FIFA World Cup 2014

 

And no Landon Donovan for the U.S.? That could be interesting.

 

I'm sure he'll Landon his feet.

I was surprised to hear that Donovan hadn't made the cut, until I saw a photo of him at the provisional squad's training camp. Judging by the pictures, his levels of fitness and conditioning are well short of what they should be, so much so that it may have even been dangerous to send him into an intense four-week tournament in such a hot climate.

Incidentally, the new US away kit is all kinds of cool.

 

USA 2014 World Cup Away Kit (1).jpg

 

The announcement that Rafa Marquez as captain for the Mexico team wasn't surprising. Pissed off a lot of people but this will probably be his last World Cup.

I always liked that old story about Marquez receiving his first international call-up by mistake. The manager originally wanted Cesar Marquez, but allowed Rafa to stay after watching him in training. And, 17 years later, he's still there.

It sounds like Mexico may have finally hit their stride, after enduring a pretty dismal qualifying campaign. I hope they're still as good a watch as they were four years ago.

 

The announcement that Rafa Marquez as captain for the Mexico team wasn't surprising. Pissed off a lot of people but this will probably be his last World Cup.

I always liked that old story about Marquez receiving his first international call-up by mistake. The manager originally wanted Cesar Marquez, but allowed Rafa to stay after watching him in training. And, 17 years later, he's still there.

It sounds like Mexico may have finally hit their stride, after enduring a pretty dismal qualifying campaign. I hope they're still as good a watch as they were four years ago.

 

I think anyone who watched Mexico in qualifying would have seen a team in desperate need of experienced heads and a calming influence in possession, and though he's presumably (I've not seen him play since his Barca days) lacking a yard or six of pace these days, Marquez does bring that to the table.
 
Besides, you can only complain if you have a better idea. It's disappointing to see the likes of Jones, Smalling and Lampard still in the English squad, but when you're stuck with such a decidedly average pool of players to choose from, there's only so much a manager can do to change the outlook.

^ All the merrier for Croatia to get through the group stages  

Sergio Ramos annoys David De Gea with a 'Panenka'.
 

^ All the merrier for Croatia to get through the group stages

Kovac's 'double playmaker' midfield set-up looks really intriguing, very few teams in the world could boast a pairing as terrifyingly brilliant as Modric and Rakitic. Both appear to play the game with cheat codes.

Marco Reus injured and out. Class players dropping like flies this week.

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war! Jozy Altidore scored last night. Not just once, but twice.

I hear you can find Big Jozy on most betting sites at about 200/1 to top score this year. Which, for those of you who aren't familiar with gambling, means that if you put £10 on him to bag the golden boot, you'd lose £10.

World Cup Thursday! Woop!

Hope you guys like my new fan-video supporting FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 in Brazil. 

Finally its here! Can see Brazil winning today. I dont expect croatia to be pushovers tho. 

3-1 brazil

At last, we're here! Or at least, we will be in a few hours' time.

While few images from the actual tournament will be as vivid as the ones portraying the recent protests and strikes, I hope it's still a fantastic journey. There's plenty of reason for excitement and I'm ready to enjoy the ride.

Tonight's opener will be a formidable challenge for Croatia, but I think they're more than capable of springing a surprise. I'm backing them to score a quick goal, then succumb to a late Brazilian onslaught. 1-1.

Countdown to the CUP,   can't wait to see it,all projects of tonight are delayed.

BRAZIL!!!    

Just watched the opening, what did you think of it?

I liked that it was short so we don't get bored. I hate long openings.

And hated Jennifer's performance but I liked the girl in the blue, and i also liked their colorful outfits

Go Croatia!

Looking forward to seeing Japan and Korea breeze through their groups.

Wow,what a surprising game in the 1st half ,so thrilling.1/1.Brazil made both but good Croatia.Go

Hope Croatia stands for  the 2nd half too.

Just watched the opening, what did you think of it?

 

I liked that it was short so we don't get bored. I hate long openings.

The opening was made all the more surreal by the terrible sound quality, although that may have been an act of mercy by the TV producers. I did like Pitbull's 'mom jeans' though.