A few years ago a U.S. soccer official lamented the fact that the Soviet Union had fallen apart, so the national team could never duplicate the athletic rivalry we had with the hated Russians or the U.S. hockey team's upset of the Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
But the United States does have the ultimate rival to shoot for: Brazil.
Yes, Brazil, the country that gave us samba soccer.
Yes, Brazil, four-time World Cup champions.
Yes, Brazil, the soccer country of which we are in awe.
As former U.S. World Cup goalkeeper and captain Tony Meola once said, "Have you ever seen a bad Brazilian soccer player?"
Indeed.
Yes, Brazil is hardly the evil empire. But Brazil will more than suffice when it comes to soccer rivalries.
The ingredients are there for a classic one, although a U.S.-Brazil rivalry obviously would not equal the bitter cold-war encounters with the Soviets.
FIRST OF ALL, THE COUNTRIES are on friendly terms.
Brazil has given the world some of the greatest players, including Pele, Carlos Alberto and most recently, Romario.
On the soccer pitch, how could anyone hate the way the Brazilians play? They combine mostly short and medium and long passes into the most entertaining style in the world.
Right now, many Americans are in awe of Brazilian soccer, and in many respects, rightfully so. We're talking about the best.
The U.S. has not beaten or tied Brazil -- ever -- in eight tries. While the
U.S.'s 1-0 loss was to the Brazilian Under-23 team (the side that will try to
qualify for the Summer Olympics in several weeks) in last week's Gold Cup in
Los Angeles, the game does qualify as a full international game.
IN FACT, THE U.S. HASN'T scored against Brazil since the very first meeting -- a 4-3 loss in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 17, 1930, only the Americans' 15th international match. For the record, Bert Patenaude scored twice and Billy Gonsalves once for the U.S.
Since then, the U.S. hasn't scored, including a 1-0 defeat in the second round of the 1994 World Cup and 1-0 loss in the semifinals of 1995 Copa America. The Americans have been outscored by the Brazilians, 22-3. p>Hopefully, we'll get another shot at the world champions sometime soon. The Americans played Brazil only twice in 62 years before meeting six times in the past four years.
So, the next time we meet Brazil will be anyone's guess. Looking at the already crowded international tournament schedule, the next time probably will be in a friendly or the Olympics, if the U.S. manages to get out of the first round for the first time since 1924 because Brazil could wind up being the top South American team and play its matches in Miami and Orlando. But that's another story.
Beating the Brazilians, whether it be in the 1998 World Cup (that would be a long shot) or in a friendly, would be a significant achievement. It would also serve as a yardstick for the U.S. national team, which has made great strides in the past six years.
It might take years or a generation before the U.S. manages to tie or even upend the talented South Americans. But frankly, I can't think of a better rivalry or a better way to measure the team's progress.
"I am not happy, disappointed the games are not on TV," he said. "It's an embarrassment for me to have the fickled finger of fate pointed at me."
The only way fans could watch it was in a bar or restaurant, or, if they were fortunate, on DirecTV. In fact, Steinbrecher, along with A-League commissioner Richard Groff, U.S. International Soccer League commissioner Francisco Marcos and former U.S. national team general manager Bill Nuttall, went to a bar in Philadelphia last week to watch the U.S.-Brazil confrontation, but there were transmission problems.
Combined with last summer's Copa America, which was only available on pay-per-view, U.S. soccer fans have been cheated out of watching the team play in two quality competitions. (The U.S. Cup and World Cup qualifying are expected to be shown on ESPN.)
Now, the USSF must plan for the future. It must place itself in a position to negotiate for the Gold Cup rights. If not, soccer fans will be left out in the cold once again.
Last week the NSCAA honored one of its long-time members -- University of Connecticut coach Joe Morrone, who underwent a six-bypass heart operation on Dec. 5-6. Morrone was well enough to attend the convention and accept the NSCAA Honor Award, which is considered the organization's highest honor.
Not surprising, Morrone, who guided the Huskies to the NCAA Division I men's championship in 1981, received a lengthy standing ovation as he and his family walked to the podium at the organization's awards banquet.
An emotional and tearful Morrone thanked all the coaches and soccer officials who remembered him. "For the first time in my life I had no control of what was happening to me," he told several hundred people at the banquet. "But something wonderful happened to me. I started to receive letters and flowers from across the country.
"It helped me tremendously. We all feel we are strong and we can handle anything, and sometimes we can't. That's the greatest award I ever received."
No one could have said it better.
In addition to writing this exclusive column for SportsLine USA, Michael Lewis covers soccer for the New York Daily News and is editor of Soccer Magazine.
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