Life as a Minnow: San Marino

The USMNT has emerged as a top-20 team in the world of international football with the ability to make a deep run in a FIFA tournament, yet pessimism still strongly permeates the USMNT fanbase. A weak showing in the 2006 World Cup, a convincing defeat at the hands of Costa Rica last June, and the ongoing inability to beat Mexico at Estadio Azteca all add fodder to the moans and groans of the portion of the fanbase that would rather take the "glass half-empty" approach. But to all those who feel the US just isn't good enough, I ask you to just think for a second; things could be a lot different.

Imagine life as a minnow, where World Cup hopes are over almost as soon as qualification begins.

With a population of 300 million, ample financial resources, and a society fixated with sports, the US has the resources to become an international soccer power. But other countries across the globe are not so lucky, and almost certainly never will be. With populations the size of a small American town, microstates from Europe to Oceania have a lot less to work with when it comes to fielding a national soccer team. Yet year after year, they still plod out a squad bearing their nation's colors in hopes of a brief moment of glory.

The general impossibility of international glory creates a mindset in both the players and fans that is so completely different than what we as USMNT fans experience today that it deserves some examination. Though I'm not sure if more installments on this topic are on the way, I'll start off by looking at one country in particular that has to battle the titans of UEFA despite a population of under 30,000: San Marino. Completely surrounded by northern Italy, San Marino is a hilly nation known more for its postage stamps and castles than its athletic prowess. With 21 years of FIFA affiliation, La Serenissima have become known for lopsided losses, a few close calls, and a handful of brief moments of glory.

While USMNT would look back fondly to the 2002 World Cup, last summer's Confederations Cup, or the country's 4 CONCACAF Gold Cup titles as sources of celebration and prominence, San Marino fans have to take a much more humble approach in their hunt for glory. The prime example of this being that San Marino's most memorable moment on the international stage came in a 7-1 loss. Hosting mighty England in their final qualifier for World Cup '94, San Marino took an improbable lead and set a record at the same time, as Davide Gualtieri took advantage of a defensive miscue and scored 8.3 seconds into the match, the fastest goal in World Cup qualifying history. This unlikely lead would last just 21 minutes, before England eventually leveled the score and never looked back. Yet the one-sided scoreline does not take away from one of the fondest memories for i tifosi of San Marino.

In terms of unforgettable results, we as USMNT fans can look to the various "Dos a Cero" wins over Mexico, the 1950 match against England, or the 1-0 defeat of Brazil in the 1998 Gold Cup. San Marino, meanwhile, only has 3 draws and 1 victory to show for their efforts over the past 21 years, so its slim pickings in the Most Serene Republic. That brings up another interesting contrast, though. For the USMNT, an example of "giant-killing" would be last summer's improbable victory over Spain. For San Marino, they sometimes collect scalps without even taking a point. After La Serenissima held Latvia to a draw in 2001, Latvia coach Gary Johnson was fired, and after holding Ireland to a 1-1 draw before surrendering the winner deep into stoppage time in 2007, the Irish received such copious amounts of criticism that you might have thought they lost the match. For opposing teams, anything less than a convincing win over a team at 203 in the FIFA rankings is an embarrassment and cause to be angry. And San Marino takes pride in the few times it can shake up opponent, even if it still is just another loss.

Like almost all soccer teams, San Marino has its own star. But their answer to the Landon Donovan or Didier Drogba does not ply his trade on the fields of England or America, or in the first division of any country, for that matter. Instead, he plays his club soccer in La Lega Pro Prima Divisione, Italy's third tier, for Hellas Verona FC. I'm talking about none other than Andy Selva, of course. Despite a much less impressive club history, Selva does share the distinction with Donovan and Drogba of being his country's leading scorer. In fact, with 8 international goals to his name, Selva is the only San Marino player to have scored more than one goal while wearing the light blue kit of his nation. Compare that to the 9 US players that have scored more than one international goal in the last year alone, and you'll see that it definitely could be a lot worse.

If you ask an American fan about an embarrassing loss, they might talk about getting handled in Saprissa or the matches of the 1998 World Cup. Though all losses, those results would still represent fantastic performances for the team from Serravalle. For San Marino, lopsided losses are so commonplace that the only ones that are truly humiliating involve double digits. The small country found itself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2006, when they found themselves on the receiving end of a 13-0 drubbing at the hands of Germany. More recently, a 10-0 defeat to Poland added more sting to an already futile qualifying campaign. So the next time Bob Bradley's side drops a game, don't fret too much, because it could be far, far worse.

Speaking of Bob Bradley, there is a vocal segment of the USMNT fanbase that believes the New Jersey native is not the most qualified candidate for the job. With only 8 years of MLS coaching experience prior to his national team gig and being just one year removed from a firing when given the reins, many felt at the time (and too many still do) that Bradley was not aptly skilled for such a demanding position. But at least our national team coach isn't a gym teacher. Yes, that's right, San Marino head coach Giampaolo Mazza doubles as a PE teacher at a nearby school when not at the helm of the mighty Sammarinese. Not exactly the same as eight years on an MLS bench. And if you think Bob Bradley gets too much slack from Sunil Gulati and company, consider this: despite his unimpressive record and résumé, Mazza is the longest-tenured coach in Europe. Talk about job security.

Through all the vast differences that create distinctly unique mindsets in the fans and players of our nation and San Marino, respectively, there is one thing we do have common with the minnows across the pond. Any USMNT fan will recall the hordes of Hondurans at Soldier Field, "Azteca North" at Giants Stadium, or any one of the fairly frequent matches when opposing support matches or exceeds that of the US. It's a frustrating reality when a home game is played in what essentially amounts to hostile territory, but it is one that our brothers and sisters in San Marino share with us. The Sammarinese are frequently outnumbered by traveling support at the 7000-seat Stadio Olimpico, adding another disadvantage to their laundry list of adverse circumstances. In a 2007 match against Ireland, over 75% of the crowd of 3,294 were clad in green and orange, despite the nearly 1,400 mile trip from Dublin to Serravalle. So when you find yourself in a sea of Mexican green or Honduran blue while still within our borders, just remember: you're not alone.

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So although the USMNT might not be quite ready just yet for a World Cup triumph, we are fortunate that such a result is a significant possibility in the future. We have the luxury of being one of the small fraction of nations that not only expects to be in the World Cup every four years, but also has outside ambitions at hoisting the trophy. So think for a moment how the people in a majority of the world's nations feel, without any real hopes of a World Cup appearance or, in some cases, a win. You'll realize that, despite the fact that the USMNT might not exactly be on track to fulfill Project 2010's lofty goals, things are going quite well in the USA at the moment, especially in comparison to dozens and dozens of countries across the globe.

Be thankful that you call this nation your home, if for no other reason than the fact that come next summer, your team will be in South Africa looking to take down the world, not in Liechtenstein looking to secure just their second victory of all-time.

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I realize that some of this may have unintentionally come off in a condescending manner, but make no mistake: there's nothing "wrong" with San Marino's situation; it's simply unique and, in my opinion, a charming contrast to the big boys of international footy. The amazing thing, though, is that San Marino's citizens support their team all the same, with great pride and patriotism against all comers. And that, to me, is the coolest aspect of international soccer: no matter the odds of victory, fans can and do rally behind the team playing for their flag and can stand, however briefly it may be, on the same stage as the biggest nations in the world.