U.S. men's soccer makes history

Bet you didn't know it, but a miracle is happening half way across the globe. \nWith much less attention being paid to the 2000 Sydney Olympics than Olympic competitions of the past, it is not surprising that the unprecedented success of the U.S. Men's soccer team has gone unnoticed. But don't worry, you still have two more chances to watch them, guaranteed.\nWhile the women's team got all the attention in Atlanta in '96, this time it's the men's turn, because for the first time in U.S. soccer history, the guys donning the red, white and blue will compete in the medal round of the Olympics. And thanks to NBC, the beginning of the U.S. soccer revolution will be televised. Sure, it will be on an 18-hour tape delay, but it will be televised nonetheless.\n With all of the intriguing and emotional moments the Olympics provide every four years, this could end up being the best story of the 2000 Games, at least as far as the American contingency goes. Take the underdog spirit of "Rudy" and toss them in a blender with the guts and courage of "Rocky" and you have this edition of the American squad. It is a group of mostly Under-23 team players kicking the rest of the world's butts at their own game. \nAnd as far as drama goes, the U.S. men have provided a few moments in their last two games that would make their tale Hollywood material. Going into the last game of pool play the U.S. had to beat Kuwait to advance to the quarterfinals. Fortunately the only drama was in the situation, as the U.S. side easily handled Kuwait 3-1 to advance into the quarterfinals, becoming the first U.S. men's squad in history to advance past the first round of Olympic competition.\nIf the Kuwait game lacked drama during the match, then Saturday's quarterfinal match against Japan made up for it. The U.S. team twice came from behind to equalize the match, the second time with less than one minute remaining in regulation as midfielder Peter Vagenas booted home a penalty kick, tying the game at two. A half-hour of extra-time came and went without a golden goal, which meant the game was decided, for better or worse, by penalty kicks.\nThe first three penalty kicks for each squad all went in, but momentum swung to the U.S. when Hidetoshi Nakata's shot bounced off the left post, putting the U.S. squad in control. Josh Wolff, whose hustle created the foul that led to Vagenas's 90th minute PK, calmly knocked in his kick to put the U.S. ahead 4-3. After Japan tied the penalty kick round at 4-4, it was overtime substitute Sasha Victorine who converted the fifth and final kick, giving the U.S. their historic victory.\nAnd if you want some more drama, try this one -- Victorine was a late addition to the team, selected only after National Team member Chris Armas was injured during a World Cup qualifier last month. Victorine was not named to the team until Aug. 30, and his 30 minutes in overtime against Japan was his first action of the Olympics.\nSo how unlikely is the Americans journey to the medal round? Even some of the players had flights back to the States scheduled to leave Sunday so they could join their MLS squads on their playoff runs. \nSo while it may not match the status of 1980's "Miracle on Ice," this "Miracle on the Pitch" does have its charm. It also serves as a wake up call to the rest of the world, which might have been summed up best by midfielder Frankie Hejduk.\n"Teams aren't just going to say, 'Oh, great. We get to play the U.S,'" Hejduk said. "Now it'll be like, 'Damn, we're playing the U.S. today.' They know that they're going to get a battle out of it no matter what."\nTuesday the United States will face Spain in Sydney as the "Miracle on the Pitch" continues. That makes me wonder … just how do you translate, "Damn, we're playing the U.S. today," into Spanish?