Ep. 8 - World Cup Preview (Pt. 2): Groups, D, E, and F

Brandon and Shaun run through the next three groups in their World Cup Preview breaking down all of the nations in groups D, E, and F. 

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Transcript

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Hello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Friends on Football Podcast. I am Sean Boyle. Joining me as ever is Brandon Johnson. Brandon, how are you? Good, Sean. Excited to get into these World Cup groups. How are you doing? I'm doing well. I'm doing well. The journey continues on the World Cup preview game. You already have in your feeds previews for groups A, B, and C. Today we will be previewing groups D, E, and F. We are not wasting any time with any more pleasantries. We're diving right into business. Brandon will be leading you through group D, so why don't you take it away? Thank you, Sean. So group D, we have the United States of America, Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey. Like in groups A through C, we'll give you a little bit of a breakdown on each team and how we think the group's going to shape out. So to start, I'll start with the USA. The United States is the 16th ranked team in the world. The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. Some fun facts about the U.S. We are the third largest country by population in the world. In addition, New York City actually has more people than 38 of 50 of the 50 U.S. states. So with over 8 million people, that would place them at a higher population level than 38 out of the 50 states. The state of Montana has actually has two times as many cows as they do people. And a final fun fact about the US, Alaska actually has more volcanoes than any other US state with 130 volcanoes. I think Hawaii is typically the answer that people would give, but it's actually Alaska. So learned that today doing this, doing some research. I saw a Instagram video asking the question which state has the most volcanoes, and the most common answer was for sure Hawaii. So they did spoil it at the end that it was Alaska, but I that's the only reason I knew that. Yeah, there you go. Learn something new every day. Uh the nickname for the U.S. team is the Stars and Stripes. This is the 12th appearance for the United States in the World Cup, with the best result being a third place finish in 1930. The manager for the U.S. is Mauricio Patrickino. Listeners to the pod will obviously recognize the name that uh are Spurs fans. Uh, he managed Tottenham Hotspur, also managed PSG and Chelsea. He's been in the role for about two years now, but this is really his first real tournament. So it'll be interesting to see how he comes out. The US will look to play a 3-4-2-1 or 5-2-2-1, depending on how you look at it. Formation, they'll be a very pressing team, and I think wing play will be very vital. We've mentioned on other podcasts they're they're outside backs, really being attacking forces, helping out with the front three. Some players to watch. Uh, obviously Christian Polisic, he's the number 10. Probably one of the best, if not the best, player in U.S. soccer history. And then some wingers that I mentioned earlier, uh Serginho Dest and Anthony Robinson. They'll play a huge role both in the attack and defense for the U.S., but mainly on the attacking, on the attacking side of the ball, trying to help the team get higher up the field, uh, making some big runs. I think for the U.S., a success is probably making a quarterfinal run. You know, being on home soil, I think there's some confidence in the team that that maybe they'll they'll outpunch their weight a little bit. And I think it's possible. Um, I'd expect them to make it to at least the round of 16. And in this group that they're in, I'd expect them to finish either first or second. Sean, what do you kind of think about the U.S.? Obviously, this is a team that we've talked about throughout this podcast, so I didn't want to talk too much about them, but just what are your kind of overall thoughts? I think you did a great job of laying out the bullet points for someone who is either new to the podcast or not a fan of the US MNT, or maybe someone who's from outside the country. So you covered all the basics. Obviously, we'll go much more into detail in the US in other episodes, as we're trying to keep these the same for each country. But yeah, I think you covered it, what the expectations are, what they should be. I think I would agree that success means basically a quarterfinal appearance. And that's a high bar for sure, but it's one that if you want to make an actual change to how people view soccer in this country, it's one you need to clear. So I think that is our one goal. Let's keep and once we're in the quarterfinals, feel free to win that one and make it to the semis. So, really, I think I think it's just a lot of optimism now at this point for me. I've shifted away from all any negativity I had about the roster or certain limitations of certain players. Let's just bring good vibes, let's get a couple wins in the group stage, and let's see, let's see how the cards fall. I love that, Sean, and I think that's the way to do it. You know, this is not maybe not the perfect team that that we all imagine. There are some probably players that we probably think should have been in the team that are missing, but at this point, all we can do is go forward. So I'm glad to hear you're behind behind the boys. The next team we'll look at in the United States group is Paraguay. Now, Paraguay is ranked 40th in the in the world standings. They actually played the US back in November in a friendly here in Philadelphia. So I got to see them kind of up close and personal. They're a pretty good team. Definitely travel well, so it'll be exciting to see the Paraguay fans hopefully traveling to their games this summer. The capital of Paraguay is a city called Asuncion. Uh, it's their largest city. It is the primary cultural, political, and economic hub, so really a staple uh of Paraguay. Their team nickname is La Albaroa, the red and the white uh is what that means in Spanish. Paraguay as a country is known as the heart of South America. They are a landlocked country in South America, but funny enough, that even being a landlocked country, they have the largest navy of all landlocked countries in the world. So they're just protecting themselves at all costs. They are also the only country with a flag that is completely that has completely different emblems on the front and the back. So their national coat of arms is on the front of the flag, and on the back there is a treasury seal. So something that you don't really see too often. I thought that was pretty interesting to add. Now moving on the field. Paraguay, this is their ninth appearance in the World Cup. Uh the last time they were in the tournament was 2010, and they made it all the way to the quarterfinals. In World Cup qualifying for this tournament, they struggled to qualify, but they did beat Brazil and Argentina late in their qualification to secure a spot in the World Cup, which is you know impressive. Their manager is a man by the name of Gustavo Alfaro. Uh he actually coached Ecuador in the 2022 World Cup. And he is an Argentinian manager, and he's known for being very defensively minded. On the field, Paraguay looks to set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. They'll counterattack. They have a very solid back line, which plays right into their coach's strengths. This is the type of football he would like to play. They'll look for moments to create through the midfield, but they're not expected to dominate much possession. So there'll be a team that looks for their chances, but maybe won't be on the ball as much as some of their opponents. They're key players to watch. Miguel Almaron, he's probably their biggest name on the team. He plays for Atlanta United in the MLS. Uh, this is actually his second stint at Atlanta United. He previously played there from 2016 to 2019 before securing a 21 million euro transfer to Newcastle. Played at Newcastle for sixth season, and now he's back in the MLS again with Atlanta. They also have an attacking midfielder, Diego Gomez. He plays at Brighton. He can play all positions in the midfield, so it'd be interesting to see where they both set up. But he may play a little bit deeper than Almorone. He played at Inner Miami last year in MLS. And as a 23-year-old, uh, he's really looking to break out this World Cup and kind of put his name on the map. Two other players that they have are Gustavo Gomez and Omar Omar Alderete. They're both their center backs, very strong center backs, hard to break down. So again, plays into the coaches' mindset. And I think this team will be an interesting, interesting opponent for the US as well as Australia and Turkey. I think success for them is probably winning a knockout round game. I think I'd expect them in this group to probably make the knockout rounds as the third place team. I think it'll be tough for them to win that knockout game because they'll probably end up being put up against a first place team in one of the other groups. So it'll probably be a tough game, but I could see them uh making the knockout round. And, you know, once once you're at the dance, you never know what can happen. So uh I think Paraguay is in an interesting spot. I I do think they have a good team. I just don't know if they have the quality to make it too far in this World Cup. I think that is that provides some intrigue for the casual fan as to one of the United States opponents, which is what I'm most excited for you as you go through this group D preview. I want the scouting report on who the U.S. will be going up against. I am a big fan of Omar Alderete at Sunderland. Tidy on the ball, left-footed central defender. He he's physical, he's he's a good player. And obviously with Al Marone and Diego Gomez, they they do have some quality in that team. I do agree with you. I think there's a line where that talent runs out, and I think that would just be just outside the group stage, but it creates an interesting opponent for the United States in the battle to make it out of the group. So if you're thinking that just because these countries that the United States are paired with aren't the biggest of names, that this will be a cakewalk, I think that might be a mistake. So I'll let Brandon continue with the rest of the teams in this group. But so far, Paraguay certainly sounds like a formidable opponent. Yeah, absolutely, Sean. And we'll get into Australia and Turkey A next, but on paper, Paraguay is probably the easiest opponent the US play, and I don't think it's an automatic three points. So it'll be interesting to see how this shapes out. Turning next to Australia. Australia is the 27th ranked team in the world. The capital of Australia is Cabera. It's not Sydney and it's not Melbourne, cities that people probably think are the capitals, even though they're bigger. They chose Cabrera in 1908, and it was actually a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne. The city of Kabara is kind of in between both Sydney and Melbourne, and they thought that was a fair compromise, so pretty cool. And it's in the southeastern part of the country. Australia is known as the land down under. They have very unique wildlife in Australia. Nearly 80% of the animals and plants there are not found anywhere else on Earth. So they're they're hoarding them all down there for something. So that's interesting. The people that live in Australia, 90% of them live on the coast. There are very many large deserts in the middle of the country, so a lot of people don't live there. So it's a very beach beach-centric uh country. And Sean, I don't know if you're a wine guy, but Australia has over 60 separate wine regions. So if you're looking for a little wine tour, I know we talk California, sometimes, you know, upstate New York, but you might be able to take a trip down to Australia if you want to experiment with the wines a little bit. I knew Australia was a wine producer, but I did not know they had 60 different regions of wine. That's interesting. So I am a big wine guy. So yeah, that's that is intriguing to me. And, you know, I didn't mention this, but Australia is a continent, but also a country at the same time. So uh a little bit larger than than most other countries. Their soccer nickname is actually the soccer roos. Great name play on strong, strong soccer nickname. And that's a good one because I feel like you hear that and you automatically know it's Australia. Like there's no no doubting who that who that is to. This is Australia's seventh appearance in the World Cup, and the furthest they've made it is the round of 16 twice, including the last time they were in the World Cup, which was 2022. They made it to the round of 16. Their manager is a man by the name of Tony Popovich, uh, very hard-nosed. He's been quoted saying he doesn't care about style. Uh, he was a center back as a player and has 58 national team caps with Australia. He's coached mostly in the A-League, which is Australia's domestic league, but don't expect to see too much flair from his team. He's very disciplined, very organized team. And that goes into their style. They'll play most likely a 3-4-2-1 formation. Look to counter-attack, they'll be organized and show that clear identity of playing together, playing exactly the same way. And it will be hard for teams to break them down. So I think while they may not have a ton of offensive threat, their defense will keep them in game. So that'll be interesting to see. A few players to look out for. Their goalkeeper, his name is Matthew Ryan. He's the captain, known as a great penalty kickstopper, which could help them later in the tournament if they do qualify for knockouts. And he plays in Spain at Levante. He has 103 caps for Australia. So he's been there for a while. He knows what he's doing. They have that together. Someone on the other end of the spectrum, a newer player, his name is Nestori Iraconda. He is a 20-year-old winger who plays for Watford. He actually played for Bayern Munich and Bayern Munich's second team, I apologize, in 2024. Signed to Bayern Munich, but didn't end up playing on the first team, played for the second team in 2024. He was born in Tanzania, but moved to Australia as a young infant, and he was raised there. So that led him to play for Australia. He's someone that could be looking to have a breakout World Cup and maybe secure a bigger transfer to another team. Pacey. He's pacey. Yeah, definitely, definitely got some pace. I think for Australia, success for them is probably getting out of the group stage and winning a knockout game. In 2022, they made it to the round of 16. I'm not sure that that's possible just because of their depth currently, as well as the group that they're in. I personally think they're going to finish fourth in this group. It's going to be a really tight group, like we mentioned, but I don't know if they have the quality to get out of the group stage. So I think for them that would be a big disappointment. But just with this, the strength of the other teams, I'm not sure if they if they if they're going to make it out. Yeah, when you think of Australian football, you don't necessarily think of brilliant to watch. You think of kind of a grinded out physical affair. And I think we're going to expect more of that this year, as you kind of mentioned. A few cycles ago, Ange Postacaglu was their manager, and they tried playing on the front foot some attacking football, and they scored some goals in the World Cup, but ultimately didn't leave with a win. And I think a more pragmatic approach will certainly help their chances because the games will just be more within their reach for longer periods. But I do agree with you. I just don't know that the quality is there to make it anywhere other than fourth in this group. But we talk about how this group's going to be tight. Maybe it comes down to a set piece and they swing two of those games that could be a loss or draw into a win, and anything can happen. So I would agree. I think making it out of the group would be a very, very successful trip for the Sakaroos. I'm hoping that they don't pick up many points in their groups. Hopefully, their brand of football is not welcome here in the States. Yeah, yeah, I agree with you. And not to make it any easier, the last team in this group is Turkey. So Turkey is ranked 22nd in the world. The capital of Turkey is Ankara. That was chosen in 1923 to replace Istanbul, which is their largest city. Turkey's nickname is the Sick Man of Europe, and that they use that in the 19th century due to the declining Ottoman Empire. Istanbul is actually in their largest Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, and it is actually in two continents, both Europe and Asia. So you can hang out in two continents in within minutes of each other, which is pretty cool. And Turkey's national sport, it's not soccer, it's not basketball, it's not baseball, it's actually a sport called oil wrestling, where wrestlers, just as it sounds, douse themselves in olive oil and wrestle. So it's interesting. They still play it today, mainly at festivals as a cultural event. Uh, and they've been doing this since the 14th century. So a little bit of a different traditional national sport, but I thought that was pretty cool to add. For sure, I've never heard of anything of the sort, and I think that may be something we should have left in the 14th century, but hey, listen, to each their own. To each their own. The nickname for the Turkey A soccer team is the Crescent Stars, and that's due to the Turkey A flag. This is Turkey's third appearance in the World Cup. The last time they were in the World Cup was 2002, and they actually finished in third place. So it's been been a while since they've been in the World Cup, but they are they have had success in the past, so that can't be forgotten. Their manager is a man by the name of Vincenzo Montella. He's mostly managed European clubs, specifically in Italy, AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Sampedoria. He's been the coach since 2023. And unlike some other coaches, he's known for taking more of a hybrid approach. So he'll change styles, he'll look to exploit opponents in different ways depending on who he's playing, which is not always something that we see in especially international football. Turkey A will look to play a 4-2-3-1 primarily, uh, keeping possession, and they'll they'll try to use their creative wingers to give them some attacking chances. They do lack, in my opinion, a top-tier striker. So I think they'll be able to create the chances, but I don't know if they'll be able to finish those chances. Some players, key players to watch, Arta Gurler. He plays for Real Madrid. He is an attacking midfielder and winger. He is only 21 years old and has been talked about as one of the top young talents in the world. So it'll be really interesting to see him play on this world stage and see what it does for his career. He's he's a left-footed player, but he likes to play on the right so he can get that little curl in. I know Sean, you're a big fan of the inverted wingers, so I'm sure you'll be watching him. Yep. Another player on Turkey A to look out for is Baris Alper Yilmaz. He plays for Galatasaray. He's also a winger, uh, and we'll play on the opposite side of Gurler. He is 26 years old, has 33 caps, and just like Gurler, he is prepping for a big world cup, uh hoping to get some bigger Europeans team interest interested in him, playing at Galatasaray, which is in Turkish Turkey's Turkey's domestic league. One of the better leagues in the world, but looking for a move to maybe a European league, such as the Premier League or La Liga. A final player to profile on Turkey is Hakan Kalinogu. He is their captain, plays for Inter Milan. He's more of a center defensive midfielder, so he'll hold the team together. Uh, he's had a very long career, and he's one of the best Turkish players of all time. A little bit over the hump, I'd say, but we'll probably try to keep the young players, bring them into the team, and really show them how to be successful at this level. I think success for Turkey A would be to win this group and then winning one or two knockout rounds. I I'd expect them to do probably something similar. I I do think they'll finish first or second in this group. I think they're the one of the better teams in this group. I do think the lack of a true number nine to score is is gonna hurt them long term, but I do think they have the quality to finish either first or second in this group. They're very, very good. They've gotten better recently in recent years, too. You mentioned some of the main figures in the squad, and they're at a high technical level of players. I think Turkey is a team that we all should be a little bit afraid of. That's a that's a game to circle in the group stage for the United States. Artaguelaire, yeah, you mentioned Real Madrid, he is Is a Wonder Kid, like a real high potential player, and he's already doing it in La Liga. So he's no joke. He might be the best player on the pitch when they play the United States. So that's something. Also, yeah, Chalonoglu, he's kind of dropped back each year of his career. He started as like an attacking mid, moved to sort of a central shuttler, and now he's in that deep lying role, like you mentioned, he's a high-level player still, a bit over the hill. Yeah. But in a three-game knockout or in a three-game group stage, I'm sure we'll get his best. And yeah, they they have depth too. They're growing year over year. It seems like the Turkish base of player is getting a little broader and better. So certainly not a cakewalk by any means. And I think people would suggest outside of the United States, they would be the next favorite to win this group. Yeah, I agree with you. And I was gonna say, just kind of my overall thoughts about the group. I I think this is definitely gonna be one of the more competitive groups. Uh on paper, it doesn't look incredible, but I do think all four teams could go through. I I I'd expect the USA and Turkey to go one and two in either direction. I I put Paraguay in third, and I'd expect them to qualify just based on the the way that the system is, with 32 teams going through out of the 48, and then Al Sharia, unfortunately, being the team left out. I don't think anyone in this team has anyone in this group has the quality to win the World Cup. But I do think, and maybe this is a little bit of a bold prediction, probably not, but I do think you could see two of these teams in the round of 16. Just based on the knockout format and how things could pan out. I could I could see two of these teams uh making it to that final 16. So really interesting group to watch. I think, you know, as an American fan, we kind of looked at this group and thought, okay, this will be easy, we'll be right through. I don't know if it's as easy as we're making it out to be. I think that's well said. Yes, I would agree. It's definitely not as easy as we're all assuming it will be. So please take care of business, US. Let's not play with our food. Yeah. Exactly. So, Sean, you wanna lead us through group E and then I'll come back on to do group F after that. Perfect. Group E features Germany, Curacao, Cote d'Ivoire, and Ecuador. We'll start with Germany. Their country motto, I've been working on the pronunciation for this one. It is Einheit und Recht und Freiheit, which means unity and justice and freedom. Germany has 83 million people, with Berlin being the capital and largest city. Berlin also has more bridges than Venice, which I was surprised to learn. Some fun facts about the country: the Audubon is a famous highway in Germany, where about half of the highway does not have a speed limit. So if you have the need for speed, head on over to the Audubon. Germany is also home to the Black Forest, which inspired many of the Brothers Grim fairy tales. I've always been intrigued by the Black Forest and the Brothers Grim. A couple of the Bundesliga clubs are located in and around the Black Forest, and there's some cool lore that goes along with them. So that's pretty neat. And then lastly, beer is a big part of the German culture. In the Bavarian part of Germany, beer is classified as a food. So the world's largest beer festival is, of course, in Germany. It is Oktoberfest, that is in Munich. And Freising is home to the world's oldest continually operating brewery. So in many ways, Germany, they cover all things beer. On the pitch, the team's nickname is Die Meinschaft or Die National Elf, which means the team or the National 11. They have made 21 appearances in the World Cup, and they are four-time champions. So they are no slouches. They won it in 1954, 1974, 1990, and 2014. A little theme of fours there, with 54, 74, and 14. But glad this World Cup is not being played any year that ends with four. They are tied with Italy for the second most ever, one behind Brazil. They usually have great kits, and I will say this year is no different. They're always dressed pretty properly, these Germans, so I have to tip my cap there. They are managed by Julian Naggelsmann, who is the youngest ever coach in the Bundesliga. I believe he started coaching when he was 28 years old in the Bundesliga. Pretty, pretty shocking stuff to be coaching top flight football at that age. And he will be one of the most sought-after managers after the World Cup for many clubs across the world. He's very, very highly regarded. They will try to dominate possession and they likely will dominate possession. They'll set up in a 4-2-3-1 with lots of interchange, especially in those attacking positions, while they have the ball. From a playing perspective, their captain is Joshua Kimich. He plays as a right back for the national team. He can kind of dabble as a central midfielder for Bayern Munich, but for the national team, he's pretty locked into the right back role. My favorite player in their squad is Jamal Musiala. He is something else. He's a young, impressive attacking player. Seems to be fully fit after a bad injury that he suffered a year ago in the club World Cup, actually, on U.S. soil. So I'm glad that he's back for the World Cup. There was originally some concerns that he would end up missing this. That's how severe the injury was, but he came back and had a pretty good end of the season for Bayern Munich. He's an attacking midfielder who can play out on the wing, superb dribbler, very creative, and probably their biggest threat. Alongside him is Florian Verts, who plays at Liverpool. They do a lot of the same things well, and it creates just a very high level of tactical ability in their attack. One of the questions I have for them is who starts at striker and can they deliver goals? Nick Voltamade will be the likely guess for me as to who starts up top. Plays for Newcastle. I think he's a really good player. He's great at link up play. Maybe not a 10 out of 10 in terms of finishing at all times, but has real ability and he's still young. He can continue to grow in that department. I think he's their best best option. They also have Nicholas Fulkrug, who's he's an out and out number nine, kind of a big lump. Not bad to have to throw on at the end of games. And then Kai Havertz is also in this squad, the guy who we alluded to in the Champions League recap as scoring the opening goal for Arsenal. He typically plays as more of a false nine, and I'm not sure that he's a reliable goal source, but he does have a little bit of a knack for scoring in big moments. So they have options up front, just not something concrete. They're pretty solid in terms of nailed on starters in defense. You'll get David Rahm on the left-hand side, Nico Schlauterbeck, and Jonathan Ta at center back, and then Joshua Kimmich, like I mentioned, at right back. They are aggressive. They're no stranger to a card, that back line, but overall they're pretty solid. And then big news recently for the German national team is Manuel Neuer has come out of international retirement to man the net. This is an interesting one. They had a nailed on starter through much of the qualifying process, but Manny Neuer said, you know what? No, I want another go at it. And it seems like he's going to walk right back into being the national team starter. So a bit frustrating for those who are hoping to get a sniff in between the sticks. Neuer is still world-class. Even though he is in his 40s and certainly has slowed down a step, he can still deliver a very good pinged pass and make a world-class save. They have a wild travel schedule. They go from Houston to Toronto to New York. So a little bit of a weird one. Houston to Toronto is not exactly like the easiest of flights between group stage matches, but that's the card they were dealt. What will success look like for the Germans? I think they just want to lift the trophy. I mean, their expectation at the very least would be a deep run with attacking, beautiful football being played. They'll expect not only to win, but some dominant performances. I am right there with them in terms of what success looks like. I my expectation for them will be a deep run as well. Germany are good at these things, and I think Nagglesman is brilliant. So when you kind of combine the history of the country, how they perform in World Cups with Naggelsmann, an elite-level manager, I think they're going to have a pretty strong showing. They have not been strong in the last two World Cups with some earlier exits than anticipated. And this is not exactly a golden generation for German football, but I still think there's a pretty high level of talent. And I expect them to be a formidable contender in this tournament. Sean, that's a great overview. I also agree with you. I think, you know, World Cups in Germany are synonymous, and having a World Cup run uh should be expected, like you said, for this team. So I wouldn't be surprised to see that either. I th I do think the goalkeeping is is an interesting point with Neuer coming out of retirement. But like you said, he's absolute class, and I don't think that's a worry for them. I think the number nine is probably a big a bigger worry for their team. But there's so much talent in that team where it's like you you whoever you end up choosing to throw out there, they're gonna probably be okay. So, you know, you'll I'm sure you'll break down this group a little bit further, but I don't see them having much trouble in getting through the group and probably their first few knockout games as well. Yeah, you're you're right about that. I think it's a strong group, but I still don't think they're gonna have an issue getting out of it. I think they're they are the dominant team in this one. They were the pot A side, and they will be, in my opinion, they will play like that. Interested to see what the Germans can do. I think the group stage will be a good opportunity for them to kind of find their footing and how they're going to play in this tournament. I don't think there's going to be much cause for concern in terms of them not making it out of the group. I could maybe see them finishing second, but I think that's the worst they could do. Yeah, it definitely on paper doesn't look like they'll they'll struggle much. So I agree with you. On to Curacao. I could not find an official motto, but their tourism motto is feel it for yourself, which I love that it was in English. That's huge for me. It was a win in terms of not having to study a pronunciation. It is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. So this is located in the Southern Caribbean Sea, but it is technically in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The capital is Williamstad, which is also their most populated city. Williamstad translates to Williamtown in honor of William II, who was the Prince of Orange. So a lot of Dutch roots here in Curacao. The population is around 155,000 people, which is roughly the same amount of people as Bridgeport, Connecticut, or Mesquite, Texas. That that just excites me. I love, love, love that we have a country because of this 48-team field. We have a country like Curacao here. Now, it might not go well on the pitch, but we'll talk about that in a minute. Fun facts about the country: the buildings in Williamstad are pastel colored. They look fantastic on the eye. This is because in the year a Dutch governor complained that the white buildings were giving him migraines. So he ordered that the residents paint them any other color. He said, He said, paint your house, I'm getting a headache. What a what a prick. Imagine making somebody change the way their house looks because you're getting a little headache. That's absurd. It's crazy. I've never heard that before, but I've seen pictures and it's beautiful. But beautiful. You talk about like the iron fist or just you know throwing your throwing your power around. It's a great example. I will say it might have done them a favor because the pastel looks great, but the intentions were not pure. The island's locals often speak four languages, which is of course impressive. They speak Papa Miento, Dutch, English, and Spanish. Tip of the cap there. The famous liquor in Curacao is electric blue, and it's made from dried peels of La Raja fruit, which I am not familiar with, but I would give the liquor a shot if I'm in the presence of anyone from Curacao. They are playing a match in Philly, so you never know. I might find my way into some blue liquor. Now, the national team's nickname is the Blue Wave. A lot of blue popping up here from the Curacao. I don't mind it. They're playing in their first ever World Cup. They became the smallest nation ever by both population and land area to qualify. So again, just really heartfelt, cool stuff that maybe this World Cup has its faults and flaws. It also has some stories like this that it's provided. So I'm excited for things of this nature. I will also mention really quality kits. I'm a big fan of what I've seen from Cursau and the kit department so far. So hopefully that leads to some good play. You know, Deion Sanders. Look good, play good, play good, pay good. Might be the case for Cursao. Their head coach is a guy by the name of Dick Advocott. This guy has coached somewhere new basically every year or two since 1980. He go check out his list of places he's been. It's something to behold. He is 78 years old and he's coached several other nations. He's coached Netherlands, Russia, Iraq, and the UAE. Wild, wild journey he's been on. He took over in 2024 and helped lead Curacao to dominate qualifying, unbeaten in 10. He stepped down in February of this year because of his daughter being in poor health. So he left the job in February. His daughter was in poor health, felt the need to be with her. Fred Rutten takes over. Well, just a few weeks ago in May, Fred Rutten steps down in the midst of some chaos, says, I can't do it. Leaves him without a coach less than a month before the tournament. And that's when Dickie Advocate comes back, baby. Daughter's health has improved. We're happy to hear. And he is ready to lead men in the World Cup. Love that. On the playing front, we have Leandro Bacunia. He is the club captain. He is 34 years old with the experience playing in the Premier League years ago for Aston Villa. Aston Villa. His brother, Janinho Bacunia, will start next to him in midfield. So it's a family affair. When there's only 155,000 people in your country, only a few families are going to be good at football. Happy to have the Bacunas in the center of the park. Tahith Chong is a name a couple of you might know. He is a former Manchester United product. Came to the academy, got a cup of coffee with Manchester United. He will start an attack on one of the wings. Rangelo Jenga is the all-time leading scorer for Curacao. He will likely lead the front line as a striker. He's a guy, he's, I mean, he's been around, he's done it. He's never done it at a high level, but he's done it for country, and that's that's not nothing. And then a guy to watch is Lavano Cominencia, who plays for Zurich in Switzerland. He is another guy who has held their own on a European stage, which a lot of the players in the Curacao squad have not proven that. And he has at least done that. So that's a good thing, and someone they will look to in what will inevitably be a pretty difficult group stage. What does success look like for Curacao? Winning a match would be incredible. I think expectations should be just to come party, have a good time. And that's what I'm expecting them to do. You know, bring the bring the blue wave, bring the liquor, have have some fun. I don't expect much on the pitch. I think goal difference could get ugly. I'd hate to call them a punching bag of sorts, but that's what they could end up being in this group, which I do think, again, is a difficult group. They didn't exactly get a favor with this draw. Even if they were in the United States' group, I could see them punching with some of those teams better than I could see them sparring with the likes of Germany and the Ivory Coast. So that's my Curacao deep dive. I'm fascinated to have them in the tournament. I'm happy to learn more about them. I'm not expecting much. Thank you for this breakdown. It's funny you mentioned a lot of the off the field stuff because those were things when they qualified that I looked up because I was like, who are these guys? What's their deal? It's funny, my wife actually bought their away jersey as soon as it dropped. She she couldn't find it. Fun fact, they didn't sell it in the US on like Adidas.com. So she had to buy it from China and get it shipped here, and it was a whole operation. But uh she saw that kit and she was like, That's my team. So it's gonna be it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be fun to have a team like that. I think they'll have a lot of people behind them. The neutral fans should probably get behind them as well. Uh family affair in the midfield, like you said, that's that's pretty cool. And to have a country with only 155,000 people, you know, that's that's incredible. That's basically like filling filling the the link, the Eagles Stadium where the their game is in Philadelphia twice. And that's the number of people in their whole country. So it it's it's a team that I'll be rooting for for sure. I'm excited to see. Hopefully, maybe they get a point, maybe they can sneak a point from somebody in the third game when they're resting starters or something. But it's gonna be challenging on the field. So, you know, glad to have you. Excited to party with you, but it might not be a long stay for you here. Just bring the vibes, you know. Just bring the vibes. That's all you need to contribute to this group, and we'll all we'll all thank you for it. Brandon, I plan on potentially being at the Curacao vs. Ivory Coast game in Philadelphia. I've I've circled that one on my calendar as one to potentially make my way down to. So we'll dive into the Ivory Coast now, but the reason I bring it up is both fan bases full of good energy. And I just feel my I would love to be in the room for that one. So let's dive deep on Cote d'Ivoire. Their motto is Union, Discipline, and Work. Another simple one for me, thank you. They have two capitals, which are Yamasucro and then Abidjan. So another split capital, and I don't know how they get away with this, these countries. We have to pick one capital, in my opinion, but hey, the official language is French, and they have a population of about 32 million people. Some fun facts, produces nearly one-third of the world's cocoa. So if you love chocolate, you love the Cote d'Ivoire. I, of course, love chocolate and did not know that they were responsible for a third of it. So good job by them. Their national dish is fufu, made up usually of a plantain and some savory sauce. And boy oh boy, I've never had it, but I would sign right up. I love a plantain. I can only imagine fufu is a delicacy. They got their name from French sailors because they were heavily involved in elephant tusk trading. So another, we'll bring up the elephants again in a few minutes, but that's how the Cote d'Ivore was named due to the elephant tusk trading and the French saying, hey, you know what? That's we're just gonna call the whole country that. They are also home to the world's largest church, which can hold 18,000 people. It is built to mirror St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome. This is a spectacle. I've Googled images of this, and it is, I mean, it's something to see. So give it a give it a peek. The world's largest church in the Ivory Coast. It didn't have that one in my prep. On the pitch, their team is known as La Elephance, the Elephants, and I love everything about their kits and I love everything about their logo. I'm all in. We talk about how sometimes we fall in love with these teams we're previewing. These guys are no different for me. This is their fourth ever World Cup appearance. They have never made it out of the group. They missed the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, so it is nice that they are back. Their head coach is Amers Fay. He had to retire early as a player. He took over midway through AFCON in 2023 for the Ivory Coast. A bit of a wild story. Middle of a big tournament, the African Cup of Nations. They fired their manager. Amers Fay steps in, and what does he do? He leads them to a title. They lift the trophy. Amers Faye becomes a hero in Cote d'Ivour. And now he's leading them into the World Cup here in the United States. He will look to set them up with the back four, but they can also kind of transition out into a back three. They have a lot of good center backs that they're going to try to get on the pitch at the same time. They will use the speed they have on the wings to capitalize on transitional moments. Again, I love this group. Players to watch. We have first and foremost, Jan Diamante. He is the man of the hour. He is set for a 100 million pound transfer this summer to likely either Liverpool or PSG. He's an RB Leipzig winger, and he's a star in the making. He has so much pace, but he combines it with a very high skill level, a ton of upside to continue growing, and now he has a stage to show it off at, such as the World Cup. He moved to the United States at a young age and began his career with DME in Daytona Beach, Florida. I was not aware of this at all, but he's basically. He's basically a homegrown United States player. He's gonna go for a hundred million. And he, of course, we uh he we couldn't get a dual national on him. That's a bit frustrating. I don't know how I don't know if any of his parents or anything are American, but boy oh boy, it feels like we lost an opportunity there. The captain of the team is Frank Kessier. He's a mainstay in midfield. He has played for Barcelona, Milan. He gets the job done. He is aging a bit, but he's a reliable presence for them in the center of the park. At the back, they've got a really strong center back pool, as I mentioned. They are led by Evan Indica, who plays at My Roma. He is nursing a hamstring, which he injured in the second to last game of the season with Roma. I saw him come up limp and I was like, oh no. I think he'll be back in time for the group stage. It seems like it wasn't that bad of an injury. If he has to miss some time, they also have Uzman Diamante, who's an up-and-coming, another guy who's going to go for a lot of money soon from supporting Lisbon, and O'Dillon Kasunu, who can deputize. All three of those guys are high-quality center backs. On the wing, opposite of Jan Diamante, they have Ahmad Diallo, who is a Manchester United player. Big bag of tricks from him. He's two-footed, could really take you on 1v1, and he's very dangerous in space. They have a lot of attacking options. Evan Guissan, Nicolas Pepe, Simone Andringa, to name a few. I'm a little bit worried about their midfield outside of Kessier. I think that might be where they're a body short. But overall, I'm very in on this group. What does success look like for Coti Avour? I would say success is getting out of the group and winning a game in the round of 32. So not just getting out of the group. Winning a knockout game should be on their list of things they have to do. And I expect them to do just that. Maybe I got caught drinking some of the Kool-Aid after reading about them. I'm interested in this group. I think they're fun. And again, love the kits, love the way they play. African Cup of Nations champions. I'm hoping for a strong showing from Coat D'Avor. I love the background info you gave, but also knowing how much the African Cup of Nations means to the teams from Africa, for them to win it with the manager who just came on in the fold, kind of out of the blue, and now riding that wave into the World Cup, uh, they'll be exciting to see. And, you know, you talk about off-the-field energy. The African teams always bring it. They'll it will be a party down there. Seeing Ivory Coast play Kira Sal will be absolutely fantastic. So yeah, it's it's gonna be it's gonna be a good a good opportunity for this team to to compete. The group obviously is not super easy with Germany and then Ecuador, like you'll go over next, but I could see them coming out of the group as well. So I think coming out of the group and winning a knockout round game is a attainable goal, but something that will be difficult, but but definitely attainable. I think that's the thing with Curaçao as well. It's it's like I'm really in on the prospects of Germany, Ecuador, and Co d'Ivour. So that kind of means I think all of them will make it out of the group. And that then means that they're going to have to put up a number, a crooked number, against Curacao to really bolster that goal differential. So unfortunately, I just think Curacao, they they got a bad draw in that respect. The last team is Ecuador. They're rounding out a really fun group, as we mentioned. Motto from Ecuador, Dios Patria y Libertad, the Lord, Homeland, and Freedom. Their country has about 17 million people. The largest city is Guayaquil, which I thought would not be the case. I thought their largest city would be their capital, which is Quito, but it is not. Quito has just a few hundred thousand people less than Gayaquil. Quito is one of the highest capitals in the world above sea level. They sit about 9,400 feet above the sea. Tough, tough to breathe up there. I think it's the second highest altitude in terms of a capital city in the world. Some fun facts about the country. It is the only country in the world named after a geographic feature. Of course, we're named after the equator here with Ecuador. They have used the US dollar as their official currency since 2000. I was unaware of that. But hey, tell you what, not the best, not the best dollar to pick. A few better ones out there. The Galapagos Islands belong to Ecuador, and therefore they have the distinction of having the first ever UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Galapagos Islands. So because they're a part of Ecuador, they get that little bit of stolen valor as well. And lastly, because the Earth bulges at the equator, Mount Chimborazo is the closest point to outer space on the globe. Seems like that doesn't make sense to me and my little peanut brain, but hey, that's I'm not a scientist. So their team nickname is La Tri or La Tri Color. This is Ecuador's fifth World Cup appearance after making their first in 2002. So they're stacking them up rather quickly now. Their best finish was the round of 16 in 2006. They are developing at a rapid rate, and they look the part of a dark horse this year, but I actually predict they'll be a real power in four years during the next World Cup cycle. That's how highly I think of their player pool and how on the rise it is. They are managed by Sebastian Benaceche. He has been an assistant at two previous World Cups for Chile and Argentina. He took over in 2024 and is known as a gritty tactician. So a really good defensive coach. They only allowed five goals in 18 games of qualifying. That's a pretty impressive record there. They're not really looking to have the ball. They're very, very comfortable sitting deep and counter-attacking. And I think that really, really shapes tournament knockout football well. It plays to their strengths with their player pool at the moment as well. In that player pool, their best player, in my opinion, is between two. They have Moises Caicedo, who is a midfielder for Chelsea. He's been purchased for over 100 million pounds. So that just shows the value that people think of him in the football world. But he is one of the best. He puts in a ton of defensive work every time he's on the pitch. He's very tidy on the ball. And also he can add a banger of a goal. So really a do-it-all midfielder, one of the best sixes in the world. They also have William Pacho, who is a starting center back for PSG, a champion of Europe. He's a great player. Both him and Caicedo are very young and entering their primes. I wouldn't even say they've reached their primes yet, which is very promising for a country like Ecuador. Their back line is full of high-level players. They also have Piero and Capie, who's at Arsenal. They have Pervis Astupignan at AC Milan to play on the left side. And then they have Pacho and Joel Ordonez, who will likely play on the right side. It's a strong back line, which adds to their strong defense. In attack, Brandon, my favorite, one of my favorite players in the whole tournament. Ener Valencia. This guy is a certified legend. 36-year-old who just bags goals. He is responsible for one of, if not my favorite ever, soccer moment. So during a 2018 World Cup qualifier, police were waiting near the pitch to arrest him for some unpaid child support payments. He just owed a few bucks, wasn't planning on paying them. Energy out there playing, having a game, probably bag to goal. It's the 82nd minute, and Ener takes notice to the cops. He's like, uh, something's afoot over there on the touchline. So what does he do? He he falls to the ground, waves the emergency medical team onto the pitch. He has the trainers giving him an oxygen mask. And he's while while he's doing that, he's whispering to them saying, Get me the cart. So they take him off in a medical cart, and his goal was to go right from the medical cart to the ambulance that was waiting there to go to the hospital and get out of this potential arrest. He eventually just paid the money that was owed and didn't go to jail. But an all-time thrilling scene on the soccer pitch. I've never seen anything quite like it, and I don't think we ever will again. And then lastly, one player to watch, he's an up-and-comer. It is Kendry Paez. He's another Chelsea player who's been on loan this season at River Plate. They scooped him up like scums because they just bought every good South American talent because they don't care about money. But he's been tipped to break out this tournament, and he certainly has the quality to do so. I think this will once again, as we've talked about with some other young stars, this will serve as an opportunity for him. What does success look like for Ecuador? I think anything short of winning a knockout game would be disappointing. I think the expectation for this group should be raising the bar upon previous appearances, and I would not be surprised at all to see them make a deep run. In fact, I'm I'm very confident in them getting out of the group and winning a knockout game. I just think they're going to be really tough to go up against. They don't concede goals easily, and I think they'll be able to find just enough an attack to nick a couple of results, 1-0, 2-1, things of that nature. They're tough to play against, and I think the manager is a real deal at this level of football. So I'm excited for the Ecuadorians. I'm excited for this group. Brandon, what were your thoughts? Sean, do you think Ecuador could win this group? I I know Germany is obviously heavily favored, but what do you think about that? I do, I do. Really think they're going to be tough to play against. And that when you know what you're good at and you play to those strengths, I think some teams that maybe have more talent but are kind of still figuring themselves out as national teams could struggle. And I don't think Ecuador are in that boat at all. I think they're a group that knows what they're good at and they're planning to play to that. So I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them win the group. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them finish third either, just because I do really believe in Germany and Co d'Ivour. But my official prediction would be to have them narrowly finishing second behind Germany. Okay, I think that's fair. Yeah, this group definitely has some heavy hitters. So uh I'm excited to see how that how it all plays out because, like you said, any one of those three teams, no offense to Curacle, could probably make it through and win a game or two in the knockout round. So definitely a group to keep our eyes on. For sure. And again, I really hope I can make it to that uh Curacao Ivory Coast game in Philly. That would be that would be the highlight for me in this group. Brandon, take us home in this episode. We have group F. Also, just want to let you know, Sean, before we start group F, I will be at that Curacao Ivory Coast game. So if if you make it down to Philly, we'll definitely have a friends on football link up before the game. Alright. I'll I'll at least be in the proximity. How about that? That's uh that's I'll be around. Absolutely. A little a little blue wave for the boys before the game. I'm in the city. Put word up, put word up, and he's back. Say less. Alright, let's let's dive into group F here. Uh, we have the Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, and Tunisia. This group, we'll break it down, but it it's an interesting one. I think this one maybe is a little bit more clear-cut, in my opinion, but we'll get into that. So to start, the Netherlands, they are ranked seventh in the world currently. The capital is Amsterdam, their largest city. They also use The Hague as a almost like a pseudo-capital, if you will. This is the home of the government. Uh, the royal family lives there. So more of the political capital. Netherlands, many people know them as Holland. Holland is actually their unofficial name, and their Netherlands are actually trying to steer away from that because Holland actually does not include the whole country, just two of their main areas in the country. So Holland is kind of on its way out, that term, and they started to get rid of it beginning in 2019. One third of the Netherlands is actually below sea level, including including Schiopol Airport, which is their main international airport. So they've been very good with engineering and construction and dredging and urban planning to build their country on top of the water, essentially. But one third of the country is below sea level. And because of this, they actually have over 1200 bridges throughout their country. A final fun fact is they invented the stock exchange. Uh, the Dutch East India Company back in 1602 is the first recognized form of a stock exchange. So pretty cool for the Netherlands. Uh their nickname is Orange, just meaning orange. This is the Netherlands' 12th appearance in the World Cup, with their best finish being runner-up. They finished runner-up three times, the last of which was in 2010. Their manager is Ronald Komen. Uh, he is a Dutch legend. He's coached at both Barcelona and Everton in the past. This is his second stint, actually, as Netherlands manager, uh, the first time at a World Cup. So last time he managed, it was not a World Cup cycle. The Netherlands will look to play a 4-2-3-1 style. I think there's a lot of talent on this field, uh, specifically in the midfield and their center backs. And I think the spine of the team is really their strength. So just right up the middle. Uh, they have quality, quality players, some of which include a Memphis Depay. Memphis is their all-time leading scorer, which I did not know uh until I did some research for this. He currently applies his trait at Corinthians in Brazil. Mickey Vandeven, one of their defenders, is a Tottenham Hotspur center back, but he'll probably play left back for the Netherlands just based on their roster and some of their other players, including Jurian Timber, who will probably play in center back next to Virgil van Dyck. Their midfielders include Tijani Reinders, Ryan Gravenbach, and Frankie Jong. Very strong midfield. I think probably one of the better ones in this whole tournament. Success, I think, for the Netherlands would be a semifinal finish. I think with the quality in their team, I think it's more than possible. And my expectation, I actually think they could be a dark horse here. I think they could potentially win this. Uh, I don't know if it'll happen, but if I were to put a couple, a couple chips, chips in for a lesser known team, uh, I think they're in that, they're the top of that second tier of teams. They're not an Argentina, they're not a Spain, they're not a France, but in a one-game knockout tournament, you never know. I think with their defensive ability, it's going to be hard to get scored on. And if you don't get scored on, it's hard to lose. So I think I think they have the potential to go all of the way. Brandon, I like that you said uh a bit of a bold prediction there. I have a few things on the Dutch. I I've always been fascinated with them. They are just an iconic footballing country. Johan Cruyff, of course, comes from there. And I read a book once, Ajax, about the Dutch and the war and just how World War II impacted their country, and I became infatuated with them. I will say you mentioned the spine of the team being very strong. Couldn't agree more. They have a million good center backs, they have a lot of good central midfielders. I'm very concerned about the rest of the team. I am not a huge Memphis DePai guy. It sounds funny to say. He he obviously being their all-time winning scorer, he's done it at the international level. I'm just not so sure that I trust him going into a tournament in 2026. I will say though, if they could just get away with being very difficult to break down, the quality in that center of the pitch, you're not going to find many midfields better. You're not going to find many backlines better defensively. If you have a back line of Timber, Van Deven, and Van Dyke, I mean, that's pretty top-level stuff. It's just an interesting country. It's an interest. I love their their orange, it's a special orange. You'd know it anywhere you go. So their fans always show out in full force. It'll be interesting to see. I hope they could be a dark horse in this tournament because I think football is better when the Dutch are involved. Yeah, yeah. And I think, you know, maybe it's a little bit of recency bias, but the groups I've covered so far, I haven't felt like I've had a true team that could win it. And I think this might be my first team that I feel confident saying, hey, they could really make a serious, serious run. I think we've had others where I'm like, oh, round of 16, quarterfinals. But I think, you know, this team won't be satisfied with anything less than a semifinal. And once you're in a semifinal, you know, you never know what can happen. And I think you you alluded to it, that depth, especially in the defensive positions, is going to be huge in a knockout tournament. You know, guys might be on yellow cards not being able to play every game. But when you can take out Virgil van Dyke and throw Mickey Van Deven in at center back, you're not really dropping off much. So I I think they're an interesting team. Um can really can really do some damage. Especially in this group. So looking to the Yeah, looking to the next team, uh, we have Japan. Japan is the 18th ranked team in the world. Tokyo is the capital of Japan. It's been the capital since 1868, and it's really their hub of everything. I mean, it's one of the largest cities in the world. Everything is housed there in Japan, and Tokyo is really kind of their central central city. Japan's also known as the land of the rising sun and the land of the cherry blossoms. There are 6,800 islands that make up Japan. Sean, I know you're a foodie guy. You'll like this one. Japan has 13 three-star Michelin restaurants, and 351 restaurants in Japan have Michelin stars or Michelin rankings. So definitely, definitely some good eats if you make your make your way out to Japan. Yeah, I I heard recently that Tokyo blows New York City out of the water in terms of food, and that I guess just showcases your point. That's crazy to me, because New York City has, I mean, as good of a food scene as you could imagine. Yeah. So yeah, I I didn't know that coming into this either and did did a little research and saw that. So I definitely wanted to add that. And uh a final fun fact that I think people who watch soccer may know this about Japan. So in Japan, it's it's very common and expected that you'll clean up after yourselves, and you'll see this at the Japan Games. After Japan plays their three group stage games and any knockout games, their fans will stay after and clean the whole stadium. They'll clean, of course, the Japan seat sitting section, but also maybe the other team CD section and and just various areas around the stadium. So it's very admirable to see, you know, trying to be a little bit green, helping out helping out your neighbor. You can definitely get behind that. So it'd be cool to see Japan do that in the World Cup. Nothing but class. Nothing but class. Nothing but class at all. It's a very respectful country, and that just shows even even with their fans for the games. Uh, this on the field, their soccer team's nickname is Samurai Blue. This is Japan's eighth appearance in the World Cup. They've made the round of 16 four times, including in 2022 the last World Cup. Their manager is a man by the name of Hajime Moriasu. Japan actually easily qualified for this World Cup. They only conceded three goals in their 16 matches before this World Cup. Moriyasu has 35 caps with the Japan team as a player, and he's coached Japan since 2018. So there's a lot of consistency there. And previously, before he became the head coach of Japan, he was coaching their under-23 team. So this guy knows his team, he knows his players, he's been in the system, the players know him. And you'll really see that discipline in their in their style of play. They'll look to play a 3-4-2-1 formation. They'll high press and they'll have some options going forward and attack. They'll look for quick transitions. So they'll high press to hopefully get a quick steal and transition into an offensive opportunity. I'm not sure they have all of the players to build up and attack themselves, but they'll take advantage of other teams' mistakes. Some players to watch. Uh, the first one, you'll love this, Sean. His name is Takfusu Kubo. He is known as the Japanese Messi. Yeah, he's a baller, dude. Real Sociedad. Yep, Real Sociedad winger. He is 24 years old. He was actually on the books at Real Madrid from 2019 to 2022, but never played for Madrid. He was learned out four different times uh during that period and now is at, as you mentioned, Real Sociedad. One of their other players, their goalkeeper is actually, you'll you'll probably find this interesting as well. His name is Zion Suzuki. He is a New Jersey-born goalkeeper. He plays at Parma in Syria. I know you're a Serie A guy, and he'll probably be the starter for years to come for Japan. He's only 23 right now, so he'll probably look to make bigger moves. But New Jersey born, which is pretty cool. His family moved to Japan when he was young, but he was actually born here in the U.S., so pretty cool. And then I did not know he was from Jersey. I I'm aware of him and that he plays for Parma, but I did not know that he had any US ties. That's crazy. Another, I mean, another guy I'd have starting net tomorrow. So what are we doing? We gotta get these dual nationals. We gotta start. And then a final player to highlight uh Wat Watoru Endu. He Endo, I'm sorry, he's their captain. Uh he's actually been injured since February. He plays for Liverpool, but he still made the roster, and it was actually his first time playing since February. In their friendly over the weekend against Iceland. So there were some worries about if he was going to be fit, if he was going to be able to play, but he played over the weekend, and it looks like he'll be okay to play in the World Cup. Japan also has a few injuries for players with players that are causing them to miss the World Cup, uh, such as Takumi Minaminu, who's at Monaco now, uh was at Liverpool, and Karu Mitoma at Brighton. Very, very good player, very technical player, scores a lot, involved a lot in the offense. Unfortunately, he will be out of the World Cup with an injury. I think for Japan's success is a quarterfinal. This team has the pieces, and we'll go over the rest of this group, but I think they'll make it out of the group pretty easily. But I don't know if they have that super quality to get them over the quarter quarterfinal stage. I'd expect them to get to the round of 16, partially because of that depth. I think they get out of the group stage, they'll win a round of 32 game, but the team's not very deep, and with the injured players not being in the squad, uh they'll have to rely on some players that are not necessarily the best in the in the country that they have. So I don't know if they'll make it past a round of 16, but I think that would be a fair, fair estimation for their uh success in this tournament. I'm always a fan of watching Japanese teams play. They're always so technical and good on the ball. I wish they weren't so banged up injury-wise. They're missing some key contributors, like you mentioned. That sucks. I do agree, though. I like their chances of getting out of the group. I will enjoy watching them play. I think this group is a it's not a cakewalk by any means, but it sets up favorably for them. They'll be they'll be able to make their way out of it and then get to a situation where they're a team that's a little different from all of the others that these knockout teams will be facing. They they offer something different and inherently in the way they play. So I think that provides some difficulties for teams to prepare for, especially with the short turnaround. So hopefully we see the Japanese make a little bit of a run. Yeah, absolutely. Turning to our next team, we have Sweden in this group. So Sweden is the 38th ranked team in this FIFA World Cup. I'm sorry, 38th ranked team in the world. The capital of Sweden is Stockholm. Sweden is known as Landet Lagom, which stands for the moderate land, which means just right, not too much or not too little. Something interesting they do in Sweden. So high school graduations, each class, they will rent a dump truck, they'll stand on it, and they'll just drive it around the town. Uh kind of as a going off to their next stage, just as like a celebration. So if you ever catch yourself in Sweden around the end of the school year, you might see one of these trucks riding around town. Something that's pretty sick. Yeah, no, I agree. Something that is interesting, I found, about Sweden, and then they call it midsummer, which is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. Instead of, you know, just going to work and coming home like we do in the US, they have festivals. They dance in the street, they wear traditional costumes, and there's feasts with family, and the party goes all into the night as the sun stays up later. So something I think we can adopt as Americans. Bring a little midsummer to the U.S. Dude, that mid- that mid the midnight sun that they have in Scandinavia throughout the summer is absolutely incredible. I've seen people tee off on golf courses at 9:30 at night in the middle of the summer, and they just play in basically daylight until 2-3 a.m. So I mean, must be nice to be to be Swedish in that regard. Seems like a much better culture than what we've got going on. Yes, for sure. And another fun fact, and you'll like this as a as a music guy. Uh you mentioned Midnight Sun, also a song by Zara Larson. She is Swedish. They also have Abba, as we all know. Max Martin is Swedish. Big time music producer for our girl, Taylor Swift. Right. Also Katie Perry. Music music by Katie Perry. Max Martin has produced. Robin and the artist known as Avici. May he rest in peace. So a lot of I didn't realize I didn't realize Robin was Swedish. That's a good shout. Yeah. I'm in the corner. Yeah. Bangers from Sweden, man. Sarah Larson, too. I mean, what a shot of life she is. But yeah, that's hit after hit coming from the groups you just mentioned. Quality, quality music from Sweden. Hopefully they can bring some of that talent onto the field. Now looking at them on the on the pitch, uh, their nickname is Vlogal, which just stands for the blue-yellow. It's Sweden's colors. Uh, this is their 13th appearance in the World Cup. Their best result, they were runners up in 1958. This year, World Cup qualifying, they actually did not win a game in World Cup qualifying. They qualified through the UEFA Nations League rules. So they're in the World Cup, but they didn't really qualify for it. They won a lot of games in their Nations League uh tournament. So that that got them in. Their manager is a familiar name, Graham Potter. Uh coached previously in the Premier League with West Ham, Brighton, and Chelsea. He's only been in this job since October of 2025. He's actually was actually tapped to be England's, potentially England's coach during the last cycle, but he was instead hired in Sweden. Sweden, he has his history in Sweden. He coached 4th Division team Oster Suns early in his career. And he took Oster Suns from the 4th Division of Sweden all the way up to the top flight in Sweden and the Europa League. So he's a little bit of a hero in Sweden. And you know, having an experienced manager is definitely going to help out this squad. They will also play a 3-4-2-1, similar to Japan. They're solid in defense and they'll look to counter-attack. I think they have a strong midfield, but the attacking options, and the attacking options are decent, but I think their midfield is kind of their strongest piece. Players on this team include uh Victor Yokarez, who plays for Arsenal, Alexander Isak at Liverpool, he's a forward at Liverpool, and Yassan Ayari, he is a midfielder at Brighton. So they have some Premier League players in this squad. Uh I think some some decent players. I think success for Sweden will be making it out of this group's this group. This this group will be is is tough on paper. They're the third favorite to make it through. And I think with, you know, as we've mentioned numerous times, 32 teams making it through, they could be one of those third place options. And that's what I'd expect from them. I I can't really see them finishing much higher than that. I could unfortunately maybe see them finishing fourth, but I don't see them finishing higher than third in this group. Great work, as usual, Brandon, going through all of that. Yeah, the you've piqued my interest a bit with them. I've always been a fan of just the idea of Sweden. The culture there seems great. Some of the cities, like Stockholm, obviously seems amazing. The Midnight Sun's cool, the music is great. So I've always been interested in that capacity. The football's always been moderately entertaining, but never really at the forefront for me. But I think they're this generation, there's certainly some guys coming through. A lot of the names you mentioned are younger. Uh we also have Lucas Barrival, the Tottenham midfielder, who is another young guy who's coming through for Sweden. Eyan Kulisevski's a big miss for them. Another spur. Gimme, gimme, gimme a ginger from Sweden. The ABBA song right there. He unfortunately he's dead. He has not played in a year. Honestly, no, he has suffered such a bad knee injury that they don't know when he'll be back. But he was a guy who was a mainstay in this national team picture. So that's a big loss. But I think it would not be at all unrealistic to see them make it out of this group. It wouldn't shock me even if they finished over Japan. I wouldn't pick it, but they're certainly they're gonna leave with some regrets if they don't make it out. Yeah, absolutely. I think with the quality in the team and the manager uh having so much experience, it would be a disappointment if they did not make it out of this group. The fourth and final team we have is Tunisia. So Tunisia is the 44th ranked team in the world. Their capital is Tunis, their largest city. Tunisia is known as the land of the Jasmine. Uh, it's their national flower, and it's widely used uh in different ways throughout the country. They are a North African nation and they include a place called Cape Angela. It is actually the most northernmost point in the whole continent of Africa, which is pretty cool. They are a 99% Muslim country. I'm not a Star Wars guy, Sean. I don't know if you're a Star Wars guy, but a lot of Star Wars scenes were filmed in Tunisia. They use the Sahara Desert as backdrop for Luke's Skywalker's home plant Tatooine. Tatooine? Oh, yeah, you got the right, you nailed the pronunciation. Tatooine, baby. Love it. That's crazy. Yeah. I did not know that. Yeah. Okay. I'm not a Star Wars guy by any means, but I thought that was a cool fact to add for our listeners. Very cool stuff. I am a Star Wars guy, so that I appreciate that. No problem. That's what I'm here for. They're on the field. They are known as the Eagles of Carthage. This is Tunisia's seventh appearance in the World Cup. Um, they've actually never made it out of the group stage, so they'll be looking to do that for the first time this tournament. Their manager is a man by the name of Sabri Lamucci. He has coached, he coached the Ivory Coast in the 2014 World Cup. Um, he just was hired four months ago, January 2026. He has 12 caps as a player with France. And he's coached me all over, but mainly in France and the Saudi leagues. And he had a little short stint at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. So interesting background for him. On the field, they'll look to play either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. Uh, they'll definitely sit back and look to hit on the counter-attack, similar to Sweden. They'll look to score on set pieces as they really have don't have dynamic players on the field, in my opinion. And I think they're really going to struggle if they get behind. They don't really have quality to create a lot of chances. So sitting back and playing for a 0-0 draw might be reasonable, but if they get behind one or two or three goals, I'm not sure if they have the players on the field to score to get back into the game. The one uh one of their big hopes is a player by the name of Elias Achori. Uh, in the last two seasons, he's played for FC Copenhagen in Denmark, and he's had a total of 37 goals and assists combined. So pretty good totals there. Um, he'll he'll definitely be looking to have a breakout world cup to make a big move for him personally after the World Cup, and he'll probably play on the right side of their attack. So he'll be he'll be a pretty big focal point, and I think similar to the US with Christian Polisic, they'll go kind of as he goes. I think success for them is to win a game and to make it out of the group stage. I I honestly don't expect them to win a game or make it out of the group stage, unfortunately. I just don't think they have the quality right now. But I do think they'll be a formidable opponent, uh, especially for Japan and Sweden if they stay disciplined and sit back. Japan will probably look to turn them over and and and score pretty quickly. Whereas Sweden also wants to sit back, so it could be one of those games where the ball kind of just goes back and forth ping-pong style or tennis style. And I could see a zero-zero draw coming out of that. I don't know if one point's going to be enough to get them through to the next round, but I think that would be their best strategy. Good stuff. I knew basically nothing about Tunisia coming in, so that was helpful for me as I try to prepare for this tournament myself. That, yeah, that's I kind of agree with you on your take about the Sweden game. When you see two teams that don't want the ball and aren't very inventive, it doesn't lead to a lot of excitement leading up to the match. And oftentimes it doesn't lead to a lot of excitement in the match. So I agree, I think they're a formidable opponent in terms of the fact that I don't think, like with Curaçao and Haiti and some countries, it'll take a real, real strong performance from them to stay in the match and punch above their weight and hold teams out of their own zone and net frequently. I think with Tunisia, they'll have a better chance of preventing some goals and staying in the fight for a little longer, but I think there might be a certain inevitability that comes with just we're not going to be able to create much ourselves. So I'm right there with you. That's kind of how I see their future in this World Cup going as well. I think a win would be spectacular, but I don't see it. Yep, exactly. I think for me, this group, uh, especially compared to group D that I did earlier, I think this group is much more cut and dry. I think uh Netherlands and Japan go through one and two, and then Sweden and Tunisia eliminated, maybe Sweden in that third place spot, but I think the quality of the Netherlands and Japan are just too much for the other two teams. Maybe Sweden pulls an upset against Japan and they sneak into that second spot, but uh for me, I really don't see anyone other than the Netherlands topping this group. Um, and I do believe Japan will finish second. Okay. I'm with you. I have the same thing. One through four kind of going according to chalk, what what the gambling sites think, what the experts think. I I don't really see a lot of surprise in this group. Like you said, that maybe the only potential thing could be a Sweden-Japan switch, but I would predict it goes Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, Tunisia. So all in all, I think you crushed it with your groups today. I'm happy that you had the heavy lifting with two in this episode. I will be returning that favor tomorrow with two in the next. So that's we've got ourselves in a nice little rhythm. Yeah, Sean, I think, you know, I think with this 48 team World Cup, you're gonna see a little bit more of that where these top teams kind of run through their groups. You know, the teams in that quote unquote pot two are good, but you're talking, you know, 13th through 26th in the world, not 1 through 12. So, you know, I'm sure as we go along, uh, these next couple groups I'm looking ahead. I think we'll see a little bit more of that chalk finish. But, you know, you never know, and you can see some upsets. But uh this group, to me on paper, doesn't really scream upsets. So hopefully I'm wrong. You know, I'll hey, I'll be the first to admit it. Hand up apology, but I don't think I'm wrong. So I'll double down that's yeah, I'll triple down for you. Yeah, I think that's a perfect place to leave it. We have more on the way tomorrow. We've got groups G, H, and I in store. We're doing three at a time, like we mentioned. Hey, we're here to give you fun facts. We're here to hopefully you take something away from each country that you didn't know beforehand. Because we're learning a bunch as we do these previews. Hopefully, you're learning a bunch as you listen to these previews. Brandon, as always, thank you for joining me. Thanks, Sean. Thank you for having me. Listeners, thank you all for tuning in. We appreciate it. This is a big time for us. So as always, tell a friend to tell a friend, like, subscribe, go ahead, comment, leave five stars, not four, not three, five. And and we appreciate you listening, tuning in during this run up to the World Cup. Thank you all, and until next time, take care.