The Grass of Another Country: A Journey Through the World of Soccer

While baseball is our national game, soccer is the international game of choice, and climaxes every four years in the World Cup, watched on TV by an estimated billion fans. Merrill, a poet, an editor and a former amateur soccer player who demonstrates an expert's knowledge of the sport, went to Italy for the 1990 World Cup, won by then-West Germany, and here captures the frenzied dedication of the spectators whose teams were in contention, the wild elation when their nations won and the despair when they lost. He also analyzes the style of play of many teams, which he views as reflective of their national character, some conservative and defense-oriented, others aggressive yet almost balletic. The book may have been written as advance publicity for the 1994 World Cup, which will be held in the U.S. for the first time, but it will probably be appreciated only by those already familiar with the nuances of the sport. (Nov.)