World Cup: Don’t Panic!

It’s tempting for American soccer fans to view the women’s squad’s 2-0 victory over North Korea as a mediocre start to the World Cup. The problems that showed up are the ones that have concerned fans of U.S. Women’s Soccer throughout the run-up to the the tournament. The defense looked shaky at times. The finishing touch just seemed to be lacking throughout the first half and the start of the second. Midfielders and defenders don’t seem to be communicating well or working seamlessly.

But the win today was a bit better than the glass-half-empty view would have it. First, it’s important to remember that despite being struck by lightning repeatedly (or so the North Koreans would have you believe), North Korea is a pretty good squad. They’re ranked eighth in the world, and knocked out a traditionally strong China to advance to the World Cup. So it’s not as if the U.S. was playing against the little sisters of the poor, at least in terms of athletic skill.

Second, it’s worth noting that through three days of play, the U.S.’s 2-0 win is the biggest blowout in the tournament so far. The Yanks scored two goals against the Chollima, while the Swedes could only manage a 1-0 victory over lightly-regarded Colombia. The heavily-favored Germans, playing in front of 70,000 partisan fans, were only able to manage two against Canada. Japan likewise scored just two against the decidedly mediocre Football Ferns of New Zealand. And neither Die Nationalelf nor Big Red was able to keep a clean sheet. Granted, the Brazilians haven’t played yet — but it’s hard to view America’s win as anything other than solid.

Finally, and this is important for Americans to remember, it isn’t 1999 anymore. American soccer hasn’t taken a step back, as the handwringing often suggests. It’s just that there are more than four or five teams in the world playing excellent soccer today. To put it into perspective, in 2000, the U.S. downed Canada 9-1 during the Sydney Olympics. Last year, Canada won the CONCACAF Gold Cup while the U.S. placed third. The Canadians have improved dramatically for the same reason the Japanese, Mexican, and French have improved — they’ve begun focusing the same kinds of resources on women’s sport as men’s sport, just as the Americans began doing with the dawn of Title IX.

And that’s reason to celebrate, not bemoan our fate. The U.S. is still the top-ranked team in the world, defending Four Nations and Algarve Cup champs, and a team nobody wants to face in the knockout round. There are other dangerous teams too — Germany will be tough to beat on home soil, I fear — but that’s just because women’s soccer is getting better and better with each passing year. And as a fan of the sport, I’m thrilled to see it.

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