Confederations Cup

Brazil spanked Spain, as might have been predicted. I guess we found out the best way to counter tiki-taka: run at 'em, tackle 'em, and knock it out from under their feet... for 90 minutes... without fault... and score pretty much every chance you get. Easier said than done, and it probably takes Brazil to do it, though to be fair Italy did a pretty good job of it yesterday and was only defeated in a (closely contested) penalty shootout. So, in a sense, this CC reflected what we had in part already gleaned from Euro 2012 and the inter-tournament qualifying season: Spain's domain has waned, even as their individual talents allow them to remain on top for the time being.

The CC also turned out to be a pretty faithful representation of what I believe to be the relative forces of world football at this time: Brazil and Spain well over everybody else, with Italy and Uruguay sitting in second. France, Netherlands, and Argentina are the usual "others," though none have excelled so far in their WC 2014 qualifiers. So far, Scolari, Del Bosque, Prandelli, and Tabarez have done a very good job of managing their talents.

With the exception of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, there is no more serious international football from here to Fall, so this was effectively the last important game until the next WC 2014 qualifying round. (On a personal note, I watched it with my bff, who fell in love with Brazil's [and Chelsea's] David Luiz, his amazing hairdo, and his even more amazing goal line clearance. Seriously, though, check that shit out: what a play! Rightfully celebrated like a goal by the Maracanã).