Posted by Stephen Kuzner

By Stephen Kuzner - WFD Fan Correspondent


It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that soccer's moment in America has arrived. The World Cup Talk that so often envelopes every fiber of a nation's consciousness has finally taken grip in the US. Can you remember the last time Congress stopped to catch the end of a US Soccer game? The World Cup conversation has even made its way into Conservation Talk Radio and Cable TV. For at least the moment, soccer has America's attention. However, for years America has failed to define its national-brand of soccer. Brazil has its individual-celebratory beautiful game of "Joga Bonito", Italy has its defensive "Catenaccio", and Holland has its fluid "Total Football". What is American Soccer? Right now, we are seeing it define itself ........ Bomb & Invade.

Let's look at the first part of this brand of soccer: Bomb. To understand the style of US Soccer we must start in the context of American sports. After all, Bob Bradley had the greatest winner ever, Celtics legend, Bill Russell, speak to the team. Against Algeria, the US goal was set up by two bombs. The first was a punt by Tim Howard that went the length of the field to the other penalty box. Howard did the same thing shortly before Robert Green's gaffe against England. The second was Howard's throw that set up the counterattack that led to the goal. This throw reminded me of one thing; the bomb in the American Gridiron. In that throw, a lot of Americans didn't see a goalie chuck a soccer-ball down a pitch, but rather a quarterback throw a pig-skin down the gridiron. Make no mistake, this was a bomb. Bombs shock. Bombs disorient. Bombs win games.

Further, throughout this World Cup campaign the US has been playing long-ball after long-ball down the pitch to Jozy Altidore and company. Soccer purists will call this "Kick and Rush", the old-school English-style. And, this claim would have some merit, but long-balls alone are only part of Bomb and Invade. Also, this aerial attack is more akin to the long passing game of the gridiron but played with the feet and heads, minus the hands. Prior to US goals, Slovenia and Algeria seemed in shock from all this bombing.

This bombing stretches the field creating gaps in the midfield for Donovan, Bradley, and Dempsey to exploit or in other words invade. With a team stretched, a multitude of attacking options open up. The US can do a slow build-up of passes functioning much like a long-term siege, launch a counterattack, out-flank their opponents, push it up gut, or hold-up a long-ball and flick it on to a runner coming from the midfield. Using a wide-range of attacking options reflects the US's diversity of players. We are a melting pot and our national team reflects this diversity.

We must not forget to be careful when creating new sports analogies with the military. We are extremely fortunate for what our troops do. We can not thank them enough. Still, the world watches this US team and equates its resolve with that of the US military. US Soccer can't receive a comment better than this. We have a team that reflects the best values of an America that never gives up. This probably refreshes a world that saw the French national team implode and try to pack-up its bags and leave early.

This brand of soccer is the new sporting American-Exceptionalism. We created our own sports with the Gridiron, Basketball, and Baseball. Our American games connect us to who we are as Americans. Now we have finally opened up to the global game that connects us to collective human experience throughout the world. Nevertheless, in America, we do things our way. And we'll play and win soccer our way.