For a fleeting moment–as we entered into the World Cup quarter finals–it looked as if a South American combination would rule the day.
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay all made it into the quarter finals, clearly outnumbering a three-team European combination–Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.
But then it began to unravel. The headlines say it all:
Germany Taunts, Topples Argentina (4-0)
Spain Sneaks past Paraguay (1-0)
Netherlands Shocks Brazil (2-1)
Only Uruguay managed to “Beat Ghana in Heart-Breaking Fashion in Penalty Shootout” (4-2) and advance to the semifinals.
Uruguay will now be defending South America’s honor in a match against the Netherlands Tuesday, July 6, 2:30p.m. ET at Cape Town.
Uruguay last reached a semifinal in 1970 and lost against Brazil. However, Uruguay has the distinction of winning the very first World Cup in 1930 and then again in 1950.
The Netherlands last reached the semifinals in 1998 and also lost against Brazil. The Netherlands has reached the World Cup finals twice before, in 1974 and 1978, but never won one
Even if Uruguay loses in the semifinals, those of Hispanic descent can still pin their hopes on the Spain-Germany semifinal game being played the next day, Wednesday, in Durban.
If both the Netherlands and Spain make it to the finals, this Hispanic-Dutch-Latino puppy is going to go through some serious identity problems.
Perhaps not to worry, as various “experts” are predicting a Netherlands-Germany World Cup final.
Image: Courtesy FIFA
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.