by Austin Coats, sports editor
If the popular adage that “history repeats itself” is indeed true, expect a win from the United States in today’s match against Germany.
As it turns out, multiple aspects of this match are comparable to aspects of both World Wars. In both, Germany made itself a world superpower in war. Now, many characterize Germany as a superpower in the war called the World Cup.
The Americans, for the most part, sat back casually in both wars until they needed to show their power at the last minute. The United States team is, in the most American of ways, a melting pot–it’s made up of players that German import Jurgen Klinsmann found with minimum American citizenship requirements, and this diverse group has yet to show its full potential in this World Cup. The United States is currently tied with Germany in points gathered so far and needs to display this power to avoid facing Belgium in the round of 16–the boys could really use a break.
Against Ghana, the United States played a strong defensive game, sitting back and clearing everything. The Americans’ ability to keep the ball for longer than three passes was rather lacking, but American ingenuity and courage helped them win the game anyways. It looked like the same would apply this past Sunday against Portugal–that is, until Ronaldo decided to play well at precisely the wrong time. However, while the defensive ability displayed against Ghana obviously lacked a bit (see Nani’s goal in the fifth minute), the Americans’ possession statistics looked much better in the Portugal match.
To answer history, the United States needs to put everything together to stop the seemingly unstoppable German team. In World War I, the Germans defeated Russia and occupied Poland until the end of the war. In World War II, the Germans invaded Poland to ignite the war and made it their own. So naturally, Germany’s lineup features two players with strong Polish backgrounds, one for each war: Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose. If that fails to convince, the Germans even have Jerome Boateng, of Ghanaian origin, on their side–an obvious allusion to the German campaign in Africa in the second war.
The United States sat back in both wars until convinced that they had to stop the Germans (and, in the case of the Second World War, the more immediate threat of the Japanese.) When the United States entered each war, it provided the decisive force needed to defeat Germany and its allies. Tied with Germany (having a win and tie each going into the decisive game), the United States should now realize that the time has come to defeat the Germans once more.
Indeed, it is time for the Americans to storm the beaches of Recife with their roster of scrappy, never-say-die warriors–warriors most accurately personified in midfielders Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones (the latter being German with some American roots–go figure.) While a draw would send both Germany and the United States through, Klinsmann knows the mentality of Americans, especially after the Portugal stoppage-time debacle: a draw never satisfies.
