Let's hear it for the boys

There's a story which, to this day, is still recalled with great fondness by the retired press men of The Irish Times newspaper. It harkens back to a summer's night in June, 1950 when the scribes were all huddled together in the paper's Dublin offices, waiting with baited breath for a soccer result to come across the wire.

At stake was the outcome of the World Cup group game (played in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte) between the prohibitive favorite, England, and a United States team made up of dishwashers, landscapers and semi-professionals. Of a more personal interest to the journalists was a release to their wives and families after a long day's night.

They waited and waited, and finally it came. USA 1 England 0.

The sports editor, summoned from an adjoining office, pulled the page from the teleprinter and... just frowned. Most of the scribes were laughing an excited laugh -- why was the boss so glum? The editor's reasoning was that it had to be a misprint. It just had to be USA 1 England 10. I mean it was obvious wasn't it? Either someone was playing around at the other end, or the '1' on 'England 10' had gotten smudged.

In the absence of further dispatches from South America that was the official explanation, and so in true Pedro Martinez-Grady Little-Yankees style, The Irish Times newspaper began printing the following morning's paper with the headline USA 1 England 10. Only after a subsequent phone call came confirming the shock of all shocks, were the presses halted.

It was one of those days again in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on Wednesday, when America's soccer players shocked the world. They can be proud of themselves, and we should be proud of eleven men who were headed home to a rash of "I told you so's" and "soccer will never work in America's" but survived to take the scalps of the world's number one team, Spain, and that of the Italians whom they sent packing by default on Sunday.

"In all sincerity, only one time in 10 do I think we would lose against them," said Real Madrid goalkeeper and Spanish captain, Iker Casillas, after the Americans upset the world's top-ranked team to reach Sunday's final. "But yesterday, they deserved to reach the final."

He is right on both counts, but kudos nonetheless go to Landon Donovan for his tireless running and countless superb through-balls. Top marks also go to Jozy Altidore for a world class butt-check on Gerard Pique and brilliant finish past Casillas, to former New England Rev, Clint Dempsey for an instinctive finish which was the real game winner, and to Jay DeMerit for a Wyatt-Earp-type job on one of the world's deadliest gunslingers, Fernando Torres.

And while Tim Howard's display between the sticks won't go down alongside the greatest US
performances of all time (Tony Meola and Kasey Keller duly recognized), the Everton stopper was front and center of perhaps the greatest defensive display ever by the Eagles.

So it's onward and upward towards Sunday and a meeting with Brazil (but don't count out South Africa yet). To the youth team leagues across the country -- take my advice and cancel every game. So what if you have to rearrange them at major inconvenience! Your purpose is to instill a love for the game in our kids, is it not? No greater love affair will be found in seeing another good US performance on Sunday.

To the dads who "don't know much about the game" -- sit down and take the time to support your country with your children. It will be your biggest contribution to their soccer upbringing.

And to ESPN -- we love you guys for bringing us all this soccer coverage, and long may it continue. But one of the landmark moments in the nation's soccer evolution deserves better than the mandatory two minutes of after match comment and a quick rush to Rome is Burning.

So roll on Sunday and let's hear it for the boys........GO USA!