World Cup 2014: Come and Gone!

Hello all! With the 2014 edition of the World Cup wrapped up, it is fair to say that it was one of the best ones in recent memory? True, I may be speaking from the perspective of a German fan who was ecstatic to see the Europeans lift the trophy, but I also believe that - objectively - the Brazilian event was one for the ages. Beginning in the group stages, we saw some exciting stuff with controversy in the opening Group A match between Brazil and Croatia: the Europeans would feel hard-pressed to have lost by a score of 3-1, but the rest of the tournament offered little solace as they bowed out with only a 4-0 drubbing of the group's beating boys Cameroon to their name. The pleasant surprises of the group were arguably Mexico - and in particular their outstanding goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa - who would go on to meet heartache of their own against the Netherlands in the Round of 16. Brazil and Mexico were the sides to make it out of the group in first and second places respectively (only separated by goal difference with 7 points a piece) while Croatia and Cameroon returned home earlier than they would have liked.

Over in Group B, titans collided and when the dust settled, Spain were the shocking losers traveling with Australia on their way out of the tournament. The Netherlands were indomitable, and Chile showed a resilient fire that unfortunately seemed to desert them as they advanced in the tournament. The Dutch took the top position in the group with a winning streak as Chile tallied 6; Spain grabbed 3 in the end; and Australia were thrilling, though to no avail as they collected 0 points.

Group C had its own brand of crazy as Colombia ran rampant over the competition; Greece edged out the right results after a 3-0 beating at the hands of the eventual group winners; the Ivory Coast were physically imposing though otherwise uninteresting; and Japan were inventive, a pleasure to watch, but only managed one point from the three group matches. Colombia and Greece proceeded on to do completely different things: The Europeans fell to a Costa Rican side that the world wanted to see do well in the Round of 16, while Colombia lost to the hosts in the Quarter Finals after a decent win over Uruguay.

As for Group D we had the world turn upside down for a couple of days. If you can find me one person who honestly thought that Costa Rica would progress from this group - let alone win the group - I would kiss you and them. And this wasn't at the expense of sides like Bosnia-Herzegovina or Iran (no offense!), but rather ITALY, ENGLAND, and URUGUAY. Frankly, it was awe-inspiring. The Ticos took 7 points, topped the group, beat Greece in the Round of 16, and were only just barely bested by the Netherlands in the Quarter Finals. Uruguay proceeded to be defeated by Colombia in the next round while Italy (with 3 points) and England (with 1) were left scratching their heads and wondering what the heck had just happened to them.

Turning now to Group E, where France scraped by with Switzerland after harrowing ordeals against Ecuador and Honduras. The Swiss lost to eventual Finalists Argentina in the next round as France beat Nigeria handily in the Round of 16 only to lose to the conquering Germans in the Quarter Finals by a single goal. There isn't much to say about this group as it was a straightforward one and the teams performed relatively close to expectations.

Group F is another matter. Although Argentina proved as deadly as anticipated (they did, however, lose strength rather than gain it moving out of the group), Bosnia and Herzegovina were less than their best. On attack they proved ineffectual against half-serious sides, while on defense they kept things close but could never work their own assault. Nigeria deserved the second slot despite drawing 0-0 with Iran (who were admittedly very spirited given the weight of the task that was expected of them) in their opening fixture. Edging Bosnia-Herzegovina and just barely losing to Argentina, the Africans earned their spot in the Round of 16 and it was a pity that they just rolled over against the French.

Now then, Group G which saw Germany slaughter Portugal 4-0 in the opener, the United States defeat Ghana 2-1 in an absolute thriller, and the Americans join the makers of Audi, Puma, and Haribo when all was said and done. Granted, Belgium would go on to beat the US by a single goal in the next round, but many of the fans kept watching as the Germans made a run to the World Cup Final... and win. Portugal were left deflated as they ended up in third on goal difference while Ghana earned a point from surprisingly drawing with Germany in their second group game. The United States tied with the Portuguese (though they honestly would have won, had it not been for Tim Howard's one and only mistake of the tournament) and lost 0-1 to Germany but it was enough!

Last but not least: Group H. Belgium ran out deserved leaders despite scoring few goals in comparison to the second place side. It wasn't Russia! No, not even South Korea! Yes, Algeria were the final surprise of the group stage with a 4-2 win over the Asians and a draw with the Russians after losing narrowly to Belgium in the first game of the group. As for the other two teams? They looked rather uninterested to be frank. They only ever scored a single, solitary goal (at most!) in any of the games they played. The Koreans couldn't stay off the ground, and the Russians seemed nonchalant as they were directed towards the exit following two draws: one in their first match with South Korea, and one in their last with the North Africans.

Going through the knock-out rounds, Brazil were able to edge Chile on penalties after a 1-1 game after 120 minutes - a lucky result for the hosts once more. Colombia roundly beat the Uruguayans 2-0 when the two sides faced off, while the Netherlands controversially beat Mexico 2-1 after a last gasp penalty was granted to the Europeans in the 4th minute of stoppage time. Huntelaar was more than up to the task of putting it away. Costa Rica defeated the stiff Greek defense on penalties after a 1-1 affair, while France beat Nigeria 2-0 and Germany had a bit more in the tank than the hard-fighting Algerians. Argentina sent the Swiss packing with a 1-0 victory as Belgium slotted home twice against the USA in their match-up. In the Quarter Finals, France lost 0-1 to Germany, Colombia lost to Brazil and Argentina beat Belgium by a similar deficit (1-2 and 1-0 respectively), as the Netherlands put Costa Rica to bed in penalties after a 0-0 game of football. The Semi Finals were another source of amazement as we watched Brazil mercifully lose 1-7 to the Germans (admit it, the Europeans could have made it much worse for them) and the Netherlands finally bite the bullet and fall in penalties to Argentina after playing out a 0-0 game. Fighting over third, Brazil were bested once more by the Dutch with a 0-3 scoreline before Germany found the back of the net against Argentina through Mario Gotze in the 113th minute of the match. Deservedly as the best team of the tournament, the Germans lifted the trophy and celebrated their 4th World Cup victory. Congratulations to all of the teams that participated and thank you for putting on such a brilliant festival!

International Friendlies 3/5/2014!

Building up the excitement as we approach the 2014 World Cup, France have ended the Netherlands' run of 17 matches unbeaten in competition. Scoring through Karim Benzema and Blaise Matuidi, the 2-0 scoreline was well-deserved after a poor showing from the Dutch side. Meanwhile, Ukraine were able to keep a clean sheet against the United States in addition to scoring twice against the Americans. Courtesy of Andriy Yarmolenko and Marko Devic, the Ukrainians were able to put aside the troubles sweeping their nation for a time and provide a stunning performance in Cyprus against a quality - though defensively questionable - U.S. team. As for Argentina-Romania, the South Americans will be hoping that their performances improve in time for the tournament in Brazil: a 0-0 scoreline was a salute to the Eastern Europeans' defensive solidarity but left many doubts over the Argentine goal-getting capability. England's game with Denmark was a close affair though the British were finally able to get their noses in front through a phenomenal performance by Daniel Sturridge after Denmark's keeper, Kasper Schmeichel, had kept a clean sheet for much of the match single-handedly. Playing in Madrid, Spain were able to notch a 1-0 victory over Italy thanks to Pedro's 2nd half goal. One of the most riveting matches was arguably that between Portugal and Cameroon where the visitors performed admirably in the 1st half only to get clobbered in the 2nd. Vincent Aboubakar gave Cameroon the lead but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized accounts just before the half-time break. Ronaldo went on to score a second while Raul Meireles, Fabio Coentrao, and Edinho each contributed to the 5-1 final score. Two more games now. Germany's date with Chile was an awkward affair, the Europeans winning through with a solitary goal from Mario Gotze in the 1st half. I would like to note that the uniforms the Germans wore seemed a little strange to me, feel free to leave your own comment on them but I prefer the predominately white jersey. Last but not least, Belgium versus Ivory Coast! The hosts went into the half-time break leading due to Marouane Fellaini's goal though I would say the 2nd half is where the action really started. Belgium's midfielder Radja Nainggolan made it two for the Europeans while Didier Drogba reminded us why he is better than many of the younger players with a goal. Max Gradel also scored for the Ivorians making it a 2-2 final score. Great games all around, best of luck to the teams as they continue their preparations for Brazil!

Predictions for the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. 12/7/2013.

Well I will promise you all right now: I will not cite the Confederations Cup as a source of information on how the teams participating will do next year. Additionally, I'll say that travel and climate will be an issue for some of the teams playing in the tournament - but this is professional football, not a pick-up game so I expect the sides to compensate for any of these concerns if they have any hope of progressing through the stages to the showpiece event. Injuries may well be an issue, and I'll post closer to the tournament with any updates on that front. As for now, let's get into the predictions! In Group A, Brazil are certainly favorites to win with Mexico and Croatia the two sides fighting for the second position slot. I'd tip Mexico to make it through as Cameroon finish rock bottom and Croatia will not quite have enough. The opening match will set the tone for the Eastern Europeans as they face Brazil in the kick-off for the whole tournament. Depending on how poorly that first match goes, Croatia may well have the stuffing knocked out of them when they face Cameroon 6 days later. On to Group B now where Spain and the Netherlands should be the two to make it through although Chile will not make life easy for either side. Australia will probably not have booked hotels beyond the group-stage dates as a swift exit is on the cards for them. Again, though, the opening match in this group may determine a great deal as Spain take on Netherlands in a match-up that should stir a great deal of emotion from the last time around. If Holland loses their cool, and some players for disciplinary reasons, expect an abrupt South American vacation. As for Group C, Colombia should find their way through however Japan, Greece, and even Ivory Coast will have reason to believe that they can progress to the knock-out round. I'll say Greece might clinch it because of their typical defensive prowess though Japan shouldn't count themselves out of the race. Much will decide on whether Colombia can break down the gate when they face Greece in the group's opening fixture Ivory Coast's match with Japan should prove much more entertaining. Group D meanwhile may be seen as having a three-way race on the other side of the table: Italy and Uruguay are my favorites to proceed - in first and second respectively - however England will not give much to them easily. Costa Rica on the other hand is almost guaranteed a three-and-out affair with little hope of even tying any of the other three. If Italy can defeat the English in their opening fixture, they should win the group; otherwise it'll be Uruguay in first and Italy in second. Onwards to Group E where France and Switzerland are the notable - if imperfect - favorites and Ecuador and Honduras are left fighting for honor. Having said that, if the Swiss don't perform in the opening fixture against Ecuador, they'll be out while France's first match against Honduras should be a nice introduction to the continent. Group F will likely see Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina go through despite Nigeria's best efforts. Iran should enjoy their time on the world stage and play to the best of their ability - this is the culmination of all the work that they have put into the side and it would be disappointing, though not unexpected to go out without a point. Group G. For many of those of you who follow this blog, you'll likely feel hard done by the draw for the United States. It is true, Germany and Portugal are the undeniable favorites to win the group and contenders for the tournament title. It is also true that Ghana are a well put together side and possibly the strongest African side (after Ivory Coast) in the tournament this year. Despite these facts, when the U.S. plays Ghana in their first match, they will give it their all and the two sides really are just about equal on paper. At the very least I would expect the U.S. to draw that game and give the European sides a run for their money before bowing out with their heads held high. Finally, Group H: where Belgium, Russia, South Korea, and Algeria face-off and the Europeans are once more the favorites to make it through. There is honestly little chance that either the Koreans or the Algerians will mount much of a challenge against the Belgians and the Russians though I could see the Russians making life difficult for themselves when they face South Korea in the opener. Algeria will likely bow out in 4th with South Korea above them and Belgium deserved leaders. Again, look for an updated post closer to the tournament about any injuries and such that may alter these predictions. May the best side win!