U-S-A, U-S-A...

It was an evening of an exciting soccer match with much of the pressure on the U.S.A. team against Brazil in the championship of the All Nations Cup for the Masters Division Friday at Starfire in Tukwila.

But one goal was enough to turn out the lights as the team with players nationality of "American" beat the dominating Brazillian team, 1-0.

"It just wasn't our night, we dominated but couldn't score," said Sam Hassan, who co-directed the All Nations Cup but also was a player in uniform for Brazil in this World Cup format tournament that featured players from mostly the Western Washington area but with your nationality making the difference of if you play for U.S.A. or Italy, or, in this case, Brazil was the team played for.

Domination, especially in the second half when Brazil outshot the U.S.A., 9-2, was evident for both U.S.A. and Brazil fans alike, but the bottom line is that the team with the uniform colors of red, white, and blue scored and the green and gold tried, and, tried, and almost did score a couple of times, but did not.

"That is what counts. What counts is behind the net. That's what defines the game -- how many times you scored," said Hassan, who is in his 40s, as are almost all the players in the Masters Division, at least 35 anyway. That is the beginning age for this level.

Defense therefore kept the U.S.A. in this one, namely Todd Veenhuizen, from West Seattle, and also Westsider, Jeff DuLong.

The goal that won it all for the U.S.A. was by Dan DeYoung. He took a surprisingly nice pass from midfielder Mark Hildebrandt from the Federal Way area. DeYoung just watched Hildebrandt's over-the-back pass go right to his feet as he ran into the 18-yard-box and shot the ball exactly as the Brazil keeper dove for it.

"Mark received the ball with his back to the goal and he flicked it over himself and the defender, right to me," said DeYoung, living in Issaquah now. "Mark hit it perfectly and it left me perfectly all alone with the keeper. Then it was just adrenaline so I didn't go and just kick the ball into orbit, which is what I usually do."

So, that was the goal, but the story of the game was the defense besides that limited offensive action. Nelson, the U.S.A. goalkeeper from Puyallup, made save after save in this one, especially the second half where it was a broken record of mostly his coming running out of the goal in one-on-one dangerous situations againt Brazil forwards and midfielders like Rico Benros and Cosme Dos Santos.

"It was the most exciting game of the tournament," said Nelson. "That is the way I like it back there, hairy and a lot of action."

"He comes out to get the ball and doesn't let it get past him," said DeYoung. "All tournament we had three goals scored on us. And two were 'own-goals' (scored on themselves) too."

So, that was Nelson, an indomitable presence in the goal. But there was defense, too, that made the difference and that is where others had to come in.

"We played a good game, they defended well," said Benros for the Brazillians.

"I would say the most credit in the tournament goes to our backline," said DeYoung, reiterating the just-said praise of the U.S.A. defense by the foe. "Jeff (DuLong) was phenomenal (at sweeper) all tournament. Todd (at stopper, playing in front of DuLong) was good in the championship and Jack is the greatest goalie I have ever played with."

Veenhuizen was tough as the stopper in the championship, but only in the championship.

"He missed the weekend before," said DeYoung, speaking of the wins for the U.S.A. in the quarterfinals first against Romania, 2-1, in double overtime. Then the U.S.A. beat Mexico, 1-0, in the semifinal. Hildebrandt scored that one.

Trying to find others from the immediate Burien and Des Moines area was difficult if not next to impossible as Veenhuizen could only think of himself and DuLong from West Seattle.

Then he thought of someone, or, rather, some thing.

"Mick Kelly's Pub (off 152nd in Burien), they sponsor our team. They take care of us," said Veenhuizen. Also, to note, this U.S.A. team had six or seven players on it that all play together on a men's league team during the year.

"We have a core group of players that play with one another," said Veenhuizen, mentioning Tim Duffy, Claude Teotonic, Jerry Kurtti, Drew Thompson and Bruce Arrington.

Arrington was voted the captain by the coach and player Kurtti, who played in some games in goal, including the 2-1 win over Romania and also first round matches as the U.S.A. started off by beating Bosnia, 4-2, Somalia, 6-0, and Ireland, 3-0, before the Romania and Mexico wins led to this game that was followed in celebration by time upstairs at Mad Pizza in Starfire's huge multi-purpose center that includes indoor soccer fields, two of them, also things like weights and physical therapy rooms and video games and computer stations.

The win was good for the food.

Makes your pizza taste better after winning it all?

"Pizza tastes better, and, of course, the beer tastes better," said DeYoung.

These guys age 35 to 45 mostly looked like they could be out there "playing with the kids." Well, some of them anyway. Mostly the Brazillian guys actually looked like the ones in the better shape and with svelter frames. But it was the U.S.A. that got a goal up and was able to defend well and win it.

"It's been a good tournament for us," said Kurtti, the U.S.A. coach. "It's a group of guys I've been putting together the last three or four months. We didn't play really strong last weekend, but I think it all came together for this one."

"Their goalie was good, and, they defended well," said Hassan. "They made our shots difficult when we were close to goal."

So, now what, Hassan? Do you want to say, "We'll get'em next year" in Spanish?

"We speak Portugese," said Hassan, who then took the pen and wrote down what he wanted to let everyone hear in the flavor of Brazil.

"And que vem Nos Tentamos Denovo," he wrote.

Which means?

"Next year, we will try again."

Players for USA were Jerry Kurtti, Bruce Arrington, Dan DeYoung, Mark Hildebrandt, Jeffrey DuLong, Tim Duffy, Todd Veenhuizen, Doug Haines, John Barlow, Roy Farley, Jack Nelson, Sven Pleyer, Peter Rouse, Claude Teotonic, Drew Thompson, Brent Miller and Eric Oxnevad.

Brazillian players were Damiao Dos Santos, Cosme Dos Santos, Jean Santos, Valter Almeida, Paulo Borges, Edmilson Brito, Edson Brito, Marlon DaSilva, Ademar Lima, Luiz Negreiros, Ricardo Benros, Paulo Melo, Giovanny Queiroz, Marcelo DaSilva, Sam Hassan, Duaine Duarte, Adenisio Coimbra.