STOP SETTLING:

For United States, Mission Accomplished; Now What? (JEFFREY MARCUS, 6/26/10, NY Times)

[T]he Americans are emboldened by their success, and spirited by the support they have here and at home. They players are confident that, in a single elimination tournament, they can beat any team in the world on any given day. Saturday against Ghana, the Americans’ motivation isn’t respectability it’s posterity.

“It’s not a failure if we don’t win Saturday,” Landon Donovan said. “But there is such a massive opportunity to do something so much more special.”

Last summer, after the United States defeated Spain the Confederations Cup semifinal, some called it the most important victory in the team’s history. After the win over Algeria, Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer, said a new benchmark had been set.

Of course, it would be a failure.

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 26, 2010 6:54 AM