If you didn’t watch USA vs. Brazil on Sunday, don’t bother calling yourself a “progressive.” For the eight years of the G.W. Bush regency, progressives ranted that a bellicose, preemptive U.S. foreign policy damaged America’s standing in the world. Like wannabe Joseph Nyes, they excoriated Bush’s preference for hard power solutions over soft power alternatives, such as cultural exchange, genuine diplomacy, and an attitude of inclusivity and cooperation from U.S. representatives.

Well, there is no better example of soft power than soccer (or, as the non-U.S. world calls it, “football”). And, at long last, after decades enduring the linguistically mangled stupidity of NBA and NFL sports commentators (ESPN, at least require commentators to pass a basic English test before appearing on air), the annoyingly loud, garish, high-tech inanities that precede most sporting events here, and the insulting, boorish interruptions from the ubiquitous advertisements accompanying most U.S. sports telecasts, wise and intelligent Americans finally have a sport they can unequivocally back.

For soccer is everything a sport should be: global in appeal; simple to play; no need for special equipment or an inordinate amount of cash; where points are hard-won, players are of a size most of us can relate to, pre-game festivities center on goodwill, harmony, and, often, a celebration of young athletes; where there’s no commercial interruptions, little self-centered showmanship, and no pompous, off-point knuckleheads in the broadcasting booth.

And now, by no coincidence, just as America has presidential stewardship worthy of our better nature, wise and intelligent Americans have a team that represents the finest in American values in the one sport the entire world cares about. There’s no bling-bling bigots, no inarticulate morons, no superstar egos on the U.S. soccer team. U.S. soccer players are ethnically diverse, yet are articulate, smart and play together as a cohesive unit. This is because U.S. soccer, with grace and appreciation, has modeled its approach on the world, instead of resorting to the embarrassing unilateral insularity so often found in other arenas of American sport and life.

After years of slowly advancing up the world soccer ranks, in the last week the U.S. momentarily broke through to the elite. To the shock of the world, on Wednesday the USA decisively upset the number one team in the world, Spain, in a semifinal match at the Confederations Cup in South Africa, an important prequel to the World Cup in South Africa next summer. Before their loss to the tenacious Americans, Spain had not lost in 35 straight matches dating back to November, 2006. Could the U.S. pull off a successive shocker on Sunday against five-time world champion Brazil?

Well, for the first 45 minutes, it sure looked that way. At the end of the first half of Sunday's Confederations Cup Final in Johannesburg, the U.S. was up 2-0. That’s like Brazil’s national basketball team being up on the Dream Team at half by 60-35. In the first half Brazil had an assortment of chances against the U.S. But, as with Spain, their repeated attacks were rebuffed by a stalwart and mindful U.S. defense.

Like Muhammad Ali’s brilliant, emotionally inspiring rope-a-dope strategy that allowed him to take seven rounds of merciless punishment from George Foreman in the heavyweight boxing epic, “The Rumble in the Jungle,” before dispatching Foreman with a series of shocking counterpunches in the eighth, the U.S. soccer team was pulling off a similar stunner on the African continent with precisely the same strategy. The U.S. withstood wave after wave of withering Brazilian shots on goal, and, then, on two separate occasions, counter-punched for scores.

But then, in the second half, very much unlike Ali, the U.S. players suddenly lost their bravura and focus. They became timid and careless. And they let the Brazilians back in. Final score: Brazil 3, USA 2.

With its under-appreciation of U.S. soccer, and its continual critique of U.S. foreign and domestic policy, a myopic world continually lives in the past regarding my country. Many still rant, rage and nitpick about our arrogance, incompetence and lack of imagination. It’s a tired and tiring complaint that never was fully true in the first place, and is far from true now that the emotionally, physically, and intellectually intelligent Barack Obama is U.S. President, and the Landon Donovan-led U.S. soccer team is challenging the world's best and brightest.

But watching the U.S. play in the second half against Brazil, it’s almost as if one was watching a team behaving precisely as the world wants the U.S. to behave: de-fanged, emasculated, overly cautious, too respectful, isolated on its own side of the field.

As Ali proved, as the U.S. women’s soccer team repeatedly proves, as Tiger Woods proves, as “The Miracle on Ice” proved, as the last U.S. men’s Olympic Basketball Team proved, tentative doesn’t work for America. As eight years of G.W. Bush and losing FIBA World Baksetball Championships proved too, excess bravura doesn’t work either.

Hopefully come the World Cup next summer, the U.S. soccer team, like the U.S. government and the U.S. people, will discover that elusive middle way between excess confidence and excess humility. For, after all, a measured but strong, respectful but confident, selfless but determined U.S.A. is one that a troubled world needs now more than ever. In policy and in sport.