Euro Finals Preview

Ah, playoffs. Knockout stages. Championships. It may be the dead of summer, and the dog days of most American sports seasons, but what if I told you one of the greatest tournaments we've ever witnessed culminates this weekend, with a historic championship game.

Spain and England meet in the final of the European Championship on Sunday. Spain is seeking a record fourth title at the Euros to break a tie with Germany/West Germany, while England is bidding for a first major trophy in men’s soccer since the 1966 World Cup. Both teams have stacked rosters, fully equipped with many of the best stars in the world.

During this tournament, Spain and England have taken stark opposite paths to get to where they are. Spain has looked all the part of a championship caliber team. They've blown out opponents not on their skill level, taken down powerhouses like Germany and France, and done it all with confident swagger and flair. 

Lamine Yamal is Spain’s new star, having set up three goals before the semifinals, where he scored a spectacular long-range strike in the victory over France — all at the age of 16. He turned 17 on Saturday, the day before the final. It is a breakthrough major tournament for Yamal, much like it was for a 19-year-old Kylian Mbappé at the 2018 World Cup and a 17-year-old Pelé at the 1958 World Cup. Pair Yamal with a group of experienced midfielders and a strong supporting cast, and Spain looks like tournament winners who will expect nothing less than a win on Sunday.

England on the other hand? It's been shaky, but look where they are - right back where it all went wrong in 2020 when they lost in the Euro Final to Italy in a penalty shootout. England somehow topped their group in round-robin play despite only scoring two goals total. They've looked poor during this tournament at times, but they've shown resilience, coming from behind in all three of its knockout-stage matches at Euro 2024. 

Jude Bellingham scored an equalizer from an overhead kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time in the extra-time win over Slovakia in the last 16, Bukayo Saka equalized in the 80th minute against Switzerland in the quarterfinals before England won a penalty shootout, and substitute Ollie Watkins scored a winner almost exactly on 90 minutes against the Netherlands in the semifinals

So who's going to win the game? Spain will be the favorite to win, no doubt. But England has the players to do it. Let's think about this in the lens of a true American... we'll compare the country's squads to college football programs. Spain is like Ohio state, a fair amount of success in the last two decades – winning the World Cup in 2010 and going back to back in the Euro's in 2008 and 2021. Like the Buckeyes, they're always given respect as a title contender, no matter the year and no matter the team. Not the most dominant program, but close to it.

England on the other hand is like Texas. A history of great teams, championship winning seasons, but nothing to show for in recent seasons despite getting oh-so close. They always have a talented team, but when it comes time to win that big game, or go the distance, they've seemed to always fall short in recent years.

This will be the first time that Spain and England have met in a senior men's final, but the two nations have become regular rivals across the game and Sunday's match points to the success of the two national associations in developing their teams. They both lean on their young stars to seize the moment and step up when called on.

I expect a slow game at first, with both teams feeling the other out and figuring out how to find the cracks in the opposition's formation and game plan. The two coaches, Gareth Southgate for England and Luis de la Fuente for Spain will need to make the adjustments and substitutes needed to win the battle.

I think Spain will score first and control the majority of the game. But England has proven over and over again in this tournament that they own the late game – I wouldn't rule out a late game equalizer to send the game to extra time or even penalty shots. 

I'm looking forward to the game and just hope the game will be as exciting as the rest of this great tournament has been. I recommend you all tune in tomorrow at 3:00 PM.