World Cup Roundup

Why I Love Soccer

I never played soccer growing up, but when I was in college I lived in Torino (a/k/a Turin), Italy for six months. Turin is home to two professional “Series A” soccer clubs: Juventus (Forza Juve!) and Torino. I went to a number of matches while I was there and fell in love with the sport. I was luck enough to see AC Milan play Torino during Milan’s record-breaking unbeaten streak.

To say that the crowds and fans were insane would be a massive understatement. Visiting fans had to group together for safety, and were often separated from the home fans by fences. Road flares were a common celebratory item, and were often thrown on the field after a goal.

Since then I’ve played a bit of recreational soccer, but for the most part I’m an avid spectator. I’ll be rooting for the US and Italian national teams during the World Cup.

Prediction:

Argentina, Brazil, Germany or Italy have been in every World Cup final, so the thought of picking an upset winner seems highly unlikely. However, German captain Michael Ballack is out with an injury, so I might pick England to be in the mix as well. Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to a World Cup win in 1986, will be coaching the national team. On his squad is Lionel Messi, who is arguably the best player in the world right now. With Maradona’s unpredictable behavior I wouldn’t be surprised to see them knocked out before the semi-final. If that happens perhaps Spain or Portugal can finally make it to the later rounds.

Overall I would have to pick Brazil as the favorite. As far as the US team, I think they will be able to advance out of group play due to a favorable draw, but I don’t see them advancing beyond the quarters. I hope I’m wrong, however.