A soccer team to savor

The euphoria from Landon Donovan's Team USA-saving stoppage-time goal against Algeria has barely had a chance to settle into a deep, smiley contentment, and at least one talking head is already throwing dirt on the celebratory heart-fire.

Los Angeles Times sportswriter Bill Plaschke argued on the ESPN show Around the Horn this afternoon that the American World Cup team had not done anything to be proud of. He noted that eking out a 1-0 win against Algeria -- a team that has never advanced in the Cup -- was not exactly like the ragtag US hockey team defeating mighty Russia in 1980.

Plaschke's point is not entirely without merit. One could argue that the 1-1 draw against England was a gift by way of goalie gaffe, while tying Slovenia and barely topping Algeria does not suggest a squad ready to take its place alongside Brazil and Italy on the world stage.

But in soccer, perhaps more than any other sport, the final score does not necessarily tell the story. You've got to actually watch the game to know how it went. And any Americans who watched all three of Team USA's games know they have at least one thing to be proud of: resilience, resilience, resilience.

Nothing has come easy for this team (except, perhaps, that gift-goal against England, which is admittedly kind of a big "something."). The Americans suffered several injuries going into the Cup, losing a possible starting striker (Charlie Davies) and seeing a defensive cornerstone (Oguchi Onyewu) enter the tournament achey and rusty. The Americans have had two goals in three games called back for no good reason. The Americans have had to come back from two early deficits, deficits that would have folded many teams.

Soccer squads are not exactly known for mental fortitude. A team that goes down 1-0 generally loses. A team that goes down 2-0 almost always does. Goals are so hard to come by that scoring one is inspiring and allowing one is deflating. But Team USA has clawed back from two deficits to earn ties and kept playing through a stolen goal and a million missed chances to finally break through against Algeria.

This team simply does not quit. Some of that is likely due to coach Bob Bradley, whose steely gaze, perpetually firm-set jaw and even-keel approach seem to have rubbed off on his squad. But I like to think that this dogged, never-say-die attitude is also an American trait. It's the trait of a laid-off Detroit auto worker who spends his severance pay on computer classes. It's the trait of a young NYC teacher who has far too many students and far too few resources, but still shows up every day energetic and engaged. It's the trait of a nurse in Minneapolis desperately trying to wade through all the patients in a perpetually overcrowded emergency room so that none of them have to suffer needlessly.

No, the results for Team USA thus far have not been particularly impressive, but the way the Americans have gotten those results have been plenty impressive. The Americans have not always played great, but they have, unfailingly, played gutsy.

Shortly after today's stirring win, Donovan said, "Today I feel damn proud to be an American." And there were millions nodding their heads in agreement.