The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Competitive knock-out soccer is always going to contain at least two ingredients - winners and losers. Every moment of unconfined joy is counterbalanced by tears of despair.

It's the nature of the beast. Anyone who's ever played the game from the grass roots to the World Cup Final understands the celebration and satisfaction of victory, but also appreciates the pain and hurt of defeat.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup has been no different - who can forget the images of Canada's own Andrea Lombardo leaving the sodden Edmonton turf in tears - yet managing to applaud the hardy fans who'd stuck by him and his teammates despite a dismal campaign by the host nation.

Upon my return to Toronto, I witnessed some of the best and the worst emotions that the sport can evoke in the space of 24 hours.

The U.S.'s come from behind heroics against Uruguay and the "did I just do that?" almost dazed expression on the face of Michael Bradley after his extra time winner will live long in the memory.

Twenty minutes later, as the referee blew his final whistle, Bradley and his teammates should have been shaking hands with their South American opponents.

Sadly, Uruguay weren't in the mood for niceties, but ready for an all-out brawl which, I'm reliably informed, continued later in the players' tunnel. Little wonder the Americans were kept out on the field, completing their post-game warm down to avoid any further skirmishes.

The following afternoon, I was privileged to watch the individual brilliance of Argentina's young magician Sergio Aguero as he crafted one of the goals of the tournament. His effort, against Poland, was reminiscent of Paul "Gazza" Gascoigne's strike for England against Scotland at Euro '96 and had a capacity crowd purring in admiration.

The Poles, though, were not without quality - earlier they'd become the first team to score against the defending champions with a crisp, cool finish from star striker Dawid Janczyk.

But while Aguero went on to score a second and fire Argentina into the quarter-finals, Janczyk's day ended in pain and shame. He was shown a red card in the dying seconds for shooting his mouth off at the referee who'd cautioned him just seconds before for shoving an opponent.

There is no question that some of these young players - babies by professional standards - are set for highly successful and financially rewarding careers. Their individual skills are there for all to see.

But these are also young men who will have to learn, the hard way if necessary, that mental toughness is also key, if they're to translate that potential into the professional ranks.

Frustration with referees and opponents alike must be accepted as part of the game, and kept in check regardless of the perceived provocation. Most players and coaches I've spoken to over the years know that what goes around comes around, and these decisions even themselves out over the course of a tournament or a season.

I was always taught - be humble in victory and gracious in defeat. It took a while, but I think I finally grasped the concept.

For some, it seems, that's easier said than done.