From
where I sit it looks like the US has a new folk hero...
The
long term results of Tim Howard's performance against Belgium won't
be felt for years. Just as players like Mike Modano and Brian Leetch
were inspired by the Miracle on Ice, it's hard to say how many future
stars will be inspired by Howard's heroics. But it's safe to say the
US has announced it's presence on the international scene. Yes, the
Americans have been here before. Knockout games and never advanced.
On the surface this looks just like any other World Cup exit. But
there's much more at work here. This game was special. 16 saves,
only about 12 of them tough. Howard was the only reason the US had
any sort of chance at winning. Even when the Americans were down 2-0
after the first half of extra time it never seemed like they were
beaten. The pressure from the US in the second 15 minutes was
sustained and substantial. It wound up being difficult not to cheer
for the Americans. Not because they were a rag-tag bunch of
underdogs looking for a Hollywood ending. No, this was because they
were playing good football. Attractive football. Even during their
moments of attack during the 90 minutes it was fun to watch the way
the worked the ball and looked for openings. It wasn't about the US
trying to create their own way of playing, it was an understanding of
the style used by the top international teams. And best of all it
was entertaining.
At
least that's how I see it, and I sit in the cheap seats.
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