The entire vibe was off. The American Women’s Soccer Team had been touted to easily dispose of the feisty, but beleaguered Japanese women’s national team, and cruise to a World Cup Women’s Soccer Championship. The Americans had won in dramatic fashion over some of the powerhouse teams of the competition; particularly the Brazilians. Here was the opportunity to revitalize women’s soccer in the USA. All the US Team had to do was defeat a Japanese women’s team whose offense was suspect and whose overall play was considered too cautious.
United States fans were primed to witness a walk-over and little American girls were giddily glued to TV sets to witness the American triumph. The media had already hinted at their choice for the daring heroine of the competition from among the American players and commercial sponsors were salivating. Endorsement possibilities were expected to exceed the wildest dreams of the American team. A win here would most certainly revive the flagging popularity of the sport among American teenagers.
The Americans were big, brash and strong. And besides, the Japanese women had never defeated the American women’s team in 25 tries. If ever a script was written for a championship game, this was the mother of them all. The thinly veiled disdain for the Japanese team’s chances was echoed in the comments of the announcers; the Japanese were feisty, in uncharted tournament territory, they were too conservative in their game strategies…in short, they were over-matched against the Americans in every category. But there was one modest detail that the pundits failed to notice…no one told the Japanese team that they were about to be steam-rolled on the world stage by an American team that appeared destined to win the title. Women on the Japanese team took no notice of the odds-makers…they came to play. On this day, the winner would be decided on the field…not by sportscasters and media commentators.
Early in the match, the American women asserted their dominance. They played with the lead for almost the entire game. The Japanese team bent…but did not break. Naturally, the American fans remained confident that their team’s size, skill and strength would carry the day. Meanwhile, the Japanese team managed to keep the score close and remained within striking distance. The Americans, as determined as ever to emerge victorious, suddenly began to acquire a new-found respect for these little Japanese women and a sense of dread quietly appeared in the body language of the American team. At the end of regulation followed by extra time, a stunned crowd could only stare at the scoreboard in total disbelief…the score was tied 2 -2. In the ensuing shoot-out, the winning point was scored by a diminutive Japanese player who casually walked up to the ball, looked in one direction and kicked the ball in the other direction. By the time American goalie, Hope Solo, attempted to block the winning kick, the ball was almost in the back of the net…game, set, and match. A modest post-game celebration for the Japanese followed with none of the knee sliding, jersey peeling antics that the American women are noted for. Sullen, exhausted, dejected, dazed… the American women stood silently as the full impact of what had just happened, soaked in.
A mixture of hubris, commercialism and a weird twist on a premature sense of entitlement confounded the American team before the game even started. They were playing to become ambassadors for the sport and apparently to cash in on the lucrative agreements that were certain to accompany a victory. The hype, the discounting of the chances of their opponent and the childish belief that the script called for a happy ending for American women’s soccer team was their undoing. In the minds of many, a silver medal lacked the stature significant enough to resuscitate women’s soccer in the US…a value system gone awry.
The lesson here…
On any given day in athletic competition, the underdog can exceed their own expectations and put together a magnificent performance which defeats their mighty adversary’s best efforts. It has happened before and it will happen again. That is why it is called a game.
