USA's Clint Dempsey (r.) scores the team's second goal past Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas during their Confederations Cup semifinal soccer match in Bloemfontein, South Africa, Wednesday. The US beat No. 1-ranked Spain, 2-0.
(Paul Thomas/AP)Photos (1 of 1)
US soccer beats Spain! Now let’s relax.
Every major US win is hailed as the best ever. But really, it's just part of 59 years of progress.
By Mark Sappenfield | Staff writer 06.24.09
Here’s an idea. Let’s take a deep breath.
In the afterglow of the US’ 2-0 Confederations Cup win over Spain, unquestionably the best soccer team in the world, let’s refrain from deciding whether the win was No. 25 or 26 on the list of the 236 most galactically mind-boggling things ever to happen in American sports.
For once, let’s not trot out the most tiresome question in the history of sports journalism: Does this mean the US has finally arrived as a Legitimate World Soccer Power?
If a big tree (named Spain) falls in a moderately important World Cup warm-up tournament in South Africa, will anyone in America care? Will soccer suddenly become something other than a Saturday afternoon release-valve for the pent-up energy of shin-guarded six year olds?
Probably not.
But on the upward arc of American soccer, it is a fingerpost of progress. That the United States can beat a country that had won 32 of its last 35 matches – and tied the other three, tying a record for the longest international soccer unbeaten streak in the history of the known universe – means something.
In short, it means that on a good day, the US can beat a team that is historically good – one whose style is so lovely to behold that soccer journalists channel their inner Shakespeare simply to chronicle it.
The US has done this twice before.
In the 1950 World Cup, it defeated England, 1-0, and journalists abed in England, not yet having the benefit of ESPN360, reported the score as 10-1 to England, thinking a mistake had been made.
This has been called the greatest upset in the history of sport. A team that included a gym teacher, a bricklayer, a dishwasher and two mailmen beat a team guided by a man who would later become the first man ever knighted for his soccer prowess.
Impressive, but hardly was something to build upon. The US did not qualify for the World Cup for another 40 years.
In 1998, the US beat Brazil, again 1-0, in a C-list regional tournament. But Brazil is Brazil, and the world oohed. The thing is, goalkeeper Kasey Keller essentially had to perform an entire Cirque du Soleil act simply to keep the Brazilians off the scoreboard, and the winning goal was scored by Predrag Radosavljevich, a red-blooded American from the Main Street, USA, town of Belgrade, Yugoslavia. (Is that Iowa or Nebraska?)
A step forward, yes. But the victory still has the unmistakable scent of an anomaly – a butterfly had beat its wings off Cape Verde and this was the incomprehensible result.
The thing about Wednesday is that the US looked – dare I say it? – comfortable. That’s not to say they were the better team. But that’s not necessarily the most important thing in soccer. As usual, Spain put the soccer ball on its passing carousel, but rarely was there a moment when the Americans’ fingernails were all that separated them from defeat.
There were many close calls, as there are bound to be with a team of Spain’s quality, yet the American defense coped, and admirably. It was, it must be said, negative soccer – the very thing that infuriates American sports fans about the sport.
But taken more as tactics than as spectacle, it was effective. Many if not most of the 35 teams Spain played before Wednesday would have tried to employ the same game plan. Yet it was the US that succeeded.
These are the measures by which progress is gauged.
For the first time, the US beat the best in the world – and deserved it.
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2. Bjorn Carlson | 06.25.09
I think that this win is very crucial to helping the exposure of soccer in the US. Of course they deserved it, they made it to the game and they were the best team in the stadium that day. The growth of the popularity in the US for soccer is very evident in cities like Seattle, where they have been happy to replace their waining NBA team with a contending MLS team. Also, why is Iowa and Nebraska always a punch line in “high journalism”. Shameful.
Bjorn
Iowa City, IA
3. Los | 06.25.09
Great result for the USA. There is something to be said for the hard-working American style that the US played with vs Spain. They also played very good technical soccer. The pride and passion these kids have on the field is a reflection of the pride and passion they have for our country. Americans should take note. These kids represent us and we should support them more than we do.
4. Steve | 06.25.09
Mr. Sappenfield,
We just beat the #1 country in the world. Yet your article was as enthusiastic as an obituary. It is reporting like this that restrains America’s enthusiasm for soccer.
5. Camillo | 06.25.09
The US started the tournament poorly and received pointed criticism for lacking character and for having the wrong men on board. It is for this reason that we must salute the team’s coach and his players for responding with such an achievement. Well done boys!
6. Fabrizio | 06.25.09
USA USA!! We won!! At the end of the game, it is not who played better or who has the best record that wins. It is who puts the ball in the net more times! Was it a beautiful game to watch? Maybe not, but these kids left their hearts and souls on the field and for this they should get our respect and support. I have seen many ugly “American” sport games (Baseball, Football etc) but I appluad the effort a team puts into it. Does this mean the USA will win the World Cup next year? Again, maybe not. But ANY team on ANY given day CAN win, even against a world power house like Spain.
Ohh and p.s. - Don’t tell me to relax!! We won!!!
7. Adolf Shikongo, Windhoek, Namibia | 06.25.09
What negative reporting for a team that deserves praise for what they are doing for the USA. Mr. Sappenfield, you have just killed something very beautiful. Why? I trust you have an explanation.
8. Stevie B | 06.25.09
The U.S. defense was rock solid, possibly a perfect game. Spain’s defense was a disaster waiting to happen (and it did). As good as the victory was, the U.S. national team clearly lacks the talent and depth to get deep into a major tournament.
9. Oleg Frayman | 06.25.09
Congrats to the USA!!! great game…. they would have done better with a different coach… too many free kicks that went to the team, poor ball control. Defendor with gloves needs to learn how to pass instead of booting the ball every time out of bounds… too many bad passes in the Spain territory… other then that a good game. US was lucky to come out with a win…
10. Ben R | 06.25.09
“Will soccer suddenly become something other than a Saturday afternoon release-valve for the pent-up energy of shin-guarded six year olds?”
Those are fighting words in Seattle. It’s a huge win that unfortunately, will be under appreciated because the Confed. Cup looks is pretty much just a warm up for the World Cup.
Hard to say if we deserved the win. Our second goal was because of an error on Spain’s defense. And the fact that Spain didn’t score seemed to be because their players forgot to put their shooting boots on before they got onto the pitch.
It is a shame though that American sports coverage has a mentality of “So what?” when they report that we beat Spain. I don’t know why the general American public thinks beating Brazil is always the only team that matters. This win is like the NCAA football champions beating the Super Bowl Champions.
11. editorial | 06.25.09
Beautiful might be a smidge strong, but impressive, certainly. No one should malign what the US accomplished. Wednesday was not a fluke. It was a well-drilled team with decent skill executing an effective game plan to perfection. For the US, to do this against a team such as Spain in a pseudo-major tournament like the Confed Cup is no small thing. But the “Miracle on Grass” stuff is rubbish. The US has been gradually closing the gap on the world’s best for years: The win over Portugal, the death-lock we now have on CONCACAF. This didn’t change anything, it just showcased the incremental progress that US soccer has been making since Caliguri’s shot in Trinidad.
12. Fredb | 06.26.09
As an American I am proud of our boys and the win. It is something to be proud of for a lot a reasons including the work ethic involved in reaching the pinnacle of the sport. The PROBLEM I have with this is that soccer is dull. It is boring to watch, even sleep-inducing when played at the pace of most world cup matches. While the athletic skill involved is considerable, there is too much of nothing most of the time. An before anyone does the “you don’t understand”, I played keeper for several years for a top amateur club in the US. I enjoyed every minute of my time on the pitch. BUT to watch other play is one of the most stultifying experiences in the world, unless you are talking about the English Premier League where at least the pace of play is typically higher. So, in the final analysis, WAY TO GO Team USA, but who really cares?
FDB
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1. tdjakes | 06.24.09
Amazing game. Every American should be proud, even if you hate soccer. These guys ran like their hair was on fire for 94 minutes. They dove, lunged, and pestered as all scrappy American teams have in the past - but this time they also put the best team in the world on their heels for stretches. They earned this victory. With Charlie Davies audacious bike attempt early on, you could tell they came to leave it all on the field. Bring on Brazil! We might get killed but if they bring that effort again, they’ll know they were in a battle.