US soccer has ebbed and flowed over the last 15 years. The 94 world cup was a huge step forward but 98 was a huge step back. 2002 was very encouraging, but 2006 was yet again another big buzz kill. Today the US National team had a tremendous opportunity to focus the attention of the Sport’s world on US soccer. While that doesn’t sound overly impressive, accomplishing that in a non World Cup year would have monumental with the biggest showcase of soccer only a year away. For those who missed out, the US’ road to the championship game against Brazil was unimaginable. Their advancement to the second round of the tournament was borderline miracle (requiring a 3-0 AND a 0-3 loss in another game). The win against Spain was one of the most unanticipated and sheer awesome wins for US soccer ever.
Then it boiled down to today against Brazil. I was expecting maybe a 2-1 or 3-1 loss but was shocked to find the US up early 1-0 on a pretty nifty goal by Jack Dempsey. In one of the prettiest goals I’ve ever seen in a big game for the US, Landon Donovan made it 2-0, a lead that the US took into halftime. Brazil attacked relentlessly after the Donovan goal and quickly halved the lead 2-1 in the opening minute of the second half. The attack never wavered for Brazil and when the smoke cleared they came back to win 3-2, despite some great goal keeping from Tim Howard and inspired play by the US. It was extremely deflating to watch and a loss that has stymied my mood on a lovely Sunday. With that in mind, I’d like to submit Freddy Adu as a logical scape goat.
While the US defense and the coaches’ decision to not make any substitutions before Brazil’s second goal are attractive options, I’ll go with Freddy, a guy who didn’t even make the US team for this tournament. I know he is only 20 years old and was not even in the same continent where the game took place, but still Freddy Adu is infinitely more over hyped then Danika Patrick, Gray’s Anatomy, and Pizza Hut’s Pizzone. I heard about Adu when I was a Sophomore in college nearly 7 years ago. “Soccer Savior”, “The Prodigy”, “The Chosen One”, were all titles and magazine covers that were bestowed on him. In recent memory, only Lebron James, The Dark Knight, and the Iphone have received as much hype as Adu. Those things all kick ass. Adu does not. These are stats per wikipedia below. As you can see its a tossup between Adu and Numa Numa guy on who scored last.
I am being super snarky and harsh on Adu, but in the back of my mind I just don’t understand why Adu was crowned as America’s Pele and why he got that crown at the age of 14?
I mean I was not crowned the World’s Greatest Jew at my Bar Mitzvah. It took YEARS of hardwork, dedication, and success before my peers gave me that distinction/my friend Jannai bought it as a graduation gift for me…….from high school.
The US played a great game today and almost raised interest and excitement for US soccer to a ferverish pitch, a nice appetizer to next year’s world cup. Instead they were just a tad shy of getting over the hump.
We were simply outgunned. If we had a “soccer savior”, maybe we wouldn’t have been. However that player doesn’t exist and I can’t help but think of that guy who wear’s that crown and the morons who decided to put it on him.
Obviously it’s not Adu’s fault, but I just can’t help myself from thinking that there are a bunch of snake oil salesman out there who sold him as “The Gretzky of Soccer”.
Time will tell if the US rallies for a nice showing in the 2010 World Cup and if Adu can begin to live up to the ridiculous expectations that were put on him. Regardless, US soccer is progressing and is closing in on the monumental win we’ve been trying to will to happen for decades. Selling us on that its going to happen overnight and via one “magical” player, doesn’t make it get here any quicker.
