BY LYNN BERLING-MANUEL, President & Publisher … As has been said repeatedly, the games we play — soccer, baseball, football or whatever — seem so inconsequential in the wake of the horror of the terrorist attack on New York and Washington, D.C. Yet because of the enormous amount of media space and time devoted every day to sports coverage, how sport responds to disaster becomes, in and of itself, major news. The legacy of the NFL choosing to play its weekend schedule after the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963 is still a point of criticism 38 years later. The memory of that action required every sports organization to carefully consider its response to this horrific tragedy. Fan safety is certainly the first issue, but also important to these leagues is how the public will remember the respectfulness of their response. In the wake of disaster, is it appropriate to play a game? For most of us, the answer would seem obvious. … … Both MLS and U.S. Soccer chose to cancel their immediate schedules following the disaster. But when the first days and weeks after this tragedy pass and we discuss perspective and response, American soccer is in a unique position. For soccer is a global sport for a global time. And perhaps the most powerful non-military action we can take as a people is to remind the rest of the world that the U.S. is not a big, faceless country, but part of the global community. … … This may be a unique opportunity for U.S. Soccer and MLS to push the envelope. Could there be a more dramatic response than to invite some of the Middle Eastern national or club teams to join with the United States in a pre-World Cup event on U.S. soil? Certainly the complexity of scheduling, politics and security may prohibit it, but even the invitation and intent could offer a healing opportunity. Soccer’s greatest strength at this time may be as a truly international language. … … Two days after the attack, one of my greatest concerns is that in our natural response to support our nation, many may see it also as a call to isolate ourselves. In my neighborhood is a convenience store owned and operated by a Middle Eastern family. Yesterday, as I stopped by to pick up ice on my way home, their concern about how customers would respond to them was evident. One day earlier, they were part of the neighborhood. Now they were concerned about being seen not as individuals, but as enemies. … … An Atlanta teacher interviewed on television this morning told her students something I will remember always: “This event will change us forever, but each of us makes the decision of how it will change us.” Our sport is an international language. Now is a time we may be able to use that language as a way to communicate a message of unity to the world. …