Every once in a while a sports moment comes along that unifies the public consciousness through a display of heartfelt emotion and patriotic pride.
For example, there was the “Miracle on Ice” with the U.S. Men’s Ice Hockey team triumphing over the Soviet Union in 1980. There was the exploits of the “Dream Team” in ’92, which took the reputation of American basketball to new heights.
And now, after an exciting 3-1 victory over France on Wednesday, the members of the United States Women’s Soccer team (including goalie Hope Solo, see photo) are headed for a moment of their own as they approach the 2011 World Cup final, where they will play Japan for the championship on Sunday.
Though both teams have inspired their countries with spirited play and defeats of much more heralded opponents in the tournament’s quarterfinals (Brazil for the U.S. and Germany for Japan respectively), the one area where the Americans appear to have a definite advantage over their Asian counterparts is in their choice of soundtrack.
True, the unofficial anthem “Represent,” which was written by Weezer’s frontman Rivers Cuomo, was first used to honor the U.S. Men’s World Cup team from a year ago. But the song still holds up, and remains miles ahead of Shakira’s official tune from last year’s event. Sure, Shakira is better to look at than Rivers, but her song’s title makes me think of Fozzie Bear every time I hear it.
Watch the video for “Represent” the unofficial U.S. Soccer anthem written by Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo for the men’s team in 2010 here:
Song or no you can bet I will be watching on Sunday. You should too.
And speaking of Weezer…
According to a report on BackstageRider.com, Rivers Cuomo and company will be taking to the high seas this January as part of a “floating festival” cruise, which will also feature appearances by Western Mass. faves Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh as well as Gene Ween, Yuck, the Antlers, Wavves, and The Nervous Wreckords.
In between trips to the buffet, Lou Barlow and J Mascis will also turn in solo sets during the four-day trip. However, no word yet on who’s more likely to break into a cover of “I’m On A Boat.”
My money’s on Barlow.
Don’t miss the action this Sunday (July 17) as the U.S. Women’s Soccer team takes on Japan at 2:45 p.m. EST on ESPN. For more information please visit www.espn.com.
And, don’t forget to follow the Northeast Underground on Twitter @NE_Underground. Plus, check out concert footage featuring artists like Dinosaur Jr., Garland Jeffreys, and more on the Underground’s official YouTube page.
