The musings of the brash youngster, whose teammates tease him with the refrain of “superstar,” were dismissed with shrugs and smiles by most everyone, including veteran U.S. players, within hearing range. But it was Donovan whose take on American soccer fortunes proved to be dead-on. And if the team hadn’t already established that truth with World Cup victories in Korea over Portugal and Mexico, the Yanks surely did so Friday with a brilliant effort in defeat, a 1-0 quarterfinal loss to uberpower Germany. The American team matched the Germans stride for stride, push, pull and shove for push, pull and shove, and shot for shot-only coming up short, thanks to superb goalkeeping by Oliver Kahn, in the critical goal-for-goal department. When the game ended, Kahn sprawled in exhaustion and palpable relief that they had withstood the relentless American attack. “I think we demonstrated to the world that we belonged here,” said U.S. coach Bruce Arena.
Prior to the World Cup kickoff last month, many sports authorities here had predicted that, for America, the tournament would be the proverbial tree falling in the woods. But even before the Germany game, the American soccer team had penetrated this nation’s consciousness in a major way. The game against Mexico, played at 2:30 a.m. ET in this country, got stunning TV ratings-two million households on ESPN and double that on Spanish-language Univision. Sports Illustrated put Donovan on its cover, ahead of the Lakers’ three-peat and Tiger Woods becoming the first golfer to win the Masters and U.S. Open back-to-back in three decades. And Leno, Letterman and the rest lined up to share kimchee and dog-food jokes with our lads. Even President Bush made a congratulatory call, which led Donovan to inquire, when told the president had phoned, to ask straight-faced, “Which president?”
Given the team’s subterranean heritage in this country, Donovan’s query was understandable. But the U.S. success in Korea was a breakthrough of historic proportions for an American team. For a century now, ever since the Boston Pilgrims won the first World Series, the U.S. has been crowning world champions of events in which the rest of the world doesn’t get to compete. That arrogance has engendered global resentment which hasn’t really abated as we’ve proselytized for our own games around the world. Not even as we’ve invited Dominican and Japanese baseball players, Serbian and German basketball players, Russian and Swedish hockey players and field-goal kickers of all nationalities to come to the land of the free and play for big money and our teams.
But now for the very first time an American team has gone and played the world’s game on its turf and terms and more than held its own. And you can be sure, for all the respectful noises the German team made after the game, the world doesn’t welcome this development. It much preferred to sneer at Americans for their indifference to the real football and to condescend-in that “oh yes, very nice little team you have” way-to those few Americans who weren’t. “The last thing Europe wants,” says American goalkeeper Kasey Keller, who has carved out a pro career in England and Spain for more than a decade, “is for us to be able to compete at their level.” Or as the Financial Times put it: “A frightening thought for anti-Americans everywhere: one day the country could rule football too.”
This nation’s soccer buzz is likely to dissipate as quickly as it came on. We are a country that loves pageantry, nationalism and winners, but we have a very short attention span. As cheering as the American World Cup performance was, it is unlikely to engender much more of a soccer phenomenon in this country than the significant one that already exists. After all, soccer is played by millions upon millions of children here and has engendered an American pro league, MLS, whose credibility can only rise after stellar Cup performances from so many of its current and former players. But the game as a national passion or even a huge spectator sport will always bump up against entrenched leagues and decades-long loyalties.
The national team, however, should have a very rosy future on the pitch. Already a regional power and a World Cup fixture with four appearances in a row, the United States certainly seems capable, at the very least, of becoming a nettlesome presence on the international soccer scene and, possibly even, a world power. There is a solid core of outstanding players on the current team-Donovan, Beasley, Clint Mathis, Josh Wolff, John O’Brien and Pablo Mastroeni-who will still be under 30 when the next World Cup rolls around. And with the 2006 World Cup in Germany, nobody here will have to worry about getting up in the wee hours to watch. All matches will be televised during mornings and afternoons. By then the United States may join the rest of the world in facing a far bigger problem than a little sleep deprivation: dwindling work productivity during the World Cup.
