Why it is Good to Have a Backup National Identity

Let us review: after beating Australia 4:0 in the preliminary rounds, Germany then defeated--no crushed--England in the first knock-out round. Saturday morning, the German national side turned its sights on South American powerhouse Argentina. Everyone expected that finally someone would give the Germans a run for their money.. The result? once again the opposition is humiliated by Germany's lightning quick counter attacks and swarming defense.

Anyway, my boys and I have been enjoying cheering for a winner for once, and we hope that the fun will continue a little longer. As a friend of mine pointed out, the German team reflects the change in German culture over the last 40 years. On the team is one player of Turkish ancestry, two from Poland and one from Tunisia. Germany is increasingly a country of immigrants-- and not just the guest workers of fifties and sixties, and I find it very encouraging.

On the other hand, the United States managed to not embarrass themselves at the World Cup. They tied England and overcame some horrendous calls by the referees, with a injury time goal to make it out of group play. Against Ghana, they managed a heroic comeback only to lose out 2:1 in overtime, ending the hopes of espn to have a successful World Cup. --On the bright side, if the U.S. ever did win the soccer championship, it would be the end of all foreign relations, and the rest of the world really would hate us. So it is nice to have a backup Country that you can identify with--especially if that team has scored 15 goals in the last five games (almost as much as in an American football game.
So to all my friends and coworkers that have connections with Argentina, all I can say is, too bad. You chose your second country poorly. Time to learn German.