The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
    • NFL
    • NBA/WNBA
    • MLB
    • NHL
    • Tennis
    • Golf
    • Motorsports
    • Soccer
    • NCAA
    • Olympics
    • Outdoors
    • Other
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Themes
  • Communities
  • Shopping
    • Stores
    • Coupons
    • Daily Double
    • Promotion
    • How It Works
  • Videos
    • Two Guys
    • Birnbaum on Washington
    • Liz Glover
    • Amanda Carpenter
    • Morning Briefing
    • Documentaries
    • Joe Giganti
    • Video Game Minute
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • World
  • National
  • Politics
  • National Security
  • DC Area
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Technology
  • Investigations
  • Faith
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Headlines
  • Citizen Journalism
  • Politics

    Massive bill steals show in health care debate

  • Commentary

    Al Qaeda's prospects

  • Sports

    Slow start dooms Capitals

  • National

    Winfrey: Prayer influenced 2011 exit

  • Politics

    Report: ACORN mismanaged grant money

  • Politics

    Obama's approval rating falls below 50%

  • Local

    Report: D.C. schools chief Rhee mishandled sexual misconduct scandal

Home » News » National

Sunday, June 28, 2009

New wave of glory for U.S. soccer

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
  • Videos
Please stand by, images loading!
  • GETTY IMAGES
The U.S. men's national soccer team celebrates a stunning victory over Spain on Wednesday in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup. The U.S. goes up against powerhouse Brazil for the tournament championship on Sunday.
  • GETTY IMAGES
SURPRISE: Carlos Bocanegra (left) celebrates with Jonathan Bornstein (center) and Conor Casey on Wednesday after the U.S. men's national soccer team scored an upset win over Spain.

More National Stories

  • American Scene
  • Religious leaders vow civil disobedience on anti-life issues
  • Navy planes prepare final departure from air base
  • Winfrey: Prayer influenced 2011 exit

By Bob Cohn

The effect of the big, eye-catching upset in sports is twofold. First is the immediate jolt, the unexpected shock of an underdog knocking off a heavily favored opponent in a prominent competition. Then comes the noisy aftermath - the reaction, the chatter and the attempt to put it into perspective and explain what it all means.

That scenario played out again when the U.S. men's national soccer team stunned Spain and the rest of the world with its 2-0 victory in the FIFA Confederations Cup semifinals Wednesday in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

As with every huge upset, no one saw it coming except those who pulled it off. And given the team's spotty performance in the buildup to the event, even the players' visionary status is less than certain. The Spaniards were supposed to win big, and the Americans were supposed to return home quietly, happy to have been there. What followed, said former U.S. soccer standout and ESPN commentator Alexi Lalas, was "the storm after the calm."

Amid Wimbledon, baseball's Manny Ramirez returning from his drug suspension and the NBA Draft (plenty of chatter there), soccer, of all things, has grabbed considerable media space and dominated much of the conversation. The U.S. still has one more game Sunday against mighty Brazil for the tournament championship.

"It's nice to see the traditional media and those who aren't necessarily that excited about soccer give it the proper respect," said Mr. Lalas, who has been getting some unexpected face time. "The underdog factor and the improbability certainly is on a par with some of the great upsets in sports history."

Sasho Cirovski, the coach of Maryland's NCAA champion men's soccer team, showed up for work Thursday morning at the Comcast Center, and "everybody was talking about it," he said. "It's such a great source of national pride."

Not to mention a source of debate. Where does the victory rank in the annals of notable soccer upsets or upsets period? Some observers went so far as to compare it to the "Miracle on Ice," the U.S. hockey team's upset of the Soviet Union on the way to beating Finland for the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Not quite, Mr. Lalas said.

"To be fair, you have to put it in context and what the 1980 Games meant to the country and all the social and political implications," he said. "Had this happened at the World Cup, it would have been viewed very, very differently. It would have had much more impact."

But the impact still was enormous, likely superseded only by the improbable U.S. World Cup victories over England (1950), Colombia (1994) and Portugal and Mexico (2002). In non-World Cup competition, Cirovski said, the victory stands just behind the win over Trinidad and Tobago in 1989, which put the U.S. into World Cup play for the first time in almost 40 years.

[Get Copyright Permissions] Click here for reprint permissions!
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Please login or register to post a comment

Ask a Question

You Report

Do you have another point of view, photos, audio, video or more information about a story?

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. Health bill could get 34-hour reading in Senate
  2. Work site arrests of illegals fall dramatically
  3. KELLNER: New Apple mouse really is 'Magic'
  4. Senate health care bill creates new marriage penalty
  5. PRUDEN: Obama bows, the nation cringes
More Top Stories »
  1. 19 gang members face racketeering charges
  2. EXCLUSIVE: Taliban chief hides in Pakistan
  3. Md.'s $1 billion in budget cuts not enough
  4. EXCLUSIVE: Hoffman considering recount claim
  5. Palin met by hundreds in Michigan

Most Shared

  1. Religious leaders vow civil disobedience on anti-life issues
  2. Report: D.C. schools chief Rhee mishandled sexual misconduct scandal
  3. Senate health care bill creates new marriage penalty
  4. PRUDEN: Obama bows, the nation cringes
  5. Faint Shroud of Turin text proves artifact real, book says
More Top Stories »
  1. EDITORIAL EXCLUSIVE: On terrorists, Justice recused
  2. EDITORIAL: Chicago, Afghan-style
  3. Socialist or vast expansion?
  4. EXCLUSIVE: Taliban chief hides in Pakistan
  5. Unforeseen climate 'crisis'

Most Commented

  1. PRUDEN: The Third World and Obama
  2. Army lacks guidelines to deal with jihadists in ranks
  3. Work site arrests of illegals fall dramatically
  4. Religious leaders vow civil disobedience on anti-life issues
  5. Senate health care bill creates new marriage penalty
More Top Stories »
  1. Health bill could get 34-hour reading in Senate
  2. EDITORIAL: Get ready to bomb Iran
  3. Dems up pressure on health bill's holdouts
  4. EXCLUSIVE: Taliban chief hides in Pakistan
  5. Unforeseen climate 'crisis'

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin and Melanie Morgan

Question of the day

Do you think Pakistan has done enough to help us find the terrorists who want to hurt the U.S.?

Blogs & Columns

  • Hot Button Blog

    RNC: Breast cancer recommendations may lead to 'rationing'

  • Belief Blog

    Evangelicals OK civil disobedience

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Technology

    Facebook wins round against phishing spammer

  • Redskins 360

    Rookie Williams hurts ankle

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Videos

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.