US v. Italia

As I'm sure none of you know (except Ed), the US played a world cup match against Italy today. I just finished watching the game and wanted to share with you some of my reflections.


Here are 5 reasons you can like the US Soccer Team:

1. They generally don't beat their wives, take drugs, ride up to the game in their Escalades, hold out for a contract that pays 43 million instead of 42, or take steroids.

2. They don't play soccer for the money or fame. They love the game and so do I. That means I have something in common with US soccer players that I don't feel I have in common with other pro athletes. I honestly don't believe that pro football or baseball players love the game as much as I do. But these soccer guys play it because they love it, and when you hear them talk about it, you can hear the reverence they have for the sport in the voices.

3. They play with heart. If you don't follow international soccer, there is one thing you MUST know to accurately understand the World Cup as it pertains to the US team: the deck is stacked against them! Big Time! We all know that they aren't known as the best players in the world, but if they do poorly, its not because of lack of talent. The whole thing is totally riggged by every other country in the world to make it as difficult as possible for the US to win.
"Why would they do this?"
News flash: Pretty much everyone hates us. Europe and the Middle East hate us for our recent foreign policy. Latin America hate us for our economic policy. And the Far East hates everyone.
Plus, we are pretty much the best at every other major sport, and the world is determined not to let us have this last one. Trust me. This is not a consiracy theory, this is reality. All this to show why the world has totally rigged the whole World Cup against the US. From qualification, to seeding, to scheduling, to referees.
But these players never seem to give up. The worse it gets, the harder they play. I just watched the US play to a draw againts one of the best teams in the world while being blatantly screwed by the referees. These guys have heart.

4. Unlike most professional athletes, these guys are pretty intelligent and well-spoken. The US goalie speaks 3 languages. He recently answered questions in a press conference in fluent Spanish, then German, before returning to english.

5. Brian McBride. This veteran player is tough, smart and motivated. He recently led his Premier League Team, Fulham, in scoring and was voted by the other players as their MVP (I believe this is the first time an american has had that honor in league). He has had some brutal injuries that would have ended the career of most players. I believe he has had his cheek broken twice, and I'm sure some of you saw the injury that he suffered in the game today. Pain doesn't seem to faze this guy. It was like, close that huge gash on my face as fast as you can so I can get back in this game. I was a huge McBride fan before today, but now his greatness in my mind is almost mythical. Let me put it this way: If I had to go into battle with 3 guys: my brother, my high school football coach, and Brian McBride. There are certain people in the world who, when you look at their eyes, show the determination needed to get any job done. McBride has that look, and his play backs it up.