Topic of the day: why this is so true.

The article covers one big reason why Spain should win the world cup.  I'm a pretty big soccer fan, and I love to watch international games (far more than any US game, for obvious reasons).  I've been cheering for Spain since the last European Cup, which they won.  Obviously, its easy to cheer for Spain now because they're good.  Maybe I'm just a person who would rather cheer for the winner than the underdog.  But really, my love for Spain goes beyond their record.  Since the European Cup, where they were fantastic, they've lost a few games, and generally not been quite as spectacular.  That doesn't mean I've stopped cheering for La Furia Roja.  I've kept with them til now, where they're looking nearly as good as they did two years ago.

The slate article really gets the reason behind my devotion, though you have to read through most of the article to get to it.  Most of the article was a brief history of the Dutch team in the 70s, led by Johan Cruyff and playing "total football".  While reading it, I was really drawn in, to the point of wondering if there was some footage from the old days I could get my hands on to see this "total football" for myself. 

Before I started calling up local libraries though, the last two paragraphs summed up why I love Spain and the attraction of this previous Dutch team.  Style.  Soccer is a stylish sport.  Teams like Spain and the Netherlands circa 1970 have a style all their own that is distinctive and effective.  An amazing soccer team, one I want to watch, makes the sport beautiful.  Great teams play with complete control over themselves, as much as the ball.  They play in sync, knowing where each teammate will be at any given time and trusting each other to get things done. 

I haven't seen the old Dutch team, but Spain plays with this kind of confidence.  Furthermore, they're style is an exciting one to watch.  Some teams (Germany comes to mind) can be very good, but are too stoic for my taste.  They can be almost mechanical, getting things done as efficiently as possible.  Spain manages a balance between confidence and sheer joy when something works out well.  Its hard to explain, their style is made up of as much enthusiasm as methodical passing. 

I can't wait till the game.  GO SPAIN!