World Cup 2018

Here we are. The round of 16. Yes I know its soccer and yes, I get that soccer isn’t as big in North America like it is in South America, Europe, and Asia but the World Cup is different. It’s something that happens every four years and it brings all these different countries and passionate fan bases together.

To me, it didn’t matter that the United States failed to qualify for the World Cup. I knew I was going to be watching no matter what. Obviously it was disappointing because you weren’t going to see Christian Pulisic or Jozy Altidore on the world stage but it was equally as disappointing that Italy, Chile or the Netherlands didn’t qualify. This meant that you wouldn’t see world class players like Gianluigi Buffon, Alexis Sanchez, and Virgil van Dijk.

Now people know who Messi, Ronaldo, and Neymar are but this is the stage where the world is introduced to the stars of the game. In 2014, James Rodriguez burst onto the scene with some of the greatest goals you’ll ever see. This year, it may be a player like Luka Modric from Croatia or Kylian Mbappe from France who carry their respective countries. No matter who it is, it’s always fun to watch because the game of soccer is about as unpredictable as any sport.

After looking at the bracket, I’ve gone through and put some of the countries in certain categories; the favorites, the contenders, and the dark horses.

Favorites:

Brazil: The Brazilians got destroyed 7-1 in their home country by Germany in the 2014 World Cup and you better believe they've been waiting for their redemption. Philippe Coutinho has been Brazil’s best player so far during the group stage which shouldn’t really surprise anybody. With the Barcelona man playing at his best and then you throw in Neymar, this is a team that will be expected to hoist that World Cup Trophy.

France: From the beginning, I’ve had my eye on France. Kylian Mbappe is a rising star (somehow he’s only 19), Antoine Griezmann is always a threat, and who can forget about Paul Pogba and Olivier Giroud? If France can click on all cylinders for 90 minutes, they’re going to be tough to stop.

England: With Harry Kane now the captain of this team and having scored 5 goals already, it may be England’s year. With the help of Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, and John Stones, England could be playing at Luzhniki Stadium on July 15th.

Contenders:

Spain: While they stumbled through their first three games, Spain won their group. Goalkeeper David de Gea has been awful so far and the defense in front of him hasn’t been much better. Now Spain does get the advantage of being on the weaker side of the bracket and it could potentially set up a matchup with England in the semifinals. You can never count out Spain and when you have guys like Iniesta, Isco, and Diego Costa, they shouldn't have a problem scoring.

Uruguay: While keeping a clean sheet through their first 3 games in the group stage, Uruguay looks determined to keep their World Cup going. With their two lethal strikers, Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani, they have turned out to be a legit contender and if they can get past Portugal and either France or Argentina, the sky is the limit for them.

Croatia: Well this team came out of nowhere. A lot of people knew they were good but I don't think anybody saw this coming. After dismantling Argentina 3-0 and winning their group by 5 points, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic lead a Croatia team that nobody wants to face right now.

Belgium: The Belgians have the firepower up front lead by Romelu Lukaku, who has 4 goals already through the group stage. Belgium has knocked on the door before but if Lukaku, De Bruyne, and Hazard find their full potential, this is a scary team.

Dark horses:

Mexico: El Tri got an historic win over Germany to open up group play and then followed it up with a win over a good South Korea team. Now they did lay a dud against Sweden when they lost 3-0 but now a matchup with Brazil looms. Chicharito and company will definitely be up to the task and if they get though, they could make a run even though they are probably the biggest underdogs going into the round of 16.

Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo carried this team through the first two games but it was Ricardo Quaresma who scored the big goal vs. Iran. Even though it was almost all for not as Portugal narrowly slipped through, a first round matchup vs. Uruguay looms large and if you know anything about Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s that he shows up in big games when he’s needed the most.

Argentina: While it didn’t even look like they were going to make it to the round of 16, Messi finally got his goal and Rojo saved the day in the 86^th minute vs. Nigeria to put Argentina through. Now that they are through, they will have a tough task in playing France. If Argentina can put it together and play as a team, I think they can make some noise.

Colombia: You can never count out this team. They play with such joy and passion and they love being out there on this pitch. James Rodriguez leads the way and if they have a guy like Yerry Mina step up the way he did during the group stage, this Colombia team can pose a serious threat to England in their first round matchup.

Now I know there are other teams that qualified for the round of 16 that I didn’t mention but I’m not going to lie, I don’t know as much about them as I do these teams. Switzerland is definitely a team that can make a run along with Sweden and the host nation Russia but I think the teams that I named are the ones that are going to be there in the end.

After looking at the bracket, it is very tough to predict a final. Any one of the teams on the left hand side of the bracket could go to the final or they could lose in the first round.  Spain and England did get the easier draw but even they have a tough road. If I had to make a prediction, it would be France vs. England and I would take France to win the World Cup. Obviously, since I picked them, don't bet on France or England to make it to the final. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy some of the best soccer you'll ever see.