World Cup 2010

UNITED STATES 2, SPAIN 0

Victory!!!!! First loss for The Red Fury in THREE YEARS. First loss for the Red Fury to non-European opposition in TEN YEARS. One of the greatest teams ever assembled falls to 14 guys playing their absolute guts out. The best to me of all was the final goal– a bit of pure arrogance from Ramos, who seemed to have such little fear of the American attack, even down a goal, that he tried to settle a ball in his own six and begin yet another Spanish assault on the American net. What happened next was metaphorical, as Clint Dempsey, Fulham’s Man of the Year, and FIFA’s “Man of the Match”, punished him by taking the ball away and putting it in the back of the Spanish net. Hubris is involved in any tragedy, or so Shakespeare wrote– and that was proven in that instant; an instant that also proved what 11 guys working together, working hard, and giving efforts beyond the measure of human heart and emotion can accomplish.

Immense performance and one of the greatest wins in the history of American Soccer. The overwhelming turn of fortune in the past week is so outrageous that if the Yanks somehow win the tournament, which of course they have a chance to do now– it’s flat out the stuff of Disney films. We can work Megan Fox into a role later. Even though she has ugly toes. Unbelievable. Much, much more later.