Sports Nut: Mexican Wave

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sports nut Mexican Wave How the U.S. national team got swarmed over by its continental rival. By Brian Phillips Posted Sunday, June 26, 2011, at 1:00 PM ET On Saturday night, the United States men's national soccer team lost 4-2 to Mexico in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the regional championship of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Between Mexico's early dominance, Team USA's shocking surge ahead, and the Americans' post-halftime futility, the match was a weird miniature of recent domestic soccer history. The United States was terrible (1950-1990 inclusive), then suddenly pretty good (2002 World Cup), then prone to squandering leads (2009 Confederations Cup final vs. Brazil) and stalling (USA-Ghana 2010) after exciting moments (USA-Algeria, also 2010). In the end, American fans were left shaking their heads at a defense that collapsed like a bubble economy--Jonathan Bornstein, who replaced the injured Steve Cherundolo in the eleventh minute, was a housing crisis unto himself--while salivating over the other team's superior strikers and wondering whether the national team was making any progress at all. It was Mexico's second straight win over the United States in a Gold Cup final. And while Saturday's result--played before a pro-Mexico crowd of 93,420 at the Rose Bowl--wasn't as crushing as the 5-0 rout in 2009, it still capped a disappointing tournament during which the United States scored a mere nine goals, dropped a match to Panama, and saw its only burgeoning bright spot--a defense that hadn't conceded in 349 minutes--go dead dark in the final. American fans are now calling for the head of coach Bob Bradley. That, too, is business as usual for Team USA supporters, but the calls are sharper this time around after an embarrassing collapse against the team's continental rival. To continue reading, click here. Brian Phillips writes regularly about soccer for Slate. He blogs at The Run of Play. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Bachmann Confuses John Wayne and Killer Clown John Wayne Gacy During Campaign Launch Do Tax Cuts Ever Pay for Themselves? Very Very Very Rarely. The Man Who Made Orgasms Famous	Advertisement
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