Here is a spot for our inevitable discussion of Egypt and Iceland's surprising path to the World Cup final. Or Germany and Belgium. Or whoever. Anybody else do a prediction on fotmob? I have a league running with my coworkers and I'm happy to take the two seconds to create a league for RSL BS fans if there is any interest. Who do you think is going to win it all? I'm cheering for Germany this year.
It's Germany's to lose. Though an interesting report ran at my office gave Brazil the highest odds at winning at 18%. So the models don't agree with the eyeball test. What I'm most excited for is the inevitable Germany/England match that ends on pk's
Are any of you planning to attend the RSL watch parties in Herriman? I think I'll plan to hit at least one of them this weekend.
I'm all in for Germany. That's where I got to know and fall in love with soccer. Being retired I told my wife I'd be spending a lot of time in front of the TV for the next while. Should be fun.
Argentina for me. I feel as though Argentina and RSL are connected somehow. Who else comes in second more than Argentina?
All right, if anybody wants to jump in a BS league: https://www.fotmob.com/wc2018/competition?code=CVKPANE
I am totally excited for the World Cup. The tournament I least enjoyed wasn't one of the ones I watched in which we didn't participate, but the one in 1998 when we were more or less pitiful* - and I think things were shaping up for a pitiful tournament if we had managed to make it this time around, so I am less disappointed than I expected. Mostly just excitement. Who to root for though? I have some affiliation from living in Portugal for a year and a half, Spain half a year, Mexico for a summer, and Sweden for a summer. I studied the Argentine national team for my MA thesis. I knew a couple of players from the Super Eagles back in the day. I "fell in love" with the Beautiful Game watching Belgium play in 1986. I have a soft spot for underdogs and more especially for countries where this really matters to a populace, but where hooliganism is all but non-existent. I want CONCACAF to do well so we merit whatever spots we get in a given tournament's allocations. I prefer beautifully played soccer, and I prefer teams with heart (which are often competing preferences, but whatever). One of my favorite-ever moments was watching Colombia tie West Germany late in 1990 (as a missionary, in a bar in Spain), with the announcer screaming that it was "PROOF THAT GOD. IS. COLOMBIAN!" I like upsets. I have good friends in/from several of the competing countries. So who to root for? I am going to root for . . . Peru! And pick Belgium to win it all. * More. The answer is we were more pitiful.
I chose Germany, I know, so original. I am, or still need to write a comparative research paper on business culture with comparing them to the US. So that's my justification with that. P.S. I don't expect to do very well, my picks are usually garbage
Oh, my picks are straight up silly. I wasn't trying to win. I justify Germany due to the fact that I have a lot of German blood in my ancestry. Also a lot of Swiss blood, so go Switzerland. (I'm 50% British, but meh.)
I chose Germany because they are my second favorite foreign team and I think they will do well. My favorite team outside of the USA is Portugal. I’ll be cheering for them but I’m not expecting a lot. Iceland making a great run will amp up the fun for me. And, of course, I would like to see CONCACAF do well...except for Mexico. I want Mexico to do a face plant.
I can't bring myself to root for Germany. So...Morocco? I guess? Or Peru, because of their videos, maybe. I can probably be persuaded to cheer for any team that's never won before. Anywho, I got my Youtube TV subscription set up this morning and I'm ready to go. I don't really care who wins. I'm just looking forward to watching.
Nice choice. YouTubeTV kicks ass. I'm rooting for any team that attacks and wants to play attractive soccer. So, maybe I'll be rooting for... nobody.
Brazil to win it all behind Neymar!! And we'll meet Germany in the semifinals and erase the taste of the 7-1 loss with a 8-0 trouncing of Die Mannschaft!!!
I forgot it even started today. I guess that's what happens when the US isn't in it. I'd love for Portugal to win it all. Ronaldo could use that final trophy in his case. Outside of that, I just want to see some good games.
this is exactly the type of game that will happen in the group stages of a 48 team world cup. This was the worst possible game, at least ranking wise, of this tournament. so... it's only going to get better from here? What is really sad is that Saudi Arabia at least wants to play soccer. Russia is just horrendous technically. I think Uruguay is watching this wondering if they score 7 or 8 goals in each of the games against them. And if Mo Sallah is healthy...
If Argentina win their group and Portugal take second in theirs (very likely) then they run into each other in the quarters. I want that soooo bad. And I want Portugal to win so all the Messi/Barca fanboys can have it shoved in their face, once again, that Messi is a hell of a player who doesn't know how to do it for his national team in the big moments while Ronaldo thrives in those moments.