As the United States prepares for their match-up with Spain later today in preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics run in London, Team USA has already been called out by their Spanish counterparts for their propensity to travel. Spain presents a tough opponent and apparently they're wanting to make certain that the officials call the game closely -- either that or they want to get into their heads.
Tom Ziller of SB Nation says in his latest column that the move by Spain, whether the move helps them achieve a win or not, is a good thing for the international game where dominance is the typical boring talk of every media outlet covering Team USA.
"Regardless of what actually happens, bless Spain for introducing American fans to a level of international play in which strategy and storylines like this actually matter," writes Ziller. "It gets awful boring going on and on about how dominant Team USA will be. To have a real rival raises the entertainment level of the proceedings. Even though we all typically despise having to talk about referees, in international play, we'll take it."
Team USA is always more exciting to watch when there is some real drama and grit to the competition, so this spark with Spain in the media should make today's game -- at 3:30pm CT -- that much more entertaining to watch.
Read more Olympics coverage at the hub page here and check out SB Nation Kansas City.