Who Are You !?
As promised the night before, Sarah and I made our way over to Jess & Nick’s flat the next day to have tea (and whisky) and Christmas fruit cake. We even remembered to drop off the gift we forgot the night before!
They have a brilliant flat near the Pimlico tube stop with a lovely view from the roof deck. We had a nice visit and the conversation was stimulating. Sucks that there is a big ocean between us.
As their last great service, Nick & Jess alerted us to the time-saving of using the overground train from Vauxhall to Wimbledon, and walked us to the train station. This allowed us to visit with them longer, so we were grateful.
Football’s whippin’ boy no more …
Considering the United States’ embarrassing last place finish in the 1998 World Cup held in France, it is no wonder that so many people were predicting a similar fate this year. After all, the team lost all three of its group games last time around—finishing last of the 32 teams that participated.
Personally I think there are huge differences between the 1998 and the 2002 teams. Starting with the manager. Bruce Arena is an excellent motivator, and a proven winner. Not to take anything away from Steve Sampson. The players are the ones who didn’t come through in France, and there were reports of players arguing with one another. This team works well together, and the veteran players are accepting their roles, letting the younger players get their shot.
However, I don’t really believe all of the negative comments made about the U.S. team have to do with the poor showing in 1998, or a perceived weakness in a sport where the U.S. are ranked 13th—only one lower than England! Instead, I think a good portion of it comes from the satisfaction the rest of the world gets knowing there is something they do better than the Americans. And for the most part, I think it is as justified a reason as any. I can intensely dislike a team in any sport simply because they win too often. Why shouldn’t the rest of the world revel in the United State’s football mediocrity?
Maybe it is because we ain’t mediocre no more, baby! The United States registered one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history by beating Group D favorite Portugal, 3-2. The victory sets up an exciting match with co-host South Korea on Monday, June 10.
Sure makes me wish I could have gone to Japan with a certain someone. Even if the U.S. games are all in South Korea. 