| |
NOMINEE |
THE SKINNY |
| Overrated |
English men's national team |
Deluded, denuded Brits are
still convinced their team has the talent to win a world title. The ugly truth:
England was spectacularly lucky just to qualify for Euro 2000 and won't reach
World Cup 2002 unless it finds a decent
playmaker. |
| Underrated |
U.S. men's national team |
Despite taking undeserved
hits from an ignorant U.S. media during the Women's World Cup (no, Mia Hamm
COULDN'T start for the men), the Yanks were the world's most improved team in
'99, going 7-4-2 and beating World Cup '98 participants Germany (twice),
Argentina, Chile and Saudi Arabia. |
| Annoying |
FIFA |
Money-grubbing "caretakers" of the sport
crammed four games into seven days at Confederations Cup in Mexico,
shortchanging fans and running exhausted, altitude-impaired players into the
ground. Meanwhile, its backroom deals to decide on a World Cup 2006 host make
the IOC look like the Better Business
Bureau. |
| Breakthrough |
Manchester United |
The Reds' magical
Treble was the year's best soccer story outside the U.S., hailing a renaissance
for the English Premier League, which won its first European Cup since 1984
(Liverpool) and (not coincidentally) became the world's most enjoyable league to
watch in
'99. |
| Uplifting |
U.S. women's national team |
They filled football
stadiums, charmed a nation and played smart, attacking soccer in the face of
withering domestic pressure. Decades from now, historians will call July 10,
1999 the day women's sports went big
time. |
| MVP |
Michelle Akers, U.S. |
The best player on the best team
of Women's World Cup '99, Akers shook off chronic fatigue syndrome, 13 knee
operations and, at 33, advancing age to dominate the midfield, winning almost
every ball in the air. Her was the most heroic performance by an athlete not
named Lance Armstrong in
1999. |
Storyline to
follow in 2000 |
Can U.S. soccer keep it going? |
Will the core
of the U.S. women's team finish with a bang in Sydney and lay the groundwork for
a post-Olympic league? Will men's coach Bruce Arena continue raising the U.S. to
respectability? Will anybody begin caring about
MLS? |
