July 10, 2010 | View Scores
JOHANNESBURG -- Sunday will be a game of firsts.
It will be the first World Cup final held on African soil. It'll be the first time either Spain (playing in its first final) or the Netherlands (a two-time finalist) will raise the trophy in its history. And regardless of who wins, it'll be the first time a European country will win a World Cup played outside of Europe.
So which team will make history?
It was the Dutch, of course, who in the 1970s played a style of soccer that became known as "Total Football." The team's coach, Rinus Michels, preached that all 10 field players should move with the ball and that every field player should be able to play any position at any moment, depending on the game's flow. But come Sunday, it will more likely be Spain playing something closer to Total Football.
Vicente del Bosque's Spanish side has skill all over the field and plays a peerless passing game. Players such as FC Barcelona's Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Xavi have played so many games together at the club level that they bring a sort of telepathic understanding of one another to the field. Combining with Real Madrid stars like Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos, as well as David Villa, Spain's greatest individual talent, La Roja Furia (the Red Fury) are a national team that plays like a well-honed top club.
Spain rolled through qualifying, winning all 10 of its games, but was stunned 1-0 by Switzerland in its first match in South Africa. That game with the Swiss no doubt gives this Netherlands team -- also perfect in qualifying -- enough belief that it, too, can take down the Spaniards.
Jeff Bradley
For more from ESPN The Magazine's Jeff Bradley, check out his daily entries in our World Cup blog.
The Dutch have a pragmatic, hardworking crew that might be able to turn the tide on Spain the way its rivals did on the Oranje during the Total Football days. On its way to Sunday's final, the Netherlands did not lose or tie a single match. Its most impressive victory was its 2-1 come-from-behind win over Brazil in the quarterfinals.
Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk has his team believing in a compact 4-2-3-1 formation that will certainly be hard for Spain to penetrate. If the Dutch can frustrate Spain's intricate passing game and create timely turnovers in midfield, there's explosive skill in attacking players Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben that can create a goal or two.
Of course, Spain's resolve is not to be questioned at this point. Del Bosque's men have proved to be more than just an outfit that can play pretty soccer. They've been as tough as anyone in this tournament, winning three times by the score of 1-0 to advance to the final.
A match of toughness and guile between these two sides makes it too close to call. And it might require more than 90 minutes to decide. If that's what it takes, neither will give in.
Because there's nothing like winning the World Cup for the first time.
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.
