Posted on 07/01/2014 10:02:58 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
SALVADOR, Brazil — Every four years, soccer cleans its slate and allows nations to reinvent themselves. Forgotten teams resurface. Small programs make big strides. Champions uphold their legacy or, in the case of Spain this summer, show their age.
For the second consecutive World Cup, the United States is in position for a breakthrough, a fresh narrative, a defining moment.
[From Fancy Stats: How the United States can beat Belgium | What to expect from U.S.-Belgium (not much scoring) ]
Four years ago in South Africa, the Americans won their first-round group in a heroic manner but lost to Ghana on an extra-time goal in the knockout stage. It wasn’t an upset; rather, it was a missed opportunity to reach the quarterfinals for the second time in three tournaments and set the tone for the next World Cup cycle.
On Tuesday, the U.S. squad enters a round-of-16 match against Belgium with another chance to nudge the program along a little further. The Belgians are a more formidable foe than Ghana was in 2010, having arrived in Brazil with a stable of top-flight talent and a deserved label as dark-horse candidates to hit the semifinals or beyond.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I think the good news is that with more and more top-flight club football being shown here in the US, kids will get to see first hand how the game should be played. That was not the case even a few years ago, as usually games were mainly on the Spanish channels. But now with NBCSports carrying the Premier League, more and more kids will get exposed to it.
Yeah, the other two were placeholders.
Well now that the US is out....I’m rooting for Colombia.
I’m really not up on the respective talent level, but from a geographic standpoint I’d think that Netherlands vs. Belgium in the Semis would be an interesting match – if it ever got to that… I’m sure most of the local fans at the W/C are hoping for good Latino representation in the later rounds.
Costa Rica for me. Go Ticos!
That is a good choice. I like them a lot and if you don’t like the traditional powers, either they or Costa Rica are the best remaining choices for me.
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