The first article discusses the now infamous head-butt in the 2006 World Cup final. What the author does is use this famous scene to explain the huge factors that contribute to the importance of big games. He writes;

the media (and especially in the current era, television) constitute a vast canvas onto which can be projected the social relations, cultural meanings, and political conundra that resonate deeply across the worlds we inhabit. Major sport spectacles are probably the most potent, vibrant stages on which such human drama can be played out in real time before a vast international, if still not entirely global audience (Roche, 2000). (Rowe, 355-356).

to me this quote puts perfectly the reason these big matches mean so much in the modern world. It is not simply 11 players playing on 11 players from another nation, but rather the two nations battling each other for supremacy.

The second article talks about globalization and youth development. The author writes;

In recent years, Premiere League academies with the requisite resources have expanded their established scouting networks in the United Kingdom and Ireland to recruit young players from countries and continents farther afield.Migrant youth footballers now compete alongside indigenous players in these elite training centres (Weedon, 201).

This is something that is not only very true, but could lead to the rise of American soccer, as we talked about in class. Right now there are two players from America in the famed Liverpool reserves team and even an 11 year old playing for Real Madrid. Hopefully this will help elevate their playing ability through superior coaching. This means better players in the future for the U.S.