In HBO's documentary on the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team's Miracle on Ice, Mike Eruzione told this great story about being in the locker room before the U.S. played Finland for the gold medal. The Americans had, of course, just upset the mighty Soviets, and Finland was all that stood between them and the gold.

Eruzione, the captain, recalled U.S. coach Herb Brooks walking into the dressing room just a few minutes before the team was to take the ice. The team was waiting for Brooks to make a motivational speech to stir them into a pre-game frenzy. Instead, the coach stared at his team and said, calmly, "If you lose this game, you'll take it to your f-ing grave." The coach then started to walk out of the dressing room, but stopped in the doorway, turned back around and repeated to them, "Your f-ing grave."

And so the U.S. soccer team will take the field Monday to play South Korea, fresh off their "shock-the-world" victory over Portugal, and U.S. coach Bruce Arena has already told his team essentially the same thing that Brooks told the U.S. hockey team in 1980. According to veteran Cobi Jones, Arena reminded the team immediately in the aftermath of its win over Portugal, "To think a little bit about how disappointing it would be to leave the World Cup with only three points."

I'll say it. Boys, you'll take it to your f-ing grave.

Your f-ing grave.

How surreal it seemed, just a few minutes after watching one of the great upsets in American soccer history, to realize that if the U.S. loses to South Korea, it'll be back to square one. Unless Portugal and Poland somehow play to a tie, a loss to South Korea will mean the U.S. will be facing a must-win finale against Poland. If the U.S. loses and Portugal defeats Poland, it also does not bode well for the Americans that South Korea will have absolutely nothing to play for in its match with Portugal.

Cutting to the chase, to control its own destiny, to not have to worry about any other games, or things like goal differential or goals scored or head-to-head, or coin flips, the U.S. needs to keep South Korea from getting a win and three points in this next game. And that won't be easy, for several reasons.

The Koreans looked very good in their opener. Their home crowd looked even better. Decked out in red, waving flags, singing their lungs out, the crowd seemingly willed their team to a 2-0 win over Poland.

The U.S. has certainly played in more hostile environments. Gautemala. Costa Rica. Mexico. To name three. But it's doubtful it will ever play in a more passionate one.

The weather is supposed to be hot and sticky and Arena has commented that the conditions will slow the pace of the game. Still, with a crowd like that in the stands, it's hard to imagine that both teams won't come out flying. Before this game slows down, I expect it to fly out of control for a while. Remember, you've still got two teams relatively inexperienced when it comes to playing on this type of stage. The heart rates of players on both sides will be racing when the ball is touched to begin the game.

Like just about everyone -- save a few U.S. soccer zealots who've been e-mailing me -- I did not think the U.S. would get three points against Portugal. For the record, I picked Portugal to go all the way to the final. So I've got that going for me. Which is nice. But when the U.S. won the game, suddenly the South Korea game went from being the must-win game on the U.S. docket to a must-not-lose.

Spare me all the "best defense is a good offense" stuff, please. The U.S. must play a smart tactical game against the Koreans, the same way they played a smart tactical game against Portugal. The Yanks cannot get caught sending too many players into the attack. They must absorb and counter. There is more pressure on the Koreans to win the game, because they don't want to have to play Portugal in their final game needing any kind of result. They've got to be looking at Monday's matchup as their chance to go for the jugular.

The U.S. men can prey on the Koreans' need to win, if they are smart. The formula should be the same as the Portugal game. Pressure the ball in the midfield. South Korea is not as good with the ball as Portugal and high-pressure will lead to turnovers that create good advantages going the other way with DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan leading the charge. Also, expect high pressure from the Koreans. The U.S. palyers will have to be sharp in getting the ball off their feet and making good connections.

If Claudio Reyna is ready to return to the lineup, this should help the Ameicans' possession game, which could help the Yanks tire the Koreans out in the first half. Most important, however, the U.S. back four must stay organized and tuned-in. They have to expect that the Koreans will be razor sharp mentally and ready to pounce on any and all defensive miscues. When in doubt, get the ball out.

With Earnie Stewart most likely out with a groin strain, we'll watch closely to see how Arena sets up his team. One way to go would be to push Donovan back into the midfield -- he even played some on the right during the final pre-Cup turneups -- and insert Josh Wolff or Clint Mathis up front. Or, if he wants things to be a little more radical, Arena can try Beasley on the right (he played there quite a bit against Jamaica at Giants Stadium) and John O'Brien on the left, with Reyna sliding into O'Brien's central midfield slot. One huge thing to take away from the victory over Portugal is that the U.S. now has some depth. With the performances of players like Pablo Mastroeni and Frankie Hejduk -- neither a regular during qualifying -- the U.S. proved it has some players capable of stepping in and doing a creditable job against a good opponent.

What else is there to say, except that this is huge.

Oh, and this, "Wake up America."

While many of you mainstreamers were busy focusing every ounce of your soccer attention on three games in 1998, you've conveniently ignored the progress the U.S. has made in the sport. A semifinal performance in the 1995 Copa America. A Gold Cup victory over Brazil. A couple of wins over Germany. A semifinal performance in the 2000 Olympics.

Americans can play this game a little bit. That's why, now, anything short of advancement into the second round, will be a bitter disappointment.

Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at jeff.bradley@espnmag.com.