Return of the Beautiful Game

Soccer jerseys from around the world are sprouting on the backs of Southwestern College students like wildflowers after a warm spring rain. World Cup fever is spreading and SWC has a bad case.

Every four years the globe's most-watched sporting event takes center stage and billions of soccer fans literally wear their national pride on their sleeves.

June 11 will mark the start of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in a resurrected South Africa shaking off the darkness of apartheid to savor the reflective light of the "beautiful game."
With less than a month until the inaugural match between World Cup host South Africa and Mexico, SWC students have already begun to express the passion and pride for their homelands that have triumphed over a four-year process to qualify to the World Cup.

Green Mexican jerseys, blue U.S.A. tops and the sangria uniforms of Spain seem to be the fashion favorites at SWC, but there are also plenty of fans from Italy, England, France, Argentina, Brazil and Portugal. Also spotted on soccer aficionados are jerseys from Ecuador, Senegal, Japan, China, Ivory Coast, Russia, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

Combinations of horn-honking pride mixed with agonizing defeat are part of the game. Pitched battles on the pitch bring the world to halt for one brief shining moment.
"The feeling of emotion changes into some sort of static suspense," said Karen Del Fierro, 19, a psychology major, who is pulling for Mexico.

South African icon Nelson Mandela once said that the arts and sports had great power to unite humanity. He may have had the World Cup in mind.

"This World Cup is very important," said Ricky Gutierrez, 21, undecided. "It's going to bring people together."

Jerseys vibrantly parade around campus while voices wander through the halls as talks of who will reign supreme as champions. Most realists are selecting El Rojo of Spain to take the victory lap around the stadium in Johannesburg after the final. Realism has never hampered the mystical and fatalistic people of Mexico, however, and thousands of SWC students are picking El Tri to bring Cup glory home to North America.

"Ideally, I'd like to see Mexico win," said Jonathan Hardin, 22, a civil engineer major, "But I see Portugal winning it all."

Although most fans have not selected El Tri to win it all, there is strong faith in the squad to advance through the group stage consisting of World Cup host South Africa, Les Blues of France and Uruguay, to surpass famed fifth game that has monstrously haunted El Tri in the past World Cups.

Mexico lost to Argentina four years ago on el gol de milagro by midfielder Maxi Rodriguez, the most amazing shot of the tournament.

Despite the many fouls SWC students have suffered this semester, the World Cup is a positive that they will finally get to experience. Soccer, at least, is safe from the schedule chopping of Superintendent Raj K. Chopra and his budget henchmen.

"It comes at a perfect time," said Hardin. "With finals coming up, and class cuts, the World Cup is a great distraction from all the stress at school."

And a great time for the soccer store on Telegraph Canyon Road that sells jerseys from around the world.