Wow, the USA ran Belgium close last night didn’t they? Sadly for them, they will not advance to the Quarter Final stage after a 2-1 defeat, but they certainly went down fighting. It took extra time and a superbly taken goal from Romelu Lukaku to finally see them off in a truly excellent Second Round contest.
It was funny that coming into the match, Belgium had been considered to have had a disappointing World Cup, this despite the fact they had won all three of their opening games. Granted, some of the wins were slightly less than convincing, but they were wins all the same.
In contrast, The USA had been considered to have had quite a decent opening round, this despite them only winning one game, drawing another and then losing the final group game to Germany. However, it had taken a last gasp equaliser from Portugal to force the draw and they had lost to the Germans by only one solitary goal.
So the match was set up as the under achieving favourites vs the over achieving underdogs, and pretty much played out as such.
USA were not always the aggressors, but they clung on in the match and had their chances to win. Even in the dying minutes of Extra Time, with the Belgians desperately defending their 2-1 lead, Clint Dempsey forced the Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into a desperate block to stop the game going to penalties.
Indeed, both goalkeepers had decent games. Everton’s Tim Howard made a record 15 saves in the contest and was woefully unlucky to find himself on the losing side. In a lot of ways, The USA played a positive game but they just lacked that final bit of “oomph” to get them over the line. The Belgians were eventually able to take two of their thirty seven attempts on goal and get the one goal advantage they needed to progress.
So where does this leave both countries now? It was truly heartening to see that so many American’s were getting behind their team. I am sadly of the opinion that this probably won’t be the explosion in the popularity of football in the country that some others think it will. That would have required The USA to get further in the tournament.
A Quarter Final or Semi Final appearance would have probably “juiced in” football to the mass populous. Exiting at this point will probably mean that “Soccer Fans” in America will have to wait a bit longer before the sport they love is finally taken to the bosom of the masses.
In English society, being a gallant loser can raise you up in people’s estimations almost as much as being a winner. I sometimes think we English prefer a good loser to good winner. There’s just something about it that appeals to our messed up national psyche.
Americans are, in a sweeping generalisation, a lot more interested in winners rather than losers. This sort of performance from an England team would no doubt have gained them plaudits from fans and press alike. To lose to a better team but to push them all a way, there’s nothing we English love more.
Americans though are less moved by such things. They want Michael Jordan scoring free throws with his eyes shut, they want a wide receiver running the length of the field for a touchdown, they want Hulk Hogan Body Slamming Andre The Giant in the Pontiac Silverdome. Sure, they won’t hold it personally against a loser if they’ve given their all, but they won’t take them to heart either. “The Miracle on Ice” would never be talked about if the American team had lost but pushed their opponents all the way.
This of course is all an exaggeration and not all American’s are like this whatsoever, but I think ENOUGH of them are that it will make it really difficult for football to take off the way football fans want it to unless the team are more successful than they already are.
There is plenty of time for the game to take off in The USA, but right now I feel it will fall into the category of “summertime fad” and fade away again until The USA either win something or make a substantial advancement in World Cup competition. However, there will have been some budding young athletes who will have watched this game with Belgium and will have fallen in love with the game. Some people will slip through the cracks and when the NBA, NFL and MLB come calling, they will instead decide to pursue football. One of those young athletes could be the one who leads them a World Cup Semi Final. It’s a promising time to be a supporter of The USMNT.
As for Belgium? This marked the fourth game where they won but didn’t look that convincing in doing so. That being said, isn’t that the mark of a good team? To win when you don’t play that well? Belgium have yet to lose in this World Cup. They have won all four of their games and they play an Argentinian side who have also yet to truly impress.
Argentina have benefitted from some truly incredible moments of skill from Messi. Without him in the side they may not have even advanced from the Group Stage. But he is playing for them and with him providing that intangible X-Factor, they can defeat anyone. All in all, I expect it to be a tentative battle between two tired sides. Both needed extra time to defeat their less fancied opponents. This could end up being one game too far for Belgium, but you never know they might just nudge their way through the Quarter Final to a Semi Final with regional rivals Holland. What a game that would be!
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