Always Believe, or Why I Fear Being a Journalist

At the kickoff of the USA-Egypt game, you know what I wanted to write? I was going to call out Bob Bradley for playing almost all of the starters in the "last" game against Egypt, instead of giving younger players like Freddy Adu a chance to prove themselves on a grand stage. I was going to make a case that Bob Bradley grossly mishandled multiple aspects of this tournament, continuing in the opportunity-squandering tradition of Copa America 2007. In short, like many Americans, I wanted some kind of change, in coach, players, and tactics.

I wasn't trying to condemn us as a soccer playing nation. I honestly thought that this was the best move going forward, that the team from the first two games was too far away from succeeding in a major tournament. I assumed that our best chance of developing as a national team was to focus on the next generation. I gave up.

 

Want to know where I was during the first half of the Spain game? Working. 

Understandable, I couldn't get off from work on short notice, so I taped the game and ignored all updates. What baffles me is why I decided to then go to a museum, instead of rushing home to watch the game as soon as possible.

I guess I was in no rush because while I was eager to see my team play the world's best, in no way did I ever think we had a chance at actually beating them. I just wanted to analyze how we played against such quality opposition, almost as an academic exercise. I gave up.

You hate my attitude by this point, right? Think I refused to have faith? Well, you're right, and about more than you think too. You couldn't find an article before Egypt-USA that didn't mention opinions such as how our "slim hopes" had "likely ended" and how the team was "regressing before our eyes". You could barely find anyone who, however bullishly or misguidedly, had confidence that the United States would find a way to win against Spain. Sure, we hoped. I hoped against all hope that we could pull one out, dreaming of the greatest result anybody has ever seen by the Stars and Stripes. But nobody even gave their own hopes credibility or possibility, "knowing" by common sense that we dreamt foolishly.

 

The rest of the media and the nation gave up on our team. I was wrongfully more critical of the past out of sheer exasperation, but our expectations for the future were all the same: the U.S. has no shot. It wasn't just me: we all gave up.

Except for the nationals themselves, of course. You won't find a quote from one of them that even hints at any lack of self-belief. Of course, they're trained not to give anything but positive indications, but before the game you could even hear the resolution in their voices and words. They believed that their efforts were worth something, not only morally but practically, giving them the ability to succeed. Witness Landon Donovan: "Good team, big challenge, looking forward to it... We're gonna go for it."

As journalists, it's our job to analyze the big picture, to see every aspect of an issue and come to a conclusion. In this case, the correct conclusion was that Spain were heavy favorites. It is, however, a shame that the very job description makes few allowances for that confident, brash, human emotion of self-belief. Objectively, there is no way in journalism to justify such a fanatic outlook in the face of such an immense task. But

undoubtably, it is that very attitude that propelled the USA to its shining hour.

If Michael Bradley seemed like he was a bit unthankful for the result handed down by Brazil when speaking after the Egypt game, we should forgive him. "All the fucking experts in America, everybody who thinks they know about soccer, they can all look at the score tonight and let's see what they have to say now," he said at the time. "Nobody has any respect for what we do, for what goes on on the inside, so let them all talk now."

He couldn't have known that his statement was premature. He couldn't have known that it would have been the perfect response to the world media after a victory over Spain that will give everyone pause before writing off the U.S. again, a victory that could be the first step towards world recognition and respect. No, the U.S. didn't know that at the time. They just believed it.

Maybe as fans, we should all put aside probabilities and analysis, and just start believing. After all, that's what the U.S. team did, and look where they are now.