Major League Soccer MLS U.S. soccer puts its best feet forward
This game reminded us that anything is possible in sports, that teamwork and heart still matter, that teams can sometimes turn into living, breathing organisms capable of doing almost anything.
In case you missed the news, the United States beat Spain 2-0 on Wednesday in the semifinals of arguably the second-most important FIFA tournament in the world.
If you don’t follow soccer, you might have trouble understanding why this is a big deal. Think Villanova beating Georgetown or Jets shocking Colts.
Spain is the top-ranked team in the world and had tied a world record with a 35-game unbeaten streak. Meanwhile, the United States is still trying to prove it belongs on the sport’s biggest stage.
“Personally, I just want to enjoy it and soak it in and make the most out of the opportunity,” midfielder Ricardo Clark, a member of the U.S. team, e-mailed from Johannesburg. “It was just a good feeling, a feeling that we had accomplished something big.”
An American soccer Web site collected headlines from around the world:
The U.S. Destroys The Spanish Legend
Made in U.S.A.
The American Dream
The upset of Spain was even more stunning considering how the Americans had played in losing 3-1 to Italy and 3-0 to Brazil. A 3-0 victory over Egypt got the Americans into the game against Spain.
The upset of Spain was even more stunning considering how the Americans had played in losing 3-1 to Italy and 3-0 to Brazil. A 3-0 victory over Egypt got the Americans into the game against Spain.
(Clark had missed the Brazil game after being red-carded early in the loss to Italy.)
“Ever since the Egypt game, the team has been on a high,” Clark wrote. “It has been amazing. It still hasn’t set in fully, but it has made the whole team vibe really positive.”
Something amazing happened against Spain. The Americans outworked the No. 1 team from the beginning, blocking shots, diving for balls, playing unselfishly and with purpose.
Their game plan of keeping four defenders deep and playing to control the tempo and limit Spain’s scoring chances worked beautifully. When the Americans scored in the 27th minute, the impossible began to seem merely improbable.
A positive vibe
“It still hasn’t set in fully, but it has made the whole team vibe really positive,” Clark wrote. “It just shows that progression of U.S. soccer. Ever since the 1994 World Cup, soccer has been making strides. We have shown that we can have good performances in international tournaments like the Confederations Cup or the World Cup.
“Every time we can perform well and get soccer on the radar screen in the U.S., it adds one more layer of credibility to the sport. I think it helps that we are in the same location as the World Cup will be next year, with a lot of teams that will be probably be in the tournament. It sets the stage for what’s to come, and this will make people in America more excited and more confident about coming to the World Cup.”
The Americans will be huge underdogs again Sunday when they play Brazil, the No. 5 team in the world, in the final. It’s the first time the U.S. men have reached the final of a FIFA event.
“I think the fact that we’re playing Brazil and have a chance to win the championship is making us hungrier,” Clark wrote. “Seeing how we had our backs against the wall after the first two games, to bounce back and have two unbelievable victories to carry us through is fantastic. That mentality to never give up is keeping us going.”
Half a world away, Clark’s friends cheered, worried and cheered some more as the game played out.
Sharing the feeling
When it ended, his victory felt like their victory.
“I was jumping up and down,” Brian Ching said. “I went from anxious to excited to nervous.”
He reached out to his road roommate as soon as it was over.
“They made a great statement,” he said. “I just wanted him to know.”
Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear also road a tidal wave of emotion as he watched. This was the kind of game coaches love because it’s a reminder that heart and hard work and team play can accomplish almost anything.
“I was excited and proud,” he said.
Great expectations
He mentioned that American expectations are always high, if not always realistic.
“Expectations and reality are two different things,” he said. “Patience is very important. There are lots of great teams in the world.”
And yet……
“If you watch that game against Spain, the U.S. was the better team for a large portion of that game,” he said.
He’s asked about playing Brazil, another seemingly invincible opponent.
“You never know,” he said.
Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the bid for the United States to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first season took place in 1996 beginning with 10 teams. Seasons run from late March or early April to November, with teams playing 30 regular-season games each. Eight teams from the league compete in the post-season MLS Cup Playoffs, which culminate in the MLS Cup.
The 2009 Major League Soccer season runs from March 19 through November. The 15 teams in the league are divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences, seven in the Eastern Conference, eight in the Western Conference. Each team plays 30 games, evenly divided between home and away matches. Each team competes against every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 28 games. The remaining two games are intra-conference matches, often highlighting geographic and conference rivalries. The team with the most total points at the end of the regular season is awarded the Supporters’ Shield. 8 teams (approximately 50%) then proceed to the MLS Cup Playoffs ending in the single match MLS Cup final.
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