In less than two weeks, the world will converge on Brazil
and start the month –long experience that is the FIFA World Cup. I am not
exaggerating when I tell you that I am as excited about the start of the World
Cup as I will be in late August as we approach the college football season.
My hope is that through this blog, I can convince as many of
my friends as possible to give soccer a chance over the next month, and
hopefully, you will be able to appreciate and enjoy the most popular sport in
the world.
I understand the skepticism that you are probably
experiencing right now, that is, if you haven’t already closed the page and
moved on with your day. For most of my life, I felt the same way you do. I
didn’t understand how people could get so excited about a sport that produced
one, maybe two scoring moments per game. Soccer seemed boring, with most the
entertaining aspect being the funny way the commentators spoke.
My personal journey to soccer fandom started with scattered
memories of the 1994 World Cup played in the United States. I remember watching
the opening ceremonies, I remember the United States playing better than people
thought they would, and I remember Brazil winning the World Cup in a penalty
kick shootout.
Four years later, I watched a good bit of the World Cup
because I was home on summer vacation and there was nothing else on television.
While I followed the tournament, most of the time was spent kicking a balloon
around my room pretending that I was playing for England (the US only scored 1
goal in the tournament and lost all three of their matches). France defeated
Brazil in the final winning their first World Cup title in Paris.
Of course, I was enthralled in the 1999 Women’s World Cup
just like everyone else in the United States. I watched every moment of the
final between China and the United States, and I rejoiced when the US finally
won on penalty kicks. Even though I enjoyed the victory, my enjoyment was more
about patriotism than it was about soccer.
2002 was an amazing experience. I can’t say that I was
paying much attention the World Cup, but I spent 10 days that summer on a
mission trip to Rio, Brazil. The World Cup was being played in South Korea, so
when Brazil defeated England in the quarterfinal the entire city took to the street
in the middle of the night to celebrate. They shot off fireworks, danced, and
sung for hours. I bought a Brazil jersey and cheered for the Brazilians as they
went on to a victory in the final over Germany. Obviously, I missed out on the
greatest run by an American squad in the modern era. The Americans, led by
Landon Donovan, shocked Portugal in the group stage to advance to the knock out
rounds, and followed that up with a victory over rival Mexico in the round of
16. Even though the Americans lost to Germany in the quarterfinals 1-0, their
performance left many excited about the future of American soccer.
That optimism died a painful death with a horrendous
performance at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The Americans lost their opening
game 3-0 to the Czech Republic and then played well against group favorite
Italy, earning a 1-1 draw. The Americans were in position to advance to the
knockout rounds by beating Ghana, who were playing in their first World Cup.
The United States lost that game 2-1, and all of the progress that was made in
2002 disappeared.
2010 was the turning point for me. I watched all three of
the United States’ group games, and I was watching as perhaps the greatest
moment in US Soccer history happened right before my eyes. The Unites States
again found themselves in control of their own destiny heading into the final
game of the group stage.
A win versus Algeria would mean the Americans would
advance to the knockout stage, and depending on what happened in the
England/Slovenia game perhaps even win the group. However, through the first 90
minutes of the game, the Americans weren’t able to cash in on multiple chances
to score. With four minutes of added time tacked on at the end of the second
half, the Americans were minutes away from going home when this happened:
That is the moment when soccer made sense to me. The
tactical struggle that lasted 90 minutes before that moment made the moment
even more special. The missed opportunities throughout the game, the pressure
of the moment, the razor thin margin between success and failure all combined
in one instant to provide a moment that will live forever.
Watching this game live was excruciating, but the excitement
of watching that goal scored under those circumstances made me jump off my
couch, and yell with everything inside of me. I can’t guarantee a moment like
this for the Americans in Brazil, but I can guarantee there will be moments
like this over the course of the next month. The stakes of the World Cup, the
passion of the players and fans, and natural drama that is produced by the game
of soccer will create moments that will live forever.
The Americans fell the Ghana in the round of 16 a few days
after Donovan’s goal, but for me, the seed was planted. Over the past four
years I have followed the English Premier League as well as the UEFA Champions
League consistently. Most of my excitement around this World Cup revolves
around the fact that I am so familiar with the nearly all of the stars that
will be putting their talents on display in Brazil.
The United States has been drawn into the “Group of Death”
along with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana, so even if the Americans play well in
Brazil, they could find themselves going home after only three games, but there
are so many different story lines heading into this World Cup that an early
American exit won’t ruin the experience.
My challenge to you is this: buy in for one game to start
with. June 16th at 6 pm the United States will take on Ghana in
their first game. Give me two hours on a Monday night to see if, like me, you
are a soccer fan without even knowing it.
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