INGLEWOOD, Calif. — When I asked one fan, Rob, for his favorite Spain player ahead of La Roja’s round of 32 clash with Austria on Thursday, a mix of disgust and astonishment flashed across his expressive eyes.
It was such an intense reaction—although perhaps not for someone dressed as a traditional matador—I briefly feared that I had inadvertently insulted him in my stuttering attempt at broken Spanish. Fortunately not (this time). He was simply stunned at my line of inquiry when the answer was so exceedingly obvious. “Lamine, por supuesto.”
