3 Things You Should Watch Out for in the 2014 World Cup

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is just a few months from opening and fans are definitely all excited. But for the casual spectator, some would be asking what’s there to see. So for those not yet on the boat, here are some of the best reasons why you don’t to miss the World Cup this year.

1.      Brazil is hosting again

The South American nation has always been considered as one of the powerhouses when it comes to the World Cup. And sixty-four years after the tournament was first hosted by Brazil, fans see it as the Cup coming home. And with that, a grand homecoming is to be expected, starting with the opening ceremonies in Sao Paolo.

Of course, with Brazil being the host country, all eyes are certainly on the National team as they campaign for a possible sixth title. And the Brazilians are certainly on a roll these past few months, with their most recent victory being in the Confederations Cup, where they lorded over 2010 World Cup winner Spain 3-0. For the World Cup, Brazil is again expected to bank on the trio of Oscar, Ramires, And David Luis.

2.      Spain is going for the tough road

After getting the Cup in 2010, Spain ended up in somewhat of a slide recently, losing the Confederations Cup. Now, they are off to a tough start for their 2014 campaign, as they get to face off once again with the Netherlands, the team that almost beat them in the finals four years ago. The Dutch certainly has the advantage here as they still have the core team that nearly lead them to victory in South Africa. Adding to Spain’s quite unlucky predicament is that they are also grouped with Chile, another team that had given the Spanish footballers a hard time before.

But Spain is definitely not going to sit this one down. The team has taken considerable steps to make sure that their campaign will be fruitful. For one, they have taken in a new skipper for the tournament, Diego Lopez. The Spanish team is also expected to field the young ones, like Thiago Alcantara, Asier Marramendi, and Isco, in their bid for a consecutive Cup.

3. The year of the underdogs

While all eyes are definitely on the big name teams, the lesser known ones are also starting to grab attention. Colombia, in particular, is expected to show some force this year, with Falcao leading them. Another team that is expected to be visible is Chile, which is on a roll after they beat early favourite England 2-0 in Wembley last November.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25273094

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2519337/World-Cup-2014-10-reasons-best-ever.html

The 3 Most Likely Candidates for the 2014 Ballon d’ Or

With just a few months before the 2014 Brazil World Cup officially opens, fans are now very excited to see who comes on top. And it’s not only about which team will claim the Cup that gets fans interested, but also which player will bag the coveted Ballon d’ Or. So, let’s take a look at some of the most likely candidates.

Mesut Ozil

Arsenal player Mesut Ozil was in the running to bag the 2013 Ballon d’ Or, only to be overtaken by eventual winner Cristiano Ronaldo. And while many fans are still claiming that he was unfairly robbed of the award, others are simply optimistic that he will finally be able to get it this year.

Though Ozil’s performance did drop last year, that drop isn’t really significant. And the German booter is definitely all pumped up for this upcoming season.  And one of the biggest reasons, according to Bleacher Report’s James McNicholas, as to why the guy is a big shoe in for the next Ballon d’ Or is how he contributed in improving Arsenal’s performance last year. McNicholas said that Ozil’s arrival couldn’t have come at a perfect time when several of Arsenal’s key players have moved out.

Franck Ribery

Of the names that have been shortlisted for the 2013 Ballon d’ Or, Franck Ribery is probably one of the lesser known. But the Frenchman is nonetheless up there with other candidates in terms of qualifications. In fact, Ribery came in a close third behind Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the awards held last January. And many observers are convinced that he will still make it into the running for next year’s awards.

His French National Team colleague Samir Nasri couldn’t agree more with those assertions. According to Nasri, Ribery certainly delivered last year, helping Bayem Munich to five trophies in the various European leagues. With that, Nasir believes that his teammate definitely has a clear shot for the Ballon d’ Or next year. But, he also says that the big challenge before Ribery can get a definitive vote is if he manages to pull the French team up to win the World Cup this year.

Cristiano Ronaldo

It might seem odd to put Ronaldo here, considering that he just won the 2013 Ballon d’ Or. But his victory is certainly not without controversy. There are several parties insisting that Lionel Messi or the above mentioned Ribery were more deserving of the award. So the Portuguese football star certainly has a lot to prove. And what better way to do that than by winning the Ballon d’ Or twice in a row.

Luckily for the guy, he has a lot of proving ground to work on this year. Portugal is one of the most anticipated teams in this year’s World Cup in Brazil. Add to that the several competitions that his team Real Madrid will be participating in and Ronaldo will undoubtedly be showing a lot of presence. 

Sources:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1932375-why-arsenals-mesut-ozil-will-win-the-ballon-dor-in-2014

http://www.tsmplug.com/football/who-will-win-fifas-ballon-dor-award-2014/

http://www.goal.com/en/news/1785/fifa-ballon-dor/2014/02/13/4617817/nasri-ribery-will-win-2014-ballon-dor-if-france-win-world

3 Awesome World Cup Moments

With the 2014 World Cup just a few months away, fans are definitely excited to see what awesome moments will happen on the field. So, to whet your appetite even further, let us take a look back at some of the greatest instances in the competition’s history.

1.       Maradona’s assault (1986)

As many have always said, the World Cup is one fast paced event. And something can happen in mere minutes that can change the course of a match completely. This was superbly demonstrated by Argentinean football star Diego Armando Maradona in the country’s 1986 quarterfinals match against Spain.

The Latin American country was having a tight match w3ith England. However, within the span of a few minutes Maradona managed to pull two consecutive goals to put the team in the lead. While the English did get a point, Argentina never looked back and happily rode on top of those two spectacular goals for the win.

2.       Hungary’s 10-1 romp (1982)

Another thing that defines the World Cup is how close the matches are fought. Often, a win is determined only by a hairline goal, in some cases, scored in the last few minutes of the game. And it is very rare that the winning team would be ahead by more than three points.

However, it does happen. And one such outstanding moment is when Hungary won over El Salvador 10-1 in the 1982 edition. That beat down was actually expected, as El Salvador was one of the weaker teams that were able to qualify for that edition of the World Cup (which was in itself an awesome moment for the people back in their home country). However, what really astonished fans watching the match is how it unfolded. While El Salvador did put a fight in the first half, their play totally crumbled, as the Hungarians scored five succeeding points in mere minutes. To this day, the single point that El Salvadorian player Luis Zapata scored is the only goal scored by their national team in its participation in the Cup.

3.       That pass from Pele (1970)

World Cup moments are almost invariably defined by the goal that was made. But that point will not come in without the assistance of another player. And if it is legendary Brazilian kicker Pele making that pass, it is sure to be a spectacular moment in itself.

One such stunning assist came in 1970 Finals against Italy. The match itself was pretty much one-side , as Brazil was already ahead 3-1, but the Italians were still trying to put up a tough defence. Pele skilfully handled the ball and managed to give Carlos Alberto the ball for the final nail in the Latin American team’s victory.

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/6151657/World-Cup-2010-Top-50-World-Cup-moments.html

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/998092-50-best-moments-in-world-cup-history

What to Expect for the Teams in the 2014 World Cup

With the World Cup just a few months away, many people are very eager to know more about the upcoming games and world football in general. So, let’s take a look at some of the most popular nagging questions nagging the minds of soccer fans today.

1. Is Brazil going to dominate?

This is a top question not only because the South American nation is hosting the World Cup this, but because Brazil has always been known as a force to reckon with in the tournament. Indeed, of the six editions in the last 20 years, Brazil was able to snag two crowns and is still very much on the top of the rankings. And experts agree that it still us among the countries with the biggest chances of snagging the title this year.

However, that will still depend on the preparations made by the Brazilian team for the World Cup. And with the team made, some fans can’t help but be worried. In particular, the decision to get Felipe Scolari as manager has many asking questions why. But Scolari is certainly proving is detractors wrong with Brazil’s successful run in the 2013 Confederations Cup, where they took on Spain in the finals. 

2. Can Spain do it twice in a row?

After pulling a big surprise in the 2010 Cup, many are now asking whether Spain will be able to do it a second time around this year. However, while they did manage to reach the finals of the 2013 Confederations Cup last year, they unceremoniously bowed out to Brazil. That defeat had supporters worried whether they are fully prepared for this year’s Cup.

But the team allayed such fears. They said that even befo9re the Confederations Cup, they have been hard at work in laying out their plans for the World Cup. The team also added that the loss does not significantly affect their morale and that they are still in high spirits for the upcoming matches.

3. Do the African teams have a chance now?

While the African continent has yet to produce a World Cup winner, the teams coming from it are certainly showing promise. In the 2010 World Cup, Ghana nearly got a seat in the semis had they not lost to Uruguay in a tight match. While it was certainly a missed opportunity, it certainly ignited the hopes of African fans that sooner or later, they will be seeing that winning goal.

4. What about the United States

The US soccer team has always been under the radar when it comes to the World Cup. In fact, in the 2010 Cup, they were ousted by Ghana for a quarterfinals seat. However, team coach Jurgen Klinsmann is confident that they are going to have a good campaign this year. Klinsmann is banking heavily6 on the presence of Michael Bradley and team captain Clint Dempsey to turn the tide to the Americans’ favour.

Source:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1902578-50-burning-questions-for-world-football-in-2014