...you can't catch a break.
Boy, what a tough loss. You could hear a pin drop in Tegucigalpa on the way home from the match Saturday night. As we drove through the narrow calles of our adopted city, the headlights of our truck shone on some of the most dejected human faces I have ever seen. Sunday morning was as quiet as death.
What a soccer match. An epic battle to be sure. Honduras thoroughly dominated possession of the ball through the first half. Over and over again penetrating deep into the U.S. defense, furiously attempting to impose their will on the tempo of the match.But the U.S. waited, patiently, almost dismissively, swatting away the Honduran attack. O-O at the half.
Early in the second half, Honduras struck first. Elisa and I were watching the match outside on a friend's veranda above much of the city and after the goal, the roar of cheering, fireworks and gunshots (?) thundered through the valley.
The jubilation didn't last long. The U.S. broke back almost immediately; and then again; and then again. Three straight goals. Everyone was packing up to leave. And on TV, even the stadium crowd looked like it was thinning out. Then the Catrachos (Honduras) put another ball in the back of the net. And all of a sudden, we've got a ball game again.
Finally, in the 86th minute a Honduran striker was fouled inside the box. A PENALTY KICK! MANO Y MANO! Surely, he'll find the corner. Surely, God in heaven will smile on this poor little country and give it something to live for during these difficult times.
Nope. The forward got too much of it and pushed the ball high. The entire country was watching as it floated away and off the pitch for good. (I think there's a metaphor there but I'm not a good enough writer to find it).
Anyways, when you can't catch a break...you can't catch a break.
All hope isn't lost completely. Wednesday night is another match night. But there is a contingency and Honduras' fate is no longer in her own hands. Honduras must beat El Salvador but won't get in unless...the U.S. beats Costa Rica.
To be sure, all blame is squarely on them. The Catrachos had their chance and they blew it. We do make our own luck to some degree. But after striving so hard to keep destiny tightly within hand, it is hard to see it wither and float away.
And so now, on Wednesday, the country will find itself in a familiar position, and all Honduras will be begging God for mercy...
and waiting around to see if the United States will finally lend a hand.
2 comments:
Hey Colin and Elisa,
We've enjoyed keeping up with your blog. My brother introduced me to the Association for a More Just Society. They are quite active in Honduras and have a very informative web page on the current situation: http://www.ajs-us.org/honduras_political_crisis.htm Praying for you guys! We miss you!
Botis here...would like to comment on, "off the pitch for good." Yes, there is a metaphor here, and fortunately I am a good enough writers to find it. As you know, pitch is a kind of tar, like the black sticky part of a tar. A tar is a sticky thing. And so, the metaphor is obvious! Off the pitch for good means that you can't keep any friends around becaus eyou aren't sticky, and no one will stick to you. It also is meaning a metaphor because it means that you cannot stick to something. Now, being sticky is a good trait to have as a person because of many reasons, and I have said the two main reasons. But there is also a sticky that is not good, like from the body heat, from the sweat and like when you're at the ocean you get sticky. But this is tar in the metaphor, and so we won't worry about that. And there is also tarring and feathering, which is something that happened in history, and so it is not a metaphor. The main thing you need to take away from this metaphor explanation is that you need to be sticky, and to do that you need to not be off the pitch for good, which is a kind of a tar. Thank you for reading this post. Botis out.
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