Just got into the World Cup? No worries I got You: World Cup Knockout Guide

     The group stage for the 2018 men's FIFA World Cup has finally come to its conclusion. With plenty of upsets and surprises the final games of the group stage provided plenty of intense drama for fans all over the world. Germany was the biggest upset, to most fans, to not make it out of the group stage. The group stage is over and the knockout stage has begun. So enough talking about the past. Of the 32 teams that started only 16 remain. If your a new fan do not fret, I have quick guide to catch you up with what's going on. From now on any team that loses is eliminated.

     France and Argentina will be the first match of the knockout stage Saturday morning-(Pacific Standard Time). France is a team full of young talented players such as Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe. Yet, the french national team hasn't played to their best capabilities or maybe due to the names on the team one assumes they can play better. Argentina is a complete mess. There is no visible strategy and after the Croatia lost there where rumors that the head coach would be fired before the third world cup game. Argentina beat Nigeria to advance in dramatic fashion. It is chaos. France on the other hand is the opposite of Argentina. The french have a team structure and a plan or an idea of what they want to do. France should be the team to win, but I worry that Argentina's chaos might work as an advantage due to the french will have no idea what they will be facing. Having a team on their toes while having a player like Lionel Messi on your side can be a winning formula in the knockout stages of this tournament. 

     Later in the day Portugal will face Uruguay. Portugal had to rely heavily on their superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the group stage when the faced Spain and Morocco. The Portuguese team as a whole doesn't give me the confidence they will reach the final this tournament. Uruguay is a team that is built to win this tournament. By that I mean that I don't think they will, but the team structure, the defensive and rough philosophy accompanied by the Edson Cavani and Luis Suarez pairing up front give Uruguay the best chance in any match to win against any opponent. I don't see Uruguay winning this tournament, but I can see them beating Portugal. The winner of this match will go on to play the winner of the France vs Argentina match where there is a possibility of a Ronaldo vs Messi Quarterfinal. 

     On July 1 Spain will play the host in the round of 16. Russia may have the home field advantage, but that's the only positive I can see from this Russian side who played a weak Saudi Arabian team and an Egyptian team in political turmoil. Spain have not played well at all in this tournament which might boost as a morale for the Russian side, but I don't see Spain giving up any ground to the host. As long as Spain doesn't overlook their opponent they should set up a date with the winner between the Croatia vs Denmark match. 

     The next match for that day will be Croatia vs Denmark. Of the two, Croatia is by far the better team this tournament with Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic controlling and creating from the midfield. Denmark were a bit fortunate to get 3 points against a Peruvian team that played better. I really don't see Denmark advancing past Croatia who to me have been one of the top two teams of this tournament so far based on performances. 

     July 2 will be a very emotional day for me. Brazil and Mexico will battle it out for a spot in the quarterfinals. The best teams from North and South America will go at it in a knockout match. Brazil started off a bit slow with that draw against Switzerland, but have been flying high and all over the pitch since then. Phillipe Coutinho has been the best player for me this far, but Neymar is a talented and dangerous player who has been performing well. Mexico started off well by defeating Germany in their opening match and South Korea after, only to need the Koreans' help after Mexico lost to Sweden by a score of 3-0. For this match my brain says Brazil, but my heart and soul say Mexico. 

     Belgium vs Japan will be the second match of the day. On paper Belgium are the better team, but Japan showed that they aren't a team to be overlooked and will take advantage of an opportunity that becomes available. Belgium should beat Japan, but they will face the winner of the Mexico-Brazil match. That may linger in their minds a bit more than it should due to multiple sports journalist labeling their side of the bracket as the "stronger" side. Which Belgium are aware because in their last group game against England they used plenty of their bench players. Maybe Belgium just wanted to rest their starters and we the fans are over thinking and assuming too much, but it does seem probable. Belgium will go through, but if this team is going to go far they will have to play very strong opponents the whole way. 

     Sweden and Switzerland will battle it out for an opportunity to play Colombia or England in the quarterfinals. Sweden was a surprise to most that didn't keep a close eye and overlooked them due to the name and that frankly their style of play isn't necessarily attractive to watch. Sweden is a team that can defend with all 11 players and composed enough to seek the one goal that will further benefit their style of play. Switzerland will have a tough time breaking through the Swedish team. I can see this match going to extra time and eventually a penalty shootout. 

     Colombia vs England! England got their wish (I assume) on being seeded on the "weaker" side of the bracket. However, England will be tested right away against a Colombian side that has been on of my favorites to watch. Not to stereotype, but Colombia play with a South American flair that is fun to watch and the players have excellent technique that when the Colombians move the ball around the field it truly resembles the joyous dance they perform after they score. I like England, most that know me understand that I don't normally rate the English as being above average in the international footballing world. England beat a weak Tunisian side and a first timer in Panama only to lose to Belgium's B team. In England's defense they also used plenty of their bench players to start their last match against Belgium. I am torn between these two, but I will lean towards Colombia. The winner of these two on paper will have a really good chance on reaching the semifinals.  

            

We Know it was Just A GAME

   
      On the 17th of June 2018 it was father's day. Sunday was special for a variety of reasons, one big reason was that it falls under the world cup calendar. It was extra special for Mexican dads that follow and cherish the Mexican national team, El Tri. The defending world cup champions, Germany, were defeated by a 1-0 scoreline by the Mexican national team. It was a group match which means that a win, loss, or draw wouldn't necessarily mean the end for either team. Each team is guaranteed to play 3 matches to determine if they reach the knockout phase of the tournament.

     The celebration was wild! Irving "Chucky" (pronounced CHOOKY) Lozano scored the winning goal for Mexico in the 35th minute. Once the final whistle blew emotions filled the stands, the players, and those fans all over the world who bleed red, white, and green watched from. My Twitter feed blew up with memes and Gifs of joy and support of the Mexican victory. I loved it.

     I will take this moment to thank the Mexican national team for giving my dad one of the best gifts he probably has and will ever receive on father's day. Hearing him shout "Chooky is number 1!" filled me with even more emotion than I already was after the match concluded.

     WE KNOW IT WAS JUST A  GAME. We get it. Myself, along with the rest of the mexican and non-mexicans who support the national team. But, what many (mostly stateside) fail to understand that soccer is an amplifier of emotions. Sports tend to do that at a pretty intense level, but the world cup puts it beyond reach of anything on this planet. To reiterate, what I say often with confidence, sports are political. They are also a glimpse of hope, a window to show others, the world, who one is and the Mexican national team, as many other national teams are as well, are exactly that too many people.

      Mexico is geographically located in North America, yet their soccer resonates closer to South America. The language, the flair, the passion has always been similar to those nations south of Mexico. However, due to their geographical location, the Mexican national team is part of the CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) federation under FIFA (Federation International of Football Associations). Historically, the world cup has been dominated by European and South American national teams. Mexico has been that one team that is talented, but never really at the standard of the very best.

     For those who question the passion of the Mexican people for their national soccer team baffles me. I question whether they are sports fan themselves which then is even more baffling, but the common person who sees the neanderthal in sports fandom as mob mentality, I can understand that. To address both, the Mexican national team is sacred to most Mexicans for a variety of reasons. Stepping into the social and political realm again for those not familiar, Mexicans know what is going on in their country. They are aware of the government corruption, the scandals, the drug trafficking and issues that surround the country. They live there guys. If your motive is to hate on the Mexican national team due to confusing it with the Mexican government or that being poor due to that same government cheating its own people some how makes them less aware or lazy and dumb I loudly will like to tell you to "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE."

    The Mexican national team is the small window that allows Mexicans to express and demonstrate themselves as a collective to the world view without much bias and outside interference. The Mexican federation isn't innocent themselves, but the players play the game that brings so much joy to the people that most still support their players knowing the shadow that lurks.

     I am not attempting to start a fandom war or state that Mexican fans are better than others. From videos from social media one can see that Mexican fans do enjoy themselves and are inviting for others to join in with their celebratory lifestyle.

     Soccer means so much to Mexicans because it is an outlet, a beacon of national pride, a commutative collective that most Mexican don't find at the government level or much acceptance from their northern neighbor. I study sports and still don't completely understand why my parents' and my national team makes my heart rate increase and fill my head and soul with such passion when Mexico plays. I understand, it isn't the most logically sound thing in life, but I don't care. I love this sport. And Mexicans love their national team. And beating Germany in the world cup was one of the greatest moments in sports that I can proudly say I witnessed. And I wasn't alone. 
           

      

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group H)

Group H

Poland (10)

Senegal (28)

Colombia (16)

Japan (60)

              Group H, the last group of the 2018 World Cup. To clarify, the letters have no correlation with the strength of the teams that make up a group. Teams are picked on random based on which pot they were assigned to. Yet, this group is fitting to be drawn into Group H. This isn’t to say there isn’t world class quality players, but the group has no traditional powerhouse team. Poland, Senegal, Colombia, and Japan are the four national teams that make up group H. Japan has been the most consistent, this will be their six consecutive world cup appearance. Poland will be the historically more experienced team as this will be their 8^th world cup appearance. To use those fun facts as a perspective, Japan is the team that will most likely finish last in the group while Poland is the highest ranked team according to FIFA rankings. Yet, the best performance of any of the four teams belongs to Senegal and Colombia. Senegal in their first world cup appearance reached the quarterfinal stage in 2002. 2018 in Russia will be Senegal’s second world cup appearance. Colombia were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the host in 2014.

              The amazing aspect of this is that this group will have two teams that will reach the round of 16. I am aware that each group will have two teams reaching the latter stage, that’s how it works, but my excitement is two national teams that are not house hold names will make the round of 16! That being said my predictions for this group have shifted from day to day. Colombia will finish 1^st while second will be Senegal. Poland has a great striker in Robert Lewandowski and can finish in second, but I am going with the unpredictability of Senegal over the predictable Poland. The top 3 teams can all interchange which is why I keep switching on which teams will advance. Japan is the only team I can clearly see not making it out of the group. This is a Japanese national team that isn’t as strong as their predecessors and from the players that I have been able to keep up with have not played well, often, or are sidelined with an injury. But, I could be wrong and I actually enjoy those moments.

              I will stick to these two national teams. Colombia and Senegal.  

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group G)

Group G

Belgium (3)

Panama (55)

Tunisia (14)

England (13)

              I have been discussing teams based on the order in which the national team was drawn. Hence the order is not alphabetical or based on FIFA world rankings, but in the order in which the teams were plucked from the designated pots into the groups. I will break away from my short tradition on this group. Why? England, that’s why. For those who read or more likely discuss sports with me in person understand that I see England a bit different then most of my anglophone speaking people. To some, especially supporters of The Three Lions, will see me as having ill will or some sort of hostility towards the English. I can assure them and to one and all that I have no such feelings. I study history of sports and my emphasis and main focus is football (soccer). From what I gathered I don’t see England as elite or a world class footballing national team. Are they good? Yes. Excellent and memorable players? Definitely. But, to place them in the same historical category as Brazil, Italy, Germany, France, and Argentina is a stretch too far for even the most bias supporter. I see them closer to Uruguay. For those who are upset or disagree with that statement by all means lets discuss it. Chances are I already know who and why, but that will be for another time and I prefer in person discussions.

              The reason for the clarification on my English stance will come to fruition in my closing statements. Moving on. Belgium is national team that at the moment has players to win a World Cup. Whether they can or can’t will be based on how they perform in Russia this summer. A “golden generation” is what Belgium has and if they fall short of a semi-final it will be seen as a failure.

              This will be Panama’s first World Cup appearance. Well-earned and deserved. Unfortunately, I don’t see Los Canaieros playing a fourth game. Tunisia won their two most recent friendlies with a score of 1-0 for both games. They were against Iran and Costa Rica, both world cup qualified teams. As impressive as that may seem I don’t see the Tunisians beating the English or Belgium for the first and second spot to advance to the knockout stage.

              Now who will win group G? England! I predict England finishes first and the lack of experience from the Belgium national side will cause them to slip up and finish behind their former EU partner. I am a fan of Gareth Southgate, the English national team’s coach, and think he is did an excellent job managing England during the world cup qualification stage. I mean this sincerely, I am rooting for England to win the World Cup as my underdog team.   

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group F)

Group F

Germany (1)

Mexico (15)

Sweden (23)

South Korea (61)

                Unlike the past groups, group F is one that I have a personal investment in. Mexico is the birthplace of my parents and where I get my food, traditions, and language. Most of the time I have temporary bias when I support a team or player. At times I enjoy watching Spain then get tired of them and watch Brazil and the same goes with club teams. I enjoy watching football in general. But, Mexico is different. It is a personal bias. Fans will understand when I speak of my team it is with passion and emotion. However, as I went through academia and studied sports I learned how to separate myself momentarily to critique the teams I support in a more honest manner.

                Germany are not only clear favorites to win the group, but they are perceived to be favorites to lift the world cup again. The German national side has quality all around and what makes their dominance frightening or admirable is that plenty of their younger players are already playing significant amount of minutes in big clubs around Europe. The issue German coach, Joachim Low, will have is who will have to leave out of his 23-man roster for the 2018 World Cup. That being said, Germany is beatable. Die Mannschaft lost to Brazil in a friendly 1-0. One could state that a friendly isn’t always the best method to judge a team which can be the case. Germany did lose when it mattered. They lost to France by a score of 2-0 in the semi-finals at the Euros. This isn’t to diminish the German national team in anyway. They are favorites to win the World Cup and justifiably so. I would just shed light to those that are not aware that the mighty can fall.

                Mexico is a team that if you want to make a safe bet on getting out of the group stage you will definitely earn that money back. The issue with Mexico is that after the group stage one could double their gambling earnings by betting against Mexico winning their round of 16 match. Since the 1994 World Cup Mexico has been eliminated in the round of 16. That is six, SIX times! In Mexico there are talks of superstition and a curse of the fifth game. However, even though I love the stories I do not who heartedly believe in them. Mexico is a talented national team where players have the speed and technical ability to match anyone of the favorites, yet they do lack tactical discipline to beat the favorites. Mexico will finish second in the group which means they will face the winners of group E in the round of 16. Chances are that BRAZIL will win group E. So, is it really a curse or just bad luck? Why not just finish first?

                Sweden in certain newspapers are perceived as finishing 2^nd in the group. Which is not unrealistic, the games still have to be played, but I don’t see Sweden making much of a run this summer in Russia. They did beat Italy in a play-off to earn a spot at the World Cup. But, that was an Italian side that was tactically handicap due to their coach and a national team that has not been playing up to its name for the past decade. Sweden has a chance to finish second, but to me that chance is very minimal. The Swedes play compact, pragmatic, and disciplined football. I don’t think they have the talent upfront to beat even the likes of Mexico.

                South Korea is a team I wish was a lot better than they currently are. I want to cheer for them simply because of Son Heung-min. He is the winger/forward who plays for Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premier league. I enjoy watching Son play, but his supporting cast doesn’t have the quality to make a serious run to finish second in the group.   

  

                For group F Germany are the clear favorites to finish first with Mexico in second.  

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group E)

Group E

Brazil (2)

Switzerland (6)

Costa Rica (25)

Serbia (35)

                Brazil headlines Group E in this summer’s World Cup. Brazil comfortably finished first in the CONMEBOL qualification with a 10-point lead over their closes rivals, Uruguay, who finished second. The 2014 World Cup was hosted in Brazil that ended in a manner that most Brazilians wish didn’t happen. There were protest on the streets by the Brazilian people who preferred improvement in social services than FIFA’s white elephant gift. Adding to the devastation Brazil went on to infamously lose 7-1 to Germany in the semi-finals. I am pretty sure as the tournament looms closer none of the Brazilians need a reminder of their painful exit from the previous world cup. Brazil are favorites to come out as the winners of group E given that they are an improved team and that their competition isn’t up to par with the selecao. Not only are they favorites to come out first in their group Brazil is also -as in most, if not every world cup-  favorites to win the tournament.

                Brazil’s most difficult hurdle to get through will be Switzerland. I don’t necessarily believe Switzerland is the currently the 6^th best team in the world, but they provide a different challenge to the Brazilian national team. Switzerland has players such as Xherdan Shaqiri, Stepham Lichtsteiner, and Ricardo Rodriguez that play in big clubs or in Shaqiri’s case a league with a high-quality level. Switzerland isn’t the most exciting national team to watch, but they have been consistent qualifying for their fourth consecutive world cup. Which is impressive given that the UEFA qualifications can come down to a bit of luck for smaller nations based on which of the more traditional powerhouse teams are in the group. In Switzerland’s case it was Portugal. Both teams finished with 27 points, but Portugal finished first due to tiebreaker rules. Switzerland can maneuver their way into finishing second and reaching the round of 16.

                Costa Rica were a breath of fresh air last world cup. Los Ticos finished 1^st in a group that was made up of 3 previous world cup winners; England, Uruguay, and Italy were the three teams that made up the “Group of death.”  Costa Rica reached the quarter-finals in Brazil only to be eliminated by the Netherlands in a penalty shootout. Could Costa Rica perform a repeat of their miracle run? Of course, but it is less likely. If Costa Rica manages to get second place they will play the winner of group F, which will most likely be Germany. The Costa Rican side has more experience coming in as most players will return from the 2014 squad, yet from what I seen there are plenty of players that haven’t had a good campaign this season to reinforce them as legitimate giant slayers.

                Serbia finished first in their world cup qualification group. I wouldn’t put to much emphasis on the first place due to the strength of the group. As I mentioned before the UEFA qualifications could be brutal or giving to smaller footballing nations. In Serbia’s case it was a gift. Their group consisted of Republic of Ireland -who finished 2^nd- Wales, Austria, Georgia, and Moldova. Georgia and Moldova had a combination of zero wins. This shouldn’t be a knock on the Serbian national team. They were drawn in a group and they did what they planned out to do which was qualify for the World Cup in Russia. In the analyzing aspect it is difficult to say Serbia will come out as first or second without saying it simply to be as giving as Serbia’s UEFA qualification group.

                Brazil will finish first and second will be Costa Rica. Yes, Costa Rica!  

2018 FIFA Men's World Cup (Group D)

Group D

Argentina (4)

Iceland (22)

Croatia (18)

Nigeria (47)

Argentina will have plenty of spectating eyes on them and it won’t be due to how well La Albiceleste play their football. Lionel Messi will be the main reason why most of the world will be watching the Argentinean national team. Argentina had a difficult time during the world cup qualifications. Messi scored a hat-trick to secure Argentina’s spot in Russia 2018. The national team hasn’t played well at all, with the quality of players this Argentinean side has there should be no difficulty against most national teams even without Messi. Yet, that is far from the case. At times players that perform excellent for their respective clubs are somehow weakened by the kryptonite that is woven in their national team’s jersey. Argentina lost to Spain in an embarrassing fashion. 6-1. A goal shy on matching Brazil’s 7-1 to Germany in 2014. Messi did not dress up for the match. He spotted in the stands overseeing what he will most likely have to work with in the summer and no psychic or fortune teller is needed to read what was going on in Messi’s head. Argentina are an awful side. I wish I could say there is a positive to this side, but the only thing I can think of is that Messi is on the team.

Argentina are a traditional safe pick to win the group, but if they perform the way they have during the qualifications and friendlies they will not make it out of this group. Nigeria, for some reason will face Argentina for the 3^rd consecutive time at the world cup, will have a better chance on advancing to the knockout stages than Messi’s national team. How? I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on friendlies, but that is what I will go off on. Nigeria beat Argentina 4-2 overcoming a 2-goal deficit. To be fair, Argentina has beaten Nigeria in their last two meetings at the World Cup. Nigeria is a national side that has great players that can come together and play well can definitely make it out of this group. A side with a mix of experience and youth can finish second whether it be behind or ahead the Argentinean Messi led side.

Croatia and Iceland both finished first in their qualifying groups to earn an automatic bid for the World Cup. Unfortunately, that is the only similarities I see between the two sides. Iceland will be making their first appearance at the World Cup and is worth celebrating. However, I don’t see them repeating a run at the world cup similar to their Euro run in France. Croatia is a national team that has a talented midfield led by Luka Modric. I think Croatia has the capability to finish first in group D.

Of all the groups so far, I can see Group D as the most intriguing one to keep an eye on. As mentioned earlier Argentina on paper should be the winner of this group, but the way they have been playing I can see the serious possibility of Croatia and Nigeria advancing to the knockout stage.