NYC Rubber Room Reporter: World Cup Fever: TODOS CON LA ROJA!!!

Today's THE day! Today's the World Cup FINAL... and Spain's in it!!! :o) We made it!!!

ESPA�A!

Spain and I have gone completely football crazy!!! (that's soccer for you yanks! lol!) I wanted to share memories from these past several weeks of celebration and let some of you who've never seen World Cup Fever experience at least a little bit of it vicariously. ;o)

1st Round - Match 2: Spain vs Honduras 2:0

Saw it on a "giant" screen outdoors in a park in San Vicente (next town over), overflowing with very excited people, kiddies to oldies all praying for a decisive victory (since we had lost the first match against the Swiss)

Here's a taste:

1st Round - Match 3: Spain vs Chile 2:1

The decisive match! We needed to win to be first in our group and avoid playing Brazil in the next round!

Friends preparing the "ambiance" (there were three flags hanging on the walls, one of them mine!):

Everyone mostly ignoring the food and concentrating on the match:

Happy!

Round of 16: Spain vs Portugal 1:0

At my place, with a bunch of local crazies and a couple imported from Belgium!

GOOOOOOL!!!!!

VILLA! VILLA! VILLA MARAVILLA!!!

(that's what everyone's yelling this year as striker David Villa has scored 5 of Spain's 7 goals)

Celebrating:

OL�!!!

Quarter Finals: Spain vs Paraguay 1:0

Back at my place, fewer people but just as crazy! :p

A penalty shot leads to GOOOOL!!!

OH�! OH�! OH�! OH��!!!

Damn!!! The referee cancelled the goal 'cause apparently some players moved to soon! Back to 0:0 and talk about feeling bummed out!

But wait!

Halleluya:

GOOOOOOOL!!! Villa again!!!

Impatiently waiting for the referee to blow the whistle and end the match before the Paraguayans get a chance to score and get a tie:

V for VICTORY!!!

And finally, home from celebrating the Semi-Final against Germany. 1:0 for Spain!!!! YAY!!!!

And now I'm going to don my shirt, paint my face and head off to watch the historic final against Holland (neither country has ever won the World Cup) with my friends in a crowded bar in San Vicente. I fully hope to come home honking my horn like crazy and waving a lag out my window! Wether they win or lose.... as long as they play well! Being finalists would still be a big accomplishment... but I'm trusting Paul the Octopus who has granted Spain the VICTORY!!!