3rd Place game, Belgium v. England

Belgium is the better team, but in such games motivation matters.

From experience when I played for Tech's soccer club team we lost in the semifinals in the Mobile tourney, 4-3 to Florida on a golden goal (OT). 1 1/2 hours later we were back on the field to face Tulane in the 3rd place game. It would be our 5th game in just over 24 hours, and it was late April and kind of hot. Too many of our guys didn't want to play and we got drilled 6-1.

In practice the next week that loss, to an inferior Tulane, team lingered. Several of us were pissed that the team "phoned it in," and we made a vow, never again. A month later we were in Pensacola for the Univ of West Florida-hosted tourney. Again, we fell in the semis, this time to Florida State and faced the host school, West Florida, in the 3rd place game. WFU, kind of like Russia in the WC, greatly over-achieved advancing to the semis. We were a lot better and knew it. They soon knew it too....we smoked 'em 8-0 in that 3rd place consolation match. The long drive home to Ruston that evening was a whole lot more pleasant than after Mobile.

Some say, don't play 3rd place consolation games....and I understand the sentiment. But, the worst thing that happens to a team is to LOSE that game! That really sucks! Ending a great tourney run, into the Final Four, with back to back losses. That sucks!