* In “U-21 flameout more evidence of English stagnation” (ESPN.com, June 11, 2013), Rory Smith wrote: “There is a reason England secretly loves being knocked out of tournaments on penalties. It is because a narrative can then be constructed where English football has but one failing—an ability to kick the ball accurately from 12 yards—rather than many.” This may well be true, but other narratives coexist alongside Smith’s, including England as plucky losers who deserved better (Germany in 1990 and 1996, Portugal in 2004), or, when a man down, they are holding on in adversity (Argentina in 1998, Portugal in 2006).