This World Cup has been quite a ride. With most of the big predictions proving to be wrong its been hard to make any real strong predictions, except for one. One team was chosen long before 2010 ever came around, long before the octopus or Alexi Lalas was ever chosen to be a commentator (the person who made that decision should be fired; as in shot). It goes back to 2008 when the Euro cup was being decided. One team rose to prominence and showed the world not only how talented it's current generation of soccer players are but how well they play together.
That team of course is Spain. Spain has continually been improving with its young players adding onto the experience of the older ones. So much talent is flowing through the country that even the cornerstone players are being replaced, namely Raul, and without any detrimental effect. With the Angel of Madrid relegated to watching the games on tv, David Villa has shined as the crown jewel of the Spanish offense. Even more impressive is Spains defensive line, Puyol, Pique and Ramos provide one of the most aggressive defensive lineups of any team I've ever seen. Ramos surges up the right side while Puyol and Pique rush in for headers on set plays. Then you've got a midfield thats full of stars, Inesta (my second choice), Fabregas (my first), Xabi Alonso and finally Xabi Hernandez.
The final is set, Spain vs Netherlands. The Netherlands has some extremely potent players namely Van der Vaart, Robben, Sneider and Bommel. All who've been through the Spanish League. However, they're lacking in strong defensive line up and depth of players. This sunday should prove to be one of the most historic in Spanish soccer history and I look forward to watching it unveil! Espana! Espana!
