Great Article on the Finals

[Delhommey]

Like all soccer writers, I have a debilitating nostalgic streak, and like all soccer writers, I love Holland. The Dutch, who face Spain in Sunday's World Cup final, are soccer's most gorgeous losers, a team defined by a single generation of players who brilliantly failed to reach their potential. The Dutch teams of the 1970s—led by the mercurial Johan Cruyff, who's widely considered the greatest European player of all time—launched a tactical revolution, played one of the most thrilling styles of their era, and lost two consecutive World Cup finals in memorable and devastating ways. In the process, they became the icons of soccer romantics who would rather see teams play beautifully and lose than win and be boring. That's a harsh legacy for any team that just wants to take home trophies, and this year's Dutch squad is trying hard to transcend it. The dreams of millions of fans are riding on their success. Personally, I hope they fail.

http://www.slate.com/id/2259911/

[tarheelblue89]

Awesome read.

[Delhommey]

If you're on Twitter, you HAVE to follow him.

http://twitter.com/runofplay

[Hawk]

as a long time Dutch fan, I think one of the biggest differences with this team is that they are a team. Too often in the past they were a bunch of individuals that were playing for their country and themselves. This time though, they almost all look to be playing as a team. Van Persie might be the exception at this point.

Both teams play a very similar style right now, they both like lots of possession and they aren't afraid to move the ball backwards if it means keeping possession. Prior to yesterday's game, I was hoping to not have to play Germany in the final, but I am pretty sure we would have played them in a similar fashion as Spain did yesterday and who knows what might have happened. I just hope that the Dutch management doesn't try the same passive game that the Germans played yesterday...that obviously doesn't work.

I just know I am extremely excited about Sunday and if...IF...Holland can prevail, it will be one of the biggest sporting days in my life!

[Delhommey]

Nobody's playing as beautifully as Spain right now. Having watched them slowly, patiently and methodically probe and attack two of the best defenses in the Cup, I'm in love. Not to mention they all but nullified the feared German counterattack.

My heart's with both teams, but I can't disagree with this article at all.

I won't be dissappointed with either side winning. It's like if UT played Auburn for the NC.

[Carolina Husker]

Wait, I thought you were an FSU fan?

[pstall]

Wait, I thought you were an FSU fan?

either me or meat has hijacked dels passwords

[Carolina Husker]

He's like the College Football version of you.

[Delhommey]

Exactly. FSU = USMNT

But as I lived in Spain and Holland (well the Netherlands technically), I have a soft spot for them.

My brother's an Auburn grad (and I generally like their style of play) and I live in Austin. With Texas and Auburn very unlikely to meet in a head to head, it's not that hard for me to maintain.

UT fans are starting to annoy me though (not totally unlike Barça fans, really)

[Carolina Husker]

I have family in Austin and Dallas, and it's only strengthened their hatred of UT. I imagine it's got to be something like being around UNC fans all the time, except there's not NC State or Duke fans to water them down.

And I wish the USMNT had as much success in their history as FSU.

[Delhommey]

No, no. A good majority of UT fans have a good grasp of the game. You cannot say that about UNC.

Longhorn fans are annoying by not only wanting to win, but wanting to win a certain way.

They also tend to have this ridiculously high opinion of what their team should do that just crumbles at the first sign of adversity.