It’s about that time again — the greatest tournament in
soccer is just around the corner. The feeling is palpable, the intensity is
unmatched; fans’ emotions hang on every pass, every shot, and every save. But
before the madness starts and chaos ensues, you need the correct kit to display
your pride.
This year, Nike designed all their kits with detailed input
from professional players, followed by 3D scanning and motion capture in the
Nike Sports Research Lab to properly define their women’s-specific fit. On many
kits, they also added slogans on the inside of the neckline to give inspiration
to the wearer.
The USA home kits have a deep, personal meaning to many of
the players on this year’s national team. The Nike Swoosh and red-and-navy
stripes on the arm cuff pay homage to the 1999 team, whose iconic tournament
win inspired many current athletes to get into soccer in the first place. The
jerseys feature three stars above the crest to signify the United States’ three
tournament trophies while the 50 states print on the back represents the
nation’s collective support for the team.
While the home kits pay tribute to the past, the away design
is a nod to the future. The inspiration behind these kits is that being
American is about standing out and boldly displaying your pride. The stars-and-stripes
pattern spread across the all-red jersey is symbolic of the American flag. Although
these kits focus on what’s next, Nike still wanted to pay tribute to the USA’s
past accomplishments, so they placed three white stars representing the three
championships on the royal stripe at the back of the neck.
Inner Pride –
“Mulheres Guerreiras Do Brasil” meaning “Women Warriors of Brazil”
Pelé, Ronaldinho, Marta. When you think of these famous
Brazilian footballers, you think of the iconic yellow they sported while creating
some of the most memorable moments in international soccer history. Nike didn’t
stray far from Brazil’s traditional look with these kits, embracing the colors
the Brazilian national team has worn since 1954.
Inner Pride –
“Mulheres Guerreiras Do Brasil” meaning “Women Warriors of Brazil”
Brazil’s royal away kits start with a bold geometric pattern
at the neck that slowly fades towards the bottom of the jersey. The pattern is
inspired by bright stars and the royal color represents the sky on a cool,
clear night in Rio. Brazil also pays tribute to their men’s team tournament
wins with five stars above the crest.
Clean and Classic. That’s the best way to describe England’s
home kits. The traditional white is sacred to England and Nike wanted these
jerseys to display the country’s loyalty and heritage. If you look closely, you’ll
find a very subtle, tonal floral print that represents the roses specific to the
neighborhoods around London. These jerseys also display red-and-maroon striping
on the sleeve cuffs to punctuate the crispness of the white base.
Where England’s home kits embrace a minimalistic design, the
away jerseys boast an aggressive maroon floral print, hand drawn to include
poppy, primrose, and rose – the native flora of the country. Nike separated the
pattern into four quadrants, a nod to St. George’s Cross. These kits use an
off-white color for the logo that keeps the overall theme bold, but still
evokes the history of a proud nation.
Inner Pride – “Nos
Différences Nous Unissent” meaning
“Our Differences Unite Us”
For this year’s host country, Nike decided to honor
tradition by staying true to France’s “Les Bleus” national team nickname. The
solid navy base is accented with rose gold lettering, providing the proper pop
for the iconic French Football Federation crest. The jerseys also include a
subtle hint of red, white, and blue taping at the sleeve to represent the
French flag. According to Nike, these kits personify the sophistication of the
French and are a nod to the high-end, exclusive clothing produced by the
country.
Inner Pride – “Nos
Différences Nous Unissent” meaning
“Our Differences Unite Us”
To contrast the solid blue home jerseys, Nike’s white away
kits feature a pattern of small hexagons, spread across the shirt like polka
dots, that pay tribute the France’s unique border shape. The inner pride phrase,
“Nos Différences
Nous Unissent,” is printed with a small “o” to represent Chanel and France’s
rich history of fashion.
Described by some as the most exuberant kit in the bunch,
Australia’s home jerseys use white, yellow, and green brush strokes to
represent their creative, youthful team. Incorporating design elements from
Melbourne’s famous Hosier Lane, Nike created a ’90s-style look that combines
the colors of the Australian countryside with the graffiti art culture seen in
the country’s urban areas.
Inner Pride – Crown
symbol to represent the country’s monarchy.
For the newly designed Dutch kits, Nike created a digital
tulip, a geometric design that represents the country’s iconic flower. These
kits also mark the first time the Netherlands will forgo the traditional lion
crest for a lioness, representing the pride and ferocity of the women’s team.
This year, Norway’s home kits combine the team’s trademark
red and blue into a “winter sweater” print inspired by the country’s decorated
ski jumpers. The design combines snowflakes and flowers to honor the beauty and
variety of Norway’s weather.
To remind the Chinese team of the powerhouse spirt of the
1990s, these light grey kits feature an intricate phoenix pattern. The design
was created to represent femininity and virtue, paying tribute to the “Steel
Roses” nickname given to the team.
It wasn’t necessarily the match that everyone expected, but it ended in the most appropriate score. The Spaniards had emerged victorious in their previous three knockout round matches by the score of 1-0, so why would the final be any different?
While the focus of the match seemed to be on the aggressiveness of both teams, resulting in the most yellow cards ever issued in a World Cup Final Match with a total of 14, it was the persistence of Spain’s offense that prevailed. The Dutch were handed 8 yellow cards, as well as a red card that left them a man down for the last minutes of the extra time. That’s what gave Spain the slight edge they needed to grab their first title.
The day was meant for Spain and Andres Iniesta who put in the winning goal at the 116th minute. Spanish goal keeper Iker Casillas also landed himself a well deserved Golden Glove Award as the tournament’s top goal keeper, and the final match he was flawless, stopping all five of Holland’s shots on goal.
For the Spanish team it finalizes a remarkable year in which they also won the European title, a feat only accomplished by two other nations, West Germany in 1974 and France in 1998.
Diego Forlan of Uruguay was awarded the Golden Ball for top player of this year’s tournament, and Germany’s Thomas Mueller was awarded the Golden Boot award for top goal scorer with five goals. Mueller edged out Diego Forlan, Wesley Sneijder of Netherlands, and David Villa of Spain who also had five goals, by adding three assists to his performance.
This year’s World Cup, like every World Cup, has been filled with controversy and complaints. Everything from the officiating, to the ball, has been blamed for teams losing and players own shortcomings. Yet somehow, there are still a handful of players that have been able to put up impressive goal scoring numbers in their race for the Golden Boot Award, and subsequently two teams still with a shot at the title. So it seems maybe some are just better at adapting to “adversity” than others. Beating whatever adversities are thrown at you along the way can be attributed to the mental toughness. It takes mental strength to win the ultimate prize for your country. Finding the mental strength when you are playing against the world’s best is a difficult task, but it is exactly what it will take to win Sunday’s match.
As the Oranje and La Roja Furia teams prepare for the final match of this year’s World Cup at Soccer City Stadium in South Africa, they’ll use the same best practices as they always do regardless of who their opponent is. For each team their approach to the game is quite different, yet equally effective.
The Spaniards, ranked 2nd in the world, have controlled the tempo of every match. Scouring their opponent’s defense for weak points until they ultimately find the one and only striking point needed to win. The Spanish approach is intricate and precise, and with talented players like Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, and Andres Iniesta who play for FC Barcelona together, and Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid, the team is the equivalent of the USA Basketball Dream Team. Then on top of that you add the country’s best player, David Villa, who is currently the top goal scorer of the tournament, and there is no question why Spain has reached their very first World Cup Final this year. The only slip-up in what has been an otherwise perfect path to the title match was the first game of the tournament against Switzerland, where Spain lost 1-0.
For the Oranje, the 4th ranked team in the world, their team may not be about precision and control, but they play with a passion and excitement that seems to be matched only by their fans. In fact the Dutch have not lost a match so far. The Dutch will look to capitalize with furious attacks on any and every mistake. Like Spain, the Flying Dutchmen won all of their qualifiers. However unlike the Spaniards, Netherlands has not lost a match in the tournament, despite being down 1-0 against the world’s top ranked team, Brazil. The Dutch came back to win 2-1 thanks to two goals from their top goal scorer Wesley Sneijder, who combined with Arjen Robben, makeup one of the best attacking offenses in the tournament. A completely different approach than their next opponents, but proven to be effective in getting Netherlands to the final match.
No matter who wins, it will be the country’s first World Cup title, and one of the most important matches in their country’s history. Nothing will be withheld, and everything will be on the table. For Spain, patience is not only the key to victory but their greatest asset. For Netherlands, pushing that patient offense of the Spaniards into a mistake will be the key to victory. If there is any slight mental advantage for either team, Netherlands knows that Spain can be beaten, the Swiss did it. Will that be enough of a mental edge to overcome patience and precision of Spain?
As great as both these teams are, it is truly too close to call. We will have to watch Sunday at 2:30 PM EST on ABC to find out.
The final score may have been 3-2 but Uruguay really didn’t have much of a chance despite what the stat sheet says. From for minutes, the Dutch were on the offensive; Netherlands scored on a beautiful long-range goal from Giovanni Van Bronckhorst at the 18th minute, and consistently seemed to be on the attack from that point on.
Although Uruguay evened up the match just before the half thanks to a goal from Diego Forlan, Netherlands came out from the half attacking. In the 70th minute, Wesley Sneijder scored his fifth goal of this year’s World Cup, tying him with Spain’s David Villa for the most in the tournament so far. The Dutch were not even finished celebrating the goal, when three minute later Arjen Robben added a third goal, and all but assuring the team’s advancement into the final.
Uruguay didn’t give up, ever. They grabbed another goal in extra time and were attacking until the official blew the whistle signaling the Netherlands victory, and their spot in the final match for the first time since 1978.
You can doubt the Netherlands no more. With most critics as naysayers, Netherlands defeated one of the tournament’s favorites today to take the first of the four semi-final spots.
Five-time World Cup champions and expected finalists Brazil, scored a goal against themselves, and could not keep pace with the “Oranje” team.
The top ranked team in the world got on the board first with a goal from Robinho early. After that it was the heart of Netherlands team that proved to be stronger. Wesley Sneijder took a shot from quite a ways out that skipped off the head of Brazilian Felipe Melo to tie the match. In the 68th minute it was Sneijder again, this time heading a corner kick into the back of the goal to put Netherlands ahead for good.
Netherlands will face Uruguay who came away victorious in by far the most exhilarating match of the tournament so far. It came down to a shootout between Ghana and Uruguay and just as the Ghanaian team missed their very last opportunity of the extra time, their last shot in the shootout also came up disappointing.
Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan missed a penalty kick as time in the extra period expired, in what would have surely had the crowd at Soccer City Stadium going crazy, but instead the ball bounced off the crossbar. Ironically, the kick was rewarded to Ghana after a handball on the goal line by Luis Suarez. With the fifth kick in the shootout, after a stop from the Uruguayan goal keeper, Sebastian Abreu lightly tapped in a deceiving shot to give Uruguay the victory.
Saturday, Germany will face Argentina, and Spain will face Paraguay for the final two spots in the semi-finals.