World Cup 2010: South American Secret
Only 8 teams are left in the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa, and 4 of them are from South America. Now that is amazing considering there were only 5 South American teams allowed to enter the World Cup tournament.
Soccer Secret
South American Secret
So how come the South Americans are so good at soccer? Do they kick the ball differently? Is it something they eat? Do they have some kind of voodoo witchcraft? What is the South American soccer secret?
Money Don’t Matter
Soccer Slum
It can’t be money as most of the great soccer players like Pele and Maradona came from poor families in shantytowns. Even today’s great players like Argentina’s Lionel Messi came from a family who struggled to pay the bills.
Futebol de Salao
Futebol de Salao
It has been discovered that in Brazil, there is a game called “Futebol de Salao” that all the great soccer players of Brazil play. “Futebol de Salao” means “Soccer of the Hall” and that’s exactly what it is… soccer played in an indoor court no bigger than a basketball court.
Futebol de Salao is played with a heavy handball that does not bounce, and because of the small court, the players are forced play in small tight battles. Brazil’s greatest players have all played Futebol de Salao and believe that it is this game that is the secret to their mastery of the real thing.
Love and Soccer
So how come the other countries don’t play Futebol de Salao? Well they probably should. But the real story is that Brazilians love soccer so much, that they play it everywhere and every which way. They even play it on the beach over a volleyball net called Footvolley. No wonder they’ve won 5 World Cups.
World Cup Candidates
The Quarterfinals begin this Friday with a South American team in each game. Who is going to win? Do you think all the South American teams will advance to the Semi-Finals?
- Brazil vs Netherlands
- Uruguay vs Ghana
- Argentina vs Germany
- Paraguay vs Spain
