Jese and Deulofeu: Spain's Bright Future

Spain Gerard Deulofeu, 19, is one of the attraction
of the 2013 U-20 FIFA World Cup.

If you are paying attention to the U-20 2013 FIFA World Cup in Turkey, you are looking at the future of football. Twenty-four countries battle for the precious world title. 

Among them is Spain. The senior team, with players like Iniesta, Xavi, Torres and Casillas, has been dominating the world for the past five years. But with most of them getting old, one could believe that the domination is coming to an end. One could not be more wrong!  

Indeed, the U-20 Spanish team is full of great potential and it plays just like the "Roja"--Spain's first team--which means players are learning from a young age how to keep the ball, put pressure on the opponent and be aggressive when they lose the ball. 

And, if the senior team counts on Iniesta or Xavi to create opportunities, the U-20 team can count on  Jese Rodriguez (20) and Gerard Deulofeu (19). The two youngsters are the stars of the World Cup and have already shown their skills. Jese scored four goals in three matchs, while Deulofeu found the net twice, playing only two games. In addition, both had one assist. 

Jese Rodriguez, Spain's #10, has already scored four goals
after three games. He is the future of Spain and Real Madrid.

But apart from the statistics, what's impressive is how they dominate the game. They are faster and technically better than any other players their age and are already showing the confidence needed at the high level. Future stars for sure--as long as they keep working and keep their feet on the ground. 

The two players also have a bright future with their clubs. Deulofeu, a Barcelona player, played 68 games with the reserve team, scoring 24 times. He only played twice with the first team, but great clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, are already interested for him to be part of a loan for the next season. The same applies to Jese. The Real Madrid striker scored 32 goals in 80 games with the B team and played one game along side Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Ozil and Co.

Keep your eyes open for these two. Their faces are going to be all over your TV screens in the coming years.     

Brazil and Spain at the top; Tahiti leaves, still smiling

Neymar celebrates after scoring a free kick against Italy
on Saturday, June 22. Italy won 4-2.

The first round of the Confederations Cup ended last night with the final games of Group B.

Without real problems, Spain defeated Nigeria (3-0) and Uruguay took second place after dominating Tahiti (8-0). Once again, Spain showed great football, leaving no chance to their opponents and confirming that they were the grand favorites of the competition with Brazil. Their "tiki-taka" playing style works perfectly and the players seem to enjoy it. Obviously, when you can have nine players from Barcelona on the field, the chemistry is at its top. 

Brazil and their new star Neymar proved to the world they were ready to battle for the title. Their victory 4-2 over Italy was an example of the offensive power of the team. And with only two goals conceded in the past five games, Brazil seems to have found a balanced and solid defense, which was one of their main problems in previous years. 

The whole world is now dreaming of a Spain-Brazil final. A real test for both teams, one to ensure its domination, the other one to show its country that they could win the 2014 World Cup. 

But the attraction of the competition was Tahiti, the underdog who qualified after winning the Oceania Cup. With only one professional player, the 148th world team left Brazilian fans and their opposing teams with a big smile and a new understanding of football. 

Tahitian players say goodbye to the fans after their 8-0
loss to Uruguay on Sunday, June 23.

Although, some teams (that did not qualify for the competition) complain about the presence of Tahiti in Brazil because of its poor showing (the team scored one goal and gave up 24 goals), most football enthusiasts fell in love with the team that fought with its heart, battled for every ball and played the game, never really giving up (not even against Spain). 

Of course we can criticize Tahiti's tactics, saying that they should have parked the bus in front of the goal and defended the entire game. But then, Tahitian players knew they were going to lose every game by a huge margin, so why not try to play and hope to score on a counter attack or off a corner kick? Their strategy was successful against Nigeria.

However, we can argue about the coach's decisions to not give playing time to all players, and to some, a mere three minutes...

The Confederations Cup continues Wednesday and Thursday with the Semifinals. On Wednesday, Brazil will take on Uruguay and, on Thursday, Italy will try to take a revenge on Spain, that defeated them in the 2012 Euro Final.

   

Tahiti or The True Face of Happiness

They are salesmen, drivers, teachers or unemployed, but for seven days, they get to be under the spotlight with the stars. They are the Tahiti national football team!

Since last Sunday, the world has discovered a touching and likable football team in the professional world of the Confederations Cup. Among Nigeria, Uruguay and World Champion Spain, Tahiti is living a dream.

It's a dream that came true a year ago, when Tahiti won the Oceania cup, defeating New Caledonia (1-0). However, the scenes of joy at the end of that game were nothing compared to the elation the players felt when they accomplished one of their objectives: scoring a goal.

They were all waiting for it, the Tahitian fans, the Brazilians who decided to cheer for the underdog--a major underdog. Painted in red and white, with flower shirts and leis around the neck, they cheered for the Toa Aito ("Iron Warriors") every time the team had the ball! And then it came...

Jonathan Tehau is now the face of Tahiti all around the world. The first tahitian goal-scorer in an international FIFA competition. The 24 year-old player scored on a header off a corner kick by Marama Vahirua, the only professional player of the team.

Tahiti showed the world the real face of Football: passion, happiness, fun, respect and humility. When the players take on the field, they enjoy being there, playing with their heart and with a smile on their face from the first kick to the last.

Despite two major losses (1-6 to Nigeria and 0-10 to Spain), Tahiti is loved by Brazilians, but also by their opponents. After the game against Spain, Fernando Torres said Tahiti was an example for other teams.

"All of us have become big fans of that team. We have all had our photos taken together. It was a joy to play in that match and not just because we won easily, but because they were sporting and despite losing they played with a smile on their faces."

Spain manager, Vicente Del Bosque added that Tahitian players played fairly and that "every time they had the ball, they tried to attack us."

It's not something you see every day against Spain. And, when most teams would have played tough football after conceding so many goals, Tahiti kept playing its way, while respecting the game and the opponent. Each player wanted to enjoy their time on the field, staying as long as possible, maybe hoping that it would never stop... 

Tahiti has one more game to play Sunday against Uruguay. Ninety minutes of pure pleasure, smiles, happiness, and the dream will be over. The "stars" for a week will get back to their everyday lives, minds filled with memories. And they'll leave us with cheerful hearts...