Close ties make rivalry with England more even
This isn’t about some 234-year-old colonial grudge, and it would hardly be fair to call it David vs. Goliath.
Rather, the United States’ match with England in the opener of Group C in the 2010 World Cup is simply a clash of like-minded siblings whose soccer cultures are more closely related than either wishes to admit.
More storied and experienced — and arrogant enough to wear it as a badge of honor — the English will put their soccer superiority on the line against the brash Americans. U.S. players — and not just the ones playing for the national team — want nothing more than to dethrone those who have long dismissed them, even though the English have played an integral role in the sport’s growth and development in this country.
In fact, the dissing goes both ways.
“Everyone’s had an English coach,” D.C. United midfielder Chris Pontius said. “Americans hear an accent, and they think that person must know a lot about soccer, so they hire him as a coach.”
Cockney is intrinsic in American soccer, from David Beckham as the biggest star in Major League Soccer down to the club around the corner, such as Annandale Boys and Girls Club, where Southeast London-native Bo Amato is technical director.
“For true English coaches that played the game a bit, the one thing we give to kids is we probably give them our passion for the game,” said Amato, who was attending Charlton matches before he could see over the turnstiles. “I don’t think people that didn’t play and were not immersed in it can have that passion.”
Despite America’s huge mix of influences, English coaching has molded throngs of players, and the English Premier League is where many of them aspire to land.
“I think [that’s] where the hype comes from,” United assistant coach Ben Olsen said. “We’ve got a lot of guys playing over there.”
Not enough to validate a U.S. victory on Saturday, of course.
“You know what? For them, we’ll never be a good league. We’ll never be a good national team,” United goalkeeper Troy Perkins said. “I just think that in itself is what really gets the fire going underneath American soccer.”
With a victory expected and a loss unacceptable, “It’s a no-win situation for the English team,” Amato said. For the sake of a good old family fight, American fans hope so.
