Triumph of the American Spirit

Posted by Nick Verlaney on Jul 12, 2011 in Soccer | 5 comments

“I think that is the perfect example of what this country is about, what the history of this team has always been. We never give up. We literally went to the last second it seems. We never gave up.” – Abby Wambach, striker, U.S. Womens National Team.

And there it was. Hanging in the air for what seemed like ages. Time should have ran out by now, right? The cross. The header. The goal. They all took forever to happen, but in the blink of an eye the whole tournament had changed. Was this to be the greatest comeback in Womens World Cup history? The short answer is yes, but that wouldnt do the moment any justice. The long answer is where you find the true meaning of this win.

It is no secret that I am an extreme soccer fan. I would rather watch an English Premier League match than an NFL game (NFL comes in 3rd after College Football and Soccer). But, until this years Womens World Cup, I had never really paid attention to the women’s game. Chalk it up to English Premier League withdrawl or my attraction to striker Alex Morgan, but our Women’s National Team have demanded my, and many others, attention over these 3 weeks. There is always something special about watching different nations battle it out on a soccer pitch, and that includes this tournament. The difference between the U.S. Men’s team and the Women’s team is that the women are supposed to win it. They are ranked #1 in the world for a reason. Plus, they have won it before, twice.

But, here is why the long answer does this team justice. Even though they are ranked #1, this team hasnt been dominant like in years past. They havent won this tournament in 12 years (see Brandi Chastain sports bra celebration). They barely qualified for the World Cup in the first place, having to win a home-and-away series with Italy to even make it. They have lost 4 times this year, which for this team, is incomprehensible. They haven’t even played their best match yet…….or have they?

What took place on Sunday in Dresden, Germany was a “triumph of the American spirit”, as former World Cup winning coach Tony DiCicco so eloquently spoke after the match. As far as drama goes, it had everything for the soccer-crazed and soccer-haters alike. It had an early Brazil own-goal, giving the U.S. a 1-0 lead in the 2nd minute. It had 3 missed opportunities for the U.S. to go up another goal before half-time. It had the Brazilians, and 5-time Player of the Year Marta, frustrated and playing poorly. It had a borderline refereeing decision against the U.S. (see 2010 World Cup calls against U.S. Men’s team). A red card was given to Rachael Buehler for her body contact on Marta in the box, when both players were going for the ball. Marta jumped and fell, and Buehler was given an early exit. The call seemed harsh to most in attendance, as most neutral fans started pulling for the now 10-men U.S. side.

It had even more controversy (again see 2010 World Cup calls against U.S. Mens team). It had a saved penalty by U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo. The crowd erupted. Justice had been served. But wait, the referee decided to award Brazil another penalty try for a non-existent encroachment violation. The crowd, Hope Solo, and the U.S. team were rightfully incensed. How could this be? It then had a tie game, as Marta put away the second attempt with ease. It had extra time. It had another Marta goal, that was top class to put the hopes for the 10-men U.S. side to bed. Then, fate appeared in the form of a fake injury by Brazil’s Erika. Erika went down with a phantom injury which allowed the U.S. time to regroup and make one last run that they otherwise wouldnt have had without the fake injury time now back on the clock. It had American fighting spirit. After Erika “miraculously” came back onto the field, the U.S. took the ball all the way up the field, getting the ball to Megan Rapinoe on the left flank.

The cross. The header. The goal. All suspended in time that the U.S. only had because of poor sportsman ship by Brazil and Erika. When Abby Wambach’s header went into goal, it hit the back of the net so hard that I swore it hit the crossbar. Jubilation. Relief. American Spirit. Whatever adjective you had to describe the moment was right. The U.S. had made the most improbable of comebacks to force a penalty shootout. Where Brazil had an advantage with the U.S. playing with 10-men for 55+ minutes, the U.S. now had an advantage with the best womens goalkeeper alive in Hope Solo. The rest was history. Solo made an immaculate save on Brazil’s 3rd penalty shot and the U.S. didnt miss any of their 5 chances. Victory. Jubilation. Exhilaration. American Spirit.

See, the short answer of “yes” didnt do this team justice. These women gutted out this win, plain and simple. You could see the fatigue on their faces. You could see their frustration and disappointment at terrible refereeing decisions. You could see the pressure mounting when Marta’s second goal went it. But, you never saw any quit in this squad. They stuck together as a team, even when their chances in extra time seemed so minuscule that giving up would have been acceptable by most people’s standards. They could have quit and blamed everyone else, and most would have dissected the referee’s decisions to the smallest detail. Instead, they stood proud, like Hamm, Chastain and Foudy once did. They showed true American spirit, toughness, grit and determination.

As I watched the celebration on the field after the match, I couldn’t help but think about what this would mean to the people watching at home at that very moment. Could this have been a bigger moment that the ’99 World Cup win in penalties? Perhaps it is. Both were exhilarating finishes, but this story was written with a bigger comeback, more devious “bad-guys”, a happy-go-lucky, air guitar-ing coach who’s faith never wavered, 10-men for 55 minutes and a goalkeeper, aptly named, Hope.

“The support and buzz back home is really awesome, and I think it’s helping women’s soccer. This could be a huge turning point for the growth of soccer back home, and that’s what we’re trying to do and trying to accomplish. Hopefully, as an added bonus, we come back with the cup.” – U.S. midfielder Carli Lloyd

To the U.S. Women’s National Team: you have my attention. Now go get the World Cup that is deserving of your true American Spirit.