Last week, my roommate posed an interesting question to me: "Do you want to go to RFK to watch the United States-Germany game?"
It was a tough call. I'd watched all of the United States' previous games, save for the matchup with Portugal, which I had to watch on tape because of a move to a new apartment and a poorly-scheduled, non-World Cup-friendly visit from an employee of Chapter 11 Cable - excuse me, Adelphia.
But the logistics of a visit to RFK made the decision a little harder. After all, the game was at the ungodly hour of 7 a.m., and we faced a two-hour drive just to watch the game on a big screen in an old football stadium.
Still, it took all of 10 seconds for me to agree to the trip. After a quick phone call to a friend who was working late that night anyway, we had a suitable traveling party. Despite an ill-advised decision to spend Thursday night at the Biltmore instead of in bed, we were off to Washington with flags flying. After all, someone had to be there to support the team.
Little did we know that Bruce Arena's boys had plenty of support, with or without us on board. We arrived at RFK and were immediately shocked by the crowd. Flags and soccer balls were flying in the parking lot as the Hendrix version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" blasted from somebody's car. The United States, coming off its first-ever World Cup knockout victory, was a cult favorite no longer. Myself, my two friends and the other 4,186 diehards at RFK were an example of a phenomenon sweeping the country - the realization that U.S. soccer has arrived on the world stage.
What's more, people at the University can claim just a little more allegiance to the team than most. While fans of D.C. United can talk all they want about Arena, the fact is that he belonged to us first, and that Virginia soccer has helped provide a solid base for the national team. While only three former Cavaliers -_ Claudio Reyna, Jeff Agoos and Tony Meola - made the trip to South Korea as members of the U.S. team, the imprint of Virginia soccer is still felt on the national team, from Arena to U.S. assistant and Virginia head coach George Gelnovatch to the players.
While Arena and Reyna helped lead the Americans to the proudest moment in U.S. soccer history, they have since become two of the biggest question marks in terms of the future of the team. Two teams still are alive in the Cup as I write this column, and already Arena and Reyna have discussed leaving the team.
Neither is to blame for this move. Reyna wants to spend more time with his family, and national team coaches rarely stay on for more than one Cup. But the future of these two leaders is an example of the effort that the United States will have to expend to stay at the top.
Despite the indecision surrounding Arena and Reyna, however, the United States appears ready to take its place among the world's elite. While standouts such as Reyna, goalkeeper Brad Friedel and forward Brian McBride may have played their last World Cup matches, most of the team's core should be in place for Germany 2006. Electrifying Landon Donovan and lightning-quick DaMarcus Beasley, both of which inspired "Good grief, this guy is younger than me" moments for yours truly, will certainly be back for that Cup, as will talents such as midfielder John O'Brien and forwards Clint Mathis and Josh Wolff. Other standouts, including defensemen Eddie Pope and Tony Sanneh and midfielder Eddie Lewis, should be back for another run as well. Looking beyond this year's squad, young goalkeepers such as Tim Howard and D.J. Countess should help lessen the blow if Friedel decides to end his international career.
Regardless of the makeup of the 2006 United States World Cup team - assuming the Yanks make it through qualifying in an improving CONCACAF group - the results from Korea have been nothing but encouraging. Ignoring the fact that the team laid an egg against Poland and needed help from South Korea just to make it out of group play, the upstart Americans seized their opportunity to prove themselves on their sport's biggest stage. If not for the otherworldly play of German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, the U.S. could very well be in the finals. It's up to the players who will be back for 2006 to capitalize on the momentum of this year's Cup. Americans are ready to embrace a powerhouse soccer team - the scene at RFK last Friday morning proved that. It may be four years until the team and the fans get their next shot at World Cup glory, but the Yanks are on the doorstep. Look out, world.
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