2014 FIFA World Cup: Good and Bad

July 15, 2014

By Scott Tilley

The Good

1. The German National Team- 
The Germans were heavy favorites coming into the tournament and they did not disappoint. An opening 4-0 victory over the number four team in the world, Portugal (at the time), was nothing less than a statement to every other team in the competition. The team only dropped points once in the group stage with a come from behind draw against Ghana. Other than that, the Germans took care of business as usual, eventually thrashing the host-nation Brazil in the semis on their way to lifting the trophy on Sunday. 

2. Goalkeepers-
This World Cup saw a flurry of goals, even within the first few days of group play. That meant that goalkeepers in the tournament were needed to step up when their teams needed them most. A few goalkeeper standouts: 

-Guillermo Ochoa- 
The Mexican keeper was stellar in the tournament, allowing only one (consolation) goal in Group A. (Cameroon 1-0, Brazil 0-0, Croatia 3-1) "Mexican Jesus", as the Mexican supporters coined him, kept a clean sheet versus an explosive Brazil side, as well as making the save of the tournament by denying an impressive Neymar header. The free agent is now being targeted by major European clubs. 

-Keilor Navas- 
In my opinion, this man should have taken home the Golden Glove at the end of it all, but Neuer was an understandable winner. Navas showed his toughness against world class opponents in one of the toughest groups in the competition. Who would've thought in a group including England, Italy, Uruguay, and Costa Rica, the two European superpowers would be the ones going home before the knockout rounds. Navas also displayed his skill by saving two shots in a penalty shootout against Greece in the round of 16. 

-Tim Howard-
Yes I am American, and I may be a little biased towards my national team, but Tim Howard was a top 3 keeper in this tournament, no ifs, ands, or buts. Howard, after coming off an impressive season with Everton, dazzled millions with his goalkeeping displays against Ghana, Portugal, and Germany in group play. The tournament's best goalkeeping performance was observed when Howard recorded 16 saves (maybe 15) versus a young and dangerous Belgian side. Despite losing 2-1 in extra-time, Timmy still took home the man-of-the-match award and showed the world the best goalkeeping performance in recent memory. 

3. The Youngsters-
The young-guns showed up to play in the World Cup. This is my list of the top 10 young players in the tournament:

10. Xherdan Shakiri- Switzerland

9. Paul Pogba- France

8. Divock Origi- Belgium 

7. Mario Gotze- Germany

6. Joel Campbell- Costa Rica

5. Enner Valencia- Ecuador 

4. DeAndre Yedlin- United States

3. Antoine Griezmann- France

2. Neymar- Brazil

1. James Rodriguez- Colombia 

The Not-So-Good

1. Europe?-

The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured some of Europe's greatest footballing powers like Spain, England, Italy, and Portugal. If I told you before the tournament began that none of these teams would make it past group play, there's no way that you would believe it. Defending champion, Spain, only recorded three points in group play, but by that time they were already eliminated. The English and Italians looked flat in Group D, except when the two matched up for the first match. Portugal did not look like the number 4 team in the world, though many questioned the ranking before the tournament started. Even European teams like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Russia were favorites to be featured in the round of 16, but they all failed in group competition. Despite having disappointing performances from many European camps, the continent did produce the eventual 1st and 3rd place winners. 

2. Cristiano Ronaldo-

Okay, in my book he is still in the conversation for best player in world, but yes, Cristiano Ronaldo had a sub-par World Cup performance. I don't think that he played particularly poorly, because he left the tournament with a goal and an assist, but being a player with so much hype and coming off an unbelievable season with Real Madrid, I don't think I'm alone when I say that I just expected more. The Ballon d'Or winner was carrying an injury in the competition which could have influenced his poor play. Ronaldo's World Cup performance should not be seen as the start of a decline for the superstar, because I feel that he will have another spectacular year in La Liga with los Blancos. 

3. Brazil-

Brazil's elimination from the tournament can only be described by Ron Burgundy, "Well, that escalated quickly." The host-nation finished in fourth place after two thrashings at the hands of Germany (7-1) and the Netherlands (3-0). Before seeing Germany in the dream-matchup semifinal, the Brazilians only conceded four goals the entire tournament. Neymar was injured in the quarterfinal match against Colombia, and yes Thiago Silva was ruled out of the semifinal, but 7 goals? Really? Not like 2-1? Like 7-1? Germany played flawless, yes, but Brazil played extremely poor. Again, I think I just expected, more. 

Thanks for reading. 

2014 FIFA World Cup: Who really deserved the Golden Ball?

Who Really Deserved the Golden Ball? 

July 14, 2014

By Scott Tilley

Spectators after the final whistle of the World Cup final match between Germany and Argentina saw the German's celebrating a fantastic victory but they also saw Lionel Messi leave Brazil with the Golden Ball, the award for the most-outstanding player in the tournament. I can't possibly be the only one surprised by this, can I? Messi, though scoring four times in Group F, saw every chance that he took in the knockout rounds go off-target. Arguably, the Argentinians would not have made the final without Messi (I agree) but questions have to be asked about the Golden Ball being awarded to the Argentine forward. Some may even say that the award was a poor consolation attempt to the superstar after the loss in the final. Surely, there are others who could have walked away with the award instead of Messi:

-James Rodriguez- 

The breakout star of the World Cup, the Colombian number 10 could certainly have won the Golden Ball at the end of the tournament to compliment the Golden Boot that he won for being the top-scorer in the competition (6 goals). Rodriguez was by far the most impressive player in the World Cup. 

-Javier Mascherano-

The former Argentine captain could have snagged the award from his teammate with impressive performances at his converted holding midfield position. His team only trailed for 7 minutes in the entire tournament, and those 7 minutes happened to be the last 7 minutes of the final. Javier Mascherano is the one that the Argentinians can thank for that.

-Neymar-

The Brazilian forward saw his World Cup cut short due to a fractured vertebrae in his back, but that does not mean that he didn't deserve the Golden Ball just as much as Messi. Neymar also netted four goals in the tournament and helped lead the host nation to the semifinals. 

-Thomas Muller-

When the final whistle blew at the Maracana to signal the German victory in the final match, I for sure thought that I would see Golden Ball honors go to the German number 13, Thomas Muller. Scoring a hat trick in the opening match versus Portugal was not the only impressive performance from the Bayern Munchen man. Muller scored a blinder of a goal against the United States to clinch the group for the Germans to force a match up with Algeria. Muller also was featured up top and in the midfield for Jogi Loew's side, showing his versatility. I think hands down, Thomas Muller deserved the Golden Ball at the end of the tournament. 

Three Things We Can Expect from the 2014-2015 Premier League Season

Three Things to Expect from the 2014-2015 Premier League Season: 

July 14, 2014

By Scott Tilley

With the World Cup ending yesterday, I figured it would be appropriate to get geared up for the start of the 2014-2015 Barclays Premier League season without any delay, seeing that the opening match is less than a month away. Here are three things that you can expect the Premier League season to produce by the end of May in 2015. 

1. Close Title Race

The 2013-2014 BPL season produced one of the most exciting title races in recent memory between Liverpool, Chelsea, and eventual title winners Manchester City, and the upcoming season is expected to duplicate the excitement of this past season come May, 2015. With teams having a transfer frenzy in the early stages of the summer transfer window, the title race could be expanded from last year's three-horse race and could become a race between 5 or 6 clubs. Arsenal is looking to improve from two consecutive fourth place finishes in the table and will look to challenge the likes of title-favorites Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. Liverpool, coming off of a fantastic season finishing in second place, will look to step up and challenge for the title again. My prediction, however, is that Liverpool misses the top four come May due to the club returning to Champions League football. Year long title favorites in 2013, Manchester City, will look to add another title to the two that they have won in the last three years. Chelsea will look to challenge for the crown by making signings like Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. Fans can also expect Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United to make appearances in the top four throughout the season as well. One thing is for sure; this season will be a tight race between 5 or 6 clubs at the top of the table. 

2. New Superstars

The summer transfer window has already produced some amazing signings for Premier League clubs, so you can expect a few of those new signings to have breakout years in the league. Here are just a few: 

-Alexis Sanchez-

Perhaps the biggest BPL signing of the summer, Alexis Sanchez's move from Barcelona to Arsenal for a small fee of 32 million pounds is likely to strengthen the Gunners and the wing play that eluded them in last year's season. Sanchez has the talent to change the way a club plays, and he shouldn't disappoint at Arsenal playing alongside the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and newly crowned World Cup champion Mesut Ozil. 

-Luke Shaw-

By far the most-sought after youngster of the summer, Luke Shaw signed for Manchester United, surprising many as it looked as though he may have stayed at St. Mary's or signed for his boyhood club, Chelsea. It's hardly likely that a full back will become the star of the Premier League season come the end of it, but Manchester United have captured the talent of the century in Luke Shaw and he will for sure strengthen the Red Devils in a position that they have struggled with since their last title win. 

-Adam Lallana-

The former Southampton captain sealed his move to Liverpool in early July, along with former Saints teammate Rickie Lambert, after coming off of a fantastic season earning him a spot in England's less-than-impressive side in the World Cup. You can expect Brendan Rodgers to throw Lallana in at the number 10 role after seeing the departure of Luis Suarez up top. If Lallana plays half as well as he did in 2013-2014 on a team like Liverpool, we could see him receiving Player of the Year honors at the end of the campaign. 

Other notable players:

- Jake Livermore, Hull City

- Andre Schurrle, Chelsea

- Adnan Januzaj, Manchester United

- Siem de Jong, Newcastle 

3. Surprises

Come the end of May, we may see one or two teams higher up in the table than we initially anticipated in August. We saw this in 2013-2014 with a club like Crystal Palace, a newly promoted side that ended up finishing at a solid 11th place at the end of the BPL season. The Eagles did this by pulling off crucial victories at Selhurst Park, with the help of their supporters, like upsetting then-first-place Chelsea and a mind-blowing 3-3 comeback draw versus Liverpool to thwart the Reds' push for the title. 
Look for clubs like Southampton and Swansea to push for spots in the top 8, but also be on the lookout for clubs to slip up such as Aston Villa or Newcastle, who in the past have flirted with the thought of relegation.