Philosophy through football

I have watched every game of the World Cup, but what I have really come to appreciate are some of the inter-and post-game commentaries. My interest in two football (soccer to the uninitiated) commentators in particular, Jürgen Klinsmann and Alexi Lalas, actually began in 1994 at the World Cup, which took place in the United States. I first encountered the name Jürgen Klinsmann in the Germany-Bolivia game as he scored a winning goal against my team.  Alex Lalas was was one of the more colorful faces and personalities of US soccer.  In the picture below you can see Klinsmann celebrating his goal against Bolivia. In the next picture

you will see the inimitable Alexi Lalas leaping in the air. His trademark red hair and his goatee symbolized the free-spirit nature of US soccer. Contrast this with the clinical, technical drive of Klinsmann one has an appreciation for two great representatives of the game of football. Each came from different football philosophies and aspired to diverse football destinies. Klinsmann went on to coach the German national team to the World Cup in 2006 and Lalas went on to work with Major League Soccer. Now, interestingly enough football has brought these two statesmen together again. Both are commentators for ESPN during the World Cup. To the casual observer, who
may not be familiar with football, there is nothing out of the ordinary, but if you pay close attention, you can see what made these two athletes such great representatives of their sport. Lalas is passionate, enthusiastic with an almost "aw, shucks" approach that is always imbued with emotion. It is easy to see why he was such a popular US football player. Klinsmann comes off as cerebral, tactical and methodical, always plainly presenting his analysis of the game he is commenting.

One could also say that the commentators are coming from two different  perspectives: Klinsmann representing Old Guard Europe and Lalas sporting the almost rebellious, spontaneous emotional American side. It is neat to see and I hope that others see this as well. Hopefully, one day more people will.

I am thrilled to see more Americans follow the sport, but I hope they are able to pick up the beautiful intricacies of this beautiful game. The write Eduardo Galeano, calls it the "Esperanto of the ball." And  he is right.

I hope people will appreciate Klinsmann when he speaks of the 3-4-3 formation or how the body language of the French team betrays the discord in the group or Lala's candid observation about how "For Italians, it's the law to fall down to draw a foul." These two great football  players make a great commentator team in its own unique way. Unlike the horrible commentating that was on display during the NCAA Men's basketball championship final, where one commentator was clearly a Duke University supporter, Lalas and Klinsmann share their perspectives on football in a respectful way. I wonder what they both think about the incomparable Lionel Messi. As they are commenting, does Klinsmann think up a defensive scheme to slow Messi down? Does Lalas think "In my day, I could take him down!"

Below you see Klinsmann and Lalas as they are now. Whether you are a football fan or not, you should be privileged to watch these two gentlemen comment on the games they watch. It is interesting to know that like you and me, they are also great fans of soccer and for the span of 90 minutes we share that common bond.

 It is always interesting to see what how these two analyze a game. Klinsmann, the consumate tactician, focuses on formations that coaches employ while, Lalas the player's player, brings an almost youthful exuberance to this commentating. There is still plenty of bohemian                                                               

left in him!

I enjoy watching Steve MacNamanan, Chris Fowler, Ruud Gulit and Roberto Martinez comment, but there is something special about watching Lalas and Klinsmann, two different players, two different approaches observe the game. Thank you, ESPN for making such a great decision.