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I rooted for Belgium to beat the U.S. in their FIFA World Cup match on Monday.
There, I said it. No waffling around.
If this makes anyone think I’m unpatriotic, so be it. I prefer to look at it as being a fan of the story: the underdog, the team that had to overcome the unexpected, far from home in front of a loud, packed house.
If this was the U.S. playing Great Britain in London, with England having its red-carded best player restored at the last minute at the king’s suggestion, of course I’d cheer for America’s team … even if the U.S. coach were from Argentina and its best player a citizen of three countries, including the opponent.
No, I didn’t have a bet on it, even though I knew that the line might be skewed because more action would be on the team that represents the country with a population of 342 million against that of less than 12 million. Indeed, 80% of the money at Caesars Sportsbook was on the U.S., and that was before the reinstatement of star striker Folarin Balogun.
No, it had nothing to do with any kind of wager.
And, yes, of course there was a part of me that wanted to join the crowd, after “we” won “our” round of 32 game.
But here’s the thing: Although the early results hinted this team might have been the best the Americans have put on the pitch for the World Cup in a very long time, once again it was not as good as we were led to believe.
And ending it with a 4-1 loss in the round of 16 is not progress.
Soccer’s popularity continues to grow in the U.S., but the men’s national team peaked nearly a quarter-century ago in South Korea. That’s when Landon Donovan scored two goals, including one in a 2-0 victory over Mexico in the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup.
Ever since, it’s been an over-hyped USMNT, and just a matter of time before it failed to deliver at the World Cup, and the wheels fell off the bandwagon, again.
I am happy for the U.S. economy, which is getting an estimated $17 billion boost in gross domestic product for hosting this World Cup. In that regard, I just wish Hawaii had a facility worthy of world-class soccer.
Many of you will wave off this next bit, but I know I’m not alone.
How did “Take Me Home, Country Roads” become this team’s post-victory song? It did go viral, but it wasn’t organic, it was chosen by a FIFA executive, partly because “Sweet Caroline” was already taken. But so was the John Denver classic.
It’s very cool when the West Virginia University teams and their fans sing it, most recently the Mountaineers baseball team at the Men’s College World Series, for an obvious reason: The lyrics are an ode to their home state.
Belgium and the U.S. have the same number of players on their teams from West Virginia. Yeah, you guessed it, zero. I’d bet USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino would have a hard time finding it on a map.
The first time I heard “Country Roads” after a U.S. soccer team win, I thought, “Hey, that’s not your song, leave it alone!”
I empathize with how some West Virginians feel about this. It’s that same cringe vibe I get reading about the latest perversion of poke from the continent that includes kale, pineapple or some other weird ingredient.
Belgian players performed their own form of cultural appropriation after the win, celebrating their fourth goal with President Donald Trump’s signature dance move, right in front of the U.S. bench. Trump had lobbied FIFA to lift Balogun’s red card in the U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina that came with a one-game suspension.
And, on the Belgium team’s X account, the ultimate mic drop soon appeared, addressing the FIFA flip-flop: “Overturn this.”
Continue reading...
There, I said it. No waffling around.
If this makes anyone think I’m unpatriotic, so be it. I prefer to look at it as being a fan of the story: the underdog, the team that had to overcome the unexpected, far from home in front of a loud, packed house.
If this was the U.S. playing Great Britain in London, with England having its red-carded best player restored at the last minute at the king’s suggestion, of course I’d cheer for America’s team … even if the U.S. coach were from Argentina and its best player a citizen of three countries, including the opponent.
No, I didn’t have a bet on it, even though I knew that the line might be skewed because more action would be on the team that represents the country with a population of 342 million against that of less than 12 million. Indeed, 80% of the money at Caesars Sportsbook was on the U.S., and that was before the reinstatement of star striker Folarin Balogun.
No, it had nothing to do with any kind of wager.
And, yes, of course there was a part of me that wanted to join the crowd, after “we” won “our” round of 32 game.
But here’s the thing: Although the early results hinted this team might have been the best the Americans have put on the pitch for the World Cup in a very long time, once again it was not as good as we were led to believe.
And ending it with a 4-1 loss in the round of 16 is not progress.
Soccer’s popularity continues to grow in the U.S., but the men’s national team peaked nearly a quarter-century ago in South Korea. That’s when Landon Donovan scored two goals, including one in a 2-0 victory over Mexico in the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup.
Ever since, it’s been an over-hyped USMNT, and just a matter of time before it failed to deliver at the World Cup, and the wheels fell off the bandwagon, again.
I am happy for the U.S. economy, which is getting an estimated $17 billion boost in gross domestic product for hosting this World Cup. In that regard, I just wish Hawaii had a facility worthy of world-class soccer.
Many of you will wave off this next bit, but I know I’m not alone.
How did “Take Me Home, Country Roads” become this team’s post-victory song? It did go viral, but it wasn’t organic, it was chosen by a FIFA executive, partly because “Sweet Caroline” was already taken. But so was the John Denver classic.
It’s very cool when the West Virginia University teams and their fans sing it, most recently the Mountaineers baseball team at the Men’s College World Series, for an obvious reason: The lyrics are an ode to their home state.
Belgium and the U.S. have the same number of players on their teams from West Virginia. Yeah, you guessed it, zero. I’d bet USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino would have a hard time finding it on a map.
The first time I heard “Country Roads” after a U.S. soccer team win, I thought, “Hey, that’s not your song, leave it alone!”
I empathize with how some West Virginians feel about this. It’s that same cringe vibe I get reading about the latest perversion of poke from the continent that includes kale, pineapple or some other weird ingredient.
Belgian players performed their own form of cultural appropriation after the win, celebrating their fourth goal with President Donald Trump’s signature dance move, right in front of the U.S. bench. Trump had lobbied FIFA to lift Balogun’s red card in the U.S. win over Bosnia and Herzegovina that came with a one-game suspension.
And, on the Belgium team’s X account, the ultimate mic drop soon appeared, addressing the FIFA flip-flop: “Overturn this.”
Continue reading...
