figure into your "realism," too. If you can't do it... it's not realistic to expect to win... but of course all this is neither here nor there. de nada amigão... até mais
A hearty thank you, Dougzinho. Here we are in October, with a dearth of coverage on the Nats, and you find and translate this gem. Thank you.
A most profound welcome. What ever I can do for Club and Country (and my Country is looking a lot better than my Club--smirk). You may expect me to enlist very soon.
I think it's easily understood. Realism in the sense of playing to your strengths. No point in playing high balls into the box if your forwards are midgets and no point in playing a three man defense if the defenders are slow. Does any one remember the US side in the '90 WC? Coached by Gansler? Essentially they were college kids with some semi-pros thrown in. The lack of realism here caused Gansler to think that they didn't need oodles of skill if they were super fit (which they were). This meant that they would run all day and wear the opponents down. Except they ran up against a Czech side who seriously disabused them of that idea in the 1st game - 5-1, I believe. By the 2nd game realism had set in and they came away with a 'creditable' 1-0 loss to Italy. Gansler has these unrealistic beliefs that that US side could play with the big boys. By the 2nd and 3rd games his beliefs had become more realistic. All the author means by realism is playing to your strengths. It's a compliment, not something to get your panties in a bunch over. However, if you purposely want to go seeking umbrage and insult, well, not much can be done to help you there.......
Talk of a fit US outdone by the Czechs reminded me of a WC guide printed by a local pub before the finals this year. They gave an excuse to blame for any team's loss and a drink for the team's win. Then entry for Coratia was as follows: Funny, though: didn't Bruce Arena say at some point during the tourney that the reason for Korea's success was that they were fit? something to the effect of "they're so fit right now they could win a track meet?"
Seeking insult? How do you arrive at that? I did not feel insulted in the least. I find the article rather complimentary. I just think realism here is a rather vague, and therefore, poor use of the language. That you can imagine or guess what he might mean is not the point.
I will assume you were there at Nevada Smith's with me that morning and didn't know it? I didn't even know what to do when I walked home. I just kept muttering "wow" over and over again, to no one in particular, as my gf walked quietly beside me. (editor's note, you have to respect a girl who gets up at 4am to go drink and watch soccer. she even wears a Nats jersey I bought her, and watches soccer when I am not around. good stuff.)
Good find there dougzinho. It was really refreshing to get off the club stuff right now and get back to the TEAM. Who didn't have tears in their eyes that day? (the goosebumps just started again).
Dittos! 50 years from now, I will still be talking about this match with all you other geezers at the Soccer Gardens Gated Community for Gracious Senior Living and Unlimited Satelite Match Access.
Wait a second... After the match I was sitting on a stool in the starbucks to catch some breakfast (to mix with all the beer in my otherwise empty stomach) at Astor Place and I saw a guy and a really cute girl in blue USMNT jerseys going into the downtown 6 station in front of the newspaper kiosk... was that you? You're a lucky man, indeed... I whistled "Yankle doodle" 'till colleagues yelled at me to stop and my lips were raw...
I thank YOU: SamsArmySam, NermaltheCat, Bajoro, USA Team and everyone else... book the highroller suite at this community... and the same at the Betty Ford clinic should the present US league fail, (God forbid, knock on wood, bite my tongue...)
Maybe the greatest win in US soccer history, eh? I was tired and drunk, and when we went up 3-0 it was almost surreal.