There is a "United Kingdom" wherever that place may be... with different teams and associations - still technically one country. 11 WCs I tell you, c'mon join the USE bandwagon!
Tough WC... My usual fall back second choice (Dad's side of the family) Italy is tragically out. Third choice, Mom's side, Ireland didn't get it done. I'm not crazy about Germany going back to back...too expected. So at this point anybody but Germany... I'm going with Spain.
I thought about this thread while reading this: World Cup teams making push for U.S. hearts, minds and money http://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/la-sp-your-world-cup-team-20180512-story.html
What country's fanbase won't flip their collective lid because an American broadcaster says "kick save" on an American broadcast? Good starting point for a potential team adoption.
Doesnt work in German since "Fußabwehr" is a term that can be used for both Fußball and Eishockey announcing, Im afraid.
"Soccer" is quite frowned upon around these parts though. And yes, this is not a Foosball but "kicker" table:
I find this question kind of strange. It isn't like Brazil fans need a team because their's didn't make it. The USA is not a serious contender and every USA fan that watched past their elimination (after the first 3-4 games usually); has plenty of experience rooting for other teams. If the USWNT failed to qualify then this would be a question that nobody has really pondered before.
This may be considered a bit of a surprise given the current political climate, but I'm actually rooting for Russia. My wife's from Uzbekistan (but of Russian origin) and we get quite heavily involved with the Russian community here in Qatar. They are quite a friendly and fun-loving group which I've personally come quite close to. Add to that they're the host nation, so will provide plenty of color and atmosphere if they go on a deep run. Add to that, they have that whole "underdog" status sort of as they are not expected to go far in this tournament so at least I'm not glory hunting and picking someone like Brazil or Germany. Also will be in Moscow watching the opener in the fan zone, and will be in Kazan for the Egypt match, and then back in Doha at a Russian party probably for the Uruguay game, so I wouldn't dare cheer against them lol. As far as teams that actually have a realistic shot at winning - I'd actually like to see Messi or Ronaldo win the WC with Argentina or Portugal. Argentina have been so close so many times and won nothing with this golden generation and this could be their last chance. Portugal are a longer shot, but I think if either of those players could win a World Cup, they would have a real legitimate shot at that whole "Best player ever" tag. Would also be cool to see a first-time champion, but I only really see Belgium as having any real legitimate shot of that. And they'd need to get past either Brazil or Germany in the quarters... but hey, how about Belgium beating Brazil in a thrilling quarterfinal match? Could happen. Portugal and Colombia would be much farther long shots and winning the championship. So I'm ranking my teams: 1. Russia 2. Argentina 3. Portugal 4. Belgium In general while I'm heartbroken that we didn't qualify, I'm actually in some strange way looking forward to watching a World Cup as a neutral - will be my first time ever really, as I wasn't really fully immersed in the 86 world cup.
I was born in Poland so that's going to be my #1. I got a soft spot for The English, and Aussies so I wish them well, and like everyone else I'll be rooting on Iceland. Outside of that my general rule of thumb is to root for the underdog in games that I have no investment in. For The CONCACAF sides, F*** Mexico, I've cheered for them in exactly one game and they lost. I hope to never do it again. Costa Rica I'm indifferent about, and I wish Panama all the best. It's been 7 months since that debacle, and I was hoping that my bitterness would be gone by now, but it still lingers. 4 years ago I would spend my entire work day listening to soccer related podcasts and then would rush home to catch my recordings of every game that happened that day, and then I'd fall asleep to ESPN's nightly recap show. It was a 24/7 soccer for a month. This year I'll probably just watch the weekend morning games, and many of them will likely only be background noise while I do stuff around the house. I'm hoping my enthusiasm raises when the tournament actually starts.
"Best player ever" tag? Really? Pele won the World Cup 3 times with Brazil. And he retired from the Brazil NT at 29, having been the primary force helping Brazil to win the Jules Rimet World Cup Trophy permanently (first country to win it 3 times). Historical perspective is necessary here. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are great players. Pele was from a different planet. I feel sorry for those too young to have seen Pele play.
I can somewhat understand the neutral appeal, especially since (imo) watching the U.S. at the World Cup usually isn't very fun in terms of entertainment value. There's some thrilling moments along the way, but usually the best we can hope for is maybe one good game followed by the team just trying to hang on for dear life. Kind of depressing when you think about it. Not as bad as missing out entirely, but still, disappointment is pretty much guaranteed even when we do make it.