England still expects, but now respects?

By Eric Beard, writing from Boston

Respect is earned, not simply handed to you. However, sometimes results are handed to you. Or rather mishandled to you. Barack Obama was watching the match in the White House, as promised, and he certainly seemed happy with the result. And why not? So the saying goes, “England Expects,” as they rightfully should because they are undoubtedly a global power. This result is unacceptable for them, but it really won’t matter. The Three Lions will truly have no problem qualifying for the knockout stages, and, in truth, they played very well against a resilient, and (usually) organised US side.

As I embarked early this morning to the House of Blues in Boston, who were showing the World Cup on a gigantic screen with 1,000 avid footy fans, including footballers from the New England Revolution and the Boston Breakers, I thought there was set to be a riot. After all, US Soccer looked like it was set for a terrible welcoming to the World Cup when Steven Gerrard scored just five minutes after kick-off. That goal brought the Breakers’ England internationals Kelly Smith and Alex Scott to their feet, and rightfully so, however, Revolution & USA capped keeper Matt Reis sunk into his seat. It certainly looked like England manager Fabio Capello got it spot on once again. But the unpredictability of the beautiful game makes for unspeakable drama, which is exactly what happened next.