The Earthquakes on the Hero's Journey

Tomorrow, the Dynamo meet Dallas in Frisco in the quest for El Capitan. But before we look to the future, let's wallow around in the past for one more post.

The San Jose Mercury News has a post-match analysis of the Earthquake victory over the Dynamo.

There's nothing particularly insightful regarding the match itself, but there's some neat stuff nonetheless.

For instance, "It was not only a win, but a win against the old Earthquakes," said forward Kei Kamara.

This quote suggests a mentality some have about sport. For these folks, sporting events are more than just a fun time or an impressive spectacle of athleticism; for them, sport can be a metaphor for life. Often it's a simple metaphor, like an underdog defeating a superior opponent; but sometimes the message is quite complex, like the one here where the new Earthquakes defeat the old Earthquakes. Here, we're treading on mythological ground in the mold of Joseph Campbell. Sometimes a hero cannot assume his rightful place in life until he has defeated (usually killed) the one who currently is in that position. "Killing the one who is before" sometimes takes the narrative form of a hero defeating a king to ascend to the throne, a son killing a corrupt father to assume the leadership position, or a Jedi-apprentice having to kill his father, Darth Vader. In reality, the message is hearkening to more psychological notions, such as by suggesting one cannot find oneself until one has killed one's own ego. If you meet the Buddha, kill the Buddha, if you will.

So, in other words, the Earthquakes defeat of the Dynamo was more than an expansion team beating a league champion. It was a timeless tale with mythological undertones that suggested to the insightful that the Earthquakes have defeated their predecessor -- have killed the Buddha -- and can now continue as a soccer club on equal footing with all others, rather than living as a lesser club.

Of course, we all know that the real reason for the loss isn't because of any archetypal construct, but because the Dynamo weren't focused on the task at hand until too late.

Besides suggesting mythological archetypes, the Mercury News also discusses the MLS as a "theater of the absurd" by summarizing the stadium situations for San Jose and Houston. "Apparently, AEG's ineptness (unlike the championship banners) stays with the franchise, no matter where it goes."

Another post-mortem article, this one from B-Fall and the Chronicle, has a great quote by E-Rob. "Our movement off the ball was pretty pathetic; our decision-making was bad; possession was awful. We were complacent. I really hope the guys look at how they played and are a bit embarrassed about it."