Jake: Why I believe Team USA can win the World Cup

I saw a social media post over the weekend that made me chuckle, and then made me feel something else entirely.

It was from someone in Europe, poking fun at Americans for actually believing we have a shot at winning the World Cup. The mockery was loud, but what it really revealed wasn’t our naivety. It revealed theirs.

I once saw an interview with Ricky Gervais — brilliant comedian, creator of The Office, and proud Brit — where he talked about one of the most striking differences between his countrymen and Americans. He said Americans genuinely believe anything is possible, and he meant it as a compliment.

Any kid born in this country, with hard work and determination, has a real shot at becoming the leader of the free world. It’s tough for the European mind to comprehend, but it’s a fact, and it’s extraordinary.

So when I saw that European’s post, I felt two things: Defensive of my country, and genuinely sad for wherever that guy is from. That he grew up somewhere that didn’t bake possibility into his DNA the way America does.

Let’s look at USA’s track record

The American Revolution? Thirteen fractured, underfunded colonies — short on gunpowder, short on supplies, short on shoes — took on the most powerful empire on the planet and beat them. Not because the odds were in our favor. They weren’t. We won because Americans don’t give a crap if the math says give up.

How about World War II, where our brave young men went over and beat the pants off of Hitler and his goons.

Remember the moon landing. That was a long shot, but President JFK still stood in front of the nation in 1961 and said we would do it, not because it was easy, but because it was hard. Because of what the pursuit of the difficult says about our nation. And by the end of that decade, there was an American flag on the moon.

And then there’s 1980. A group of college kids, dismissed as a long shot, skating onto the ice against the dominant Soviet machine, and pulling off the Miracle on Ice on their way to an Olympic gold medal.

As Americans, these stories still give us goosebumps because this is who we are.

Are the odds in our favor? Maybe not. But as our history shows, we don’t really care about the odds.

So do Americans believe we can win the World Cup? The answer is immediate and simple.

Hell yes.

Because we’re Americans. We can win at anything we set our minds to.

Go Team USA!

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