The day of the World Cup final began as most days do in Kansas City: brilliant sunshine, followed by a torrential rain and flash flooding, immediately followed by sunshine again. Despite the warm temperatures and 110% humidity, I made my way back to Kansas City Live at the Power & Light District – as seen on ABC / ESPN promos – where a fairly good-sized gathering was ramping up to view the final.

Being an impartial observer to this match was a unique situation for this fanista. Traditionally, one side or another is chosen to vociferously cheer on to victory. Allegiances may be based on geography, familiarity with the contestants, rooting for a significant underdog, or simply due to the preference of the color black over the color red. In the event of the latter, I might go as far as getting tattooed and travelling to Vegas to shout at the side of a roulette wheel. Perhaps one team has a better-looking crest than the other side, or is sponsored by adidas versus another sportswear company. It could be anything, really. On this day, however, I had no loyalty (real or contrived) to either nation or team and was looking forward to a good match.

To many people, crazy hairstyles and bad facial hair characterize every World Cup, but to me, it is also about soccer. Sure, I have a wacky hairstyle and I decided to grow a really bad mustache during these 31 days, but the most enduring legacy actually takes place on the field. I think a lot of folks around the world forget that. The World Cup symbolizes an epic struggle between nations. The 2010 World Cup featured the indomitable spirit of Spain, and the resilience of the Dutch… against the evil empire of England where the officiating crew originated.

Once again it seemed like sub-par officiating helped decide the result. Weak yellow cards were given, and a yellow where a red card should have been, cast a pall on the match. I suppose everything evened out when John Heitinga was sent off for a second yellow when his first was weak; because perhaps Mark Van Bommel, and certainly Nigel de Jong, should have drawn straight red cards for violent challenges.

In the end, the result was fair. Spain won in extra time on a tremendous strike by Andres Iniesta. Both sides had good scoring chances, but Spain was clearly the better side. The best part of the end result was that the match was decided by a goal in the 118th minute and NOT via penalty kicks. In that regard, we were all winners. Waka Waka, indeed.

¡Viva España!

Sadly, World Cup Month On JC.Com Is Almost Finshed. We're Just Waiting On A Word From Our Trusted Leader. Stay Tuned.

COMMENTS: 1

on 07.17.10 at 5:23 pm umberto wrote:

I f**king love "fanista"

Report