World Cup Fever Even without the U . S ., this will be a summer to remember
World Cup Fever Even without the U . S ., this will be a summer to remember
By Trevor Tosto Chieftain Staff
Four long years have passed and the time has finally come again for the World Cup , the greatest sporting event to watch , hands down . The 2014 Cup was probably the craziest thing I ’ ve ever seen . The U . S . pulled off an unbelievable story , advancing to the Group of 16 , before sadly being put to bed by the big boys of Belgium .
This year , the U . S . didn ’ t even qualify for the World Cup . This is possibly the biggest embarrassment in sports history ( besides Italy not qualifying ). How don ’ t you qualify for the tournament ? They literally played all their games on molehillcovered pitches in , let ’ s be real , countries you didn ’ t even know existed . Embarrassing
The Americans will be missed at the World Cup , but there are plenty of teams to root for that are STACKED . Brazil looks invincible , Belgium looks unstoppable , and France looks overpowered . People who don ’ t support soccer will be cheering on Messi ’ s Argentina and Ronaldo ’ s Portugal .
I expect big results out of Argentina . Prodigy Dybala should light it up next to Messi . Portugal isn ’ t just a one-man squad , as we found out through the 2016 Euros , but I just don ’ t have confidence in them .
Defending champ Germany has a squad to compete for the trophy again , but they may be overpowered this year . Look for the Germans to go down in the Round of 8 . Some slept-on teams : Uruguay : Don ’ t be surprised if you
hear Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani all over ESPN -- they mean business . Egypt : Mo Salah . Know this man . Senegal : Fast and strong , this team will be catching looks at the tourney . South Korea : May not go far , but Son
All eyes are on the showdown in Moscow this summer
Heung-Min is always a threat .
For me , it ’ s Brazil ’ s tournament to lose . Every position is slotted with a player that makes headlines . However , that ’ s been the case before , and Brazil has cracked under the immense pressure . 2014 was embarrassing for the host team , losing 7-1 to Germany in the semifinals , and now it ’ s time to redeem themselves . I have a lot of faith in Neymar , Gabriel Jesus , and Coutinho .
I love a lot of the players on France . Griezmann deserves something , anything but a Europa League Title . The 2016 Euros should have been France ’ s , but Portugal got in the way . This team should be a top runner , and I wouldn ’ t be shocked if they make the finals .
Belgium ? Fast : Check . Physical : Check . Big : Check . Dynamics : Check . I was very impressed with this team in the Euros , all the way up until the quarterfinals against Wales . Big stars like Hazard , Kevin De Bruyne , and Lukaku should give Belgium a run . Maybe I ’ m a little biased because I always chose this team in the World Cup feature on FIFA 14 , but this team is legit .
Last , but not least , it ’ s always Argentina . I have a bittersweet feeling about Argentina ’ s campaign . Messi deserves this . A World Cup title is the one thing he needs and , without a doubt , deserves .
I can ’ t see Messi playing in the 2022 World Cup , so this could be all-ornothing . I still believe Brazil or France will win it all , but , man , am I rooting for this team !
NBA Teams since 2000 1 . Los Angeles Lakers ‘ 00- ’ 02 2 . Golden State Warriors ‘ 17- present 3 . San Antonio Spurs ‘ 03- ’ 07 4 . Boston Celtics ‘ 08
5 . Detroit Pistons ‘ 04
-DaRon Gilbert
BROTHER RICE HIGH SCHOOL CHIEFTAIN PAGE 4 JUNE 2018