The End Is Rarely Beautiful

It was never supposed to end like this, so meekly and so uninspiringly. This seemingly irresistible force that had assailed the soccer world for the better part of a decade was, despite a somewhat aging core, always expected to maintain the standard that they had set forth for themselves, and indeed, history was at least supposed to almost repeat itself.

Fate, and especially in the sporting realm, has an unforgiving demeanor. It doesn't care about what we think is supposed to happen, and it especially doesn't care about human creations such as legacy and legend. Time comes, time goes, empires are built and empires crumble. Perhaps we should finally accept the teachings of history and acknowledge that, yes, even the phenomenon of Spain has fallen to such a timeless, cyclical reality.

United States 2, Ghana 1: Hope, Dream, Believe

From the moment last December's World Cup draw was finalized, the 16th of June was a day that was circled on the calendars of scores of US fans for an intriguing myriad of reasons. Indeed, it was the day of the United States' debut in Brazil, but of course the relevance was always going to be much deeper than that. In facing Ghana, it was a chance to exorcise an old demon, and in battling in perhaps the toughest group at this year's World Cup, it was undeniably the Americans' most clear-cut chance to get three very vital points when points would be at a premium.

On such a stage, against such an old foe, and against such a physically imposing side, perhaps this was never going to be the most attractive soccer clinic. Ultimately, maybe that wound up being just as well.

Minnesota United: Silverware Worthy

As many of us witnessed with great curiosity in the weeks and months leading up to the beginning of the 2014 NASL campaign, something of an arms race, previously a rarity in the American second division, was unfolding before our very eyes. In an effort to end the reign of the Cosmos before it could ever really manifest, clubs such as Tampa Bay, San Antonio and Minnesota invested in a myriad of new, quality signings in the hopes that such moves would see them claiming any of the three trophies on offer this year.

Indeed, Minnesota's cupboard was hardly bare from 2013, and the additions of Jamie Watson, Thiago Calvano, Juliano Vicentini served to seemingly fill in some of the cracks that ultimately caused Minnesota to disappointingly languish in mid-table anonymity last year. However, with Pablo Campos going down in the preseason by way of a torn ACL and MCL, Minnesota lost the very fulcrum of their potent attack and, for many pundits around the league, likely lost their contender status as well in that cruel moment.

Thankfully for the Minnesota faithful, pundits and talking heads don't determine results; players and coaches do.