Ruminating on the USMNT

The World Cup.

The quadrennial global sporting event that gets the masses whipped up into a tizzy. (Thanks for being confused, Olympics, that's adorable.)

But we're down to the final four.

I started this post back before the last weekend, after the USMNT was eliminated. Every time I see that (stupid) acronym I think of the Ninja Turtles... The US Men's National Team, once a laughing stock of international soccer, has become one of the powerhouses. It was only a mater of time. Not much beyond a quarterfinal match was expected this year, and while we didn't reach that, this turned out to be a promising trip to the precipice of futbol relevance: fans being told by Jurgen Klinsmann (the coach) that we, as a people, need to be disappointed and motivated from this experience.

Klinsmann left Landon Donovan, one of the two premier graybeards of the squad, at home, and presumably next tournament, in 2018, will be PD/PD, Post Donovan/Post Dempsey. We got a taste this year of these kids on this squad, and the future is finally starting. And exciting.

Can the bloody Americans actually win the whole enchilada? It's not as ridiculous as it would have seemed even a few years ago...

Anyway, back in 2010 we were living in Texas, I was working the two gigs and watching the World Cup on Corrie's lappy at odd hours of the day. The tournament provided fodder for a handful of posts, mainly because I wasn't posting about anything because I didn't have any time. Actually, one of my favorite posts and a nice example of the literary potential of the blog-post form came from those posts.

I haven't posted anything this year about the World Cup for two reasons: 1) I've been painting our apartment; and 2) we went to the mountains for a week,

In 2010 I watched occasionally when big games were on broadcast television (we didn't have cable--we still don't), or on the laptop. In 2014, every game is broadcast on Spanish-language television, at reasonable times, and I've had every single game on whether I was in the room or not.

The final four in the tournament in 2010 was Germany, Spain, Uruguay, and the Netherlands. I mentioned back then that I tended to root for South American teams over European teams, but that I had a fond spot in my heart for the Gerries, and had adopted Uruguay as my South American Team. (If you follow the link above, you'll see me wearing a kit of Diego Forlan, a footballer from Uruguay). Neither of those teams made it that year, as the final saw the Dutch lose to the Spaniards. I did not like Spain.

This year the final four are set, and once again Germany and the Netherlands are represented, and if they win their next games, they will face each other. Their opponents: Brazil and Argentina. South America Vs Europe, times two. Brazil plays Germany, and with superstar Neymar out, the stadium will be very tense while rocking the entire time. The Netherlands get Messi and Argentina.

The final could be all South America: Brazil/Argentina (can it possibly not end in a riot?) or all Europe: Germany/Netherlands (will people be okay after the elimination riots after Brazil and Argentina lose?).

This has been an exciting tournament, one for all time I hear. It's pretty cool not being to understand the commentators I watch--it makes me form my own opinions of what I'm seeing. Costa Rica making a quarterfinal trip after throttling the "Group of Champions" was pretty damn sweet. They were in the foursome that featured Italy (4 World Cup victories), England (1 WCv), and Uruguay (2 WCv). Costa Rica was an afterthought. After they easily handled Uruguay, whipped Italy, and rested against England for a draw, people almost took them seriously.

They just lost against the Dutch, falling on penalty kicks after 120 minutes of soccer. During the last fifteen to twenty minutes they were noticeably dragging and looked badly overmatched against the orange draped European powerhouse, yet the Dutch couldn't score. It was glorious for a CONCACAF fellow.

Anyway, my Uruguay team made it out of the group stage with Costa Rica, which saw both England and Italy go home early. Watching the Celestial (Uruguay) play was maddening at times: Forlan and Cavanni are both playing, but no Suarez; then Suarez and Cavanni, but no Forlan; then Cavanni and no Forlan and Suarez is suspended?

I missed that entire exchange. Suarez...(Norm, you'd get a kick out of this guy...)

Luis Suarez, back in 2010, was one of the two marquee Uruguayan strikers to play in Europe (along with Forlan and a few seasons before Cavanni got his payday) and make the national squad that made them serious contenders for the Cup. It was shockingly unrealistic that a country the size of Washington State and with less people that LA city proper could ever have a chance, but with Forlan and Suarez, any team would have a chance.

In 2010 the World Cup was held in South Africa, and in the quarter-finals, Uruguay was playing Ghana, the last remaining African team. 700 million people were Ghanaian that evening. With the goalie badly out of position, Suarez jumped up and blocked a sure goal with his hands. Everyone was stunned. He blocked a kick with his bare hands. He was red carded and kicked from the game, and Ghana was awarded a penalty kick. They missed. Ghana eventually went on to lose, and Suarez became the most hated soccer player in Africa.

Jump ahead a few years, and Luis Suarez is a superstar on Liverpool in the English Premier League, arguably the top soccer league in the world. Suarez has been suspended twice--twice--for biting opponents. BITING opponents. Awesome...I guess he's a biter?

Any guesses what he was suspended for from this tournament? ANY GUESSES? Could it be that he has some kind of crazy-gene, the, eh, Mike-Tyson-gene, that causes him to, when under crazy stress, chomp the closest adversary? Quite the legacy...

This time around I don't have a hate on for any of the remaining four teams (last time I didn't are for Spain even a little), but with Neymar breaking a vertebrae, Brazil winning it's sixth World Cup will be that much harder.

But, if Brazil doesn't win, it will be considered a monumental disaster. Remember, this country hasn't fought any major wars, and the largest national disaster of any political kind was when Uruguay beat their beloved team in Rio to win the World Cup in 1950.

One last silly thing I remembered and now feel compelled to mention: Brazil is the home of the single-named nicknames for their soccer stars: Pele, Garrincha, Rolando...this year they have Neymar and Oscar and, up front as the main striker, possibly the funniest single name on a jersey: Fred.

Brazil has a striker with "Fred" on that iconic canary jersey.