America's Golden Girls - World Cup Champion USA Soccer Team

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It had been sixteen years since the women's soccer team last won the World Cup in Women's Soccer.  Long gone were the memories of that 1999 group who produced the second World Cup championship for the USA.

Here in America we are not only used to winning, we expect to win, practically any kind of sports competition.  Yet soccer or football, one of the most popular sports in the world, always struggled to get a foothold in America.

No doubt, the American brand of football, not to be confused with soccer or football everywhere else, never gave the other football a chance here in the colonies.  While American football became one of the most popular contact sports in history, and one of the richest in terms of the money it could generate, soccer remained far in the background.

Of course, it did not help that the USA men's soccer team has never achieved the fame of their women's counterpart.  In fact the only time in history the men's team reached the semi-finals of the World Cup was way back in 1930, eighty-five years ago.

Brandi-Chastain-Womens-World-Cup-July-10-1999

So, the women had to carry the burden of success to keep soccer alive in the USA.  There are professional leagues but they seldom draw major crowds and certainly do not draw major investment. Only winning can do that, thus people paid attention when the women won the first World Cup in women's soccer back in 1991.

Mia Hamm - Superstar

In 1999 they won their second World Cup powered by Mia Hamm and throughout the relatively young history of women in the World Cup the USA women have consistently been one of the top three teams in the world.

This year the team is much more media savvy, much more physical, and got stronger in every match until meeting Japan in the finals just like the last World Cup in 2011 when Japan won on penalty kicks.  This year they never had a chance as four American goals in the first sixteen minutes sealed the eventual American 5-2 victory.

In addition to drawing record TV audiences in their victory drive, the Women's team became the first female team in our history given a ticker tape parade through downtown Manhattan.  It was a fitting tribute followed by an Espy award for the best team in sports.

Thank you for reigniting American pride and taking the negative news out of our lives for a time.

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Germany wins World Cup - a New Star emerges - Christ the Redeemer

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A great soccer game decided the World Cup with the superior precision and physical stamina of Germany finally winning out in overtime.  Argentina had several chances to score and take the lead but exhaustion was evident after the grueling World Cup series.

My suggestion that FIFA allow unlimited substitution and perhaps add a few more players to the roster would go a long ways toward improving the speed and increasing the scoring in football since the entire game strategy right now is to be tied at the end of the match and win in overtime or kickoffs.

So many games in the final rounds ended this way a rule change might make it a lot more interesting to fans and certainly will eliminate the need for the Broadway theatrics of faking injuries to rest or try to trick the umpires into a penalty, either of which is downright unethical and hypocritical.

But in the end the true new superstar was none other than the amazing statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking the stadium for the finals.  Here is the story on the star.

Christ the Redeemer, Portuguese Cristo Redentor,  colossal statue of Jesus Christ at the summit of Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. It was completed in 1931 and stands 98 feet (30 metres) tall, its horizontally outstretched arms spanning 92 feet (28 metres). The statue, made of reinforced concrete clad in a mosaic of thousands of triangular soapstone tiles, sits on a square stone pedestal base about 26 feet (8 metres) high, which itself is situated on a deck atop the mountain’s summit. The statue is the largest Art Deco style sculpture in the world and is one of Rio de Janeiro’s most recognizable landmarks.

In the 1850s the Vincentian priest Pedro Maria Boss suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado to honour Isabel, princess regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II , although the project was never approved. In 1921 the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro proposed that a statue of Christ be built on the 2,310-foot (704-metre) summit, which, because of its commanding height, would make it visible from anywhere in Rio. Citizens petitioned Pres. Epitácio Pessoa to allow the construction of the statue on Mount Corcovado.

Permission was granted, and the foundation stone of the base was ceremonially laid on April 4, 1922—to commemorate the centennial on that day of Brazil’s independence from Portugal—although the monument’s final design had not yet been chosen. That same year a competition was held to find a designer, and the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa was chosen on the basis of his sketches of a figure of Christ holding a cross in his right hand and the world in his left. In collaboration with Brazilian artist Carlos Oswald, Silva Costa later amended the plan; Oswald has been credited with the idea for the figure’s standing pose with arms spread wide. The French sculptor Paul Landowski, who collaborated with Silva Costa on the final design, has been credited as the primary designer of the figure’s head and hands. Funds were raised privately, principally by the church. Under Silva Costa’s supervision, construction began in 1926 and continued for five years. During that time materials and workers were transported to the summit via railway.

After its completion, the statue was dedicated on October 12, 1931. Over the years it has undergone periodic repairs and renovations, including a thorough cleaning in 1980, in preparation for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Brazil that year, and a major project in 2010, when the surface was repaired and refurbished. Escalators and panoramic elevators were added beginning in 2002; previously, in order to reach the statue itself, tourists climbed more than 200 steps as the last stage of the trip. In 2006, to mark the statue’s 75th anniversary, a chapel at its base was consecrated to Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.

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World Cup Finals - Can Pope Francis bring Argentina a Miracle on grass?

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Pope Francis and Pope Benedict, it has been 600 years since there were two living Popes, and what are the odds of their home countries playing for the World Cup championship?  About as likely as Obama and Boehner sitting down and working out what is good for our country.

Yet here we are, the last day of the World Cup, and Argentina (Francis) is playing Germany (Benedict) for the world crown.  Who will win?  Germany is the heavy favorite after annihilating the home country Brazil in the semis 7-1 with discipline and precision we've come to expect from Germany.

As for Argentina, the odds of them winning are about as remote as the odds that some radical little people's priest from the poor slums of Argentina could ever be Pope.

As for me, I figure Divine Providence will always be full of surprises so don't be surprised if you see the Argentina flag flying from the Vatican this afternoon and the Argentina World Cup team visiting Rome.

Go Raggedy People!
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World Cup Brazil Images - Thanks for the Memories

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To our friends in Brazil we say congratulations on a great World Cup, thanks for the many memories and we will see you at the Olympics.

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