A Revolution

May 28th, 2008 | by: Carter Daly | View Comments

USA vs. England

It is a clash of titan nations that goes much deeper than simply soccer.

Conjuring up imagery of George Washington and his men crossing the Delaware during the revolutionary war, this fixture represents everything that we behold to be American, in a day and age where not much else is anymore. Since the beginning of the movement, American soccer was built off of the template of England; after: they are England, and this is soccer. They are perceived to be the goliath of world football; and to the mainstream, perception and image is more important than the truth of reality. But to those around the game, it goes deeper than that. This is a match for everyone that has taken note of the fact that carrying an English accent automatically signifies soccer respect in this country. This is a match that has the ability to represent our traditional American ideals in a time where not much else does. The underdog, fighting for independence. This match is the opportunity to represent patriotism for American soccer all over the world. This match is about proving that we are not a second rate soccer nation anymore, having to look to England to be the guiding hand for our grass roots system and soccer culture. We are our own soccer nation. We have arrived

We all know this is already true in some ways. Signs of the gaining growth of US Soccer can be seen more and more with each passing day. Regardless of the actual place in the world of soccer for these two nations, it is the clash of image and culture that matters to the masses here. In a world where perception is reality, England is the all-powerful king of football, and we are the lowly soccer nation, struggling to gain our freedom and show what we are made of on the greatest of stages. It could be done today.

But we know better. Even so, this is a chance to prove something. No matter how great or small.