Copa Brasilena

There’s a time for work and a time for play. Against a star-studded Argentinean side in the Copa America final, an underestimated Brazil had time for it all. Fierce tackling, watertight marking, timely goalkeeping, pinpoint passing, clinical finishing—the 3-0 victory for the team in yellow was a reminder of all that Joga Bonito can mean. Sure they danced too, but it was a choreographed dance of precision and teamwork, not just individual flare.

Some found the Brazilian effort to be uncharacteristic. Soccer for the artisan rather than the artist, they say. Well, what do you call that nearly half-field, bending pass, the collected possession, and then the blistering shot that together formed the game-winning goal in the fifth minute? Or the silky thru-pass and side-netting strike in the 69th? Sure looked creative to us. Nobody ever said playing beautifully isn’t hard work.

With some of Brazil’s biggest stars unable to make the trip to Venezuela, it was up to Robinho to take the helm, and after 6-goal tournament performance worthy of MVP and a championship over the country’s biggest rival, it looks as though he might never give it back. On Sunday, the man known more for his pedalada (step over) than anything else played total football, tracking back to help contain Argentina’s magic makers in the midfield. For two weeks Robinho embodied the “work-hard, play-hard” mentality. Difficult to say what led to the transformation—perhaps good coaching, perhaps good team-chemistry—but whatever it was, this is the best we’ve seen him to date. Scary to think where Brazil might go with Ronaldinho and some other vets back in the lineup.