It doesn't matter where you are from, what social class you are, how old you are, which political party you support., The national team, or seleçâo, is the great unifying force. When the team plays, everyone proudly displays their jerseys. Life stops for the games.
Any seeminly casual fan harbors stronger opinions about their beloved national team than some of the most ardent American fans have for any of their professional teams. I have engaged in conversations about soccer strategy with grandmothers in the last few days that rival the tactical complexity of any conversations I have had about any sport. All of it in relation to the Brazilian national team. You won't find this anywhere else.
Heading into yesterday's semifinal, many in the country believed it was their destiny to win the World Cup on home soil, espeically after the infamous loss in 1950. That sense of destiny came up against a German squad that didn't abide by those beliefs.
I watched the game with one of my friends and his family. With the entire extended family gathered around the televsion, we witnessed Germany dismantle Brazil's hubris, one goal at a time. After three goals, most people left the room. I sat in the corner of the couch, without anything to say - not knowing what to say. The fact that the game was out of reach so early allowed everyone to spend the remaining hour of the game digesting, or trying to comprehend, what happened in the game's first 25 minutes. Luckily, Brazilians have a very self-depricating sense of humor, which made the last hour as enjoyable as a national nightmare could be.
I came back to the university dorm I have been staying at and saw blank faces among the other guests. They are all college students, whose first sports memories came when Brazil was still king of the soccer world, raised to believe that their national team is the best in the world., But to watch that team get picked apart was humiliating. It was a mixture of silence and jokes about how some of the players didn't show up for the World Cup.
It was foreign to see the ever-ebullient Brazilians reduced to a reserved, sad people.
When I showed up in the office this morning, everyone was feeling a little glum (and maybe a little hungover). People walked around speaking fake German accents all day long. Many times they would just answer the phone in German accents (which gives me ideas on future use of my beloved Russia voice).
Using humor to cover the emotions of the day helped, but it will take years, probably decades, before we understand the gravity and reverberating effects of Germany's win.
One thing that I know for sure is that almost the entire country of Brazil will be rooting their hearts out for Germany in the final. As miserable as Brazilians felt about seeing their team lose in humiliating fashion, the sight of archrival taking the field in the World Cup final at the Maracana will take that pain to new levels.
As my friend said at the end of Argentina's win this afternoon, the only thing that will make us feel better as a country would be a 7-0 win for Germany on Sunday.
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