The premiere soccer event -
The World Cup - begins in two days.
South Africa is the host country, which means neither the European nor the South american teams have an inherent
"home-soil" edge over each other. And yes, the champion will be from one of those two continents.
.
Even if you have little interest in soccer
(or "football" to anyone who isn't from the USA), you owe it to yourself to watch some of these games. The level-of-play is truly unparalleled. Without further ado, here are my predictions...
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Championship Game : Brazil vs. Germany
The two favorites
(both at 9:2 odds) are Brazil and
Spain, and the latter certainly is on a roll. But Spain doesn't have the pedigree for World Cup finals. My head says it really should be
Italy instead of Germany in the final, but my heart says that's a boring match-up. FWIW, Brazil is scary good.
.
Third-Fourth Place Game : Spain vs. Portugal
I haven't looked beyond the first-round pairings, so this may not even be possible. Both of these teams are good, and this would be a treat to watch.
.
USA's Performance
They'll make it into the second round, but lose there. Word is they're in great shape. But there's more to soccer than stamina. Someday the US will win a World Cup. Alas, not this time.
.
USA - England Score : 1:3 (first game for both squads)
We've been giving England bulletin board material since the pairings were announced. England has the third-best odds to win it all
(6:1), but somehow I see injuries hurting them. They are good, and those injuries won't be there in the opening game. We have the stamina, but they have the skill.
.
Best Match-Up that will never happen
North Korea vs.
South Korea. Simply cuz neither one will make it out of the first round. But wouldn't that be kewl?
.
Upset African Victory : Cameroons 2 - Netherlands 1
Why not? Other possibilities are
Ghana tying
Germany, and
Ivory Coast beating
Portugal.
.
Two teams that will under-perform
France and
Argentina. The former shouldn't even be here
(sorry, Ireland) and the latter has psycho-druggy Maradona as their coach. I'd also pick
Netherlands
(ranked 4th in the world, and at 14:1 odds), but they
always under-perform.
.
Two teams that will over-perform
Mexico and
Uruguay. Both make it into the second round
(sorry, France and South Africa), and Mexico goes even further.
.
Teams I will be cheering for (other than the USA)
I habitually root for the underdog, but some teams are simply more fun to watch. So my "pets" are
Netherlands,
Portugal,
Paraguay,
Switzerland, and
all the African nations.
.
That's about it. Missing in action are
Turkey and
Russia, both of which I expected to be here. For the record, my sports predictions are always potential money-makers for you. Just carefully read what I say, then place your bets in the exact opposite way.
Championship Game : Brazil vs. Germany
The two favorites (both at 9:2 odds) are Brazil and Spain, and the latter certainly is on a roll. But Spain doesn't have the pedigree for World Cup finals. My head says it really should be Italy instead of Germany in the final, but my heart says that's a boring match-up. FWIW, Brazil is scary good.
.
Third-Fourth Place Game : Spain vs. Portugal
I haven't looked beyond the first-round pairings, so this may not even be possible. Both of these teams are good, and this would be a treat to watch.
.
USA's Performance
They'll make it into the second round, but lose there. Word is they're in great shape. But there's more to soccer than stamina. Someday the US will win a World Cup. Alas, not this time.
.
USA - England Score : 1:3 (first game for both squads)
We've been giving England bulletin board material since the pairings were announced. England has the third-best odds to win it all (6:1), but somehow I see injuries hurting them. They are good, and those injuries won't be there in the opening game. We have the stamina, but they have the skill.
.
Best Match-Up that will never happen
North Korea vs. South Korea. Simply cuz neither one will make it out of the first round. But wouldn't that be kewl?
.
Upset African Victory : Cameroons 2 - Netherlands 1
Why not? Other possibilities are Ghana tying Germany, and Ivory Coast beating Portugal.
.
Two teams that will under-perform
France and Argentina. The former shouldn't even be here (sorry, Ireland) and the latter has psycho-druggy Maradona as their coach. I'd also pick Netherlands (ranked 4th in the world, and at 14:1 odds), but they always under-perform.
.
Two teams that will over-perform
Mexico and Uruguay. Both make it into the second round (sorry, France and South Africa), and Mexico goes even further.
.
Teams I will be cheering for (other than the USA)
I habitually root for the underdog, but some teams are simply more fun to watch. So my "pets" are Netherlands, Portugal, Paraguay, Switzerland, and all the African nations.
.
That's about it. Missing in action are Turkey and Russia, both of which I expected to be here. For the record, my sports predictions are always potential money-makers for you. Just carefully read what I say, then place your bets in the exact opposite way. 
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