Despite my indifference towards the Brazilian National Team and their particular brand of football, I have to refrain from reveling in the ashes of their semi-final defeat to Germany. It was gruesome. It was brutal. It was German. Brazil suffered immensely, and it was difficult to watch.

The Brazil National Team, already burdened heavily by the shame and humiliation of their loss, will be forever haunted by the infamy of the most lopsided game in semi-final history. 7-1, was the final score–and it could have been worse for Brazil.

I cannot revel. Brazil has done much for the game, both in Brazil and abroad. Club rosters across the professional soccer spectrum, from Japan to Russia to Turkey to America, are drafted with Brazilian surnames. Brazil is a country that breeds football talent. They are the cradle of football civilization. So what went wrong?

Well, for one, Germany was in town, and when Germany drops in, either a world war gets started or lots of goals are scored. Luckily for us, the latter took place.

The general media, as they are apt to do, will find it easier to criticize than to praise. They will exhaust their focus in describing Brazil’s mental letdown; their lack of discipline; their lack of patience; their poor coaching and game tactics; their archaic way of playing the game. But to do so, to highlight Brazil’s football inferiority, means also to dismiss and ignore Germany’s tactical brilliance and dominance.

In playing versus Brazil, Germany was what very football team strives to be. Take their patience, for starters. The Deutsch were on their heels for the opening ten-minutes of the match, weathering a barrage of mini-attacks by Brazil’s relentless 4-3-3. It looked as if Germany was in for a load of trouble. But they withstood Brazil’s attack, an attack heavy with emotion, as an entire nation urged Brazil forward. Germany absorbed it all.

Germany remain composed. Their immediate goal was to hold the ball in spurts and cool Brazil’s attack. They succeeded, and Brazil seemed uneasy.

It did not take very long for Germany to strike. When a team puts numbers forward, as Brazil was doing, they will eventually be caught short-handed on the defensive end. At the 11th minute, a chink in the Brazilian armor–call it a slight lapse in concentration–call it Thomas Müller. 1-0, Germany.

To say that an entire nation was stunned would be a gross understatement. Even the Germans looked perplexed. Where was the “cooling break”? No, this is Brazil, right? No obstacle is too great for the five-time champions.

Twelve-minutes later, another Brazilian error, and then Miroslav Klose. 2-0, Germany. Not only did Klose plunge and turn the knife into Brazil’s bleeding heart, he also separated himself from Ronaldo, Brazil’s legendary #9, as the top goal scorer in the history of the World Cup. Germany was now in full march.

From this point on, it was schnitzel for everyone, as Kroos, Khedira, and Schürrle took turns feasting on Brazil’s beleaguered defense. In the end, Germany’s commitment to fundamental football proved way too much for an outmatched and out-shined Brazil squad.

Even a casual reexamination of the match will show how disciplined Germany was on both sides of the ball. On the attack, Germany took advantage of Brazil’s weak midfield defending. They worked the ball inside the middle of the pitch where Brazil was in their 4-3-3 mode. This drew in Brazil’s wings. The Germans then worked the ball back to the outside, spreading their own wings, and spreading Brazil out wide in the most crucial part of the field. When the ball finally came back in, Germany had massive numbers in the box…and space…and time!

The most impressive part of Germany’s performance was their mental discipline. The game had clearly gotten out of hand for Brazil. Frustration was high, and you could see it clearly in Brazil’s willingness to physically harm the German players. At one point, David Luiz all but assaulted Thomas Müller, in front of the ref. To Müller’s credit, he and his mates remained calm and did not retaliate. There were many instances such as this one.

Germany actually found themselves in an awkward position. Do we continue to attack and score goals and come off as cold and unforgiving? Or do we relax somewhat, out of respect for the host county and the legendary players of yesteryear? Relax too much, and you are being disrespectful. Attack and continue the onslaught and you are being disrespectful.

Germany played it well, though. They attacked when the opportunities arose, and they relaxed a bit by keeping possession in their defensive and middle thirds. It was classy, if you ask me.

There is no doubt that Germany is a fantastic side. Are gentian is, too. Argentina will get by the Netherlands, and then they will beat Germany in the World Cup Final. It won’t be easy, but Messi and his mates will lift the Cup.

Argentina, like Germany, is sharp at every position, and their bench, unlike Brazil’s, is loaded with talent. They are physical, they are fearless, and they are skillful. They have speed and superior off-the-ball movement. And they have Messi!

The Albiceleste is hungry! Messi is hungry! Vamos, vamos Argentina!

On the eve of the first semi-final game of this 2014 World Cup between host country Brazil and European powerhouse Germany, much of the current talk centers on Brazil and their young super-icon, Neymar, Jr. For the living troglodytes in football-land, Neymar suffered a fractured vertebra in their win versus Columbia. Neymar’s absence is as much a loss for the rest of the world as it is for Brazil, as one of the world’s most dynamic players will not take part in Brazil’s life or death semi-final clash. The world then is denied the opportunity of witnessing Neymar’s talent on the grandest of stages.

When it comes to Brazil’s success without Neymar, however, his loss is only tragic on the surface. Through five games, Neymar has netted four of Brazil’s ten goals, two more than center defender David Luiz. Coach Scolari has had no trouble turning to the wealth of talent he has at his disposal, as Oscar, Fred, Roza, and Silva have also all contributed to Brazil’s overall firepower. Without Neymar, the goals will continue to drop for Brazil.

In replacing Neymar, Scolari will more than likely turn to Willian, Chelsea’s winger and sometimes center midfielder, or he may turn to Ramires, Willian’s better half at Chelsea. Regardless of whom he starts, Neymar’s position is in good hands.

Brazil’s bigger worry, and their greater loss, will be felt at their defensive end. Team captain Tiago Silva is forced to sit against Germany due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Through the same five games, Brazil’s defense has allowed a miniscule four goals. Silva has started and finished all five of these games, and his omnipresence in the back during the competition has been stellar, strengthening his reputation as being one of the fiercest defenders in the game. Tiago’s absence leaves Brazil playing sans their most vital defensive component, and this could interfere with their chances of playing in the championship of their own tournament.

Scolari’s most effective option in replacing Silva will be Bayern Munich center back Dante. Dante gives Brazil the versatility, size, and physical presence of Silva, but he lacks Silva’s soccer intelligence and instinctiveness for the position. Scolari could choose to further strengthen his depleted defense by bringing in a solid holding or defensive midfielder, perhaps Gustavo or Bernard. If so, we should see a more attack-minded team, with Brazil turning to a true 4-3-3. This is the good news for Brazil.

The bad news, of course, is that Brazil will not advance to the Final. Germany mirrors Brazil’s defensive and offensive prowess. Through their own five games, Germany has scored ten goals, similar to Brazil, and has surrendered only three goals, one less than Brazil. Defensively speaking, Mertesacker and Boateng are mammoth in the back, with Mustafi and Lahm intelligently anchoring the defensive wings. In short, Germany’s defensive unit will spell the end for Brazil.

That is unless Brazil can effectively use their wings. Germany’s lone defensive weakness lies in Mertesacker’s speed, or lack of it. If Brazil presses the pedal and keeps Mertesacker on his heels, Brazil will breach the German wall and find themselves at the end of some scoring opportunities, a rarity against the Deutsch. If it so happens that Brazil wander into Germany’s attacking third, the only person they’ll have to deal with at this point is Manuel Neuer, arguably the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Getting past Neuer will not be easy, but it has been done.

It’s likely that Germany will march into their seventh World Cup Finals appearance, and they will do so against a very hungry Argentina team, which, of course, means that the Argentines will get through the Netherlands, in the other semi-final scheduled for tomorrow, July 9, 2014. The South American country will bask in the glory of home field advantage, and every singing and dancing Argentine in attendance will see their Albiceleste lift the magical Cup. Brazil, like the other thirty-one teams, will be left to their excuses. In their case, Neymar and Silva will fit the bill. And If you listen carefully, you might hear the faint voice of a Mexico fan whispering, “No era penal.”

01 July 2014

Today, Americans saw their national soccer team lose a tense and physically demanding match versus a young and talented Belgium team. It was an exciting match on many levels. Both teams had with plenty of build-up and counter-attack play, with scoring opportunities for both teams, mostly for Belgium. It was a valiant U.S. effort, without a doubt, but don’t be mislead, America. The U.S. was no match for Belgium. Some will say, “Oh, man! The U.S. fought their assess off! They didn’t give up. They worked really hard. They weren’t knocked down. It was awesome!” When it comes to soccer, this way of looking at the game’s outcome is irrational, as it fails to consider the actual game and how it was played. It would be like Joe the Plumber going seven rounds with a young Mike Tyson. “Man, Joe the Plumber fought his ass off! He didn’t give up. He worked really hard. He wasn’t knocked down. It was awesome!” Well, maybe Joe the Plumber didn’t kiss the canvas, but did you get a good look at his face after the fight? He can’t see, he can’t smell, he has two black eyes, and he’s missing his two front teeth. Oh, and there’s a good chance that he’ll never be able to reproduce.” This is because Joe the Plumber doesn’t actually know how to fight.

Working really hard and battling and never giving up are important qualities for teams to have, but these qualities are expected of every World Cup team. You can’t compete in the Cup without them. The U.S. did not play soccer today. Yeah, the could’ve secured the win had Wondolowski finished the early Christmas gift that fell to his natural shooting leg, but he didn’t, and it’s sad that he couldn’t put his only opportunity in the back of the net because Wondolowski could’ve single-handedly changed the way America thinks about soccer,forever!

Don’t get me wrong. I want American soccer to succeed. Americans should be at the forefront of the sport, as a team to be feared. The U.S. country has the money and resources to achieve big things in worldwide football, but the U.S. isn’t taken seriously. We are on par with Trinidad and Tobago’s team and Jamaica’s team and Canada’s team. We are barely a step above Cuba’s team. Even when Mexico is at its worst, America is still only at their level.

I’ve been asking this question for years: In a country with over 317 million people, you’re telling me that the twenty-three men representing America are the very best players this country can produce? I don’t buy it at all. It’s time for the U.S. Soccer Federation to take a more genuine look at how their operation conducts itself. There are plenty of models to follow—Germany and Holland are only two.

There are bright sides. Tim Howard was superb. How many saves can a team expect their keeper to make? Apparently, the number is seventeen. Bradley, the U.S. midfielder, ran his lungs out. I have never seen an American player run so much in one game. It was as if these two bald guys got together before the game and made a pact to carry the team as far as they could—to leave everything on the field. Maybe the U.S. team should begin their “rebuilding process” by shaving their heads?

And an a “rebuilding process” is a term American pundits will use, once more, to describe America’s soccer future. Klinsmann needs time. Well, maybe he does. He needs time to take an honest drive across America to uncover the abundance of hidden soccer talent that is surely tucked away in small farming towns and broken down suburbs. Yeah, they’ll have names like Martinez and Kovac and La Sala and Chung and Hurakami and Mohammed, but guess what? They’ll be American, and soccer will be in their blood!

Herein lies the area in which the U.S. Soccer Federation’s fear is most apparent. They do not want to color the team. Bring in too many Latinos and you have another Mexican National Team. Bring in Mohammed’s and all of a sudden we’re a Muslim team. Chung’s and Hurakami’s are not American. U.S. Soccer is afraid to color the team for fear of scaring away loyal U.S. supporters. Do we currently have color? No, we don’t. Jones and Johnson are not African-American. They’re German. Green, today’s goal scorer, is German, too. Bedoya and Gonzalez fit the “American” mold because they have gone through America’s soccer protocol: college. But not every talented soccer player goes to college. In fact, the most talented soccer players in the United States rarely play for colleges and universities. These institutions often get the second-best players in the county. This is because many are not academically sound and can’t get into universities. Others don’t have the money to pay for school. These are the players that fall through nets, but these are the players that the U.S. has to invest in.

Today’s game was exciting. I was on the edge of my seat, and I was wholeheartedly rooting for the U.S. I was born in the United States and I am a proud Mexican-American. It would be nice to see an actual Mexican-American on the team. It would be nice to hear U.S. supporters chanting in Spanish and German and Japanese. Then we could say we feel connected to the United States Men’s National Soccer Team because at least they’ll look like us.  

I love being Mexican-American! My dual heritage allows me to root for two teams in this year’s World Cup. Mexico was sent packing two days ago, but my other team, Team U.S.A., is still in the hunt, and today, the Yanks take on the 11^th ranked team in the world, Belgium, a national team that given time can field eleven English Premier League players. Coach Jurgen Klinsmann fully understands the difficult task his team will face against the Red Devils. Klinsmann has played football at the highest and most pressured levels, and he has continually conveyed to his men that they must remain mentally focused throughout every game. Today is no exception.

Mental toughness, however, has really never been an issue for the Americans. Soccer IQ is another issue, but for the most part, the team’s deficiencies arise from a simple lack of experience and talent. 

Team U.S.A. is masterful at making do with the players at hand, and with Klinsmann at the helm, a man whose storied football career is still looked upon with great respect, Belgium will have to be on guard for the ultimate upset. But there is only so much Klinsmann can do. 

 Reaching the quarterfinals for only the second time in its history will not be easy for the U.S. Their attack has been anemic, and with Jozy Altidore still not one-hundred-percent, this is sure to continue in today’s game, unless someone can awaken Dempsey to remind him that he’s playing in the World Cup. With Dempsey as the lone striker, the Americans have been outshot 54-27, scoring four-goals and allowing four. There is talk that Altidore could see some minutes today, and, if this is true, it would be welcomed sight for the U.S. Due to his injury early in the cup.  We have not had the opportunity to see what Altidore can do on this particular stage.
Of course, Dempsey is carrying a lot of weight. American fans would like to see Bradly share some of the possession responsibilities with Dempsey, but he has been making things worse by gifting the ball to the opposing team. If Bradley can display some of the flair he did as a starter at Roma, the U.S. will have more than a fighting chance against a very talented Belgium team.

Klinsmann will more than likely hit the pitch in 4-2-3-1, formation—again with Dempsey as the lone striker. This may work today, especially if Bradley and Beckerman can retain possession for significant stretches. The Red Devils have not yet faced a significant opponent in the World Cup. Remember that Belgium has qualified out of arguably the easiest group in the Cup, and they have scored only four goals, three of them coming from substitutes. The U.S.’s physicality and speed could cause panic for the Belgians, and one U.S. goal will change what Belgium has planned for the match.

Again, it’s a steep climb for the U.S. Belgium’s stingy defense has impressed more than anything. Through ten UEFA qualifiers, the Red Devils allowed only four-goals, and so far in this 2014 World Cup, they have given up only one-goal (penalty). Breaching Belgium’s defensive line will take some work. The U.S. will have to rely heavily on the element of surprise in order to get past Kompany, who is prone to giving up space and leaving his feet in Belgium’s defensive third of the field. This surprise could be a sustained and aggressive attack, something we have not yet seen from the U.S.

The goalkeeping mini-drama will be interesting, too. Tim Howard, the U.S. goalkeeper, has solidified his current ranking as one of the best keepers in the world. He has been America’s savior on more than one occasion, and today, the Yanks will rely heavily on his experience and instinctual intelligence. Belgium, too, boasts one of the sharpest keepers in the world. 6’6” Thibaut Courtois is Atletico Madrid’s gatekeeper, and he has looked every bit of sharp for the Red Devils. The deciding factor could rest in the hands of either keeper.

Don’t be surprised to see Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey and Chris Wondolowski on the field at the same time for the Americans. This could prove to be the element of surprise the Americans have planned. Jurgen may not be wearing long-sleeves for today’s game, but there are other places from which to pull a rabbit.

 It’s been twenty-eight years since Mexico’s National Team has advanced into the quarterfinals of FIFA’s soccer World Cup. El Tri, as they’re endearingly known to their fans, the best fans in all of world football, according to many European nations, has a history of being agonizingly close on several occasions. Their most recent loss to the Netherlands in the knockout stage of the 2014 World Cup was especially heartbreaking, mainly because Mexico was clinging to a 1-0, advantage well into the final and most taxing minutes of the game. After being nothing short of superb for fifty-plus minutes, and nursing this very small but precious lead deep into the game, Mexico, as they’ve done many times before, experienced a mental letdown just yards from the finish line. To all watching, they looked every bit of an eager team destined to win its first ever World Cup crown. In the end, however, they could not hold their 1-0, advantage, and the Dutch limped away with a 2-1 victory, as millions of Mexico fans shed tears mixed with green, white, and red face paint. What happened this time? What went wrong for Mexico? In simple terms, the Dutch came to play football—for ninety-minutes.

Ironically, the worse thing that could’ve happened for Mexico was scoring the first goal. The early lead prompted them to sit back defensively, surrendering the fruitful attacking play that had earned them the goal in the first place. Dutch tails were up at this point, as the final thirty-minutes of the game saw the Netherlands march into Mexico’s defensive third, time after time, earning a total of ten corner kicks in twenty-minutes.

Sitting back after a goal is nothing new. We often see it at the club level with teams like Chelsea and AC Milan “parking the bus” at the mouth of the goal to preserve their one-goal leads. But this is the World Cup, and coaches and players alike have to adjust their tactics and style of play to make room for changes that other teams will make when they are behind.

In simple terms, Mexico’s rookie coach was outdone by the Louis van Gaal, one of Holland’s most avid proponents of the Total Football playing style of Ajax and the Dutch national team of the 1970s. Miguel Herrera, having never coached in a game that had so much riding on it, and neither did his staff, did not have the experience and knowhow to preserve the win. Van Gal, on the other hand, was playing the violin on the sidelines, frantically, but still playing a recognizable tune.

Herrera’s first mistake took place in the 61^st minute when he brought on Javier Aquino for Giovanni dos Santos, the Mexico forward that gave El Tri the 1-0, lead. It was a substitution that had Mexico fans scratching their collective scalps. Giovanni had done nothing wrong, certainly nothing that constituted a substitution, especially in the 61^st minute when the game could’ve potentially gone into extra-time. He had been holding the ball well, waiting for his attacking players to join him. He had Holland’s defensive quartet on their heels, and if they were not physically guarding him, they were definitely mentally aware of his presence. In football, the mental aspect is key, and the longer you are on the minds of a defensive squad, the better.

Aquino brought none of this to the game, as he proved to be the first step back in Mexico’s demise. In fact, it was Aquino who stood idly on the top of the eighteen box, guarding nothing but shadows, as he watched Wesley Sneijder launch a rocket off his right foot and into the back of the net for the Dutch’s equalizer in the 88^th minute. Point number one to Van Gaal.

It got worse for Mexico when Van Gaal decided to use his coaching expertise. Realizing that Sneijder was producing very little from the lone center midfield position, Van Gaal brought in left-winger Memphis Depay for Paul Verhaegh in the 56^th minute. Verhaegh was playing in the attacking and holding midfield position for Holland, and he was lost. Depay is not a center midfielder. He plays on the left wing, but this position was already occupied by Dirk Kuyt, an intelligent attacking player with experience at the highest levels. Knowing that Kuyt is as versatile as they come, Van Gaal sent Kuyt to the center midfield position to accompany Sneijder. Memphis then filled Kuyt’s position. Now, this may have seemed like just another substitution, but to me, this was the move of the match.

All of a sudden, Sneijder was free of the responsibilities of running the center midfield position, a job that he could now pass onto Kuyt. He was now allowed the freedom to roam the field much in the way Messi does for Barcelona, and to find his space and give the Mexico defense fits. As it turned out, it was Sneijder who equalized for Holland, and it was Aquino who watched him score. Point number two to Van Gaal.

But even before Van Gaal made his move, Herrera made things easier for Holland. In the 75^th minute, Herrera yanked Oribe Peralta in favor of Javier Hernandez. Now, normally this would’ve been an acceptable substitution. Afterall, Hernandez is a poacher that can score big goals and make things difficult for opposing defenses, although he had been on somewhat of a drought before the Croatia game. But Mexico did not need an attacking player at this time—not with a 1-0, lead with fifteen minutes to go! Herrera succumbed to Javier Hernandez’s incessant complaining about not being in the starting eleven. Herrera felt that he had to play Hernandez simply out of custom, because Chicharito is Chicharito. It made no sense, and Mexico paid dearly for this particular substitution.

Herrera is probably banging his head. He now knows that he should’ve substituted Peralta for another holding midfielder or a player with pace and physicality, like Marco Fabian, a player that could’ve accompanied Carlos Salcedo and sit right in front of Rafael Marquez and Francisco “Maza” Rodriguez as another defensive line of protection. Fabian could’ve also given Mexico the counter attacking threat they lacked in the last fifteen-minutes of the game. He went with Chicharito, instead.

Hernandez could not hold the ball, as he had limited touches due to Holland’s sustained attack, and nor did he have any chances at goal. In short, he brought nothing of value to the game, nothing that could’ve helped Mexico.

Van Gaal finalized his attack with another big switch. This proved to be the dagger that stopped Mexico’s heart. Van Gaal brought on seldom used attacker Klaas Huntelaar for Robin Van Persie. Van Persie was not himself, showing nothing of the flare he displayed against Spain. Nevertheless, he’s a player that you seldom replace because he can be deadly from one moment to the next. However, Van Gaal saw that Van Persie’s tank was dry and went with fresher, younger legs in the midst of stifling heat and humidity. In short, it was Huntelaar that scored the game-winning goal for Holland in the 94^th minute. With no dynamic players on the field for Mexico, and all substitutes already used, Mexico was all but eliminated before the game had ended.

Another point worth noting is that Mexico was caught completely off guard by Holland’s refusal to settle for extra-time. We’ve seen it many times. Teams get a late equalizer and then sit back to wait for extra-time or to go into penalties. It’s almost like an unwritten agreement teams have with one another. “Ok, you tied us. There’s two-minutes left to play. Let’s agree to suspend our attacks and go into extra-time and maybe penalties. We’ll let our goalkeepers decide the outcome.” Holland looked at the clock and saw that the referees had awarded six-minutes of compensation time, mainly due to “cooling breaks” and injuries. They continued their attack. A fatigued Mexico team looked on in disbelief as Holland broke the unwritten agreement to let up their attack. Final point to Van Gaal.

You can’t blame Herrera for everything. He isn’t the one playing, but there are many things that should’ve been discussed during the days leading up to this game. Coaches, at this point, have to think outside the box and plan for the best and the worst. This wasn’t a group stage game. This was a knockout game, and Mexico was knocked out by an experienced coach and experienced players, players that are no strangers to crucial matches.

Herrera is new. There was no doubt that he was going to run into trouble. A team can only run on emotion for so long, and this is what Mexico was relying on. They have a fiery, passionate coach, and as a Mexico fan, I love this about him. He brings his emotion and passion to the game and it has infected his players. Teams need this, but in the end, the game is football, and teams have to play football. The Dutch played Total Football, and they took the total victory.

It’s disappointing to see England ousted from the competition. They have one of the most exciting domestic leagues in the world, a league brimming with technical skill and talent. Unfortunately, English players are not key figures in these areas. England’s national team is suffering from something of their own making, and unless they curtail the number of foreign players allowed to play in their domestic league, England will never know success on the world stage. Suarez, the Uruguayan striker who today single-handedly ripped out England’s collective heart, plays in the English league for Liverpool. He’s arguably the best player in this league, and there are many more foreign players near the top of this list. Tim Howard is perhaps the best goalkeeper in England, and he’s American. Kompany, Manchester City’s stalwart defender, is Belgian. The list goes on. Germany, a few years back, put restrictions on foreign players in their league for the same reasons that are plaguing England. They recognized that their national team was suffering and made moves to their domestic league’s foreigner policy. England must do the same.

I hated going to church, and when I hit eleven-years-old, I had enough. I thank my grandfather Santiago for helping me with my spiritual crisis. He’s dead now, but his influence lives within me.

The Catholic Church scene never spoke to my adolescent senses. After birth, I was unwillingly ushered up the alter steps of St. Anthony’s Church in San Gabriel. It was my baptism, and it was done without my consultation. From what I was told, my parents held me down as the priest submerged the back of my head into a bowl of holy water. I’m sure I cried while the Father recited a blessing over my convulsing body. I would cry now if this happened to me, and I’m in my forties.

I stayed away from church as long as I could, attending only one someone got married or died, which, nowadays, seems to be the same thing. Luckily, my parents were casual Catholics themselves, practicing only on the big days like Easter and Christmas and Ash Wednesday.

On weddings and during wakes, we attended church only to find ourselves kneeling, sitting, kneeling, standing, knelling, sitting, standing, kneeling, and finally sitting. It was actually a calorie burner, which is probably why people always go to breakfast after mass.

Just getting dressed to go to church was a pain in the ass. Everything was forced on me: getting out of bed, taking a bath, combing my hair, tucking in my shirt. The good, hand-me-down clothes I received annually from my cousins were worn on church days. It was nice stuff, but it didn’t’ compare to the torn baseball jersey and ripped corduroys I was used to. The discomfort is traumatic because I had to sit for a whole hour or so in clothes that just didn’t feel right, and it was on my mind the whole time. I was supposed to pray at church, and I did! I prayed to God to let me get home and change and never come back.

Of course, the ride to church was always tense and somber. The happy anticipation of going on family outings was completely absent. Instead, I was heading to a place where I knew for certain I didn’t want to be. In looking back, it seemed nobody in my family wanted to go, either. My dad was always cranky, my mom felt rushed, and I fought with my siblings to and from church.

I started to come of age and was finally allowed to watch certain movies like The Omen and The Exorcist. These movies skewed my perception of churches and religion. These movies had scenes of angry priests, tormented souls, and statues of Jesus that cried blood! It was pretty scary, too.

All of a sudden, I found myself sitting in the creaky, wooden pews in St. Anthony’s staring for long periods at the face of the giant Jesus hanging on the cross behind the priest on the alter. I’d look intently into his eyes to see if he was going to blink or if a drop of blood was going to run down his cheek. I watched, certain there would be movement of sorts. He never moved.

Strange things did happen, though. On more than one occasion, and from out of nowhere, From nowhere, my brother and I would fly into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. I’m not talking the giggles. I’m talking about wild bouts of mania, evil sounding laughter, like Vincent Price stuff. It hit us hard, and we could do nothing to stop it. There was nothing to laugh at, too, which is why it was even stranger. We laughed so hard that our stomachs would ache and tears would well up in our eyes. It was as if we were possessed. My mom tried to get us to shut up, but we couldn’t. We’d look at her and just start laughing even more. Then my dad would give us a warning with his eyes and we lowered the volume. If we were told to go outside until we calmed down, we never returned.

I felt guilty about laughing, especially after my mom would say, “Dios te va castigar.” I didn’t want to go to hell for laughing. It wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t stop laughing.

At eleven, I wanted to sever my ties with the church. I was annoyed and angry with my mom for practically dragging me to church every Sunday. I felt I was at the age where I could more or less decide in which direction I wanted my spiritual beliefs to head. I was almost a teenager! There was football on Sundays. I didn’t need to go church.

We were living with my grandparents while I was rebelling against religion. The drive from St. Anthony’s in San Gabriel to my grandma’s house in Rosemead wasn’t very long, but it always seemed to take forever to get there. I was the first one out of the car when we got home.

On this particular day, my father hadn’t gone to church with us. The Raiders were playing, and there were other NFL games on which he had money riding.

In my father’ absence, I was naturally braver and more willing to rebel against my mom. As soon as she parked the car, I burst out, bolted up the porch, opened the door, and walked straight to the downstairs room I shared with my bro. I changed my clothes and climbed back up the steps and headed straight to my grandpa’s room. He was my best friend, and I wanted to see what he was doing. As usual, he was sitting in his brown, leather recliner, reading Siempre, a Spanish political magazine he bought weekly at the Mercado in Boyle Heights.

I was still bothered by our church excursion as I jumped on my grandpa’s bed. I was on my stomach with my hands on my face. I looked at him while he read. Finally, I asked, “Grandpa, how come you never go to church?” I asked him in Spanish. My grandpa didn’t speak English. He may have understood it, but I never spoke to him in English. He had lived in Los Angeles more than half his life, and he never bothered to learn. All he knew was “Take it easy,” and he learned this from the Eagles’ song. “Mijo, take it easy,” he would say to me whenever I left.

He rested the magazine on his lap and looked at me with a sly smile, as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him this very question. “No tengo que ir al iglesia para hablar con dios, mijo. Puedo hablar con el en el bano, en la cocina, en mi cuarto. No tengo que ir al iglesia. Hablo con el aqui.” This was his response my question, and I wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic. He repeated it again, but this time a little differently. I was stunned. I had never heard anything more divine. Never had anything made so much sense to my impressionable ears. It was actually pretty liberating.

I calmly walked out of grandpa’s room to find my mom. She was in the kitchen with my grandma. “Mom,” I proudly yelled. She didn’t look my way because she was mad at the way I had been acting at church. “Que quieres!” my mom snapped back. “Grandpa said that I don’t have to go to church. He said I could talk and pray to God in the bathroom, in the kitchen, or in my room. I’m not going to church anymore. God is here,” and I pointed at my heart. I was stoic. I stood there and waited for her to say something. What could she possibly say in response to my grandpa’s wisdom? “Mira este carbon!” my mom said to my grandma. My grandma was smiling as she continued her work on the stove.   My grandma didn’t go to church either, at least not very often. My mom turned to face me. She had a knife in her hand. “Grandpa ya esta grande. Puede hacer lo que quiere. If I want you to go to church, you’re going,” my mom retorted. She turned back to cutting vegetables.

My mom was the authority figure, and she was right. I had to do what she asked. However, I think my words affected her. I wasn’t forced into going to Sunday mass anymore after this. But my mom made one last effort to get me involved with the church.

At thirteen, she enrolled me in catechism classes at St. Anthony’s. Classes were held behind the church in the classrooms. Every Tuesday, again without my consultation, I attended communion. It was a strict environment, but it was easy to see that the other kids hated it, too. Nevertheless, I made an effort to listen. I still remember the prayers. I remember my first confession, too. I’m sure I lied to the priest and left out the bad stuff. I told small lies to other adults, so would I be honest with a guy I didn’t even know? The most fun thing about catechism was break-dancing in the hallways. The nuns chastised the hell out of me for doing it, but I couldn’t help it. The linoleum floors were ridiculously shiny and smooth. They were perfect for backspins.

Excitement is surging as football fans, worldwide, anticipate the start of the 2014 World Cup, which will take place in Brazil in less than three-days. Passion and patriotism for participating countries and teams will reach maniacal levels, and we are sure to hear of an entire country’s labor force come to a halt on the day the their team plays.

Then there’s the U.S. Here in the States, football is football, while across the globe, football is soccer. Although an estimated 3.2 billion people, or 46.4 percent of the Earth’s population watched the 2010 World Cup, including a significant number of Americans, there are still too many in this country unfamiliar with the tournament, its history, and its global significance. But it doesn’t have to be so! Let me present to you a newbie’s guide to the planet’s greatest sporting event: the World Cup!

The World Cup is a tournament which is played over the span of four-years, making it the longest tournament in all of sports. It takes four-years to complete because almost every country on Earth participates. With this many countries involved, determining a winner in two or even three-years is nearly impossible.

Qualifying 

The long, qualification stage of the tournament is intercontinental, rather than intra-continental. For example, in order to qualify for the World Cup, the U.S. National Team had to play home and away games versus every country in North America and the Caribbean. This includes Jamaica, Cuba, Panama, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Canada, to name a few. Games played versus countries from other continents are known as “friendlies” or tune-up matches, games usually played to measure new players and to try-out new tactical systems and attacks. They also bring in substantial cash. Because of the duration of the qualification phase, often times coaches are fired and older players are dropped and replaced for younger blood.

Then there’s the “intercontinental phase” of the competition, which lasts three-years. This phase includes group stages, knockout stages (lose and go home), home and away games to ensure fairness, tiebreakers, if needed (see Mexico). Along the way, winning countries advance deeper into the tournament. Smaller countries like Cuba, Poland, Romania, Egypt, Scotland, and Panama often experience difficulty in qualifying for the World Cup, as they must compete against the bigger countries from their respective continents. Once this long and grueling phase of the competition is completed, the tournament is left with thirty-two national teams (countries), representing the seven continents.

The World Cup

The final phase of the tournament is known as the “World Cup.” This is what will  billions across the globe will spend their time watching for the one, full month. It consists of thirty-two, still standing national teams. These teams will head to the host country to play the final games of the tournament. This year’s host country is Brazil, a country many consider the Mecca of football. Brazil is expected to win this year’s tournament, as the country’s national team boasts some of the most electric players in the world. Brazil has lifted the Cup five times, more than any other country.

These thirty-two active teams are placed into groups of four, eight groups in all. Intercontinental rules no longer apply. Country names are placed in a lottery and drawn randomly. This ensures fairness, but it also creates the potential for volatile early matches between powerhouse countries. One such match already stirring up frenzy is the one between Italy and England, scheduled for June 14. Both teams have hallowed football histories, as well as rabid fans. The group stage is also dangerous. It’s almost tradition for one of the eight groups to be randomly comprised of two or even three extraordinary national teams, team that are favorites to advance deeply in the tournament and even win it. This group is referred to as the “Group of Death.” The group that the U.S. was drawn into in this upcoming Cup is this year’s Group of Death.

Group Stage

In the initial group stage, right before the knockout rounds, each team will play a round-robin tournament within their respective group, three games for each country. A win is awarded three-points, a tie is awarded one-point, and loss is given nothing. Once group play is finished, points are accumulated. The two top teams from each group, the ones with the most points, move on to what is known as the “knockout stage” of the tournament. Sixteen national teams will continue. From this point on, it’s win or go home.

The Knockout Stage

This “knockout” rule is now in place for the rest of the tournament. The field will dwindle to eight teams (quarterfinals), then four teams (semi-finals), and then two teams (World Cup Final). A game to determine third and fourth place finishers takes place a day or two before the actual championship, but it’s a mere formality, equivalent to American football’s Pro Bowl Game. Nobody cares.

There it is! I hope this has given you a broader understanding for what is about to go down! This year’s favorites include Spain, Germany, Holland, France, and, of course, Brazil. My money is on an African team, maybe Cameroon or Ghana. An African team has never lifted the trophy, but with immensely talented teams, this could be the continent’s year.

Enjoy the world’s most popular sport. Enjoy the Beautiful Game!

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!