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Ugliness in the Beautiful Game
The United States Women’s Soccer Team Loses to Brazil
By Amin Sharif
I divide sports
fans into two categories: those who love football
(soccer) and those who don’t. The former are the
majority of sport fans in the world. The later are
mostly myopic American males. These are men who think
that the World Cup is something to pour a bottle of beer
into while at a tailgate party. They have no idea that
more people watch the World Cup than the Super Bowl,
baseball, and basketball play-offs, and the Stanley Cup
combined. Not even the appearance of a phenomenal talent
like David Beckham, perhaps the most famous athlete in
the world, will bring these American men to the game.
When it comes to
soccer, they just don’t get it. And, since the number of
African-American males who have an appreciation for the
game is minuscule, I often find myself with no one with
whom to share my passion for the game. I feel like a
lone addict with no one to share my high.
Presently, the best
men and women’s football teams in the world are
attempting to qualify for the next World Cup. So
naturally when the United States National Women’s Team
was scheduled to play Brazil, it was a game that I knew
I had to watch. The United States team is a juggernaut,
ranked No. 1 in the world and the winner of 51 straight
matches. The team includes Wamback and Lilly—threats to
score at anytime and from anywhere on the pitch. Their
goalkeeper, Hope Solo, has been phenomenal. She has not
given up a goal in over three hundred minutes.
On the Brazil side
stands the formidable Marta and Cristiane—a deadly duo
whose abilities with a soccer ball is unmatched. They
are to women’s soccer what Serena and Venus Williams are
to tennis. Marta is a particular deadly foe and is
considered by many to be the best female player in the
game. Thus, the stage was set for a clash between
arguably the two best teams in female football. It was
the kind of game that make fans of the “beautiful game”
salivate.
But all the
anticipation and expectation for this monumental
showdown were soon dashed when Greg Ryan decided to
start Briana Scurry as goalkeeper and not Hope Solo.
This seemed to be a huge blunder, as Brazil went on to
defeat the United States 4-0. In NFL terms such a score
would be equivalent to losing the Super Bowl by a score
of 63-0. It was a humiliating defeat by any standard.
What was perhaps
more disturbing than the score of the game were the
comments of Hope Solo after the game. She flatly stated
that if she was in goal instead of Scurry that she would
have prevented many of the goals scored by Brazil. Such
comments are typical of American athletes who constantly
cry for the ball or to be put in the game regardless of
the situation. Solo’s comments were wholly unfair to
Scurry and simply don’t reflect the facts of the game.
For what Solo fails to acknowledge is that even if she
prevented every goal scored by Brazil’s team, the US
side did not score a single goal—and you can’t win if
you can’t score. Casting aspersions on one’s coach and
by implication on Briana Scurry may be emotionally
satisfying but shows a lack of maturity on Ms. Hope’s
part. But there is a lot of that going around today—just
ask Mike (Bro. can you light that joint for me?) Vick.
Might I remind Ms.
Solo that Briana Scurry was once considered the best
goalkeeper in the game. And, if she is now passed her
prime, this is simply part of being a professional
athlete. But, when Briana was on top, she was a thing of
beauty. She was a part of the1999 national team that won
the World Cup which put American women’s football on the
map. She was an Olympic gold medalist. And, she has 54
shutouts in her career.
This is a black
woman, who along with her teammates, made women’s soccer
fashionable. Without her, no one but a few diehard fans
would even care if Ms. Solo was in goal against Brazil.
And what of the Brazil team that beat the US team, Ms.
Solo talks as if it was a given that the US would even
beat them—an assumption that reflects the height of
arrogance when one considers the talent of the
Brazilians.
One can easily
dismiss Ms. Solo’s comments as a momentary lapse in
judgment of a disappointed young woman. She may wake up
tomorrow or the next day and regret her statements. She
may even apologize and go on to have a great career.
But, there are too many self-absorbed athletes in the
world today. And if Ms. Solo does not want to be counted
among their numbers, she had better spend some time
reflecting.
After all, you did
not win a single game by yourself. There were ten other
players who made the US team great. Instead of pouting
over not being played, she should be consoling her
teammates and preparing for the next match. If it is all
about the team then she will show up and be ready to do
her best to help them win their next match. But, if it
is all about her, then she will continue to complain and
let her teammates down when they need her the most.
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posted 28 September 2007 / update 2
July 2008 |
