Three Traits of Success: U.S. Men's Soccer Edition

 

In honor of today's U.S. Men's National Soccer match versus Germany, we wanted to take a few moments to reflect on and celebrate some of the traits that have made the Men's team successful so far in the World Cup.

 

Some background

The U.S. Men's team is second in the standings in the dreaded "Group of Death," the label that is given to the group considered to have the most challenging set of teams (and which has the hardest path for advancement through group play). In order to move on to the next round, The U.S. likely needs to win or draw against one of the top teams in the world. 

To be clear, The U.S. was not expected to be in a position to advance.

 

You control your own destiny

The Men's Soccer team has earned the opportunity to play Germany and have put themselves in the position to move onto the knockout round.

They set out with ambitious internal goals, dedicated countless hours, and have executed at a high level. In doing so, they've overcome a challenger that has beaten them in the last two World Cup's (Ghana) and narrowly missed defeating another world power (Portugal). 

And, hey look, they are certainly embodying the #ICANIWILL mentality!:

 

 

 

Three traits of success of the U.S. Men's Soccer team

Ambition:

The best of the best. That is what you see when the U.S. Men's National Soccer team takes to the pitch. Hundreds of players contended to be a part of the team, but only the top have been sifted through. And as a requisite of being the best, the team has its eyes set on winning the World Cup. Now that's a big goal.

    Resilience:

    Injuries are a part of sports, but teamwork and gritty individual performances have proven to be a formula for success. Jozy Altidore, one of U.S.'s premiere players, went out with an injury during the first half of the first game -- and in came an unproven replacement. In the same game, another star, Clint Dempsey, was kicked in the face, swiftly breaking his nose. Clint, along with the rest of the team, forged on and won the game. Clint then played in the subsequent game, scoring against Portugal, fortifying his place in U.S. soccer lore by becoming the first American to score in three different World Cup's.

    Persistence:

    Soccer matches are a free wheeling, constant motion, physical and emotional endeavor. There are ups, and there are downs, but one thing is certain: Matches are a full 90+ minutes, and you need to play to the end. In the first match, the U.S. was embroiled in tight game, heading into the closing minutes up 1-0, until Ghana scored in the 82'. The match appeared to be an imminent tie, that is until The U.S. scored in the 86', securing their first victory of the tournament. 

     

    In the second match, The U.S. was down 1-0 within the first 6' because of a self-inflicted mistake. But, the team clawed their way back to take a 2-1 lead into the closing minutes, only to give up a goal with seconds left; the result a heart-wrenching tie. If nothing else, this shows that continual effort and hard work can drastically change the course of an event, even if the end result seems fixed and imminent. 

       

      With that, enjoy the game! Go USA! 

       

       

      P.S. Need a little help boogieing out of work so you can catch the game? U.S. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann can help with that.

       

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      Aaron is leading the charge with Marketing and Sales here at CogniTea. He is deeply passionate about helping people become their best versions of themselves, and loves being in the great outdoors. You can find him running around Boston/Cambridge/Somerville, organizing meetups, hiking, meditating, writing, and generally exploring the world! 

      You can follow him on Twitter: @aarongerry

       

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