So decisive was Monday's victory that it was easy to forget how lucky the U.S. had been to reach the second round after its dreadful 3-1 loss to Poland last Friday. As the minutes ticked away in Daejeon, South Korea, midfielder Earnie Stewart would later admit he was certain of elimination. After all, South Korea and Portugal, which were playing at the same time in Incheon, had yet to score; each needed only a tie to advance from Group D if the U.S. were to lose. But not so fast. As U.S. assistant coach Glenn (Mooch) Myernick likes to say, "Soccer can be the most gracious lady, and it can also be the biggest bitch." On Friday it was both. The cohosts, thanks to a two-man advantage for most of the second half and Park Ji Sung's breathtaking goal in the 70th minute, beat Portugal 1-0—and the U.S. fell ass-backward into the Sweet 16, the only team to do so with a loss.
An hour into the Americans' quiet bus ride back to Seoul there was a scene reminiscent of the one in Almost Famous, in which the band members spontaneously break into Elton John's Tiny Dancer on their woebegone tour bus. After Arena offered the team muted congratulations, Frankie Hejduke and Cobi Jones cut the tension by launching into the chant they'd heard ad nauseam from the home fans all month. Heyyy...Ko-re-a! Heyyy...Ko-re-a! Soon most of the players were singing along and clapping—an entirely appropriate gesture of thanks. Said Arena the next day, "I spent the morning shopping for the Korean team and coaching staff."
That's how we draw things up...
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