What a Game!!

So I am in Rosemary Beach, FLA with my family and extended family for vacation. On Sunday, we make our way to Seaside for lunch and find a place called Bud & Ally's. This is a rooftop bar over a restaurant, directly on the beach ... waves crashing, Gulf winds blowing in on a hot day, fresh mango margaritas, buckets of Corona and shrimp, with several open bar stools directly in front of four, large HD flat screens, all tuned to the U.S. Men's Confederation Cup Final, in the 32nd minute of play, with the U.S. up 2-0 in Brasil, and a bartender asking "Can I get you something?"

Are ... You ... Friggin ... Kidding ... Me????

Just an amazing moment and afternoon. I am not sure I moved, much less blinked, for the next two hours, even as I sensed it was all too good to be true. The small crowd at the bar was openly cheering on the team, though perhaps with an undercurrent of dread, knowing what was coming ... wave upon wave of Brazilian attacks. We were hoping against hope that whatever they could just withstand the first 20-25 minutes before going into full-blown pack-it-in mode, we might just escape with the win. All suspicions were confirmed, just 45 seconds into the second half, as Brazil's Fabiano overpowered the defense and scored, making it 2-1 ... It was like a riptide wiped out the entire place. Honestly, not even slow-but-steady defeat could ruin the afternoon ... family, great food, great weather, great game ... A perfect vacation afternoon.

But beyond that, watching the game, I came away with a feeling that, honestly, I have never really felt about the US Men's National Soccer Team ... heartbreak, that genuine disappointment that you feel only when "your team" loses, the well-played match that got away, the coming oh-so-close to something special, something amazing, but not making it. I think we were all waiting, and dreading, the waves of "Team USA earn respected" and "should be proud" commentary, but the pictures were Clint Dempsey staring blankly in defeat and disappointment, Tim Howard just shaking his head, US players upset and angry ... And then this. Landon Donovan was asked the obligatory "Did US earn respect" question, having played so well in defeat, and he replied, "We don’t want respect, we want to win."

I think American soccer fans have been waiting a lifetime to hear someone associated with the US Men's National Team to utter those words. So while the Confederation Cup is certainly not the World Cup, and it is way too soon to get over-excited about three strong outings by this team, but perhaps this will mark the day when the US Men's National Team rewrote their Mission Statement and started playing for championship, not respect. I love it.

Jogo Bonito indeed.