Spain Wins Second World Cup Title at MetLife Stadium
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- Spain won their second FIFA World Cup on Sunday evening at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, adding a second star to their crimson shirts after defeating Argentina
- Captain Rodri was interviewed Friday at the Javits Center in a room overlooking the Hudson River, marveling aloud at how US Airways Flight 1549's emergency water landing cost no lives
- Coach Luis de la Fuente flew by helicopter from Midtown Manhattan to Newark on Friday, receiving a "good luck, go f--- them up" send-off from Tom Brady on the private terminal tarmac
- Spain's Saturday training at Red Bull's New York facility in East Hanover was aborted after two lightning bolts struck near the field, forcing players and hundreds of media inside as an established U.S. thunderstorm protocol kicked in
- Players watched the England-France third-place match from a hotel suite converted into a makeshift barbershop, then relaxed on a Montclair rooftop bar — alcohol-free — the night before the final
- Ferran Torres scored in the final and drew an explicit parallel to Cesc Fabregas's winning assist off the bench in the 2010 World Cup, saying he "just hit it with all the power of the Spanish people"
- The dressing room celebration echoed the nonchalant confidence the embedded reporter witnessed with Spain's 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 winners — tears, then an immediate sense that two stars is "the new normal"
Why it matters: Spain's second star ends a 16-year wait since their 2010 triumph and cements de la Fuente's squad as champions-elect. The team's relaxed pre-final routine — rooftop gatherings and a lightning-cancelled session — matched the composed mentality that carried them past Argentina.
