Opening statement

Much, perhaps too much, goes the American way in Game 1

SUWON, South Korea -- The chants began from the start, courtesy of the small but vocal section of red-clad American fans at the north end of the field. Suddenly, Suwon World Cup Stadium sounded like Cameron Indoor or McArthur Court or Allen Fieldhouse on a winter afternoon.

"O-VER-RA-TED!" (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap). "O-VER-RA-TED!" (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap). "O-VER-RA-TED!" (Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap).

In the end, as the U.S. salted away a historic 3-2 victory over big, bad Portugal, they had a new chant. "NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA, HEY HEY HEY, GOOD-BYE!"

It was that kind of night here, as the U.S. joined Senegal (a 1-0 winner over France) in pulling off the most startling upsets of the 2002 World Cup. Who could have imagined that the Yanks would go up 3-0 on Portugal, a darkhorse pick to win the tournament? Or that they would do so without their most complete player (the injured Claudio Reyna) and their most dangerous scoring threat (Clint Mathis, who was benched by coach Bruce Arena)?

Who could have known the U.S. would go 90 minutes with three players (DaMarcus Beasley, Frankie Hejduk and Pablo Mastroeni) who barely made the roster? Or that Brian McBride would eat Portugal's lunch in the air, scoring one goal and creating another? Or that the American defense would be permanently lodged in the grill of Luis Figo, the world player of the year?

Who would have predicted that Tony Sanneh would hit a perfect cross -- perhaps his first in a U.S. uniform -- to McBride for the game-winner? Or that Cobi Jones would sagely milk the clock down the stretch, as the Americans smartly kept the ball in Portugal's end of the field?

Nobody, that's who. Not even the U.S. players. "Unbelievable," forward Joe-Max Moore told me afterward, his eyes wide and unblinking. "I thought we ... I'm a little bit shocked. I thought a draw would be a great result for us, but this is the best possible scenario."

Some talking points from Wednesday's win:

• It's the biggest victory for the U.S. since it beat England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup.

You could argue that beating Trinidad and Tobago to qualify for the 1990 World Cup after a 40-year absence saved the sport in America, but let's be honest: It wasn't scintillating soccer. Upsetting Colombia 2-1 in World Cup '94 got the U.S. to the second round, but the Colombians had already lost once in that tournament. This win came against one of the world's top five teams, and the U.S. scored -- can this be right? -- three goals in a stunning offensive display.

• If Portugal is led by its Golden Generation of players, what should U.S. youngsters Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley be called?

Think about this: The Americans beat Portugal while starting two 20-year-olds in the attack. European journalists were raving about Beasley (who by my count drew five fouls after making lightning quick moves and being dragged down) and Donovan was dangerous up front. Donovan's view of the bizarre Portuguese own-goal, in which his cross ricocheted off Jorge Costa's head and into the goal: "I hit it, and initially the guy got his head on it. It's almost like it had eyes for the goal. I was watching, watching, watching, and saying, 'Oh my god, it's going in.'"

Too bad Donovan and Beasley no longer dye their hair yellow, as they used to. We could call them the Platinum Blondes. Gotta come up with a good nickname for these guys soon.

• Perhaps unhappy fans will now get off McBride's back.

Criticized for not having a nose for the goal, McBride had a huge impact in the air, whether it was by uncorking his own shots or directing the ball to other U.S. players. If he had this much success against Portugal, he could be even more dangerous against South Korea, which is decidedly weak in the air.

• No player is indispensable.

Reyna's absence (he's suffering from a nagging quad injury) was hardly a death blow. "A lot has been written that the team can't do anything without me, but that's not the case," said Reyna, who thinks he'll play against South Korea on Monday. "It was a perfect example of how one guy does not make or break a team in any situation. It's a team sport." One question: If Reyna plays on Monday, how much will the U.S. have to adjust to his presence in the lineup?

• Pablo Mastroeni? Are you kidding me?

Mastroeni got called into this year's Gold Cup only because Greg Berhalter suffered an injury. And the only reason the dreadlocked hardman played against Portugal is that Reyna and Chris Armas were injured. "My story is a great screenplay," Mastroeni said afterward. "But that's the game of football. There's a small window of opportunity, and it's your job to go out and do the best with it. This is mind-boggling. I was born in a soccer family. My parents are Argentine. My dad says, 'I'm in Seoul, Korea, and you played in the first [World Cup] game. I can die in peace.'"

• The U.S. just outhustled Portugal.

Time and again, the Americans beat their opponents to 50-50 balls. Time and again, Portugal played with uncharacteristic imprecision in its renowned attack. Coach Antonio Oliveira said it all: "We were not able to match exactly what we needed in terms of speed, velocity and movement to overcome the United States."

• Oliveira is full of it.

The above quote was the only smart thing Oliveira said. Check out this postgame nonsense from the losing coach: "They had a lot of time to prepare for this World Cup, not as we did. You know, the Portuguese players are engaged with European leagues. We only had two weeks of preparation. This is not an excuse." This is laughable stuff, as if the U.S. didn't have players in Europe, or that MLS hasn't been going on as well. But remember, that's not an excuse. Right.

• Rothenberg unplugged.

U.S. Soccer eminence gris Alan Rothenberg was in fine form in the mixed zone. "After Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0, I figured we can't finish worse than 31st," he said, referring to the U.S.'s 32nd-place finish in '98. And after McBride scored the U.S.'s first goal in the fourth minute, Rothenberg said he turned to CONCACAF prez Jack Warner and said, "We scored too soon. We can't hang on for 88 minutes."

• CONCACAF on a roll.

We saw a lot of stories by European journalists a few days ago asking the question, Is this Africa's World Cup? Considering the African teams are 1-2-2 and CONCACAF teams (Costa Rica, Mexico and the U.S.) are now 3-0, do you think the Euros will write any stories wondering whether this is CONCACAF's World Cup? Somehow I doubt it. "We're the only confederation in FIFA that's undefeated," Rothenberg said. "The fact of the matter is, we got screwed out of a [fourth World Cup] slot last time. There's no reason we shouldn't have four. Africa's got five, Asia's sitting there with four, saying they should have a fifth. Come on. CONCACAF deserves a fourth before those guys do."

• The hype mill is just starting in South Korea.

With the home team winning its first-ever World Cup match on Tuesday, this place is going to go nuts in anticipation of the U.S.-South Korea game on Monday. Simply put, this is going to be a fun ride.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl covers soccer for the magazine and will contribute frequently to CNNSI.com throughout the World Cup tournament.

 

Related information

Stories

Grant Wahl's Insider Archive

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video