This Is American Soccer, US Soccer, MNT, WNT, and MLS - Tackling the subject of Soccer in the US, and worldwide.

And so it begins… the ‘Diary Project.’ The seeds were planted back with Dre and his military team, but now there is a conviction that was not present before. Over the next few months you will be periodically hearing from a lot of new people. As described in previous posts, the goal here is to expand our knowledge of the reality of soccer in the United States by sharing personal histories, anecdotes, and essays. Together they will rest as a diary for American soccer. To my knowledge, nothing like this exists. We have an opportunity to do something. You have an opportunity to contribute. The response to the last post has been great - I’m daily going through your stories and opinions - and I only want everyone to continue to share there stories with me.

I mentioned a young man last time out from Argentina. His story, his predicament really, is, well, why don’t I let him tell it. Meet Mariano Malisani.

I’m a 20-year-old Human Resources Management student at Ashworth College in Rosario, Argentina, the last country before you get to the land of Shackleton and Scott, of Emperor Penguins and ice, and the country in which I was born, raised and have lived my entire life. So why do I LOVE the US MNT? Mine is a country filled with soccer history (not just the “Hand of God”), beautiful women, and a constantly struggling political system (so it’s not like it is that different from the United States).

yes or no?

Argentineans are proud of their world-famous steaks, their widest avenue in the world and so many other things they claim to have invented like buses, herbal drinks or a sweet cream made with milk. Yet, like most of their Latin-American counterparts, they all seem to somehow fall under the shadows of the successful achievements of our big brother up north, the United States of America, and it is precisely here where they start developing a tremendous dislike, both healthy and unhealthy, to the stars and stripes.

Ushuaia - the southernmost city in the world. Just one thing Argentina has to offer.

That is my country’s story, but that is not my story. To understand mine, though, you have to at least know this tiny bit about my people. My story, well, as an American cliché would say, is a completely different story. At some point, I started learning more about the American way of life. I was encouraged by my mother to learn English; I would come to love it increasingly more than Spanish. I was nurtured by daily doses of American history through the television and internet; I’m pretty much that hodgepodge result of Globalization that seems to be getting more common every day.

I started seeing how my friends and the adults around me hated the U.S. or always had something negative to say about it. So, I spent a lot of time doing research at home with my computer and in my high school library trying to figure out what they were talking about. Shortly, I began defending the U.S. position in informal talks, very much to my own surprise and the shock of my Argentinean friends. From my perspective, they were simply misinformed on many issues, so I started sharing my point of view, of which nobody ever approved. I quickly gained more enemies than friends.

This carried over to the soccer field!

Growing up, we would spend our entire afternoons playing soccer, it was an all-out, all-or-nothing experience where we were sure we were playing some important final of some world tournament; and hell, we could even see our fans screaming and chanting along with frenzy. It was in these moments where kids often impersonate a professional soccer player, like after scoring a goal they shout a name, as if he would have been possessed by his idol for that particular moment. When I would come up with names like Ernie Stewart, what do you think the reaction would be in the little town of Villa Constitucion? People would stare at me as if I had mistaken our match for a game of basketball.

Controversy is an understatement, and everybody felt like they had to take a shot at beating me. Oh great patriots! Then they would be saviors of the pick-up soccer match or something like that. This happened to me in every kind of competition. People would just see the U.S. in me and try to beat it out of me in the name of Argentina.

I was born in Argentina and have Italian, German, and Swiss roots. I do, however, have a relative in the U.S.: Vicky is some sort of aunt of my father, I think. She is one of those relatives we all call aunt but nobody knows whose aunt she is. If I ever met her, I can’t recall it, but I do know she lives in Chicago and was a great fan of the Bulls. She would sit down with her late husband and wouldn’t do anything until the game was finished.

Aunt Vicky. She was the only defense I had for people trying to attack me figure out what had me so crazy about the United States. I visited the U.S. almost every year, so my knowledge and experience about its people grew. With my first hand knowledge of the U.S. people and the negative stereotypes my friends had about them, I spent a lot of time trying to explain the realities and differences between the U.S. people and the U.S. government. This view got me respect. I think my friends in Argentina understood I wasn’t praising dictatorships in Latin America, communism in Russia, or capitalism in the U.S. or Western Europe. But here I am again, getting political…. BACK TO SOCCER!

I remember 1994 like it was yesterday. I wished for years that the U.S. could be on par with other national soccer teams. I was in France in 1998 and assisted to the second phase of matches with Argentina (they were eliminated by the Netherlands in a really great game). I couldn’t help but imagine how amazing it would be if the United States could beat the Netherlands. So when they got farther than Argentina in 2002, I really enjoyed it. Even when they lost to Germany, I thought they deserved the win and almost felt like they had. Surviving longer than Argentina and showcasing better soccer was also the ultimate proof that Argentina had great players but not a great team. The underrated U.S. team surprised everyone right from the start. Beating Portugal had “Don’t Tread On Me” written all over it.

OOOO’Brien

That was a magic moment for me… I was in school and we were allowed to watch the matches during breaks (welcome to South America). When news came out of the incredible performance by Donovan and McBride everyone looked at me and I’m damn sure they hated me, but they hated me even more later on when they realized I had something to cheer for and they did not. The phrase from the “Don’t Tread On Me” campaign comes to mind: “20 years ago microscopic islands laughed at us, now we rank top 10.” It’s an overly dramatic commercial, I know. But it’s true. The U.S., like me with my friends, has come a long way. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t plan on getting those stares and beat downs again. Getting respected is a good feeling. No way do I want that to change.

That was then, this is now. If we take an Human Resources Management approach to both teams (Argentina and the USA), I would say Argentina’s position is depressing, one of constant struggle to combine players that demonstrate great skills in their club teams but fail to root for the same cause when playing for their nation (this is also how I think the common Argentinean feels toward their country: they find pride in themselves and their nation, but they don’t consider themselves and their nation a truly united front. That is, they won’t put down their personal objectives for any collective effort).

On the other hand, the U.S., with a lack of great individual players but with a true sense of teamwork, is really moving up to something significant. That is a huge part of being American. The example that comes to my mind is that sense of the ‘army of one’ they show in the commercials, as well as the passion that unites each player under the same flag. It’s almost impossible for me to be objective here. And it’s not that I despise Argentina or its national team, I really enjoy watching them play and I hold respect for their history and future. After all, it is my country, and I love it, but I just don’t feel as motivated by their cause. I wasn’t raised to admire and look up to the United States, but that is what I do. It’s not about rooting for the underdog or supporting a random team just to be different. In most cases, I tend to like the well-established organizations with superb quality in their every procedure.

Now for 2006 I think pieces are coming together to see an even more successful team, disregarding the players or the results of the FIFA’s Final Draw. I think this time the U.S. fans are more aware of what their players are willing to do for that which unites them, and that’s an intangible asset that will surely help motivate these human resources.

I can say I think in the “American Way” while staying true to my Argentinean roots. It’s like Argentina is my mother, and the United States is my girlfriend. Even though I love them both, I see myself living my life with my girlfriend and imagine my future with her, but I know I will always have my Mother.