Soccer: the great uniter

Nothing unites a Latin American country like the national soccer team.

Whether the team be among the best in the world or a doormat for the giants to smash on their way to the World Cup, the enthusiasm surrounding these matches brings everyone together.

Even in a country like Peru, which hasn't classified for the World Cup since 1986, a World Cup qualifying match is reason enough for everyone to take a pause from their routine and watch the "Selección."

Peru was playing Colombia Sunday afternoon, and the only thing on everybody's mind was the make sure that we got to Santa Clotilde before the 5:00 kickoff.

Expectations for the game were relatively low.

Colombia has one of the hottest players in the world. None of Peru's players play in the top league in Spain or England (generally considered the two best leagues in the world).

Like any good home team, Peru had some great chances in the first half. And like any team without a realistic chance of qualifying for the World Cup, it wasted its opportunities. Then it decided not to take the second half seriously after ceding a goal to Colombia five minutes after the break.

The next forty minutes were full of my favorite conversation: a South American soccer fan who wants his national team to be good but realizes they aren't. So then he starts blaming the coach for everything while still holding out hope that a miracle could happen.

It's this mix of endless pessimism and eternal optimism that makes watching national team soccer games in Latin America priceless.