Some seven months ago, writing on the day before the 2013 MLS Cup final between Real Salt Lake and Kansas City, I commented that KC defender Aurelien Collin "... is physical to the point of recklessness and seems to lead a charmed life right on the edge of red-card territory."

One's patience with FIFA begins to run out. By which I mean, of course, my patience.

Of course there were concussion-incidents during the World Cup. Given that there are head-clashes in virtually every game of soccer that is ever played, that was to be expected.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- It took nearly two hours of often rather trite soccer for Germany to win this World Cup. The one goal that decided the final, from Mario Goetze, was a beauty ... in a game that, while it had plenty of tension and a sufficient number of near-misses and other highlights, was sadly lacking in that precious quality: Beauty.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- As Argentina was making its laborious way to the 2014 World Cup final, the word came from Spain: Alfredo Di Stefano was dead, at the age of 88. Di Stefano, the Argentine who many regard in awe as the greatest of them all.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Superlatives are definitely called for to describe Germany's blitzing of Brazil. No one expected anything like that. Who would, when nothing like it, even remotely comparable, has ever happened before. The host team of a World Cup being utterly humiliated, letting in seven goals right there, in front of its own fans, in a semifinal game.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Down to the final four, and things seem to have arranged themselves pretty much as expected. The cream of South America -- Brazil and Argentina -- against the best of Europe, Germany and the Netherlands.

Buried under the tumult and clamor of the USA's performance against Belgium -- most of it focused on goalkeeper Tim Howard's remarkable performance -- are some uncomfortable truths for the American game.