The Game of Their LivesGeoffrey Douglas5-10-08Pg. 5-12 

            The American’s were considered such a weak side in the World Cup, that reporters and teams were already determining who England would play after their match with the Americans.  No one even considered the possibility of an American victory.  The Americans were considered so bad that no one even thought of a worst case scenario in which the Americans pulled an upset.  “Two days from now, following the formality of today’s match against the United States, they would face Spain, the last and strongest of the four teams in Pool B” (Douglas 6).  A popular quote is starting to be seen more and more; “respect all, fear none”.  Too many times, the weaker team is able to overthrow their much better opponent.  Why, because the better team does not respect the weaker team.  They believe the weaker side will not be able to keep up or put up a fight.  This causes the stronger team to become laid back and make mistakes they would not normally make.  A good team will always respect their opponent and make sure to take every game as if it were their last.  I believe England, along with the rest of the world, is making a big mistake by underestimating the Americans.              One a person finds a hobby they truly love, they do not care for the money they get out of it.  The United States World Cup team made close to nothing while playing for the team.  However, not one man complained of his salary.  It was the dream of a life time for these men and they would have given anything to be a part of the World Cup team.  “But almost no one made a living at it.  And there wasn’t one among them who wouldn’t have played for free” (Douglas 7).  These men loved the sport of soccer so much that they did not care how much they made; the only thing that mattered was that they got to play.  No matter what the sport is, those who have this mentality will be the ones who succeed.  Whether it’s a sport, job, or hobby, those who love what they do will be the ones who make the most money, and have the happiest lives.              Survival of the fittest applies directly to sports.  Those who are good play, those who are not good sit the bench.  The only way to become good and to stay good is to practice.  Those who practice with determination will succeed.  In Douglas’s book, the US members remember back when they played soccer as kids.  They talked about how those who were not good would be sat and would either get better or quit.  “Either way, you weren’t wanted and you knew it.  So you got better.  Either that, or you got out” (Douglas 8).  Although it is not the happiest realization in the world, when someone knows they are not good enough, they must deal with it.  They can do so by either quitting, or by becoming better.  Those who work hard will more times than not beat those who are talented and who do not work hard.  To become the best one can, they must work at it every day to their full potential.  The US men’s team learned this from their childhood and saw as other boys were sat on the bench.  Those who quit disappeared, however those who stuck with it and were determined to play eventually found their way onto the field.              Playing dirty is one thing.  Playing tough is another.  The team who plays with the most guts is the team that comes out on top.  A good team will never complain about how hard a hit is given, they will just hit back twice as hard.  A good team needs to be able to be tough and know it will take a lot of pain to achieve greatness.  Glory will never come without pain and the US men’s team knew this.  They were willing to give it everything they had in order to win.  “They were young and tough, and, at least at the speed positions very, very fast.  They were not gentlemen.  They hit hard-not always cleanly- and took hits without complaint.  They weren’t purists, either; they’d as soon win on grit as on finesse.  And against a team of gentlemen-purists, this had to count as an edge” (Douglas 9).  A team can break their opponent down by playing hard-nosed.  A team that plays tough can scare their opponent and change the pace of a game.  The American team was not the best of teams, but they played as hard as they could.  They did not complain when they got hit and made sure that they hit back just as hard.  This would scare other teams as it seemed that these men could not be hurt.  It takes guts to play this way, but for those who love the game, it is not an option of whether or not they can play tough, it is a question of how tough they will play.