If the US Won the World Cup

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Just theorize for a moment if they did - What would the implications be for the perceptions of America across the world? Would people be even more annoyed by the US than they are already? And would a US win get Americans actually caring en masse about the sport?

― geeta, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I am supporting the US at the moment because they are the underdog (in footie terms). If they win they will not be the underdog any more, therefore I will hate them again. And that's the way a lot of British brains work, I fear.

― Archel, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My reactions would be split. On the one hand if they won it, it would be because they'd played well and as a team, and that would set a good example. Also I'd be happy for all the Americans I know who like football. On the other hand elements of the USA! USA! brigade would be really irritating - like the guy on some BBC Talk Board who was saying, yeah, we're in the quarter-finals of a sport we don't even give a damn about, ha ha. That kind of well-of-course-we-won-we're- the-USA among non-football-fans might be the most grating thing for non-Americans to take.

― Tom, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

From the NY Times after Monday's win to Mexico:

"In what may be the biggest blow to national pride since the Americans conquered half of this country in the War of 1847, Mexico's World Cup soccer team, to the horror and disbelief of millions of their countrymen, lost by a score of 2 to 0 to the United States. Imagine the shock if the New York Yankees had lost the World Series to, say, the Yomiuri Giants of Japan — then square it."

― geeta, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My British underdog-instincts are going with Senegal and South Korea, but I'm supporting the US against Germany.

― Tom, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Mr. [Vicente] Fox, whose popularity ratings are probably going to plummet as a consequence of this defeat, had offered to watch the match together with President Bush, at a neutral location on the border, but was told that his American counterpart planned to be asleep, Mexican officials said.

"In no way do we feel defeated," Mr. Fox told his team afterward by telephone. "In each one of you we saw the quest for victory, and that is the important thing in sports, in life, to fight, to fight, fight with tenacity, in every inch of the field, struggling, trying to come out ahead."

"This won't hobble the country," said the president. "This won't sap the energy of each and every Mexican."

A nice try at a stiff upper lip — but Cuauhtémoc Blanco, one of the team's working-class heroes, who is from one of Mexico City's toughest slums, told his president he felt he had been impaled on the spines of a cactus."

― geeta, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Who do i support? Germany of US? What is the lesser of two evils?

― Julio Desouza, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i don't know about saying americans couldn't give a shit about football - most of the american sport fans i know have been following the world cup since 98 or earlier. it could easily take root in a big way here, a lot of people played soccer when they were kids.

― Dave M., Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If the yanks won the World Cup it would feel like climbing to the top of Mt. Everest only to find theres an elderly couple having their tea there.

― Michael Bourke, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If the U.S.A. team could be something like the Boston Red Sox of soccer – perennial excellence tempered by a tragic habit of choking come the finals – I’d consider that perfection.

― Michael Daddino, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

us win world cup => axis of evil nations take up cricket and are given instant "test-match" status

― mark s, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ummmmm... does no one remember when the US women shocked the world? or do they not count?

― philip, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If the US win the World Cup, and I'd still be willing to bet heavily against it, I think we should demand a replay. I can't speak about the first four, but the ones since have always been won by a top class side (though not always the best). There may not be a team in this tournament of the very highest class, but there are a lot of teams better than the US. I suspect Germany will prove themselves one of them, though I'll be supporting America.

― Martin Skidmore, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It would be the end of the world as we know it.

― Little Nipper, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do you feel f-- *is suddenly choked to death*

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I always told Ned that his unhealthy love of REM would be the death of him.

― Dan Perry, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Thank you, Obi-Wan.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

the US ladies didn't shock the world, cos no one cares about ladies football. That's why no one goes to see it, or watches it on TV, or pays anyone to play it. The lady who took her top off shocked the world more than the result. The question is academic as Germany are as evil at football as the US is at foreign policy, and are bound to win, undeservedly. The eternal Manichaean battle of good V evil (usually expressed in England as between good England and evil England- we'll see tomorrow) needs Germany V Brazil or England. If the US won no one would much care, because the US doesn't care about football. And , unlike France, tepid in its native interest but packed with skilled performers, their players just aren't yet good enough to cut it in the best European leagues. There are plenty of Englishmen, Italians and Spaniards who really don't care about the World Cup as long as their team wins the title at home. National sides are relatively unimportant now, sadly. Certainly the best giant clubs are at least as good as the last four of the world cup and have been for two decades now. e.g. Milan circa 1990 would have creamed Germany. It's been a great tourney though, especially watching the overrated churlish arrogant unsporting cynical Argentinians crying their little millionaire eyes out. Forza Corea!

― Snotty Moore, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

if the US had the world's largest cup?!?!? It would be a big joke cause everyone knows there would just be little peanuts inside.

― Ms. S., Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

!! But rather accurate.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 20 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I really don't have much to say about this hypothetical, as I don't think beating Germany is possible (I'd be on cloud nine, but realistically, I'm cheering against a rout). That said, I can't let this uninformed remark just sit here unchallenged:

And , unlike France, tepid in its native interest but packed with skilled performers, their players just aren't yet good enough to cut it in the best European leagues.

This is just not the case. American players are doing perfectly well-- "cutting it" and then some-- in the top leagues in England, Germany, and Holland. The fact that half this squad play in the American league has much less to do with skill than with the fact that (a) they're young, and as such haven't accumulated enough caps to qualify for EU work permits, and (b) that European clubs have shared your opinion and have been underrating US players for some time.

At least the canard about how the US doesn't deserve it because 'no one cares' has been neutralized, and in the future we're saved from having to rely on a scientific poll of relative popularity to award the Jules Rimet trophy.

Forza Corea!

Agreed!

― Benjamin, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

TS:

vs.

― p., Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ha ha no contest the left x is sexier etc.

fuck.

― grrrrrr, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

*deep breath*

TS:

VS.

― qp, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

(it is actually very sad that this did not work since due to respective pic proportions she would be sitting on the ugly-man-who- should-be-where-the-x-is's head)

― har, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have got to say that in the office we have just downloaded the German national anthem to sing in the Germany vs US game.

I only know the tune for the first two lines though then I go off into the CLUB STYLE! Hooray!

― Sarah, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have got to say that in the office we have just downloaded the German national anthem to sing in the Germany vs US game

How exciting it must be for you!

― Benjamin, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

more red x's for yoooo...

http://www.reevo.com/b3ta/jack_in_the_box.gif

― Alan Trewartha, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I would probably put out a contract on Bruce Arena.

Who the hell do I support now???? Probably South Korea or Senegal.

― chris, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah Ben the German national anthem is GRATE!!

― Sarah, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

TS:

VS.

we will start caring about futbol en masse when someone bettah than the bottom 2% of our best possible athletes start playing it.

― p., Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

oh my god it's like i'm on drugs but without the happy.

― p., Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Benjamin, if you think the US squad are individually anywhere as near as good as the players France left behind (Gallas, Dacourt, Anelka, that ace goalie who kept out Man Yoo single handed for Lille last season, to name but four) then you don't watch enough football. Good luck to the USA today but didn't you spot the word 'yet' in my original (deliberately bolshy) statement? The only Euro leagues that really count are the Prem and the Primera. When an American cracks it in either (and they will) then you'll have a point.

― Snotty Moore, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, you revised your remarks. But 'being as good as Anelka' doesn't mean the same thing as 'cut it in the Premiership,' and Reyna seems to be doing just fine at Sunderland. He's not the best midfielder in England, but he's certainly 'cutting it.'

― Benjamin, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Well, for some the nightmare scenario is avoided -- and I'll definitely take 8th over 32nd this time out. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

six years pass...

wow, this thread

― I ♥ my dog, I ♠ my cat (dan m), Sunday, 25 January 2009 22:30 (seventeen years ago)

btw US was robbed

http://www.paulbracher.com/blog/wp-images/2006images/frings_handball_2002.jpg

― I ♥ my dog, I ♠ my cat (dan m), Sunday, 25 January 2009 22:31 (seventeen years ago)

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