The whole world will be watching when Spain takes on the Netherlands in 30 minutes (kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST). Soccer guru Tony Karon breaks down the match, in a search for who to root for. (via The World Cup Blog)
What claims of historical injustice might inflame the players and fans, or sway the neutrals for Sunday’s clash between the Netherlands and Spain? Well, let’s just say you’d have to go back 500 years to find a source of grievance to animate this one – and if you’re inclined to revisit the Duke of Alba’s serial atrocities against the Dutch Protestants during his days as governor of the Spanish Netherlands, you’d have to cast Spain as the bad guys that needed taking down on Sunday...read Tony’s full analysis.
Or check out our gallery of the pretty boys of the 2010 World Cup – where Spain has a distinct advantage.