U.S. versus Portugal

Extra Time:

The U.S. soccer team played a great game on Sunday versus Portugal. The young team started out a little tentative but soon where playing with, and sometimes outplaying their foes. They were ahead in the last 30 seconds of extra time in the game but were tied on a fantastic crossing play by Portugal. But should it have happened?

At the end of regulation time the U.S. purposely stalled for a substitution. It took over a minute for them to complete their change. The referee had signaled that there would be 4 minutes of extra time right before the end of regulation. But because the U.S purposely stalled, he added another minute to the time. The events in that extra added minute cost the U.S. a victory.

The player that was substituted for looked like he stopped limping right after he got to the sideline. No one talked about this time honored tradition of poor sportsmanship from any team leading in a game.

 A couple of other players on both teams were flopping around like they had been shot after they got hit during the contest, only to pop right up and continue on as soon as play resumed. One guy got elbowed in the side of the jaw, but held his face like he had been smashed full frontal force. No one commented on what kind of example this behavior was modeling for the children watching the game on television. 99.9% of the children watching this game saw a behavior from some of the top soccer players in the world to emulate that belied everything we at Frozen Shorts teach on a daily basis.

 Win at all costs, is the new motto. Rationalize and justify entitlement, in whatever form you want. Here’s the catch! But they didn’t win. Over and over I see this form of competition flawed by a concept that everyone should look at it and question. Because you see, not only is the win tainted, if it happens, but in this case, it cost the team a victory. The long term effects on the children, coaches, and parents’ watching the game is huge. Klinsmann says he wants to change the culture. Well why not start here, with sportsmanship as a key component and life lesson of sports.

Ironically, though, after getting blasted by a kicked ball not one player went down in a heap.

After the game was over, interviews took place. No one talked about the fact that the U.S. by stalling affected the outcome of the game.

 But I wish, just one person on the team, or even the coach, would say to the public this: Look we tried a tactic and it backfired. It is a poor example for the kids, parents, coaches and youth sports organizations in general. As a team we vow to never do it again. Even though other teams may employ this tactic, we see the growth of soccer in the U.S, and playing the game with class and sportsmanship the right way to model behavior for the children playing soccer in the U.S. and around the world.

 One interviewer asked the coach if he seconded guessed himself, once again, just like the normally great Bob Costas did in his interview with the owner of the winning horse at the Belmont, a reporter tried to make themselves part of the story with a negative twist that only took away from the  event.

As usual I have some thoughts on how to fix this problem. First, when a player goes down, one camera should follow that player for the next couple of minutes. When he jumps back up the commentators should be instructed by FIFA to talk about what a poor example this is setting for the kids who play soccer, and youth sports.

Next, when a player is hurt, or goes down in a heap, simply stop the clock. That’s right. Stop it and focus on the player. See him look around to see if he got the call. Show the replay and describe what really happened. There are some times when a player is truly injured and he should get top notch medical attention.

Next have on the fly substitution. It is so blatantly obvious that when the team is ahead they both substitute the farthest guy away from the bench, and have him walk so slowly across the field that you would think he needs assistance, all the while knowing the cameras are on him and he can get individual face time. Have a box between the benches on the field and have the player exiting the field step into the box before the replacement comes in.

Yes I know neither of these ideas will be implemented, but then again, the idea is there.