May 25, 2014
-----
Yours truly will be in Brazil in late June to watch Argentina spank Iran,
and enjoy all the games at bars and parties in 4 cities. I'll report my
experiences from time to time. For now, enjoy my second "season" of writing
Foster's Football Brew:
We've heard enough about the Landon Donovan snub (and let's face it, Team
USA will struggle with or without the legendary American forward), so I'm going
to tell you about which teams I think you should keep your eyes on, from
traditional contenders to dark horses that will surprise you.
It should come as no surprise that Brazil, Argentina, Germany, and Spain
are the perennial favorites to win the Tournament. As much as I'd like to see
Argentina win it all, they may have some flaws in the departments of defense and
chemistry. Nevertheless, chances are better than 50-50 that one of these four
sides will raise the trophy on July 13 at the Maracanã stadium in Rio. But each
team has some weaknesses, and there are other teams out there that are
legitimate threats to win it all.
PRETENDERS
Some teams are being touted to go deep or exceed expectations. I'm going
to deflate a few of those sides:
-France: The Frogs are loaded with talent, but they haven't put together a
consistent run leading to the World Cup. Many of these exciting young players
haven't shined in their respective club teams in wrapping up the recent
2013-2014 season. In fact, they have failed to impress going back to the Euro
2012, when I touted them as an up and coming team with a lot of promise in the
first season of Foster's Football Brew. Granted, France just put up 4 goals
against Norway, but that group isn't a World Cup qualifier. France is simply
overrated at 22/1 odds to win at all. At that payout, If I were a betting man
(which I am!), I would rather take Italy, Holland, or Uruguay. The only saving
grace for France: They are in Group D, by far the wimpiest, but one they are
expected to win. To qualify for the knock-out stages, they must face the likes
of Switzerland (100/1), Ecuador (125/1), and Honduras (1500/1). If they can't
be the top two among these foes, they will achieve an EPIC FAIL!
-Nigeria: Champions of the Africa Cup of Nations, they lack discipline on
the defensive end, and also need to work on team chemistry, given their level of
international talent. They aren't the highest ranked African country in the
World Cup, and will have to get past Iran and either Argentina or Bosnia to
secure a spot in the knockout stages. You can catch Nigeria in a friendly game
vs. our very own Team USA on June 7th at 2:30PM PST to see what they're made
of.
-Japan: Some may think Japan isn't expected to go far, but they exceeded
their potential in 2002 and 2010. They continue to have great team chemistry,
especially on defense, but this time around, they just don't have the strength
on the attacking end of the field. And they will face some stiff competition
from the likes of Colombia, Ivory Coast, and Greece). I expect to see
low-scoring games, with their best result being perhaps a tie against Greece, at
nil-nil.
-England: There are some talents on the rise in England, but the team
continues to under-perform. Their odds at 22/1 (tied for 6th highest with Italy
and France) are overrated by Vegas, in my opinion...perhaps there is a bias
there. They are in a tough group with Italy, Uruguay, and Costa Rica... I would
be surprised if they somehow reach the knockout stages.
CONTENDERS
-Italy: Always putting on a great team defense, I expect Italy to get to
the quarterfinals if not farther, depending on their draw. They were runners up
to Spain in the 2012 Euro's, and still have a depth of talent and experience,
albeit many of the latter is nearing football retirement age. They are in
transition from an old guard to younger talents, including the explosive Mario
Balotelli. Can he keep his cool and focus on the big picture for Italy? I
think he is due for a breakout of goals in the group stage of this tournament...
which may be the confidence booster the team needs to carry them deep.
-Holland: They are in the top 10 and expected to go deep. Will they
repeat their 2010 success or falter, as they did at the 2012 Euro's? They'll
have to get the better of Spain or Chile in the group stage...they may be too
much for Chile, so I expect a second place finish in Group B. Perhaps the
Oranje over-achieved in 2010?
-Portugal: Cristian Ronaldo is the best player in the world. Even so, he
and his national team haven't lived up to expectations against the bigger sides
in World Cup competitions, a la the disappointments of Leo Messi for Argentina.
Portugal had to beat Sweden to barely qualify for this World Cup. They
certainly have a solid shot at getting second, if not first place in their
group, which consists of Germany, Ghana, and Team USA. They are highly ranked
by FIFA (#3!), but Vegas has set their odds at 28/1 at winning the whole thing
(tied w/ Colombia for 11th most favored). Will the average Brazilian cheer on
the Portuguese at games not featuring Brazil as an opponent, given their shared
cultural heritage? Can Cristian Ronaldo, now at the peak of his career, put
Portugal on his back to take them back to the semi-finals this time around? Not
if they don't take first place in their group.
DARK HORSES
Here are some teams flying under the radar, but will make a splash to one
extent or another at the 2014 FIFA World Cup:
-The team nobody seems to be talking about, but may best be compared to the
Netherlands team that was runners up in the 2010 competition is none other than
Belgium. YES, BELGIUM! Like France, they are stacked with stars playing in the
English Premier League and elsewhere. But unlike Les Bleus, the "Red Devils"
have great team chemistry. And they are DEEP at every position. Belgium has
played well in qualifying and as of late, is hitting on all cylinders. While
their FIFA Ranking is # 12 in the world, they are ranked 5th by Oddsmakers to
win the World Cup at 18/1. I would say they are underrated simply because their
team is not among the familiar teams cracking the semi finals of any World Cup
competition since 1986?
I'm going with Vegas on these guys. Keep your eyes on Eden Hazard, the
creative playmaker who can also score goals all on his own. He's Belgium's more
powerful version of Spain's Iniesta, and when this tournament is over, Hazard
will be a household name (note the French pronunciation; the "H" is
silent).
-Uruguay: Often not taken seriously because they are a small and obscure
country, the 2010 competition proved you can't count these guys out on the
biggest stage, especially when they will have a bit of a "home field" advantage
having games within hundreds of miles of their own borders. Uruguay has who I
think is arguably the 2nd or 3rd best player in the world over the last year:
Luis Suarez. He plays in magician-like fashion, able to conjure goals in every
way imaginable while often willing and able to dish-out a pass when double- or
triple-teamed to a wide open teammate. He will have compatriots at his side who
are battle-tested in the top European leagues. Uruguay is the 9th-highest
favored team to win the World Cup, and is #6 on the FIFA Rankings list. But
they will have to overcome Italy, England, and Costa Rica to qualify for the
knock-out stages. I expect them to be there with Italy come the final days of
June.
-Colombia: I really don't know much about these guys, except there's a guy
named Falcao that is supposed to be an awesome striker coming back from injury.
They are also highly ranked within South America and FIFA's rankings. They
have a great chance to win their group...they should cruise to the quarterfinals
before facing a tougher foe, on paper at least. At 28/1 odds, they are on par
with Portugal to take the trophy, so I'm taking them seriously. Caveat: they
are notorious for choking under pressure in big tournaments (poor Andres "own
goal" Escobar from the '94 World Cup, R.I.P.)...let's see if they can shed those
ghosts and make the most of this opportunity!
-Ivory Coast: Will an African team finally get past the quarterfinals of a
World Cup? Ghana had a great run in 2010 (at the expense of Team USA!). Cote
D'Ivoire is the highest-ranked African country (125/1 odds, ranked 21st by FIFA)
this year despite not having a great showing at the Africa Cup of Nations last
year. They do have good team chemistry, some top defenders, and incredible
talent in the attack. With draws against Colombia, Greece, and Japan, I like
the Ivory Coast's chances of making it into the knockout stages. Yet they are a
true dark horse to make a deep run. Unless they can get the first place seeding
from their group, they will struggle just to reach the quarterfinals. Given his
age of 36, stud striker Didier Drogba will have his last hurrah on the world
stage...look for plenty of goals involving Ivory Coast.
FINAL NOTES:
To learn more about where the Vegas oddsmakers stand, including the overall
winner, group winners, and oddball bets like "[teams] to finish last [in their
group]", visit http://sports.bovada.lv/sports-betting/world-cup-groups.jsp.
:
My friend and fellow soccer fan Dave Gerber is part of a startup 4 years in
the making, Sport195. Many of you may find this new website and app
useful:
Every soccer fan
needs a good resource to get information on athletes, teams and countries
participating in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Sport195 provides a way to interact
with other fans of the game of soccer. If you plan on attending the World Cup
you can take pictures of the action and upload the images to your own
self-created World Cup soccer board. Sports195 also provides scores and
standings of the participating teams. Sport195 is an excellent resource for
getting news about the world club teams and athletes. You can view a news wall
that has up to the minute news coming from all major and minor news sources
around the world. Sport195 tracks not only the World Cup but also every other
sport in the world serving over 195 countries. Stay informed at http://www.sport195.com/leagues/fifa-world-cup-1213
-Eric
Foster
Posts
