Heavy favorites struggle (6/17)

The constant aggressiveness by F2-Mexico to start the match paid off in a big way with lots of opportunities and a great effort and finish by Hirving Lozano.  The defending champs took back possession but Mexico kept the pressure on, committing 15 fouls.  F1-Germany had 61% of the possession and took 25 shots, 9 on goal but was held scoreless.  Will MEX keep up the momentum or have a typical letdown against a lesser team such as F4-Korea Republic? Who would have thought GER would score UEFA's first loss of the tournament (was 5-0-3 with SRB's win)?

While GER was picked by 22 to win the 2018 WC, E1-Brazil picked by

FFB 18.02 "Rising Stars to Watch" (6/16)

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Saturday, June 16, 2018

[ ARG | BRA | COL | EGY | FRA | GER | POR | URU | Rest ]

ARGENTINA doesn't have a stand-out rising star, and certainly no one closely resembling the next Messi. And there's the rub...the sun is setting on La Pulga and his generation, and they'll have to win with the usual suspects.  Two unproven youngsters I should mention would be Giovani Lo Celso and Paulo Dybala.  At age 24, Dybala is a mainstay striker for Juventus, scoring 22 goals in 33 matches.  But with Argentina, he has but 8 caps, and his natural position is occupied by a moored teammate...Leo Messi.  Perhaps he gets at least one substitution opportunity during the World Cup round robin stage...a small window of time to generate an impact.  Lo Celso, on the other hand, may not even make an appearance.  Only 22 years old, the midfielder notched 4 goals in 32 PSG appearances this season...this rising talent may have to wait til 2022 to make an impact on Argentina’s fortunes.

BRAZIL.  Getting a roster spot for this team is tough, given the