You can have Shaquille O'Neal shooting free throws and Dennis Rodman shooting a three-pointer. I don't think I'm the only one who is watching women's sports more these days and enjoying it. That's why the soccer fan in me thinks it would be great for the sport to have China win a nail-biter that has fans on the edge of their seats. That gives us an enemy, and if you don't know how soccer thrives on enemies, you don't know soccer. This is a game closer to war than anything this side of bombs and tanks.
Soccer is about control, about territorial containment.
You break opponents down first in their minds and then you beat them physically. On the big stage, you can't beat this game. I've been to eight Super Bowls and they were like a neighborhood flag football game by comparison. The passionate game Soccer, at the highest levels, is the most passionate game on the planet. It is an acquired taste for most Americans to appreciate the awesome importance of a single goal and how one goal changes the emotional, mental and physical approaches for both teams.