MANCHESTER, England - For the first 53 minutes of the Olympic semifinal match, there wasn't anything too unusual. Well, the United States women's national soccer team was trailing Canada, so that was unusual, but aside from the underdog leading, it was pretty typical for an international soccer game. Canada was up 1-0 after a magnificent individual effort from Christine Sinclair, but then there was the traditional medley of great chances and near misses that are so common in good soccer games.
When Megan Rapinoe set up a corner kick for the United States early in the second half, the Americans had to be ruing all their missed chances, wondering what it would take to get one into Canada's net. It looked like another blown chance when Rapinoe sent the corner kick to the front post, where no teammates were waiting. But after a chaotic moment, where the ball, two Canadian defenders, and goalkeeper Erin McLeod converged on the near post, the ball somehow squeaked in.
At first glance, it looked like the Canadians deflected the ball in themselves, an own goal. That was fine, of course - they all counted the same. But after seeing the replay, the truth was revealed: Rapinoe had bent the ball in herself. Not only was it a fantastic goal, but it was a vital one, tying the game at 1-1.
But Sinclair wasn't impressed. Instead, she accepted the challenge. She scored her second of the game, knocking home a header off a corner kick, just 13 minutes after Rapinoe's goal, giving Canada the lead back. Then it was Rapinoe's turn again. Three minutes after Sinclair's goal, Rapinoe had the ball at the edge of the box, a good position for a cross. But she had no interest in that, instead drilling a shot off the post and into the net to tie the game again.
Again, Sinclair responded, scoring three minutes later on another header off a corner kick to finish the hat trick. Canada had its third lead of the match, and people who had been paying attention turned to the Americans to see how they would respond.
It wasn't the Americans who responded, but match referee Christina Pedersen, who awarded the Americans an indirect free kick in the penalty area after McLeod took too much time to release the ball. While the call was technically correct - she held the ball for more than 10 seconds when the rule allows for only 6 - it's one that's rarely called. For it to be called at this stage was almost unthinkable. On the ensuing free kick, Canada was called for a hand ball, which lead to Abby Wambach tying the game from the penalty spot.
At this point, Pedersen's interesting call overshadowed what had been a manic 26 minutes. In the period from Rapinoe's corner kick to Wambach's goal, five goals had been scored, some of them truly spectacular, and those 26 minutes were some of the best played on any soccer field that year. However, after the excitement of Wambach's goal, nobody could get the fourth goal. Wambach had two golden opportunities, sending one cross just wide and knocking another off the cross bar, but they were not to be.
With all 90 minutes, plus 30 minutes of extra time, used up, the clock was running down to its final minute before a penalty shootout would determine who would advance to the gold medal game. It seemed too bad - a game this hectic, this great didn't deserve to be decided by the randomness of penalties. But it looked like that's how it was going to end until Wambach sent a pass out wide toward Heather O'Reilly. O'Reilly chased it down, sent it into the box - right to the head of Alex Morgan, who, while falling down, knocked it in just under the crossbar.
And after scoring that goal, the goal that won perhaps the greatest women's soccer game ever played, Morgan didn't jump up and down. Instead, she just put her hands on her head, almost in shock. She couldn't believe she had scored. Nobody could believe what had happened. It was a truly brilliant ending to a brilliant game.
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soccer. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Pride of '99
DRESDEN, Germany - Abby Wambach had just finished her freshman year in college when Mia Hamm played for the 1999 U.S. Women's Soccer team. At the time, Hamm was seen as the untouchable soccer star, without question the best female player in history. How would Wambach have felt, then, if she had been told that 12 years later, the only person between her and the all-time scoring record for women's soccer would be Hamm?
Megan Rapinoe had just turned 14 when Kristine Lilly made the save of the 1999 Women's World Cup. Lilly wasn't a goalkeeper, of course, but she was standing against the far post on that Chinese corner kick in extra time, in perfect position to head away the ball that would have defeated the Americans. What would Rapinoe had thought, then, if she had been told that exactly 12 years to the day, she would launch a perfectly placed 50-yard cross onto the head of Wambach to produce the most dramatic goal in her team's history?
Hope Solo was 17 years old when Briana Scurry leapt off the line and saved China's third penalty-kick attempt during the 1999 shootout, the save of a lifetime, the save that won the World Cup. Twelve years later, to the day, Solo leapt off the line to save a penalty kick late in the second half, only to be told she had moved early and that it would have to be taken again. Did Solo think back to Scurry's save in 1999, when she had most certainly moved early, only to have it not be called? No, more likely she was channeling Scurry when she stopped Brazil's third penalty kick of the shootout, the save that guaranteed the comeback would be complete.
Ali Krieger was just about to turn 15 when Brandi Chastain showed the world her bra. It's very likely she was watching, enthralled, inspired, hoping she would get a similar chance. Could she have ever known that 12 years later, to the day, she would be in the same position? That she would bury the game-clinching penalty kick for the United States in a World Cup? This time, though, Krieger didn't take off her shirt. The game was far too important to be overshadowed like that.
The game the U.S. women won earlier today in Dresden was one of the greatest in the team's history, the only one that could rival the 1999 World Cup final in terms of drama. They were holding a 1-0 lead but were getting generally outplayed when, in the 65th minute, Rachel Buehler got sent off on a questionable foul. Solo saved the resulting penalty kick, but the referee inexplicably awarded a second try, which Brazil converted. Tie game.
Their lead gone and freshly down a player, the U.S. lit into Brazil. Whether they were inspired by the women of '99 or by the men of '10, or whether they were just pissed, something changed. For the rest of the game, it looked like Brazil was the team playing with 10 players instead of the United States.
But still, despite the advantage of play, the U.S. was still helpless against the mastery of Brazil's Marta, whose goal in the second minute of extra time seemed to seal the deal. But then Krieger made a steal in her own box and passed it ahead. Two passes later, the ball was on Rapinoe's foot, and she launched the picture-perfect cross toward a hard-charging Wambach. Brazil keeper Andreia tried to punch it away, but the ball missed her hand by inches, instead finding the head of Wambach, who promptly buried it in the 122nd minute.
From there, it was obvious who was going to win. It was also obvious that this was one of the most important wins in Women's soccer history. That it came on the same day as their singular defining moment was just extra poetic. The 1999 World Cup final will probably remain the greatest moment in U.S. women's sports history for a very long time. Depending on how they finish this tournament, the 2011 team may have just provided moment No. 2.
Megan Rapinoe had just turned 14 when Kristine Lilly made the save of the 1999 Women's World Cup. Lilly wasn't a goalkeeper, of course, but she was standing against the far post on that Chinese corner kick in extra time, in perfect position to head away the ball that would have defeated the Americans. What would Rapinoe had thought, then, if she had been told that exactly 12 years to the day, she would launch a perfectly placed 50-yard cross onto the head of Wambach to produce the most dramatic goal in her team's history?
Hope Solo was 17 years old when Briana Scurry leapt off the line and saved China's third penalty-kick attempt during the 1999 shootout, the save of a lifetime, the save that won the World Cup. Twelve years later, to the day, Solo leapt off the line to save a penalty kick late in the second half, only to be told she had moved early and that it would have to be taken again. Did Solo think back to Scurry's save in 1999, when she had most certainly moved early, only to have it not be called? No, more likely she was channeling Scurry when she stopped Brazil's third penalty kick of the shootout, the save that guaranteed the comeback would be complete.
Ali Krieger was just about to turn 15 when Brandi Chastain showed the world her bra. It's very likely she was watching, enthralled, inspired, hoping she would get a similar chance. Could she have ever known that 12 years later, to the day, she would be in the same position? That she would bury the game-clinching penalty kick for the United States in a World Cup? This time, though, Krieger didn't take off her shirt. The game was far too important to be overshadowed like that.
The game the U.S. women won earlier today in Dresden was one of the greatest in the team's history, the only one that could rival the 1999 World Cup final in terms of drama. They were holding a 1-0 lead but were getting generally outplayed when, in the 65th minute, Rachel Buehler got sent off on a questionable foul. Solo saved the resulting penalty kick, but the referee inexplicably awarded a second try, which Brazil converted. Tie game.
Their lead gone and freshly down a player, the U.S. lit into Brazil. Whether they were inspired by the women of '99 or by the men of '10, or whether they were just pissed, something changed. For the rest of the game, it looked like Brazil was the team playing with 10 players instead of the United States.
But still, despite the advantage of play, the U.S. was still helpless against the mastery of Brazil's Marta, whose goal in the second minute of extra time seemed to seal the deal. But then Krieger made a steal in her own box and passed it ahead. Two passes later, the ball was on Rapinoe's foot, and she launched the picture-perfect cross toward a hard-charging Wambach. Brazil keeper Andreia tried to punch it away, but the ball missed her hand by inches, instead finding the head of Wambach, who promptly buried it in the 122nd minute.
From there, it was obvious who was going to win. It was also obvious that this was one of the most important wins in Women's soccer history. That it came on the same day as their singular defining moment was just extra poetic. The 1999 World Cup final will probably remain the greatest moment in U.S. women's sports history for a very long time. Depending on how they finish this tournament, the 2011 team may have just provided moment No. 2.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
June 23, 2010: Landon Donovan breaks the Internet
PRETORIA, South Africa - It was just before 11:00 (central time) on a Wednesday morning. The absolute middle of the work week for most Americans. Maybe they were online doing actual work, or maybe they were just idly checking Twitter to pass a few minutes. Suddenly, the website slowed to a crawl. A refresh brought up the infamous Fail Whale. No problem there. Happens all the time to Twitter.
Only the Fail Whale didn't go away. Not for a while.
Many people weren't doing work, of course, Many were following a soccer match in a far away country, maybe placing a gamecast of the game in the bottom corner of their screen, hoping it would avoid the prying eyes of their boss. Those people, the ones who had been following the game from the beginning, were losing hope. The game passed the 90 minute mark, and the United States looked dead in the water. A scoreless draw had eliminated them from the World Cup.
But then, suddenly, the gamecast stopped working. A refresh kept bringing up the same screen: The clock had just crept into stoppage time, Tim Howard had just made a save, and then ... what? Was it over? Was it an Algerian corner? Had a plague of locusts descended upon the stadium?
Another refresh. The action still seemed frozen. Nothing had changed. Except one thing. At the top of the screen: USA 1 0 Algeria.
What?
Back on Twitter, there's finally progress. The Fail Whale was gone. The timelines didn't look to be updated, but the trending topics were. And what a list it was.
GOAL!!!!
DONOVAN!!
LANDON!
USA! USA! USA!
All variations on a theme. It was obvious now. Something incredible had happened: It wasn't just what that goal meant, though it meant a lot. To say it was the most important goal ever scored by a male American soccer player is a gross understatement. This particular American World Cup team had been followed more closely than perhaps any team before it. And they were falling flat on their faces.
Sure, they had tied England in the first game, but they got that only after scoring a fluke goal that the English keeper should have stopped in his sleep. Another listless draw against Slovenia put the United States on the brink; if they failed to beat Algeria, they wouldn't advance out of group play. An early elimination like that and they risked losing all the goodwill they had earned, all the new fans they had brought to the sport. And as the game crept past the 90 minute mark, it seemed like that was exactly the fate of the US team.
But then Howard made the save, then threw the ball 40 yards in the air, hitting Donovan on the fly with a pass that would make an NFL quarterback proud. Donovan passed it over to Jozy Altidore, who sent it over to Clint Dempsey in the box. When Dempsey's shot was stopped, American soccer fans gasped. But the ball wasn't clear. It was just sitting there in the box as a hard-charging Donovan approached.
That's when Landon Donovan broke the Internet.
It didn't matter that the US was eliminated in their first knockout-round game, falling in extra time to Ghana. They had made their mark, established their legacy. For more than a decade, the country's greatest soccer moment had come when a woman took off her shirt after scoring a goal. There was a new greatest-ever moment. And it was a doozy.
Will Donovan's goal be the spark that pushes soccer into the forefront in American sports? Who knows? It might be impossible to answer that until 10 or more years down the road. But one thing is for sure. For the first time, Americans will be able to remember where they were when a soccer goal was scored. They will remember how they found out about the most important goal in American history, and what they were doing when Landon Donovan broke the Internet.
Only the Fail Whale didn't go away. Not for a while.
Many people weren't doing work, of course, Many were following a soccer match in a far away country, maybe placing a gamecast of the game in the bottom corner of their screen, hoping it would avoid the prying eyes of their boss. Those people, the ones who had been following the game from the beginning, were losing hope. The game passed the 90 minute mark, and the United States looked dead in the water. A scoreless draw had eliminated them from the World Cup.
But then, suddenly, the gamecast stopped working. A refresh kept bringing up the same screen: The clock had just crept into stoppage time, Tim Howard had just made a save, and then ... what? Was it over? Was it an Algerian corner? Had a plague of locusts descended upon the stadium?
Another refresh. The action still seemed frozen. Nothing had changed. Except one thing. At the top of the screen: USA 1 0 Algeria.
What?
Back on Twitter, there's finally progress. The Fail Whale was gone. The timelines didn't look to be updated, but the trending topics were. And what a list it was.
GOAL!!!!
DONOVAN!!
LANDON!
USA! USA! USA!
All variations on a theme. It was obvious now. Something incredible had happened: It wasn't just what that goal meant, though it meant a lot. To say it was the most important goal ever scored by a male American soccer player is a gross understatement. This particular American World Cup team had been followed more closely than perhaps any team before it. And they were falling flat on their faces.
Sure, they had tied England in the first game, but they got that only after scoring a fluke goal that the English keeper should have stopped in his sleep. Another listless draw against Slovenia put the United States on the brink; if they failed to beat Algeria, they wouldn't advance out of group play. An early elimination like that and they risked losing all the goodwill they had earned, all the new fans they had brought to the sport. And as the game crept past the 90 minute mark, it seemed like that was exactly the fate of the US team.
But then Howard made the save, then threw the ball 40 yards in the air, hitting Donovan on the fly with a pass that would make an NFL quarterback proud. Donovan passed it over to Jozy Altidore, who sent it over to Clint Dempsey in the box. When Dempsey's shot was stopped, American soccer fans gasped. But the ball wasn't clear. It was just sitting there in the box as a hard-charging Donovan approached.
That's when Landon Donovan broke the Internet.
It didn't matter that the US was eliminated in their first knockout-round game, falling in extra time to Ghana. They had made their mark, established their legacy. For more than a decade, the country's greatest soccer moment had come when a woman took off her shirt after scoring a goal. There was a new greatest-ever moment. And it was a doozy.
Will Donovan's goal be the spark that pushes soccer into the forefront in American sports? Who knows? It might be impossible to answer that until 10 or more years down the road. But one thing is for sure. For the first time, Americans will be able to remember where they were when a soccer goal was scored. They will remember how they found out about the most important goal in American history, and what they were doing when Landon Donovan broke the Internet.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
July 17, 1994: The Beautiful Game in America
PASADENA, Calif. - There were plenty of skeptics when the United States was awarded the 1994 World Cup. Soccer fans around the world wondered how the tournament could succeed in a country where the sport was barely a blip on the radar, where the national team was close to irrelevant.
The full stadiums around the country and the passionate fans found in every city where games were played put those concerns to rest. The 52 matches saw an average of 69,000 fans, and the full tournament attendance of nearly 3.6 million set a World Cup record that still stands, despite the fact that the tournament has since expanded from 24 to 32 teams, thus allowing for more games.
On the field, the United States surprised many by advancing out of the group stage, with help from an own goal by Columbia's Andres Escobar. Escobar's murder 10 days after the World Cup - apparently in retaliation for the own goal - cast a permanent pall over the tournament.
The biggest individual star of the tournament was probably Roberto Baggio of Italy, who, after being held scoreless in group play, scored five goals in the next three games to lead the Italians to the final against Brazil.
As for the final ... well, there have been more exciting games played. Played on July 17 in front of 94,000 fans at the Rose Bowl, Italy and Brazil played a careful, slow-paced game, devoid of many scoring chances. The match went into extra time scoreless and became the first World Cup Final to be decided on penalty kicks. There, with Brazil leading 3-2, Baggio had another chance to be the hero for Italy, but his attempt went over the bar, giving Brazil its fourth championship.
Baggio's miss:
The full stadiums around the country and the passionate fans found in every city where games were played put those concerns to rest. The 52 matches saw an average of 69,000 fans, and the full tournament attendance of nearly 3.6 million set a World Cup record that still stands, despite the fact that the tournament has since expanded from 24 to 32 teams, thus allowing for more games.
On the field, the United States surprised many by advancing out of the group stage, with help from an own goal by Columbia's Andres Escobar. Escobar's murder 10 days after the World Cup - apparently in retaliation for the own goal - cast a permanent pall over the tournament.
The biggest individual star of the tournament was probably Roberto Baggio of Italy, who, after being held scoreless in group play, scored five goals in the next three games to lead the Italians to the final against Brazil.
As for the final ... well, there have been more exciting games played. Played on July 17 in front of 94,000 fans at the Rose Bowl, Italy and Brazil played a careful, slow-paced game, devoid of many scoring chances. The match went into extra time scoreless and became the first World Cup Final to be decided on penalty kicks. There, with Brazil leading 3-2, Baggio had another chance to be the hero for Italy, but his attempt went over the bar, giving Brazil its fourth championship.
Baggio's miss:
Saturday, July 10, 2010
July 10, 1999: The Bra
PASADENA, Calif. - If it wasn't for The Bra, would we even remember the game?
Would we remember the final of the 1999 Women's World Cup? Or that the game was the culmination of the largest women's sporting event in history? Would this game have even been a blip on the radar?
It should have been. It was pretty obvious during the World Cup that the United States and China were going to meet in the final, and as the long-awaited final got underway, and the game kept going, it was pretty obvious that these two teams were virtual equals. Anybody who thought that the United States was clearly the best in the world suddenly realized how very, very wrong they were. They might have been the best, but China was damn close.
People might remember that the game was scoreless, but they might not remember the close calls, like the Chinese header in overtime that got past goalie Brianna Scurry, only to be headed away by a perfectly placed American defender.
People might remember the penalty shootout, or at least that the United States didn't miss a kick. But does anybody remember Scurry's save in that shootout, her diving stop that gave the U.S. a lead they wouldn't relinquish?
It was likely the most dramatic women's sporting event of all time, a game that drew 90,000 people to the Rose Bowl, the most ever to see women play sports. It featured to great teams at the top of their game. It featured the inescapable drama and clutch performances of a penalty shootout.
And it featured a final kick, not by internationally known Mia Hamm, who went fourth, but by little-known midfielder Brandi Chastain. She was the one with the World Cup on her left foot, with all the pressure in the world on her. She was the one who drilled it into the top corner, a completely unstoppable shot.
And then she celebrated by taking off her shirt.
Would anybody remember the game if she had simply kept her shirt on? Maybe, but maybe not. So is it all right that this team is remembered more for one of their players exposing her bra in a moment of pure joy than for any other game they won? Or is it better to be remembered for SOMEthing, rather than not remembered at all?
The penalty shootout:
HONORABLE MENTION
July 10, 1934: NEW YORK - Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Joe Cronin. All Hall of Famers. In fact, the entire American League starting lineup at the 1934 All-Star game is enshrined in the Hall of Fame; eight of the nine N.L. starters are there, too, as well as 10 of the reserves between the two teams. But the five listed above are the story here. Those are the five Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell struck out in succession in the first and second innings of the 1934 game. After letting two guys on base to lead off the game, Hubbell got Ruth, Gehrig, and Foxx to fan at his screwball to end the threat, then got Simmons and Cronin to open the second. His heroics weren't enough, though; the AL won 9-7.
Would we remember the final of the 1999 Women's World Cup? Or that the game was the culmination of the largest women's sporting event in history? Would this game have even been a blip on the radar?
It should have been. It was pretty obvious during the World Cup that the United States and China were going to meet in the final, and as the long-awaited final got underway, and the game kept going, it was pretty obvious that these two teams were virtual equals. Anybody who thought that the United States was clearly the best in the world suddenly realized how very, very wrong they were. They might have been the best, but China was damn close.
People might remember that the game was scoreless, but they might not remember the close calls, like the Chinese header in overtime that got past goalie Brianna Scurry, only to be headed away by a perfectly placed American defender.
People might remember the penalty shootout, or at least that the United States didn't miss a kick. But does anybody remember Scurry's save in that shootout, her diving stop that gave the U.S. a lead they wouldn't relinquish?
It was likely the most dramatic women's sporting event of all time, a game that drew 90,000 people to the Rose Bowl, the most ever to see women play sports. It featured to great teams at the top of their game. It featured the inescapable drama and clutch performances of a penalty shootout.
And it featured a final kick, not by internationally known Mia Hamm, who went fourth, but by little-known midfielder Brandi Chastain. She was the one with the World Cup on her left foot, with all the pressure in the world on her. She was the one who drilled it into the top corner, a completely unstoppable shot.
And then she celebrated by taking off her shirt.
Would anybody remember the game if she had simply kept her shirt on? Maybe, but maybe not. So is it all right that this team is remembered more for one of their players exposing her bra in a moment of pure joy than for any other game they won? Or is it better to be remembered for SOMEthing, rather than not remembered at all?
The penalty shootout:
HONORABLE MENTION
July 10, 1934: NEW YORK - Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Joe Cronin. All Hall of Famers. In fact, the entire American League starting lineup at the 1934 All-Star game is enshrined in the Hall of Fame; eight of the nine N.L. starters are there, too, as well as 10 of the reserves between the two teams. But the five listed above are the story here. Those are the five Hall of Famers Carl Hubbell struck out in succession in the first and second innings of the 1934 game. After letting two guys on base to lead off the game, Hubbell got Ruth, Gehrig, and Foxx to fan at his screwball to end the threat, then got Simmons and Cronin to open the second. His heroics weren't enough, though; the AL won 9-7.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
June 29, 1950: The Miracle on Grass
BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil - It only takes one chance. A team can be dominating a game in every aspect, controlling the pace of play completely and exerting their will over an inferior opponent, but one shot, one little flick of the head, can knock them out.
In the second group stage game of the 1950 World Cup, England was dominating play in the first half against the United States. This was to be expected, as England entered the tournament with a record of 23-4-3 since the War ended, while the United States had lost its last seven international games by a combined score of 45-2. England was one of the favorites to win the first World Cup in 12 years, while even the United States coach admitted that his team had no chance against England.
It took the U.S. 25 minutes to get their first shot against England, while the English were peppering U.S. goalkeeper Frank Borghi with shot after shot. In the 37th minute, American high school teacher Walter Bahr took a long shot, one that English goalkeeper Bert Williams moved into position to easily stop. But Williams never touched the ball. Joe Gaetjens, a Haitian playing for the American team, dove head-first and deflected the ball - just a little flick of the head - and it got past a stunned Williams and into the net.
Under today's rules, Gaetjens wouldn't be allowed to play on the American team. Born in Haiti to German parents, he had dual citizenship to both countries, but played professionally in America. In 1950, one only had to declare an intention to become an American citizen to be allowed to play for America, and so Gaetjens did, putting him in Brazil and in position to shock the world.
That's no understatment, either. Gaetjens' goal, the only one of the game, truly did shock the world. The Brazilian fans watching the game exploded in cheers at the thought that the Americans would actually take the lead against England. When the 1-0 scoreline held up, people reading the score in newspapers in England were sure it was a misprint, some even believing it should have said 10-0 for England. Only one American newspaper was there to cover the game, and that reporter, Dent McSkimming of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, had to pay his own way and take vacation time to cover it; the paper wouldn't cover his expenses.
The years following that shocking result further drove home the magnitude of the upset. The U.S. didn't qualify for another World Cup until 1990. Gaetjens never played for the U.S. again, travelling to France before returning to Haiti to play for the Haitian national team. He never applied for U.S. citizenship and was presumed murdered in Haiti the day after a political coup in 1964.
England and the United States didn't meet again in soccer until the 2010 World Cup last week, playing to a 1-1 draw.
In the second group stage game of the 1950 World Cup, England was dominating play in the first half against the United States. This was to be expected, as England entered the tournament with a record of 23-4-3 since the War ended, while the United States had lost its last seven international games by a combined score of 45-2. England was one of the favorites to win the first World Cup in 12 years, while even the United States coach admitted that his team had no chance against England.
It took the U.S. 25 minutes to get their first shot against England, while the English were peppering U.S. goalkeeper Frank Borghi with shot after shot. In the 37th minute, American high school teacher Walter Bahr took a long shot, one that English goalkeeper Bert Williams moved into position to easily stop. But Williams never touched the ball. Joe Gaetjens, a Haitian playing for the American team, dove head-first and deflected the ball - just a little flick of the head - and it got past a stunned Williams and into the net.
Under today's rules, Gaetjens wouldn't be allowed to play on the American team. Born in Haiti to German parents, he had dual citizenship to both countries, but played professionally in America. In 1950, one only had to declare an intention to become an American citizen to be allowed to play for America, and so Gaetjens did, putting him in Brazil and in position to shock the world.
That's no understatment, either. Gaetjens' goal, the only one of the game, truly did shock the world. The Brazilian fans watching the game exploded in cheers at the thought that the Americans would actually take the lead against England. When the 1-0 scoreline held up, people reading the score in newspapers in England were sure it was a misprint, some even believing it should have said 10-0 for England. Only one American newspaper was there to cover the game, and that reporter, Dent McSkimming of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, had to pay his own way and take vacation time to cover it; the paper wouldn't cover his expenses.
The years following that shocking result further drove home the magnitude of the upset. The U.S. didn't qualify for another World Cup until 1990. Gaetjens never played for the U.S. again, travelling to France before returning to Haiti to play for the Haitian national team. He never applied for U.S. citizenship and was presumed murdered in Haiti the day after a political coup in 1964.
England and the United States didn't meet again in soccer until the 2010 World Cup last week, playing to a 1-1 draw.
Joe Gaetjens being carried off the field by Brazilian fans after scoring
the only goal in the United States' 1-0 victory over England.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
June 24, 2009: Down goes Spain
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa - Wait ... you're leading with soccer?
Yah! The U.S. played today, and ...
Isn't the World Cup next year? Why are you leading with soccer?
Well, this is sort of a warm up tournament for the World Cup. And when something's a big upset, I always like to show it, even if it's a sport people don't care about.
See, that's the problem. Nobody cares about soccer. Why are you showing it, anyway? You said it was the Americans.
Yah. They beat Spain 2-0 in the semifinals.
Wait ... Spain? The United States beat Spain in soccer?
Yah.
Isn't Spain good?
Yep. Number 1 in the world. They had a 35-match unbeaten streak, too. Until today, anyway.
Huh. This is men's soccer, right? 'Cause the U.S. women are actually good, if I recall.
The men's team apparently is now, too.
Huh. What tournament did you say this was again?
The Confederations Cup.
What the hell is the Confederations Cup?
It's a tournament for the champions of each continent. Spain was in because they won the European championship, and the U.S. won the North American championship.
So it's the World Cup, basically.
No. There are different standards of qualification. It's actually harder to qualify for the Confederations Cup than the World Cup.
So why haven't I heard about it before?
Becuase a lot of teams don't care about it as much. It's a fairly new tournament, so it hasn't caught on in prestige yet.
Is that what happened? The U.S. won because Spain didn't care?
I don't think so. Spain played all their regulars, just like the U.S. They might have taken the Americans lightly, but they were taking the tournament seriously.
OK, go with it. Sounds like a big deal. It still won't make America like soccer, though.
Who knows? It might. All America needs is proof that their team can beat anybody in the world, and that proof came today. This could have been the game that jump-starts American interest in soccer. It's actually perfect timing. The Americans are as good as they've ever been; they just needed that one big win to get noticed. Now that they have it, they could really take off.
Yah, yah. Whatever. It's still soccer. I didn't see the game, but I guarantee the score was 2-0.
Uh... yah. It was. How did you know?
Because every soccer game ends 1-0 or 2-0. Ridiculous. Just not enough scoring for me. Go ahead and lead with it. And if you say "nil" in the air, you're fired.
Yah! The U.S. played today, and ...
Isn't the World Cup next year? Why are you leading with soccer?
Well, this is sort of a warm up tournament for the World Cup. And when something's a big upset, I always like to show it, even if it's a sport people don't care about.
See, that's the problem. Nobody cares about soccer. Why are you showing it, anyway? You said it was the Americans.
Yah. They beat Spain 2-0 in the semifinals.
Wait ... Spain? The United States beat Spain in soccer?
Yah.
Isn't Spain good?
Yep. Number 1 in the world. They had a 35-match unbeaten streak, too. Until today, anyway.
Huh. This is men's soccer, right? 'Cause the U.S. women are actually good, if I recall.
The men's team apparently is now, too.
Huh. What tournament did you say this was again?
The Confederations Cup.
What the hell is the Confederations Cup?
It's a tournament for the champions of each continent. Spain was in because they won the European championship, and the U.S. won the North American championship.
So it's the World Cup, basically.
No. There are different standards of qualification. It's actually harder to qualify for the Confederations Cup than the World Cup.
So why haven't I heard about it before?
Becuase a lot of teams don't care about it as much. It's a fairly new tournament, so it hasn't caught on in prestige yet.
Is that what happened? The U.S. won because Spain didn't care?
I don't think so. Spain played all their regulars, just like the U.S. They might have taken the Americans lightly, but they were taking the tournament seriously.
OK, go with it. Sounds like a big deal. It still won't make America like soccer, though.
Who knows? It might. All America needs is proof that their team can beat anybody in the world, and that proof came today. This could have been the game that jump-starts American interest in soccer. It's actually perfect timing. The Americans are as good as they've ever been; they just needed that one big win to get noticed. Now that they have it, they could really take off.
Yah, yah. Whatever. It's still soccer. I didn't see the game, but I guarantee the score was 2-0.
Uh... yah. It was. How did you know?
Because every soccer game ends 1-0 or 2-0. Ridiculous. Just not enough scoring for me. Go ahead and lead with it. And if you say "nil" in the air, you're fired.
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