Many sports proclaim their champions as Campiones Del Mundo yalla shoot – Champions of the Worlds. But there is only one world game – the game of FUTBOL – or as it is known in the USA and Australia – SOCCER. I’ve never known why American football is named Football – it is more properly suited for the term HANDBALL.
I was able to identify
My beloved Pittsburgh Steelers have won the Super Bowl six times – more than any other team. And each time they celebrate as champions of the world. But how many countries play this so-called HANDBALL? Only seven that I was able to identify.
The Lakers and Celtics are battling for the NBA Championship. Soon many players will be heard basking in the glory of being quote/unquote the best in the world. I have no idea how many countries play basketball but it is likely several dozen. The USA is no longer an automatic to win Olympic Gold in basketball as many countries have quality sides. So why in world would these athletes feel as though they are the best in the world.
Teams From Only 2 Countries
Baseball, Hockey, Boxing? All of these sports are played in many countries. But will someone please tell me how in the heck Major League Baseball gets to proclaim their championship the World Series? It boasts teams from only 2 countries.
Do you have any idea how many countries compete for Futbol’s Campione Del Mundo? 204! I’m not even sure that I could name half that many countries and I’ve traveled to most parts of the world.
Statue And Athletic Immortality
Futbol is the world’s game and nothing unites and excites the sports planet like a World Cup. For one month every four years, billions of people rearrange their lives, play hooky and ignore their loved ones in order to watch twenty two men kick a ball in pursuit of a small golden statue and athletic immortality.
THE FINAL MATCH SLATED FOR SUNDAY
The World Cup is actually a two year tournament which included over 200 countries competing to play in South Africa 2010. There are 32 teams who qualified for the finals and they are split into eight pools of four teams each. The pool play round will eliminate half of the teams in the first two weeks before the knockout stages begin. Only 7 countries have won the world cup with Brazil leading the honors a total of five times. The USA’s best achievement in this competition came in 1930 where they came in 3rd place. Twenty years later in Brazil, the USA shocked the world with a 1-0 victory over England – who many believed were the best team at that time.
Teams On The Planet
The opening match has the host nation facing off against Mexico on Friday at 7am PT. The USA begins their campaign on Saturday in an exciting match up which has them paired against England. The other two teams in the USA pool include Algeria and Slovenia. And while those two countries may seem innocuous, the reality is that any team that has made it to the World Cup Finals has already earned their reputation as one of the best teams on the planet.
The Next Month
I wish that I had a vuvuzela to show you; the vuvuzela is a plastic horn that you will hear by the thousands over the next month.
Many people feel that the USA will never win a world cup – especially those with british accents. Well, I have news for them. The USA has already won twice as many world cups as the English. England won in 1966 (once) (and I’ve met Martyn Peters the English striker who made it happen); while the USA won the Women’s World Cup in both 1991 & 1999.
Confederations Cup Match Last
Getting back to the men, Spain is the number one ranked team in the world. As a country, Spain had won a record 15 consecutive matches and had tied Brazil’s previous record of 35 games without a defeat. That is until they ran into the USA in a Confederations Cup match last year.
Can the USA win the FIFA 2010 World Cup? I say YES. I was with the team in Seoul Korea in 2002 when they held on against Portugal 3-2. I was with them in Kaiserslautern, Germay 2006 when they battled Italy to a 1-1 draw. I think this team has a good feel heading into South Africa 2010. They were in South Africa last year for the Confederations Cup which allowed them to become familiar with the surroundings – and they did quite well in that tournament. South Africa is not the biggest country but it is not small either – about twice the size of Texas.
The Altitude Of The Area
Tim Howard is our starting Goalkeeper and the best in the world.
So paint your face, hoist your vuvuzela (that’s the noise makers that surely will be a signature of South Africa 2010, or just grab your trusty remote. But whatever you do, make sure that you don’t miss the opportunity to join the billions of futbol fans celebrating the true Campiones Del Mundo.
Kevin Graham
Kevin Graham serves as the Managing Director at Empower يلا شوت Me Photo. Empower Me Photo provides tools to help those seeking to stay on their diet or exercise program over the long run – by showing how you are going to look AFTER you lose the weight. You are welcome to download our free 7 Secrets to Visualize Your Future using the world’s best weight loss tool
