The USA Soccer Team - Yes, we can!

Yes, we can! That was the campaign slogan that Barack Obama used, successfully, to win the American presidential elections. This battle cry of some sort, seemed to have had stuck on the USA soccer team. In the recently held Confederations Cup soccer competition in South Africa, the soccer team acted likewise, playing with true determination and confidence. Being a team not so well known in the soccer world, the USA team beat the likes of Spain which was sitting at the top of FIFA world rankings, and almost beat Brazil, a giant on its own in the field of soccer!

Yes, it lost to Italy 3-1. No disrespect to the other teams, but it was a delight to see the USA team beat Egypt and then Spain in the semi-final. In its game against Brazil in the final, the team being the underdog, in my heart, I was truly guilty of wishing to see it beat the mighty Brazil. Never mind that it had lost to Brazil in the earlier round by 3 – 0.

Sadly, the team lost to Brazil 3 – 2. And it was leading 2 – 0 before half-time!

We, too, have our own slogan – Malaysia Boleh. This didn’t seem to have hit our soccer team. Perhaps it is time for us to change the slogan.

In the latest FIFA rankings the USA team had jumped up to 12^th from 31^st. Well done to the players and officials! You are minnows no more!