On globalization, tactics, and the new football game. Love or hate it, football – or soccer for the Americans – is the biggest pro sport in the world. It has been practiced in almost every country for a long time, and has shown a remarkable stability in its rules since its creation as a sport, more than one century ago. If the rules are stable, the game itself is still evolving. Football is now a global sport. Players from all around the world play on the world's top leagues. The World Cup is now a truly global event, smaller only than the Olympic Games, which is also a remarkable achievement for a single sport. The globalization of football has led to big changes on the dynamic of the game, changes which have made the game that we watch today a different spectacle to watch than the one from a few decades ago. [kuro5hin.org]