Pollyanna and Great Expectations
The largest, most popular, most anticipated sporting event in the world is in progress. The World Cup has been the cause of wars, a truce during a war, a change in banking laws (so Brazilians could watch their match), and all kinds of other world changing results. We think the Super Bowl is a big deal but it's barely a blip on the radar compared to how the rest of the world reacts to this once every four year event.
Actually, it is more than a once every four year event. The World Cup Finals do occur every four years. But they are the culmination of a two year long tournament! Remember the movie Hoosiers? The World Cup is like this for nations. Even the smallest nations in the world field teams and dream of making it through to the Finals. Every year Cinderella makes it to the ball. This year two showed up -- Trinidad and Tobago along with Togo. And Togo scored a goal and was leading the Koreans before finally being defeated in their opening match. And T&T tied the mighty Swedes, a perennial participant in the Finals.
After years of being a large nation playing at the level of some of the poorest and smallest nations in the world, in the last two decades our national team has moved onto the world stage. We have become a team that is not to be dismissed lightly. In 2002 we made it into the round of 16, losing to Germany, one of the very, very best squads in the world. Then, in the qualifying rounds to this year's tournament we easily moved through group and qualified for the finals now being played in Germany.
And along the way we saw our FIFA ranking climb into the top ten. Expectations grew. But are we really one of the ten best sides in the world? Probably not. The rankings are determined based upon results over the last ten years, and include "friendlies." These are matches played by national teams against one another outside of any tournament format. Though they can at times be anything but friendly, they are not taken seriously by the finest teams. They are exhibition matches, and teams use them like NFL teams use the preseason: the teams on the bottom play for victories hoping to instill confidence and get on a roll for when the real games start. The better teams use them as an opportunity to experiment, to give playing time and game experience to bench players, and to evaluate those trying out for a place on the squad. So teams have differing views of the importance of winning these matches. And though matches are weighted in the rankings, with World Cup finals matches counting the most, these friendlies still are part of the rankings equation. And skew the results. Hence the US rises in the rankings because of the importance placed on getting a result even in friendly matches, while teams like the Germans and Brazilians pay no attention what-so-ever to the score in most friendlies. Their newspapers will barely even report the score in articles about the friendlies, but will have pages of reporting on how each player performed and what it means for the future success of the team in real matches.
Which brings us to Pollyanna and great expectations. Americans have this incredible optimism that anticipates success. We are the richest nation in the world. And when we put our resources behind something we expect we'll win. We can't even conceive of failure. And for the average American who really doesn't follow futbol at all, it appears that we've given sufficient resources to our national team that they should have success. Add in a top ten world ranking and the thought that we could go to Germany and not earn a single point in three games is unthinkable.
Except that in the harsh light of reality, that is a more realistic expectation than anticipating we would reach the championship match. We are in a group with two of the strongest national teams in Europe. Italy is one of only SEVEN nations in the world to EVER win the World Cup. The Czech Republic has been very successful in the European tournaments and qualifying rounds that have led up to these Finals. The bookies in England have them as a dark horse to win it all. The Italians are one of the favorites. Add Ghana to the mix, the strongest side in Africa, with a whole bench full of players who play professionally for clubs in the top European leagues, and the US has its hands full. But Pollyanna can dream. And if Togo can score, and T&T get a point, who knows, maybe the US can beat the Italians (it's never happened before: 10 losses and 4 ties). And beat Ghana in five days. And maybe then that top ten ranking will actually mean something. It'll certainly go a long way toward changing how the rest of the world looks at our soccer playing capabilities. Three and out, and the Europeans abroad and in the States will dismiss the US as wannabes. A victory over Italy, and the whole world will take note. And be put on notice. Move over Spain and England, there's another team ready to rock n roll with the Germans and Brazilians.
Actually, it is more than a once every four year event. The World Cup Finals do occur every four years. But they are the culmination of a two year long tournament! Remember the movie Hoosiers? The World Cup is like this for nations. Even the smallest nations in the world field teams and dream of making it through to the Finals. Every year Cinderella makes it to the ball. This year two showed up -- Trinidad and Tobago along with Togo. And Togo scored a goal and was leading the Koreans before finally being defeated in their opening match. And T&T tied the mighty Swedes, a perennial participant in the Finals.
After years of being a large nation playing at the level of some of the poorest and smallest nations in the world, in the last two decades our national team has moved onto the world stage. We have become a team that is not to be dismissed lightly. In 2002 we made it into the round of 16, losing to Germany, one of the very, very best squads in the world. Then, in the qualifying rounds to this year's tournament we easily moved through group and qualified for the finals now being played in Germany.
And along the way we saw our FIFA ranking climb into the top ten. Expectations grew. But are we really one of the ten best sides in the world? Probably not. The rankings are determined based upon results over the last ten years, and include "friendlies." These are matches played by national teams against one another outside of any tournament format. Though they can at times be anything but friendly, they are not taken seriously by the finest teams. They are exhibition matches, and teams use them like NFL teams use the preseason: the teams on the bottom play for victories hoping to instill confidence and get on a roll for when the real games start. The better teams use them as an opportunity to experiment, to give playing time and game experience to bench players, and to evaluate those trying out for a place on the squad. So teams have differing views of the importance of winning these matches. And though matches are weighted in the rankings, with World Cup finals matches counting the most, these friendlies still are part of the rankings equation. And skew the results. Hence the US rises in the rankings because of the importance placed on getting a result even in friendly matches, while teams like the Germans and Brazilians pay no attention what-so-ever to the score in most friendlies. Their newspapers will barely even report the score in articles about the friendlies, but will have pages of reporting on how each player performed and what it means for the future success of the team in real matches.
Which brings us to Pollyanna and great expectations. Americans have this incredible optimism that anticipates success. We are the richest nation in the world. And when we put our resources behind something we expect we'll win. We can't even conceive of failure. And for the average American who really doesn't follow futbol at all, it appears that we've given sufficient resources to our national team that they should have success. Add in a top ten world ranking and the thought that we could go to Germany and not earn a single point in three games is unthinkable.
Except that in the harsh light of reality, that is a more realistic expectation than anticipating we would reach the championship match. We are in a group with two of the strongest national teams in Europe. Italy is one of only SEVEN nations in the world to EVER win the World Cup. The Czech Republic has been very successful in the European tournaments and qualifying rounds that have led up to these Finals. The bookies in England have them as a dark horse to win it all. The Italians are one of the favorites. Add Ghana to the mix, the strongest side in Africa, with a whole bench full of players who play professionally for clubs in the top European leagues, and the US has its hands full. But Pollyanna can dream. And if Togo can score, and T&T get a point, who knows, maybe the US can beat the Italians (it's never happened before: 10 losses and 4 ties). And beat Ghana in five days. And maybe then that top ten ranking will actually mean something. It'll certainly go a long way toward changing how the rest of the world looks at our soccer playing capabilities. Three and out, and the Europeans abroad and in the States will dismiss the US as wannabes. A victory over Italy, and the whole world will take note. And be put on notice. Move over Spain and England, there's another team ready to rock n roll with the Germans and Brazilians.
posted by Wake of the Flood at 8:10 AM
4 Comments:
Great post. Too bad more people don't get it here in our country.
Everyone moans about the 1-0 scores, which I could easily watch 90 minutes of 0-0, and think it was an awesome game.
That's why MLB turned their head to juiced balls & even more juiced players. People who were not fans became fans when the scores started ending up 10-8.
That's why hockey isn't too popular. Lots of 2-1 scores.
Football is smart & gives 6 per TD. Imagine if it were 1 & there were PATs. Or 3 & field goals were 1. If games ended 3-0 half the fans would leave.
Basketball is easy because people see a 100-99 game as very different than a 1-0 game. No one cares that none of the punks in the NBA (okay maybe 2% can) play defense.
You'd think the White House would realize this. Americans (the few who follow the news and HARK read the stories) are appalled that we just went over the 2,5oo mark for dead US soldiers. No one reports the over 18,000 injured (most horrible life altering injuries with severe burns or limbs blown off from all the roadside bombs).
The White House should post nightly scores.
US killed 184 today.
Terrorist killed 3 US soldiers.
People would get that & then be all "HOORAY!" instead of protesting. Imaging the same back for Vietnam. Over 50,000 US casualties. A horrific number, but the Viet Cong lost millions!
Anyway, I guess I went full circle back into War.
Great post, and I did have huge hopes. I loved being in NYC for the World Cups. I'd watch the Italian games in pizza shops with most of the crowd yelling in Italian, and I'd watch the Brazil games in "Little Brazil" with the streets over flowing with rabid fans. It was really something.
At least the Mexico game yesterday got all the locals excited. Even they seemed to fade by half time with the 0-0 score though. I guess they've been in the U.S. too long. Maybe they have assimilated more than they have been given credit for during recent protest marches. Maybe their wasn't as much national pride behind all those Mexican flags as reported also. Who knows.
The Yankees won 1-0 recently and it was an awesome game to me. I played soccer for 13 years though so maybe it's different.
Anyway, I'll have my fingers crossed against Italy.
Alright Rat. Someone else who's ready for some futbol. Luckily the game won't be ruined by the owners trying to appeal to American non-fans. They might try to change the rules like the old NASL did, but FIFA and the rest of the world will just continue on their merry way ignoring what the US does.
Nightly scoreboard from Iraq and Afghanistan might just backfire Rat. It we made the news more like ESPN folks might actually pay attention. I didn't support the invasion, and I don't think we should be there now, but I don't have an alternative to a "cut and run" policy. Unfortunately a withdrawal now would be even worse than our staying in.
What a horrid ref! The ref in the US - Italy match had been suspended back in 2002 by the Paraquan Federation for some unnamed misbehavior. Looks to me like something is going on again. All the yellows early, mostly against the US. The first red he had almost no choice on. It was a flagrant violent foul right in front of him. He had to give the red. Then he follows it up with TWO questionable red cards against the American defense.
And all the blown calls by the linesman on phantom offsides against the Azurri.They were ALL by the same linesman! It almost looked like he and the referee were in cohoots to turn the game. In the second half the ref disappeared. Suddenly less calls, no cards, and the players got to play. I wonder if by then he realized he'd pushed it too far and there would be an investigation.
I smell a scandal brewing. I wonder if it'll prove to be connected to the betting scandal in Italy? Especially since the red cards have Mastroeni and Pope sitting out against Ghana. And Oniwye getting a yellow puts him on the bench also. That's the whole starting central defense for the US. Something is definitely fishy here, but who benefits besides Ghana?
Even the topless news didn't get people's attention. People like to keep their heads in the sand. It's so exhausting to try to discuss anything with anyone because so few have any desire to be aware of their surroundings.
We'll get out at some point just because it's $300,000,000.00 per day.
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