A Real Soccer Lesson

We got a lesson in professionalism tonight.

Jordan faced a five goal deficit heading to Uruguay for the second leg of their playoff to reach the 2014 World Cup Finals in Brazil. The task in front of them was so large, several Jordanian players refused to even get on the plane. The players who did make the trip, not exactly a reserve team, but not first choice either, fought for a 0-0 draw. They stalled at times, but they came to get a result.

Uruguay were also after a result.  They were ultimately playing to ensure their qualification for Brazil 2014, but they wanted to win the match too.

As the clock wore down to the final moments there was a very interesting dynamic going on. We had the Uruguay players on the sideline beginning to celebrate their qualification for the World Cup. The Jordanian players were wasting time trying to slip away with a 0-0 draw for the sake of their pride. And the Uruguay players on the field were extremely frustrated with not being able to score. In spite of their obvious success in getting to the World Cup, they were dissatisfied with the result of the match. A real professional takes pride in their performance and not just the result.

Once the match was over and reality sunk in, all the Uruguayan players were happy about achieving their ultimate goal. But they did not let the result distract them during the performance.  They wanted to give a gift to their fans.  They wanted to win.

And lets thank the Jordanian players who did their best and fought to the end.