Why Americans Can't Win in Soccer or Iraq

Not surprisingly, the US Team blew it at the World Cup and I find it not dissimilar to the War on Iraq. Both tell me that Americans don't know how to work as a team. Everything in the States is about individual achievement. (In contrast, the reason former Communist countries don't play well is because they lack creativity.) We rack up stats for every baseball, basketball and football star, but it's nearly impossible to do the same for soccer. One person may score the goal, but it's the teamwork that sets up the shots. The fact that we still call it soccer, while the rest of the world rightly calls it football, is idiotic. Just like the metric system.

If you watched any of the matches, it was clear that none of the American players were working together, and that indicates a lack of effective coaching/leadership. (See where this is going?) Without a strategic plan, our men are left out there running around the (battle) field without a specific aim or purpose. We may come out forceful, but that adreneline quickly turns to apathy. We're either aggressive pricks or lazy bastards. We have little to no middle ground. American are good at sprints, but not marathons. We don't have it in us to stick it out for the long haul. Only major difference now is that the soccer matches last only 90 minutes. In Iraq, there apparently is not timetable. Someone really needs to give us a red card on this one.

Time to bring our boys home, both soldiers and soccer stars alike.
Time to learn the lesson of losing gracefully.