Some years back, while in the United States for the 1994 World Cup, I met former Springbok flyhalf Alan Menter in a Dallas shopping complex and asked him if he was spreading the rugby gospel in his adopted country. “Actually,” replied Menter, who is a dentist by profession, “I spend my spare time coaching youngsters to play soccer.”
Often overrated in some spheres, the one segment in which the world’s dominant nation tends to be underrated is in its soccer prowess.
The US meet Bafana Bafana in Wednesday’s Nelson Mandela Inauguration Challenge game in Cape Town, although the match is unlikely to be closely followed in an environment largely monopolised by baseball, American football and basketball.
“At grassroots level,” said Menter, “soccer here holds its own with any sporting code.”
The US also still holds the record by far for the best-attended World Cup tournament — in 1994, when 3,2- million watched the 52 games, an average attendance of an awesome 67 000 per match.
And, to some degree, the disclosures of the one-time South African rugby hero showed why the tough, disciplined and invariably successful Yanks have become a nemesis of sorts for Bafana Bafana after previous encounters between the countries.
Not only did Bafana lose — by 4-0 and 1-0 — in the only previous games against the US, it is noticeable that they have yet to score a goal against the team that gave them one of their most comprehensive hidings, at the RF Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington shortly after the turn of the century.
What is more, the US will be returning to South Africa for the fourth time in little more than three years.
It must seem like a home from home for many of the players, who have tasted defeat only twice in 10 games here — while reaching the Confederation Cup final, going down only 3-2 after leading 2-0 against imperious five-time World Cup winners Brazil, and this year qualifying for the last 16 of the World Cup before losing to Ghana in extra time.
And with Bob Bradley proclaiming that he regards the US’ second appearance in the annual Mandela Challenge as an honour and of special importance, the long-time American coach will doubtless be hoping to recruit his best combination for this match.
Encouraging improvement
This would mean the inclusion of players of the calibre of goalkeeper Tim Howard, who could find himself up against Steven Pienaar, his Everton teammate; Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan; Saint Etienne’s Carlos Bocanegra; Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Michael Bradley, the son of coach who did so well in this year’s World Cup; Glasgow Rangers striker Maurice Edu; Villarreal goalscorer Jose Altidore; Fulham’s Clint Dempsey; and, most of all, Landon Donovan, the teammate of David Beckham at the Los Angeles Galaxy. He is widely considered to be the US’ greatest player, and is their top scorer, with 45 goals.
Although Donovan was unavailable for the US’ most recent games — drawn against Poland and Colombia — Bradley is hoping to secure his services for the Bafana game.
It is often overlooked that the US finished third in the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and more recently made a quarterfinal appearance and the last 16 twice, to demonstrate their pedigree.
Despite Bafana’s encouraging improvement from the 90-plus world ranking less than a year ago to a current 52nd in the Fifa world rankings, the US’ superior results are reflected in their 25th ranking — remembering too that they hovered around the number 10 mark for much of the past decade.
So it will be a feather in the cap of coach Pitso Mosimane and his Bafana players if they extend an unbeaten run of four games at the sumptuous Green Point World Cup stadium, but beating these not-so-ugly Americans will not be easy. And underestimating the Americans in what should be an intriguing battle of contrasts would be sheer folly, with the ball skills of Bafana pitted against the method football of the US, who give nothing away, are superbly disciplined and demonstrate 100% effort as a trademark — and beware of the scheming and organisational ability of Donovan if he plays.
Bafana will be relying on much the same line-up that has performed with credit since Mosimane took over from Brazilian icon Carlos Alberto Parreira after the World Cup, but a newcomer in the mix could be Davide Somma, a prolific scorer for Leeds United in the subsidiary English Championship this season. Pienaar is back in action after a month in which he missed the Africa Nations Cup qualifying draw against Sierra Leone in Freetown.