Fiebre de Copa
Being an American of a certain age, I've never done the soccer thing. We had a teacher from England when I was in the ninth grade that tried to get us interested, but like the metric system it never took.
Afterwards, when the 'game' became widespread in the schools I held a certain distain for it because it seemed that the teachers merely used it to tire the kids out. I've heard reports recently that they don't even assign goalies so that everybody scores and there are no 'self-esteem' problems if one gets by. The schools also saved a bundle on equipment as they didn't have to buy bats and gloves or spring for a new basketball hoop. I never knew a kid who could tell me the rules.
So yesterday I spent a little over an hour with some ex-pat Brazilians at the local Mall where they had set up a giant TV to watch Brazil play their first game at the World Cup. The event was staged so the local TV station could capture the world's most famous fans on camera and put a blurb on the local news. They singled me out twice for an interview, which was a mistake. I'm pretty sure they didn't use my "I'm an American and I don't understand what you're saying" quote.
Nonetheless my point would be that since I've been here in Latin America soccer has been creeping into my consciousness. I did have to return home last night and have a dose of Miami beating (barely) Dallas, but all in all it's been relatively painless. Perhaps it's because my significant otro is Brazilian and even the Costa Ricans cheer for the five-time cup winners and current defending champions.
The Brazilians get passionate about damned near everything and they're fun to watch (go to a CART or Indy race in the States and watch the Brazilian section climb the fence), thus the cameras at yesterday's event. They dance and sing and chant and talk funny and wave the flag, and when they've had a libation or two, well, they're more fun to watch than Mets fans taunt the ball girl at Shea Stadium. Clothing is known to be optional on certain occasions in Brazil.
So I have some advice to you guys back in the Estados Unidos, don't watch the home team. At least not yet. Nobody in the soccer world respects them anyway and they've already lost their first to the Czech Republic. Watch the Brazilians. It's easy to cheer for a winner, and even if they don't take home the prize this year it's pleasant to watch the fans while they're trying.
If that doesn't sting too much maybe take a look at the Germans. They've just won their second game in their group and they are the host country. If they win the next one they'll definitely make the finals (I think- I won't even make an attempt to decipher the arcana involved for rankings this time around) and the country will be nuts.
The great Brazilian Pele tried to kick-start the American soccer experience decades ago to no avail, and who knows if it will ever catch on in the States. But if somebody would get creative and start some kind of 'foreign exchange' around Carnival time it could have half a chance.
