Futbol

Jurgen Klinsmann was brutally honest in his low expectations for the United States Mens National Soccer Team in the World Cup. He validated every emotionless German stereotype with his negative proclamation. He even said it in a press conference before the competition  began. Why do we care? Well he is The US coach.

And suddenly screenwriters and playwrights and fans and analysts and journalists across the globe are ecstatic. Why? We are now the underdog. Nothing makes fans more fanatical than being the underdog. Incompetent officiating? There's that. Inexplicable rules. That too. But being the underdog paints the sports canvas with the dramatic possibilities of unexpected wins or ties or at the very least, survival. Fans live for that kind of drama.

Cue the creepy music. The United States has drawn the death group. Expect a foggy field with ghost holograms and the best soccer teams in the world. We shall face stellar opponents at every turn. Ghana, Portugal and Germany stand in our way. Add the approximate 9,000 miles the USMNT must travel all over Brazil to compete in this death group. Is this the World Cup or the Hunger Games?

The spirit of sports should be upbeat and optimistic. We are having negative press conferences and being thrown in to a death group. It has a gladiator sort of feel to it.

The United States fan-base showed up. We swam the Amazon and painted our faces. The Americans have been second only to Brazil in ticket sales. We have the costumes and apparel and headgear. Red, white and blue. We are loud. We are there. We believe.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup on June16, 2014 ends with a victorious US team winning 2-1 over Ghana. It's not a typo. We won. Then June 22, 2014 we tied Portugal 2-2. It was a draw. It was actually a victory until the last freaking second of added time but this is the US team so it ended in a draw. On June 26, 2014 the United States team lost to Germany before a crowd of  41,876 fans. Impressive. The number of fans not the result. But...wait for it.. We still advance. Ghana lost. We advance. Don't try to understand it.

Clint Dempsey and his broken nose (suffered in the first match) played with tremendous focus and no doubt, in immense pain. Tim Howard, your goalkeeper, played brilliantly with cat-like reflexes. The entire team was superb. The regulars. The subs. Our dream team? Perhaps.

There is no need for a play-by-play of each match because you watched them. And if you did not ( news which I cannot process), then wear the cone of shame, and beg for forgiveness.

Does this mean... Oh hell yes. We made it through the death group. Sound the trumpets. No, sound the vuvuzelas !! The dreaded death group has dissolved like the wicked witch.  I do believe in witches. I do. I do. I do. Actually I don't, but there is a lunatic-player out there biting players. And not only that but in the most enormous flop of The World Cup, he actually fell to the field after his vampire-like attack on the opponent and grabbed his own teeth as if he were the victim. There's no crying in baseball. There's no biting in soccer.

We survived the death group. You have to believe. You have to cheer for these guys. One nation. One team. Do you believe in miracles? Belgium is next.

I believe that we will win. 

PLAYER	POS.	HT.	WT.	BIRTHDATE	HOMETOWN
Jozy Altidore	F	6-1	175	11/6/89	Boca Raton, Fla.
DaMarcus Beasley	D	5-8	145	5/24/82	Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Kyle Beckerman	M	5-10	165	4/23/82	Crofton, Md.
Alejandro Bedoya	M	5-10	160	4/29/87	Weston, Fla.
Matt Besler	D	6-0	170	2/11/87	Overland Park, Kan.
Michael Bradley	M	6-2	175	7/31/87	Manhattan Beach, Calif.
John Brooks	D	6-4	170	1/28/93	Berlin, Germany
Geoff Cameron	D	6-3	185	7/11/85	Attleboro, Mass.
Timmy Chandler	D	6-1	180	3/29/90	Frankfurt, Germany
Brad Davis	M	5-11	165	11/8/81	St. Charles, Mo.
Clint Dempsey	F	6-1	170	3/9/83	Nacogdoches, Texas
Mix Diskerud	M	6-0	150	10/2/90	Oslo, Norway
Omar Gonzalez	D	6-5	210	10/11/88	Dallas, Texas
Julian Green	M	5-7	140	6/6/95	Tampa, Fla.
Brad Guzan	GK	6-4	210	9/9/84	Homer Glen, Ill.
Tim Howard	GK	6-3	210	3/6/79	North Brunswick, N.J.
Aron Johannsson	F	6-0	165	11/10/90	Mobile, Ala.
Fabian Johnson	D	6-0	155	12/11/87	Munich, Germany
Jermaine Jones	M	6-0	170	11/3/81	Chicago, Ill.
Nick Rimando	GK	5-11	180	6/17/79	Montclair, Calif.
Chris Wondolowski	F	6-0	165	1/28/83	Danville, Calif.
DeAndre Yedlin	D	5-8	150	7/9/93	Seattle, Wash.
Graham Zusi	M	5-10	160	8/18/86	Longwood, Fla.