Team USA: The Untold Story

AUC is currently in the midst of a massive soccer tournament, the League of Champions. This annual tradition is serious business. For an entry fee of seventy Egyptian pounds each, players can join a team, receive custom jerseys, and compete for the 1600 LE prize for members of the winning team (over $300 per person). My roommate Dan entered the tournament along with Anthony (who loyal readers may remember from the Alexandria adventure) and a few other Americans. The person in charge of registration remarked that they were the first Americans to enter the tournament in memory. The odds facing the Great White Hope were formidable: forty rough and tumble Egyptian teams were also vying for the championship, and they play soccer like it's their job.

The games were played outdoors on either a clay tennis court or a paved basketball court in the evenings. Only four or five players took the field at once, depending on the size of the court being used. Team USA consisted of six members. Dan, the team's trash-talking specialist, was confident that his brand of physical soccer, complete with strategically thrown elbows and surreptitious tripping, would catch the Egyptians off guard and ensure victory. Anthony, who was to serve as goalie, had never played soccer. He was, however, a collegiate-level baseball shortstop. He was fully capable of throwing the ball from one goal to another. Working with Dan, he devised a strategy whereby he was to throw the ball all the way across the field and have Dan head it into the goal (this never worked in practice). Charlie, who had obvious soccer experience and was particularly solid on offense, was the team's official leader. Steve, Ibrahim, and Mohamed (the lone Egyptian), rounded out the team.

I attended the first game as a spectator, along with Liz and Steph. When we arrived, the teams were warming up and a few Egyptians were lounging around watching. The teams played on a clay tennis court with three fielders and a goalie in at a time. The game consisted of two halves that lasted around 15 or 20 minutes each, with a five minute break in the middle. At 8:30 sharp the teams took the field and the game began. Team USA struggled in the first half. They weren't used to playing on clay and there was a lot of sliding around. One of our men managed to kick the ball over the twenty five foot high net surrounding the court. Twice. Team Egypt was far from fantastic and there were several good opportunities to put points on the board, but the shots just weren’t coming. The Americans couldn't manage to put a solid offense together.

Things are looking dire by the end of the first half. The score is 3-1, Team USA down. Anthony is playing his heart out, not afraid to dive to the ground to block shots, but his inexperience shows at times. It doesn’t help that he isn't getting much aid on defense. His frustration becomes obvious after the third goal, but he keeps his cool and stays in the game. When the second half begins after the break, it’s back and forth for a while with neither team taking firm control. As the midpoint of the half approaches, the score is still 3-1. Team USA has possession, takes the ball down the field, passes to Charlie and… GOOAAAAAALLLL!!! Momentum has definitely shifted.

The Egyptians begin playing more conservatively, trying to hold onto their lead as the clock winds down. They’re still aggressive with the ball when they have it downfield, however, and it’s a stellar combination of good defense by the fielders and knucklebiting saves by Anthony that keeps Team Egypt at bay. Anthony is definitely showing major improvement in the second half. After a particularly close call wherein the ball almost bounces between Anthony's legs into the goal, Steve suddenly fires a shot out of nowhere, tying the game at 3-3 and sending the American half of the crowd into joyful celebration.

With the game all tied up and play time quickly expiring, both teams are focused and the intensity level is high. Riding the momentum from Steve’s goal, our boys dribble down the court, pass, pass, and send it to Charlie... he takes the shot from outside ----- it’s good! Pandemonium in the stands! We’re up 4-3! Mike, who has arrived to support the team, erupts with shouts of U-S-A! U-S-A!

The Egyptians are crestfallen but hardly about to give up. They come flying back into action with a vengeance. The tension of the situation is heightened by the fact that only the ref knows exactly how much time remains – there’s no visible game clock. Good defense and goalie work by the Americans hold back the tide of Arab fury, but barely. With seconds (presumably) remaining, Team Egypt launches a desperate blitz and sends all four players down the field for a final shot attempt. Our boys hang back in a defensive perimeter around the goal. The crowd shouts excited words of encouragement to the two teams. Team Egypt passes the ball back and forth, looking for an opening. Our boys bring pressure, but one of the Egyptians manages to get a shot off. It rockets past the defenders toward the goal… the crowd gasps... but it’s wide! The ref blows his whistle three times signaling the end of the game, and shouts of jubilation erupt from the spectators! Sweating and out of breath, Team USA meets its adoring public on the sidelines. Team Egypt shuffles glumly off the court, ashamed of their failure to crush the infidels. After a few minutes of recuperating and a change of clothes in the bathroom, the Dream Team heads straight for a bar to celebrate. Appropriately, the bar is named Hureyya, which is Arabic for "freedom." The rest of the night is spent recounting game highlights.

Team USA had a rougher time the next two games. These were played without Anthony and on the larger, five-player court, meaning there were no substitutes available. I did not attend either game, but Dan told me the Yanks were up 4-2 at the half during the first contest, but didn’t have the endurance to hold it together till the end. Team USA was then blown out of the water in the third game by the defending champions, thus ending the American dream. R.I.P. Miracle on Grass.