The Beautiful Game

Excitement is in the air, and it sounds like a swarm of angry bees. As annoying as the African vuvuzela can be - it has certainly added a unique flavor to the world cup games over the last few weeks.

Sunday's World Cup final should be a great game, I haven't been able to see the Netherlands in action, but I have seen Spain play a few times, and from what I have seen, I have been really impressed with their ball handling and ability to play a strong possession game - their control of the ball, and thus the game - has been impressive to watch. I can't wait to see how the Netherlands plan to counter Spain's short, quick passes.

They are the two greatest soccer nations that have never won the world cup, and everything will be on the line for 90 (or 120) minutes this Sunday. One team will return home, the Kings of the World, the other will quickly be forgotten. The Netherlands is the only team that has won all of its games in this World Cup (Spain lost to Switzerland) while many are saying that Spain has been one of the best teams in the world for the last two years. In any case, these are two teams that belong in the final, and Sunday night an eighth country will be added to the short list of seven that have been able to call themseleves World Cup champions. Only seven nations have won the 18 World Cup finals: Brazil (5), Italy (4), Germany (3), Argentina (2), Uruguay (2), England and France. France remains the only new winner (1998) since Argentina in 1978.

Which team will win this Sunday? I don't know. And I am pretty neutral really. But I think it is safe to say that football will win on Sunday. Football, futbol, futebol, calcio, soccer, fusball... whatever you call it - two great teams are coming head to head, uniting the world for a few short hours with their love for the Beautiful Game.

Even the USA is getting in on some of the action - it wasn't too long ago that soccer was a fringe sport here in the states. The fervor has slowly been growing - spreading across the country, for the most part unnoticed. And while the group of soccer fanatics may still be a fringe group, we are a much larger fringe group than we were in the past :) Look at all the excitement generated by a game winning goal for the USA a few weeks ago -

And, just for kicks and giggles, some classic footage - just to show how awesome this sport really is.

Wow. I love it!