What We've Learned: 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup

The 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup concluded Sunday night in Rio de Janeiro. The quadrennial dress rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup provided moments of excitement, concern and jubilation in just over a fortnight.

The countdown is now less than a year away for soccer's grand showpiece to return to its most passionate and football-crazed land. Still, there is plenty of soccer to be played across the globe before the June 12th opener in Sao Paulo.

Let's take a look at five things we've learned from the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Protests Cast Shadow over Football

The "festival of football" has been marred by protests and civil unrest throughout Brazil in the past two weeks. Though not the first time a major sporting event has provided a canvas for political purposes, the struggling Brazilian middle class has expressed serious discontent over political corruption, newly levied taxes and increased transportation and public service fees.

The protests have been non-violent for the most part, however, six deaths have been documented as crowds of protesters clashed with police in the last few days across Brazil. Protests will likely continue up until next year's FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Even though officials believe the 2014 FIFA World Cup will generate $70 million for the national economy, Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has experienced nightmarish criticism as her popularity rating has plunged nearly 30% since the beginning of the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Protests along with stadium concerns are sure to cause major headaches for FIFA and the Brazilian government as kick off is less than a year away. Still, FIFA has insisted that they have no intention of relocating the World Cup, as they have instilled their faith in Brazil as host nation.

Tahiti Wins the Hearts of Millions

Tahiti, a nation of only 180,000 inhabitants, proved that the saying "winning isn't everything" is more than a cliche. The tiny South Pacific island captivated the hearts of soccer fans across the globe; showing the romantic side of sports.

With only one professional footballer on their squad, simply qualifying for the Confederations Cup was a dream come true for the underdogs from the Oceania Football Confederation. Tahiti coach Eddy Etaeta even claimed that, "Tahiti has not come to win" ; that playing against world superpowers is more than this team could dream of.

Perhaps the most personified image of a "David versus Goliath" match up came on June 20th when Tahiti battled reigning world champion Spain in the historic Maracana Stadium. This story line did not quite follow biblical folklore, as mighty Spain pounded Tahiti 10-0 in Rio.

As if anyone needed deeper perspective into Tahiti's underdog status, consider this: one player on Tahiti's roster was Fernando Torres' honeymoon tour guide. Point being, a group of teachers, lawyers, government employees, and even unemployed men were given an opportunity to play the game they love against some of the greatest players in modern football. Tahiti proved that dreams can come true.

Tahiti may have lost all three matches with a goal differential of -23, but they won something much more important: the respect of football fans everywhere.

Neymar Is the Real Deal

Neymar has silenced his critics for good, until the start of La Liga and UEFA Champions League play begins of course. The 21-year-old superstar provided flash, vision, and poise while heralding the hallowed No. 10 jersey for the Seleccao in this year's FIFA Confederations Cup.

Neymar scored four goals in five matches, including a scorcher on Iker Casillas' near post in the final against Spain. His performance landed him Golden Ball honors (tournament's best player). Winning the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup has rectified Brazil's hopes to return to the summit of international soccer in 2014. For now, Neymar, his  Brazilian teammates, and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari have proved that Brazil can win "beautifully" and adapt tactically to modern football - as seen with a 3-0 throbbing of reigning world champion Spain.

The next chapter for the legend of Neymar will be written in Europe with FC Barcelona. As of July 1st, the Brazilian superstar will be joining forces with the world's best player, Lionel Messi. Ironically, much of the Spanish Starting XI that Neymar obliterated in the Confederations Cup Final play for Barcelona. It will be interesting to see how Neymar will fit in to the "tiki-taka" style that the blaugrana is renowned for. Perhaps the Catalan Giants are willing to alter their style of play to incorporate Neymar and exploit his pace and creativity. After losing to eventual Champions League winners FC Bayern Munich 7-0 on aggregate in this season's Champions League semifinals, perhaps change is exactly what Barcelona - and Neymar need.

The Reign in Spain Is...Done?

Finishing runners-up in a major international tournament is normally a respectable result for any national team, but not for Spain. Arguably the greatest national team in football history, Spain has won three consecutive major titles (UEFA Euro 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008), a feat never before accomplished in international football.

The FIFA Confederations Cup has not been a favorable event for La Furia Roja as of late. In 2009, Spain astonishingly fell to the United States 2-0 in the semifinals, a memorable night for the Americans in Bloemfontein. Spain quickly put that defeat behind them and won the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their nation's history a year later in South Africa.

Still, there is room for concern in the Spanish camp following the 3-0 loss to Brazil Sunday night in Rio. Spain was relatively unimpressive in Brazil during the Confederations Cup after their opening 2-1 win against Uruguay - arguably their best performance of the tournament. Spain was virtually unchallenged against Tahiti, leading to a 10-0 thrashing thanks to a four goal performance by Fernando Torres (including a missed penalty kick). The Spaniards made easy work of Nigeria in their final group match to claim all nine possible points in group play. Finally, Spain squeaked by Italy 7-6 on penalties in the semifinals; although they were outplayed by the Azzurri for the majority of the match.

Perhaps it is naive to think that the reigning world and European champions have lost a step or two. The majority of their squad has championship experience and play professionally for the biggest clubs in Europe. Still, one can be forgiven for favoring Brazil on home soil next summer after witnessing the 3-0 thumping in the Maracana this past Sunday.

One thing is for sure, we won't be seeing Sergio Ramos taking another penalty kick any time soon.

Brazil Deserved Favorites

Brazilian fans: exhale.

All the doubts surrounding the Brazilian national team have been extinguished after winning the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup on home soil.

Brazil had dropped to a record-low ranking of 22nd in the FIFA World Rankings coming into the Confederations Cup. Because of their automatic World Cup qualification as host nation, Brazil had only friendly matches to base their ranking upon. Though most football fans would agree that FIFA rankings matter little, Brazil's spot will surely skyrocket after claiming hardware in the Confederations Cup.

"So what?" one may ask.

Sure, Brazil won the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2005 and 2009 before falling (prematurely) in the quarterfinals in Germany in 2006 and South Africa in 2010, respectively. But this team looks different.

With 2002 FIFA World Cup title-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari back at the helm, Brazilian fans believe the right leadership needed to win a major trophy is finally back in place. Neymar has lived up to his reputation as the "golden boy" and the resurgence of Fred as a prolific goal scoring threat makes the Brazilian attack very dangerous. Brazil bolsters youthful exuberance and veteran leadership as seen from their solid back-line of Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Marcelo, Dani Alves; as well as Julio Cesar in goal.

Will Brazil get the job done on home soil? Well, we will have to wait a year to find out.