The Land of the Free in the Home of the Vuvuzelas

What's the greatest sports movie of all-time? Hoosiers. Maybe Field of Dreams. Perhaps Rocky if you're the type of person who can tolerate two hours of Sylvester Stallone. It's a worthwhile debate. What does this debate have to do with the 2010 World Cup? Nothing. But if I asked you what's the greatest hockey movie released by Disney in 2004? There's no debating that one; it's Miracle (I'm shooting for a Miracle on Ice reference every other post. So far, so good.). What does Miracle have to do with the 2010 World Cup? Very little. But upon such ground, cities are built. Or whatever that saying is. You get the gist.

The Miracle on Ice is the greatest moment in American sports history. There is more debate on this subject than on Disney's greatest 2004 hockey movie, but not by much. The Cold War tensions of USA vs. USSR forever ensured Miracle's place in history. But the nature of the victory was equally important. The American team was a gigantic underdog. The, dare I say, miraculous nature of the win resonated more with the American public than a victory by any overwhelming favorite ever could. But 1980 was the last chance Americans had to root for an underdog with any sort of chance at success. The Dream Team was formed for the 1992 Olympics and since then anything less than a gold medal in an international basketball competition is considered an embarrassment. The American hockey and baseball teams may not have the same sort of unforgiving expectations as the basketball team but both are in the small group of elite teams at the top of their respective sports. No one else even plays American football. Foreign athletes come to ply their trade in America because we're the best (and most wealthy). It is a burden to wear the target on your back, to be at the top of the mountain, to be number one, to be the gold standard. Despite substantial strides made by other countries, the United States is still that gold standard in most athletic pursuits. But not soccer.

I am on record with my defense of greatness and athletic excellence. I have enjoyed watching a great (when focused) Lakers team over the past seven months. But barring very unforeseen circumstances the Lakers were going to be playing for the NBA Finals in June. And anything less than the capturing of the NBA championship next week will feel like a disappointment. Even to the fans. Watching and rooting for a great team comes with pressure and an aura of vague responsibility never associated with rooting for an up-and-coming underdog. Underdogs can only exceed expectations. Underdogs are fun. The USA Men's National Soccer Team is an underdog.

USA-England will likely go down as the most watched soccer telecast of all-time in the United States. A great many of these viewers, being the brash Americans that they are, believe that we will win this game just like we won the Revolutionary War (somewhat unconvincingly and with aid from France?). That is certainly possible but in all likelihood the English will win comfortably by the scoreline 2-0 or 3-1. There is a noticeable gulf in the talent level between the two teams and only two Americans would even make the English squad of 23 players; Landon Donovan and Tim Howard. The World Cup is not about USA-England, it's about USA-Slovenia and USA-Algeria and finishing second in Group C to advance to the single elimination portion of the tournament. At that point it becomes March Madness with penalty shootouts (i.e even more suspenseful and unpredictable) and anything can happen. Anything.

One team has beaten the Spanish national team since 2006. That team is the United States. Still, the world does not respect American soccer. It's unclear whether that's because of anti-American bias or the fact that Jonathon Spector starts for our national team. We will probably lose to England and would be likely underdogs in the event of advancement from Group C and a potential round-of-16 match. But that doesn't mean the American team is not capable of beating anyone in the world on a given day. We will not win the World Cup but we deserve respect. We may not have a superstar or an elite goalscorer. Our defenders may be slow and out midfield may lack creativity. We may be underdogs in the world of soccer but we are fun underdogs. This team likes each other. They work hard. They are in shape. With the proper mindset, watching this team perform on the world's biggest stage should be a wonderful experience. Be aware of the odds but relish the freedom of lower expectations. It's an opportunity an American sports fan rarely gets. We may not win the World Cup but a matchup with England or Spain or Argentina can no longer be counted as an automatic loss. In fact, it brings to mind the tagline of Disney's greatest 1994 baseball movie, Angels in the Outfield. It could happen.

Coming Up Next...Thoughts on Day 1 and/or running commentary during USA-England match