Reserves Radio consists of Michael Maz, Bobby Banjo, and Shawn Kuykendall. These three guys bring a varying degree of experience in soccer as they tackle the news and notes from leagues in the US and around the world. Bob brings knowledge from his playing days as a youth as well as a rabid fanship of MLS’ most decorated club, DC United. Shawn Kuykendall was a former professional player with DC United and the New York Red Bulls, and has much to say about on the field play. Mike Maz is the resident librarian on soccer. He looks behind the obvious and finds the nuggets that are waiting to be unearthed.
Look for insiteful comment on the world game, youth development, and all things soccer.
Spain’s victory over the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup Final was supposed to be about justice finally prevailing; light (Spain) conquering darkness (Holland). A national team that was cheated out of prior World Cups by teams employing heavy-handed tactics or crooked refs could now enjoy their long deserved success. Sorry, I don’t buy it.
I’m not diminishing what Spain accomplished. The talent in their squad is remarkable, and it’s no fluke that they have lost two games over the last 4 years. But with all this success comes an arrogance that bothers me. Spanish supporters, media and players will insist that they play “positive,” while teams like Holland, who couldn’t beat them in a “fair” game, try to beat Spain through intimidation and dirty tactics. Fans of Spain point to the Final at Soccer City as proof that they are the White Knights of clean, fair play while Holland were just another thug team that would sacrifice dignity to win the trophy.
We all like to believe our team is “good” while its rivals are “evil,” but it’s just not that black and white. In fairness to Spain, Holland exhibited some appalling behavior. Nigel DeJong’s foul on Xabi Alonso deserved a red card, and hard-man Mark Van Bommel once again straddled the fine line between gamesmanship and flat-out barbarism. But Spain was not blameless.
Any American soccer fan is well aware of the diving epidemic that our friends use as an excuse to dismiss the sport. This Spain team is one of the worst offenders of this “art.” Part of being the purveyors of “positive” soccer is turning the other cheek and letting your play do the talking. A team overflowing with talent like Spain has no need to dive, ever. Yet there was Andres Iniesta, one of the best players in the world, collapsing to the ground and successfully drawing that pivotal Dutch red card in extra time. You know what happened next.
Why does Spain insist on diving being such an intrinsic part of their style? Because it helps them win games, which is the same rationale violent teams use. They did what they had to do to finally lay their hands on the Holy Grail of soccer. Spain’s victory is valid, but please don’t view it as a revival of “the beautiful game.”
- Mike Maz
