Redemption. Not because the US Women's national soccer team did anything wrong at last summer's Women's World Cup, but because they were the better team but were cruelly defeated by penalties. Redemption because today's win wrapped up a perfect tournament in which they defeated every team and outscored them 16-6, where at the World Cup they lost twice. Redemption because they were booted by Brazil in 2007 only to redeem themselves with the Gold Medal in 2008. Redemption because the American style of soccer was upheld and showed why this country sets the trend in the women's game as countries like Brazil do for men.
And today we had the usual suspects clinch the tournament: Alex Morgan with her nifty pass for the first goal and opening lanes for Rapinoe and Lloyd, Wambach for her presence, Solo for her reflexes, Rapinoe for her tireless work on the flanks, Buehler, LePeilbet, O'Hara and Rampone for holding a tough line and pressing forward when needed, Shannon Boxx for her spirit, Tobin Heath for her speed, and Carli Lloyd for being a number 10.
Yes, Carli Lloyd made the difference today by scoring the two goals that won the game 2-1. It wasn't the youthful energy of Alex Morgan, the commanding experience of Abby Wambach or the darting runs of Rapinoe. It was the number 10, the Pele, Zidane, Landon Donovan of this group. She made the difference in the final like all great midfielders do. Zidane scored twice against Brazil in 1998, Pele delivered 1958 to Brazil, and Donovan saved the US Men in 2010 twice. Always in the background working and always there at the time of need. Carli Lloyd may not be as flashy as Morgan or Wambach, but she knew how to win this game and redeem her team.
Meant to be. Not meant to be. Those were the shades of fate today at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. Heartbreak. Emotion. Redemption. Japan walked out as world champions for the first time, and deservedly so.
Not meant to be for the US soccer team. The chances came and went throughout the first half. What could have been a score of 2-0 ended up tied scoreless. Alex Morgan's goal midway through the second half was almost enough. But not today.
Not meant to be for the defense today. Alex Krieger and Buehler didn't compact themselves enough and their casual clearance of an impressive Japanese attack was what gave way to the tying tally.
Not meant to be for Abby Wambach. She tried and pushed and got the go-ahead goal in the second period of extra time. Header. Perfect. But not enough. Japan tied the score with 4 minutes to go thanks to a misplaced bounce off our star goalscorer. 2-2. Penalties.
Not meant to be for Hope Solo either. Our superb goalkeeper wasn't tested enough by Japan for most of the game. This would have an impact as the game wore on. A slight injury in the overtime occurred right before Japan's tying goal. Her usual resolve was tested in the penalties and today she let one slip past her that could have made things interesting. She's only 29. Expect her at the Olympics and at Canada 2015.
Meant to be for Japan. Yes, today you could sense it. They were the lovable underdogs with a special cause. It was hard to imagine how the world wouldn't be cheering for the "blue samurais" today. Their country has seen such pain and agony this year. And they dedicated their fighting spirit, their resolve, their goals, and their title to the nation they love. And we applaud them for it.
Congratulations, Japan. Today the world cheered with you. It was simply meant to be.
There are critics out there that prefer Italy out of the tournament because of their overly defensive tactics. France was also downright sad to watch. Where was Ribery, Malouda, Henry, Toulalan? They were there in body but not in spirit. Perhaps the Raymond Dommenech situation or the recent underage prstitution scandal involving Benzema, Govou and Ribery overshadowed any semblance of a chance the Gauls may have had in South Africa. And Italy? Let's just say they were never young enough to get too far, not when a third of their players are over 30 and their star player (Cannavaro) is 36. Maybe they should have called Maldini?
Conmebol certainly has impressed. Barring a possible change in fortunes tomorrow with Chile, all South American representatives are already through. Concacaf also has its two major powers, USA and Mexico, through to the next round and in style. Mexico defeated 2006 finalist France and USA went unbeaten in group play and won their group thanks to goals scored. Let's not forget Asia. Their more storied sides, South Korea and Japan, also went through to the next round after overcoming opposition from mid-level European teams (Greece and Denmark, respectively) as well as African teams (Nigeria and Cameroon, respectively). Japan did it in style today in a dominating 3-1 decision over Denmark. They managed to score two goals from direct free kicks (what's wrong with Jabulani?). Oh, don't forget Australia (4 points, lost passage to next round to Ghana by goal differential) and New Zealand (unbeaten, three ties).
So what else is happening in this World Cup? One special thing location. Aside from Africa's failure, the different conferences have enjoyed the neutral location. Indeed, Americans are reported to have bought more tickets than any other country except for South Africa. They may not all be supporting team USA, but the various groups living in this country probably took up a large portion of the tickets.
One other aspect corroborating in this revolution is this: teams like Italy, England, and even Germany have leagues in which the majority of players in the dominant teams are not domestic. Inter, for example had only one Italian-born player on the pitch at the Champions League semifinal. Add to that the fact that the back line is made up of mostly Juventus players. Juve didn't have the best of seasons either. Oh, and England... why is Heskey starting? He hardly saw time on the field this past season. Germany's squad also relies heavily on Bayern Munich. You could argue that these players are tired from a very long season that included the Champions League final.
We can rest assured that there may yet be one or two or three more surprising scores in this tournament.. but how's this: Slovakia 3 - Italy 2, Switzerland 1 - Spain 0, Mexico 2 - France 0, USA 1 - England 1, New Zealand 1 - Italy 1... we can go on. And yes, that's why we love soccer.
Denmark has always proven to be a hard-working, intensely-physical team with plenty of talent and a bit of flair. Aside from their win of the 1992 Euro, Denmark is a relatively light-weight team when it comes to the World Cup. Their best result was a berth in the quarterfinals of 1998. Their first appearance in the finals was in 1986.
France '98 is where our story starts. This was the team of Michael Laudrup, arguably the best Danish player in history, along with his brother Brian and the imposing Peter Schmeichel as the net-minder. Denmark was placed in the group with host-nation France, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. After defeating the Saudis, they went on to tie South Africa before losing to France. They would meet the Nigerian Supereagles in the round of 16. Although the African side was heavily favored, the Danish put on an impressive performance reminiscent of their '92 Euro run. They would defeat Nigeria by 4-1. Brazil would be their next opponent. After going up on the scoreboard twice, Rivaldo showed his magic and booted them off the tournament. It was quite a match with up-and-downs and plenty of cheers for the Europeans. Brazil were still favored to win it all at that point.
Denmark would once again qualify for the World Cup in 2002, reaching the round of 16. This was quite a tournament for them since they would play a part in the early elimination of then-champions France. A win versus Uruguay and a tie against Senegal meant they had 4 points ahead of their game with the French. Zidane had been absent until this game due to injury. His late arrival would not amount to much, as goals by Rommedahl and Tommasson were enough to win the group. Their joy would be short-lived, as they would face David Beckham's England. The "three lions" quickly demolished them by 3-0.
What's next for Denmark? Holland, Japan and Cameroon. Aside from the Netherlands, Denmark is equally matched with the Asian and African sides. Indeed, seeing recent results makes us believe that Japan is the weaker side here and that Cameroon isn't the indomitable team it once was. Look out for stars like Sorensen (Stoke City), Jacobsen (Blackburn), Poulsen (Juventus), and Bendtner (Arsenal).
For such a small country, the Netherlands sure packs a superb punch. Maybe this is why their nickname is the "Clockwork Orange" or "Naranja Mecanica." Twice runners up in the 1970s with losses to Gerd Muller's West Germany in Germany 1974 and to Mario Kempes' Argentina in Argentina 1978.
Indeed, the 1970s marked the start of "total football," first pioneered by Ajax's Johan Cruyff and head coach Rinus Michaels. Out of that came a fast-paced, box-to-box style that overwhelmed opposing sides when the entire team surged forward in attack. Out of this controlled madness came players like Marco Van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Denis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf.
Our story here begins with Italia 1990. Those were the days of Ruud Gullit, Van Basten and Ronald Koeman. Having won the 1988 Euros, Holland was riding high and ready to win its first World Cup. To my untrained eyes, Gullit was the Dutch sensation. "Did you know he scored a goal with his chest?" someone uttered once in a lunch break soccer scrimmage. We watched the team stumble into the round of 16 after tying three games (England, Ireland, Egypt), and without a single goal from maestro van Basten. There, they met eventual-champions West Germany. The game was gritty, dirty Euro-style football. Germany won thanks to Klinsmann and Brehme. Koeman would score a consolation penalty in the 89th. This match also had a bit of controversy with a spitting incident between Rijkaard and Voller.
In USA 1994, The Netherlands was considered a contender once more. They would have to do without Gullit (on strike) and van Basten (injury). Bergkamp would step up and deliver a masterful performance with 3 goals that took them all the way to the quarterfinals. They would first face an interesting group stage: Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Morocco. This was quite an interesting group. Belgium, Holland and Saudi Arabia all got 6 points (2 wins) and same goal differential. The Dutch would defeat both the Saudis and Morrocans but would fall short against Belgium. Bergkamp and Jonk would both score versus Ireland in the second round. Their final match in 1994 came against eventual-champions Brazil. It was probably the best match of the tournament. Twice Brazil scored through Romario and Bebeto, only to be followed by strikes from Bergkamp and Winter. A long-range free kick from Branco sealed he 3-2 scoreline in favor of the Amazonians.
France 1998 came around and Holland was again a contender. Now they had players like the De Boer brothers, Cocu and Overmars. They faced Belgium in the opening match (0-0 draw). Their second game was a scintillating performance against a limited South Korean team (5-0). Feisty Mexico put up a fight and "El Matador" Hernandez tied the game 2-2 in extra time. A match against Yugoslavia awaited them in the round of 16. It would take an injury time goal from Edgar Davids to defeat the Balkan squad. What followed was perhaps one of the best matches of '98: Netherlands - Argentina. Kluivert opened the score and the Argentineans would tie the game thanks to "El Piojo" Lopez. An ill-timed ejection of Ortega, coupled with a wonder goal from Bergkamp, sent the Dutch to the semifinals. A re-match of the '94 quarterfinal versus Brazil would follow. Scores by Ronaldo and Kluivert meant the game would go to penalties. Brazil would win it once again thanks to misses by Cocu and Ronald de Boer. Holland would settle for 4th place after a loss to Davor Suker's Croatia.
Much to the surprise of the entire footballing world, Netherlands failed to qualify for 2002. The Dutch were placed in the group of death in Germany '06: Argentina, Cote D'Ivoire and Serbia & Montenegro were the opponents. They defeated Serbia in the first game. The second game, against fellow orange-wearing Ivory Coast was a memorable experience for me. I happened to be in Amsterdam for the match and saw a sea of orange everywhere I walked. That evening, I got me a cheap knock-off van Nistelroy shirt and wore it to a packed restaurant to watch the match. Holland would prevail 2-1. They would subsequently tie Argentina 0-0. The Netherlands were eventually booted off the tournament by Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the round of 16.
What's next for the Netherlands? Familiar foes Denmark, dangerous Cameroon and tricky Japan. Expect them to breeze through the group stage. Some stars to watch include Heitinga (Everton), van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Sneijder (Inter), van der Vaart (Real Madrid), Kuyt (Liverpool), van Persie (Arsenal), Robben (Bayern Munich).
Australia is an odd bird in the football community. They boast talented players, an interesting league set against other major sports (much like the MLS), and a unique location. Perennial representatives of the Oceania Football Confederation, they were always playing playoff matches to enter the tournament. Sometimes with Asia, sometimes with South America, one time even with Israel. Almost never enough to get through except for 1970. Germany 2006 was the first time in 36 years.
Australia was just recently (2005) admitted to the Asian Football Conference (AFC), thus ending decades of relegation to playoffs. They certainly benefited from this and qualified for South Africa without losing a single match to AFC opponents.
In truth, aside from my wanting the Aussies to be in a World Cup to make it truly global, 2006 was my only experience and only memory of the team. They were pitted against Croatia, Japan and eternal-favorites Brazil. Guus Hiddink coached the squad in the World Cup and, true to his nature, took the team to the next level--the second round.
Granted, my memories of 2006 are limited to the fact that I was traveling much of the time (even though I still watched 80% of the games). Still, their win over Japan and a well-deserved tie versus Croatia were enough to see them through to the round of 16. A loss by 2-0 to Brazil was not unexpected.
Australia probably deserved better fate against Italy in the second round. They held the eventual-champions 0-0 until injury time. A fateful penalty taken by none-other than Francesco Totti ended the Socceroos run in 2006.
What's next for Australia? A group of death, of sorts. First there's Germany and, considering their squad, almost assured a place in the next round. Then there's Serbia, always dangerous and with a storied past. Lastly, there's Ghana, one of the more dangerous of the African sides in this tournament. Australia has quite a squad, though, and should go head to head with all the teams in this group. Some stars include: Mark Shwarzer (Fulham), Lucas Neil (Galatasaray), Wilkshire (Dynamo Moscow), Lowry (Aston Villa), Mark Bresciano (Palermo), Mark Grella (Blackburn Rovers), Tim Cahill (Everton) and Harry Kewell (Galatasaray).
