Ep. 10 - World Cup Preview (Pt. 4): Groups J, K and L

Brandon and Shaun complete their group by group World Cup previews today with a deep dive into groups J, K and L. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:22

Hello, friends, and welcome back to another episode of the Friends on Football Podcast. It is our final World Cup preview episode, part four of four. I'm Sean Boyle. I'm joined as always by my partner, Brandon Johnson. Brandon, how is it going?

SPEAKER_00 0:38

Sean, I'm good. This is the last one. I'm gonna miss this. I'm gonna miss doing a little research. Feels like you're doing a book report in in elementary school, learning about some of these teams. So I'll miss that. But I'm excited for the soccer to really get going and to profile these last three groups tonight.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

It felt a lot like a book report this last group for me because I was up against the clock. It felt like I was having flashbacks to my days at Temple. Oh boy, in the tech center, trying to get something done minutes before it was due. Had some flashbacks. I am enjoying doing the previews. I do love recording them. I don't love editing them as much. So that's one thing I'm happy to be done with, but I'm with you. This was a fun process. I'm excited this is the last one. And I'm I'm really excited for these three groups. I I don't think there's too many bad ones that we're gonna talk about today. And there's certainly some hidden gems in here. So I'm excited to learn more about your groups. I'm excited to talk about my group. Let's get right into it.

SPEAKER_00 1:34

Alright, thank you, Sean. So tonight we are going to start off with group J. I will be doing group J and group L. Sean will be doing group K. And to start in group J, we start off with a banger, Sean. We have Argentina. Argentina is currently the third-ranked team in the world. The capital of Argentina is Buenos Aires, which is its largest city, home to about 15 million people. One of the nicknames for Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America. So I like that. Argentina literally translates to land of silver. The European explorers thought they were going to find silver in Argentina, silver mines, and they never actually found it. So it's pretty funny that they kept the name even though there wasn't silver there. Here's a baller move by Argentina. They have one time zone for the whole country to keep them unified. So the country itself is big enough to have four different time zones and should have four time zones based on where they are geographically, but they said, nah, we're just gonna do one. So kudos to them.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

I wonder if they have daylight savings. That's the real bullshit. So who knows?

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Who knows? Probably not. They're proper countries. The national sport, believe it or not, is not soccer. It's a sport called pato. Pato is a blend of polo and basketball, Sean. Uh, they actually produce 70% of the world's professional polo players. Argentina does. If you ever Google this, uh Pato, it looks pretty cool. Uh so they're riding on horses, but there's almost basketball-esque nets kind of throughout the field. It looks a little bit like uh Harry Potter when they play when they play uh on the brooms in Harry Potter, but uh it's interesting that it's not soccer. So again, this book report learning something new, dropping some facts. So pretty cool with that. On the field, Argentina's nickname is La Seleccion or the Selection, and also La Albi Celeste, which stands for the white and sky blue. This is Argentina's 19th appearance in the World Cup. They've won the World Cup three times: 1978, 1986, and the last World Cup in 2022. Their manager is a man by the name of Lionel Scaloni. He's returning again after winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina. He's been their coach since 2018. He actually retired from playing in 2015, and he's only managed uh the under-20 Argentina side and the senior Argentina side. So he's never really had club jobs or any other jobs. Um, I think he was an assistant at a couple places previously, but no other head coaching experience besides the under-20s and the senior Argentina team. He is a highly respected player-centered leader, uh, which I think will play well into this team. On the field, they'll look to play a 4-3-3. Possession, they want the ball. They want to have possession. It's one of their key, key strengths. They'll look to dominate the ball and they'll rely on their time, timely passing, and a stout defense. This team will be organized, but still play with a little bit of freedom. And I think the skill that they have on the field is really gonna help them. Some players to watch. So I'll start in the back with their goalkeeper, Emmy Martinez. He is the goalkeeper for Aston Villa in the Premier League. He is thought to be the best goalie at saving penalties, which can definitely help them, especially in a World Cup knockout tournament. He's a little bit crazy, he's a little wacky. That's putting it nice.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

But he's a psychopath, which is I think why he's so good at penalties. He he he's making faces at the opponent before each spot kick. So yeah, he's a nut job.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Yeah, and and I think you know, goalie people say goalies are crazy, and I think he absolutely exemplifies that. So they'll he'll look to use that if Argentina finds himself in a shootout situation. Their center back, one of their center backs is Christian Cuti Romero, Tottenham center back. He'll look to have a good World Cup. Hopefully, he's fully fit. He didn't play at the end of the Tottenham season, so there's some some drama there, but he'll look to have a big World Cup. Alexis McAllister, he plays at Liverpool, one of another one of their key players. He'll look to kind of control the midfield and really be sort of that guy that starts the attack for them. And depending on who you ask, they'll probably have eight to nine of the same starters that they had in the 2022 World Cup. So they have clearly class, clearly, you know, great talent uh across the field. And obviously, the last player I'd mention is Leo Messi, arguably the greatest player of all time to ever play soccer. He's hero, national treasure, whatever you want to call it. I think in this World Cup, he's going to take a little bit of a step back from the spotlight. Uh obviously, still one of their better players, one of the best players out there, but he is getting up there in age, and I don't think if Argentina relies strictly on him that they'll win the World Cup, but he's still going to play a vital piece to this big puzzle. I think success for Argentina, they'll tell you it's to win. Back to back, I wrote down on these notes. They want to go back to back, they want to repeat. My expectation, however, I think, and I hinted to this in the last episode, I think they may fall short. I think there may be a little bit too much of a reliance on Lionel Messi. I think they get through this group easily. I think they win a few knockout games, but I could see them losing in the quarters or semifinals. And maybe that's a little bit of a bold prediction, and you know, we'll be back here in a month and a half, and I'm putting my hand up saying sorry, after they win it all again. But I just think they've been so Messi dominant. I would love to see how they play without him being the focal point because I don't think with him being their focal point that they can win the World Cup. I just don't know if his legs can carry them through the group stage and then through all the knockout games to win the World Cup. So maybe a little bit of a bold prediction, Sean, to get us started tonight, but I that's just how I feel.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

I love that you went out on a limb there. I will say I'm I'm a big Argentina guy. I make it a point to watch them as much as I can. I fall in love with a ton of their players. Messi's my favorite of all time. Obviously, he's the GOAT. I do think he still has enough for one more run in him. Now, you're right in terms of maybe his club career, like how long can he keep doing this at the MLS level? Obviously, that helps. It is different stepping onto the world stage. And I think they need to be careful about how they manage him throughout the group stage, but I don't think they're gonna necessarily need to put hard minutes into his legs in the group, and then I think it turns into what a three or four game run. And in that, I'll take him any day. So I I am a big fan of this Argentina squad. This is where we're kind of differing opinions. So last episode we talked about how you're a little higher on the French and more of a believer in them than I am. I'm a little bit more of a believer in the Argentinians than you are. I think they'll at least get to the semifinal, would be my prediction. But boy, oh boy, I couldn't, you've you almost talked me into a world where now I could start to second guess myself. So I'm gonna I'm gonna try to hold firm in my belief in this group. Kudi Romero's one of my favorite players of all time, full stop. He's obviously a Spurs player. I love his mentality. He's often chirped in the media for some reckless decisions, but I think that's all part of the passion that he plays with, and he loves his country. That's the primary thing for him, and I respect that. And that's kind of the case with all of these Argentinians, is they prioritize country to club, which is rare. You don't have a lot of countries that do that. Argentina and Brazil are the ones that come to mind. And they are able to consistently combine a technical ability with just a ferocious dog mentality. And I think that's one of the differences what we see sometimes with Brazil. Brazil have maybe a little bit more flair in some instances, but they don't necessarily have that same punch that some Argentinians do. So I think maybe that's where it separates them, at least in the last few cycles. I'm hoping for another deep run from these boys, but you've raised some valid concerns.

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Yeah, I think it'll be interesting to see. I mean, them making it to the semifinals is it's it's wild that we're talking about that that being a failure. But with the roster that they have and the team they have, I think that would be a failure. But I I personally just don't see it happening this cycle. Looking into our next team, we have Algeria. So Algeria is the 28th ranked team in the world. The capital of Algeria is a city named Algiers. It includes the UNESCO World Heritage Site called the CASPA. Uh, the Caspa is a historical citadel that was founded in 944. So it's got some legs. Uh, lots of beautiful landmarks, mosques, palaces, and unfortunately, over the past few years, things have been it's beginning to disintegrate a little bit. So they're trying to keep things restored and making it a UNESCO World Heritage Site sort of ties into that protection. Algeria is known as El Jazir, the land of the Berbers. It is the largest country in Africa by land due to Sudan splitting in 2011. So before that, Sudan was the largest, and 80% of their country is in the Sahara Desert. Algeria gained independence from France in 1962. And as we will probably go into a little bit later, that plays an impact on some of the players that they have in their squad. And funny enough, Sean, something pretty cool to look up as well. They actually receive a decent amount of snowfall in the Sahara Desert due to the elevation and the proximity to the Atlas Mountains. So because that the mountains and the way the weather hits the mountains, they actually do receive snowfall in the Sahara Desert. So if you look it up, you see that the brown Sahara Desert, you know, for miles and miles, but there's a sprinkling of white snow on top. So it's great. It's pretty cool. Uh, you know, it's one thing that you probably show your kids, and your kids would be extremely confused. So it's so it's a it's a cool little fact for them. Their nickname, due to their geography, the Desert Warriors. They're also known as the Greens. This is Algeria's fifth appearance in the World Cup, and in 2014 they made their deepest run to the round of 16. Their manager is Vladimir Pekovich. This is his first role, first time being a manager as for Algeria. He was a player manager back in the day during his days at a club called Belenzona, which is in Switzerland. Uh he's coached in Italy and the Swish national team before, and he's been at the helm of Argentina since 2024. So uh pretty cool that he got to be a player, player coach back in the day. We I think, Sean, we need to bring that back. Bring back player coaches just in general. I feel like it's a great way to bridge the gap between the two sides. Why not?

SPEAKER_01 12:31

I like that idea too. I always loved seeing a player coach.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

Yeah, we need to we need to find a way to bring that back. They'll look to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, and they'll actually look to keep the ball. Similar to Argentina, they have a lot of flair in their attack, and they're a very technically skilled side. Some players to watch, uh, one of which is Riyadh Mares. Absolute sublime left foot. As a lefty myself, I look at other lefties and he's he's near the top of that chart. That left foot is incredible. Maybe it's because his right foot is extremely weak that makes his left foot look even better, but hey, whatever works. He is a former Man City player, uh, he's a captain of the team and currently plays in the Saudi League. He'll likely play on the wing. Ibrahim Mazza is another one of their key players. He plays for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. He's a forward poise for a big World Cup. He he played for Germany at the youth level, but has only played for Algeria at the senior level and has 15 caps. I think he could be a really big piece of this team. And their goalkeeper, Sean, is actually Luca Zidane, Zinedine's son.

SPEAKER_03 13:36

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

So going back to that French independence, Zidane has both Algerian and French background, could play for either team, decided to play for France. He decided to play for Algeria. He did play for France through the youth levels, and then switched to Algeria in 2025. So Algeria is really looking to use that dual national player status, and why not if you can get quality players? I think success for Algeria would consist of moving into the knockout rounds and maybe winning a game. I do think in this group they'll finish in second or third, but it won't be easy with the other two teams that we'll go through next. But I do think they can they have the quality to move into the knockout rounds and possibly win a knockout round game.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Yeah, similar to Morocco, we're starting to see a lot of players who are coming through France youth systems and then realizing they have ancestry and the possibility of playing elsewhere. And because that French talent pool is so deep, it's often a great way to transition and be able to play in a national team and go to a World Cup. So I think that is cool. I like dual nationals tapping into your heritage is something that's neat. I'm excited for this Algeria side. They seem to have positive momentum in terms of their growth as a country in the game. I'm also happy to see Riyadh Mara still kicking. Legend in the Premier League. He brought the Leicester City team a title. He was a huge player in that, and then he had several really good years at Manchester City. You mentioned incredible left foot, just a wand of a left foot. So I'm excited to have him. I did not know that about Zidane's son. I knew he was a player, but I did not know he switched to Algerian nationality. So interesting, and that's another storyline to watch for this group.

SPEAKER_00 15:22

Yeah. And he's actually the goalie, so he'll he'll probably start at goalkeeper.

SPEAKER_01 15:26

Yeah, that's sick. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

Which is, yeah, you'd figured he'd be a field player just like his dad, but took a little bit of a different path.

SPEAKER_01 15:32

So yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

It's pretty cool. The next team we will look at in this group, Sean, is Austria. Austria, 24th ranked team in the world. Vienna is the capital of Austria, also known as the City of Music. It's one of the largest European cities, home to almost two million people. As mentioned, uh, Austria itself is nicknamed the land of music, uh, home of Beethoven and Mozart. Beethoven was actually born in Germany, but spent much of his time in Austria studying as Mozart's sort of successor. So that's so they've kind of adopted Mozart as an Austrian. Their flag is the second oldest flag in the world. They are home to 25 Nobel Prize laureates, and that is the third most per capita in the world. And in Austria, eye contact is very important. It's a signal of respect. So when you're meeting people, they said when you're cheersing uh over a drink, you should always maintain eye contact. It's a big sign of respect in that country. On the field, Austria's nickname is Das Team, just the team. Berschen, which just means the boys, and Unser Bers Bershen, which just means our boys. So a lot of pride in that country. This is their eighth appearance in the World Cup. They finished as high as third place in 1954, but have not made a World Cup appearance since 98. So a newer generation, I'm excited to see what they can do. Their manager is a man by the name of Ralf Ragnick. He is a German manager, spent much of his career coaching club football in Germany. He had a very brief stint that did not go well as Manchester United's interim coach before accepting and becoming Austria's coach in 2022. He's very popular among the Austrian players and fans, partially due to his leadership and getting them to this World Cup. Austria will play a 4-2-3-1 formation. They'll press and look to hit teams on the transition. I think they could be exposed by the heat in the US. Like you mentioned with Norway and some of the Scandinavian teams, same sort of issue here. Playing a high press is great, but they're not used to 95 degree summers in the United States, so that could hurt. Many of their players came through the Red Bull system, which employs that high pressing style and quick getting quick counterattacks to goals. So they'll look to play that sort of Red Bull club style on the national team level, which is pretty interesting. Their key players, one of which is Christoph Boomgard Baumgartner. He is a RB Leipzig attacking midfielder. He has 19 goals in his career for Austria in 58 caps. He'll definitely be one of their strongest players. We have another Tottenham boy in the team, Kevin Danso at center back. And another key player that Austria will have is Marcel Sabitzer. He plays for Bruce Dortmund. He's a winger. And he'll he'll look to be one of the leaders of this team. Austrians will think success is to make it to the knockout rounds. I think this group is a pretty sh pretty strong group overall. So they'll look to probably finish in that second-third spot. And I think success for the Austrians would be to make the knockouts. I I personally think they'll finish in second or third. I think there's quality in the team, but the depth and the pressing nature just during a quick turn quick tournament with the weather uh could hurt them if they're they basically run their legs out. So I do think they could possibly get through, but I don't know if they'll do much if they do if they do qualify for the knockout rounds.

SPEAKER_01 19:15

Do love my boy Big Kev at the back. He's certainly a solid center back. He's not a game changer by any means. It's a lot about the system, like you said, that high pressing, the way in which they play is different, which I think is exciting. It adds a little something different to the group where we've gone back and forth talking about how the big teams full of talent love to have possession, and the teams with lesser talent love to sit back and counter. I think Austria provide a nice little blend, and I think we'll see some interesting games that they'll take part in, which I'm all for that. So I agree with you. I could see second or third in this group. I don't really know if they have the upside to win it or finish or the downside to finish last.

SPEAKER_00 19:50

Yep, exactly. And the final team we'll profile Sean in this group is Jordan. Jordan is the 63rd ranked team in the world. The capital of Jordan is Amman. It is its largest city, and it's actually one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world since 13th century BC. So it's got some age. It was actually also called Philadelphia in the Rome during the Roman period. So went from Philadelphia to Amman. Probably should have kept Philadelphia. That would have been cool to have Philadelphia and Jordan, but we'll we'll take it. It's a cooler name, too. Yeah, that's true. Jordan is known as the Oasis in the Middle East. Uh, it's known for its political stability and and tolerance. It is home to the lowest place on earth, which is the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is approximately 420 420 meters, which is about 1,400 feet below sea level. Same as Iran. Hospitality is incredibly important. Just like you mentioned, Sean, in the last episode, it's very custom to refuse a meal or coffee three times before accepting it. So, you know, the classic no, no, no, okay, fine. They they have the same as Iran. And for our film buffs, Lawrence of Arabia, The Martian, and Indiana Jones have filmed significant parts of their movies in Jordan, which is pretty cool. Well, the Martian. It's a great one. The nickname for the Jordan national team is the Chivalrist Ones. So kind of going back to that hospitality, you know, respectable guys, they'll probably put on a little suit and tie, they'll they'll dress the part. So you you you you like that, you respect that. This is their first appearance in the World Cup. So, hey, they're playing with house money here. They're happy to be at the dance. Their manager is Jamal Salami. He is a Moroccan coach. Uh, he coached the 1998 World Cup for Morocco. He was their coach then. And he was actually given Jordanian citizenship in 2025 for helping them qualify for the World Cup. So you can see how much it means to have this coach and for them to make that move to give him citizenship. On the field, Jordan will look to play a 3-4-3. It's probably not going to be pretty soccer shawn. Uh, they'll sit in a deep low block and they'll look to counterattack opponents. Uh, they know they're aware that they don't have the same depth or quality as some of their opponents, so they'll really look to slow the game down and probably use a little bit of those dark arts that we've mentioned for some other teams in the past. Uh this this this team unfortunately just doesn't have the quality. One of their better players and only players that plays, one of the only players that plays in Europe is a man by the name of Altamari. He is a winger that plays at Rennes in France. Uh he's a pretty quick dribbler and he'll look to create for the team. But like I said, the rest of the players play domestically in Jordan, which is just not a strong league. So this team, unfortunately, it doesn't look too promising for them. I'm afraid they'll kind of become that punching bag where teams will use them for goal differential.

SPEAKER_01 22:59

Yeah. Yeah, they're giving that vibe. Giving that vibe.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

Yeah. So I think success for them, I mean, would be to get a point. If they can get a point in any of their games, I think they'd be thrilled. But I don't expect them to get that point, unfortunately, and finish in fourth place in this group.

SPEAKER_01 23:18

Yeah, it's not exactly an easy group either. You don't really see an easy team to get into a fight with and take a point from. So that's concerning. I mean, it's another one of the stories though. Hey, just happy to be there. And the chivalrous ones, I like that. Can get behind that. They seem like a polite group. I do agree they're probably going to be used for goal differential. But sometimes that's how the cookie crumbles, and it oftentimes you don't see two clubs or two countries, the caliber of Jordan, in the same group. So they end up being that guinea pig of sorts. I mean, it's tough, but hopefully they enjoy their experience at the World Cup.

SPEAKER_00 23:56

Yeah, and like we mentioned with the last episode with Cabo Verde. I mean, this is the type of thing where that can lead a new generation to even want to play soccer to explore that opportunity. So maybe maybe it's not 2026, maybe it's 2034, 38, 42, and as we move kind of in the future to build that program. So they, yeah, not looking too promising for them. I think this group overall, Argentina will pretty easily win this group. I could see Algeria and Austria vying for that second place spot. I think both teams have quality players, and that matchup will definitely be one that I watch. I think that can really determine how the group goes. I think, and as we mentioned, I think Jordan just unfortunately finishes in fourth and doesn't have the quality to move to the next round.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Well, thank you for taking us through that. Definitely learned a lot about those, especially last three countries, so that is appreciated. I'm on to group K, where the first team we will be discussing is Portugal. They are a nation on the Iberian Peninsula. Their motto is This is my beloved blissful homeland. Capital and largest city is Lisbon, and their population is 11 million people. The country name comes from the Latin Portus Cale, meaning the port of Cale, Portugal. I could kind of see how they got there. A little bit of a leap, if I do say. Some fun facts. This is the oldest country in Europe. It's referred to as the oldest nation state in Europe, but it's actually four centuries older than Rome. So that's some interesting added context when you think about it that way. It is also home to the oldest ever bookstore that is continuously operated, which opened in 1792. So they've been keeping the lights on there for a long, long while now. Last one fact: Lisbon's Vasco da Gama Bridge is the longest bridge in Europe. An absolute sight to behold this thing. So if you want to see an image of the Vasco da Gama Bridge, go ahead and Google it. It is pretty, pretty sweet. And as someone who is very confused by how bridges are made, this one seems like impossible to build.

SPEAKER_00 26:08

Sean, I was gonna add, I absolutely hate bridges. I hate everything about bridges. I will not be Googling that, but I will trust your judgment and your research. I know you're qualified to do this, so I appreciate it and I trust you.

SPEAKER_01 26:20

There's some sick bridges in Norway too, where you're on the water and you can't see land in either direction. Yeah, it's good stuff. I'm a big fan of the big fan of the architecture behind them. The national team nickname is the Sele Saoudaskinas, which means the selection of the shields. They have only made nine World Cup appearances. This will be their ninth, which seems very low to me. But it helps me remember that actually we have a lot of recency bias built in with Portugal. They're a lot better recently than they are historically. And I think Ronaldo, certainly his generation helps that narrative. Their best ever finish was a third place in 1966. So they were strong in the 60s, a bit of a roll, and then in the 90s and 2000s, they've really started to peak again. And I would say we are now going to experience the highest of highs for Portuguese football. The level of talent that they seem to be producing is outstanding. Their head coach for this World Cup is Roberto Martinez. He led Belgium to a third place finish in 2018. He prides himself on his tactics. He is a really strong tactician and sometimes gets it wrong, but he's firm in his beliefs, and I admire that. Their style of play, they'll try to dominate the ball. They have an elite midfield, and just having Vitinha and Jannevge, who we'll talk about in the center of the park, that allows you to dictate the control of the game a lot of the time. They are always going to be attacked first under Martinez, which I do appreciate as well. That's also, it plays into their strengths as a squad. They have very, they have a very technical group of players. I think it would be bastardly to try to sit back and counter with a group like this. So some players to watch. Obviously, I've alluded to Ronaldo, 41-year-old, bit boring to talk about him. We have to give him a shout. I've never been a Ronaldo fan, I've always been a messy guy. He is, unfortunately, probably still their best striking option. It's him or Gonchalo Ramos. I don't know how they they could produce every other position except striker, but Ronaldo still scores goals, albeit in the Mickey Mouse Saudi League. We'll see how that translates to the World Cup stage at 41. I'm not sure if he will get the starter minutes, especially in the group stage. It could go to Gonchalo Ramos. Both of, I believe that both of them still have enough, especially with the players around them, to put the ball in the net, which is all they're there to do. I mentioned the midfield, Drown Navaj and Vitinha. I mean, they're two tiny little guys, but what an absolute delightful pairing to watch. They play together at PSG, they play together at Portugal. Unbelievable players. I can't say enough good things about both of them. Two of the best midfielders in the world. And then sitting in front of them in the attacking midfielder spot is Bruno Fernange, who had an unbelievable season at Manchester United. He's been a mainstay there for years. Broke the Premier League assist record this year. He is in really good form heading into the World Cup. In defense, it's really good on paper. They could be a l a little bit tighter in practice. Some leaky goals they concede once in a while. It's a little leaves you scratching your head. So they'll need to be a bit tighter. But they do have the names and certainly the caliber of player to do that. What does success look like for this group? Technically, I think a quarterfinal appearance based on their history would be more than acceptable. But I think the expectation should be a threat to win this tournament. I am very high on this Portuguese side. I, if it wasn't for Ronaldo, they would actually be my little sleeper pick to win. They're not necessarily a sleeper, but they're not in the top three or four odds. I think they make the semifinals. I am a big, big fan of this group. When you can dominate the midfield like they can, I think that tells the tale of a lot of games. And they're going to be able to do that in just about every matchup they have. So I'm very much in on this Portuguese squad in spite of Ronaldo, not because of him. Brandon, what are your thoughts on the Portuguese group?

SPEAKER_00 30:18

I'm I'm very high on them as well, Sean. So I'm glad you feel the same way. Having the spine of the team together, especially midfielders that can dominate a game, I think that can take you so far. Having these guys put in shifts day in and day out are is gonna help them immensely. It's wild that you mentioned they really don't have another striker. I that could also be Ronaldo uh just hindering the development of other strikers in that country so he can get minutes. Yeah. Uh because he does seem like he's that kind of guy. But yeah, I I think this could be a really strong team. And you're right, you're right. It's not really a dark dark horse, but I think I think they can make some noise, especially with them maybe not really being looked at as a favorite.

SPEAKER_01 31:06

Yeah, I guess the way I would frame it, you're right. They're not a dark horse, but they're not talked about in the same tier as Spain or France or Argentina or even England, and they should be. They are more than capable enough. I would take them over a lot of countries that we've previewed already. I'm all in on this Portuguese side. I expect really big things. Like I said, and you made a good point. Maybe Ronaldo has hindered some development. Gonchalo Ramos, this poor guy, he plays at PSG. He can't even get game time there because he's behind Usman Dembele. So it's it's really just when he's on the pitch, he's not bad, but we just don't know. It's not a it's not a quantity that we can trust. So we'll see who leads the line for Portugal. We're on to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is not to be confused with the Republic of the Congo. Glad they made that distinction. Those are two very distinct, different names, of course, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, which are two separate countries. Please miss me with that. We need a rebrand. What are we doing? I don't know how anybody could possibly understand that or consistently get that right. But the one we're previewing is the DR Congo. Their motto is Justice Paya Travel, which means justice, peace, and work. The capital and largest city is Kinshasa, while the capital and largest city of the Republic of the Congo is Brazzaville. Why I bring both of them up is one of my fun facts is they are the two closest national capitals globally. They're only one kilometer apart across the Congo River. So once again, what are we doing? Just figure it out. As you guys need to just be the Congo. It would really help, in my opinion. The River of the Congo, which I mentioned, is the deepest river in the world. So I believe it's 720 feet deep in some places, which is incredible. It's like an ocean. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to 77 million French speakers, which is more than the population of France. That stat blew my mind. The population of the entire country is 124 million people. Couldn't believe that either. One of my favorite fun fact, they aided the U.S. in World War II. The uranium that we used in the atomic bombs, yes, the Manhattan Project, was secretly extracted from the Shinko Labue mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That's a cool fun fact. They're hiding the uranium. So they have the keys, and they let the U.S. in on the little secret. So I appreciate that. The national team nickname is the Leopards or the Warriors of the Equator. Two good names. This is their second World Cup appearance ever. It is their first since 1974. Their best finish, of course, was just the group stage in that 1974 event. For some historical context on them, they have won the AFCON twice, but not since 1974. So that was a really good year for them. But since then, it's been trying times. In their first World Cup appearance and only other, they gave up 14 goals and scored zero. Yikes. The kits, also yikes, questionable at best. Not my favorite. Their head coach is a guy by the name of Sebastian DeSabre. He's another culture guy. He seems to have taken them to a better, more secure level than the previous regime. He's he's built the culture up. It seems like a tight-knit group. Their style of play indicates that as well. Of course, of course, of course, because of their talent disparity, they're going to have to sit back and counter. They seem to line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation. They do have some players that you might recognize in this squad. Another example of people choosing some Congo nationality after maybe failing to make the national team for a couple of other countries. But we have Joan Visa, who has been a really good Premier League player. He was bad at Newcastle this year after his big move from Brentford, but he is a quality player. He has scored a lot of goals in the Prem. They also have Noah Sadiki, who, another Premier Leaguer at Sunderland, box-to-box midfielder. He's really talented and he's known as the future of this country in midfield. They also have two names you might recognize Aaron Juan Bisaka. He is an experienced Premier League right back, really good defensive player, doesn't offer too much going forward, but he could shut down a talented winger on his side of the pitch. And then they also have Axel Tuanzebe, who has bounced around some English clubs, and he's a quality center back. What's a success look like for these guys? I think scoring a goal. Let's start there. We've been in a World Cup and haven't scored a goal. So let's score one. Let's put one in. And then let's not concede 14. So I don't think they'll be as bad as they were in the 1974 appearance. They'll it'll be a much tighter goal differential than that. My expectation is not that they win a game, but it is that they drastically improve that goal differential. I'll even be specific and say their goal differential will be less than seven. So half of what it was last time. They conceded 14, gave up zero. It won't get out of hand. I think they're competitive enough to keep games tight for at least a stretch.

SPEAKER_00 36:09

And Sean, I think this is another one of those teams where they're happy to be there. This could inspire the next generation. It just might not be this generation, unfortunately. Scoring a goal, I would love to see if and when that does happen this summer. That will be a really cool sight to see. And those are the moments that you know we'll talk about forever. Maybe not us because we're not from the Democratic Republic of Congo, but people will remember hey, we were we were watching at this place when they scored their first goal. Where were you? Exactly. Yeah. Exactly. So I'm excited to see them play. Uh hopefully they put out a good team and and you know, just a good effort. But maybe they squeeze out a point. Who knows?

SPEAKER_01 36:57

This is again, it's I'll hammer home the point. It's another one of the cool stories. This is why the World Cup special. Not always gonna be the prettiest product on the pitch. It does create moments, it creates memories for a lifetime for entire countries. So this is one of those instances. Let's move on to Uzbekistan. It is a landlocked country in Central Asia. I could not find a motto. I don't know how to pronounce the anthem. So we're gonna move on to the capital and largest city, which is Tashkent. The population of Uzbekistan is 38 million. Some fun facts. One of only two double landlocked countries on Earth. Now, you're gonna ask what double landlocked means, because I had no clue either. Basically means they have no access to the sea. You couldn't even take a river, you couldn't do anything to get to the sea. And it also means all the countries around it are landlocked as well. So they're double locked in. It's it's basically solitary confinement, what these folks are going through. I can't I couldn't imagine anything like it. They are home to cities along the old Silk Road. So that's one of their claims to fame. Smarkhand and Bukhara are brightly tiled former stopping grounds on the Silk Road. So I think that's pretty cool. That's a reason tourists go and visit Uzbekistan. And then similar to France, one last fun fact, do not place their national bread upside down. Le Pioshka. It's similar to a baguette. Don't place up upside down, don't disrespect that bread. It is considered bad luck. Their national team nickname is the White Wolves, and this is their first World Cup appearance. So whatever they do, it will be history. Until 1991, Uzbekistan was part of the USSR, didn't really have the opportunity to go out on their own and qualify for World Cups. So a wild managerial situation we have here, Brandon. Their head coach is Fabio Canavaro, who is a World Cup winning captain for Italy in 2006. How on earth did he end up as the Uzbekistan manager? Well, they kicked the former manager, Timur Capazzi, to the side after he qualified them. He qualifies the group and then he says, Hey, the Federation says, Hey, you're fired, but you could be an assistant coach if you want to. And he tells them basically that off. No, thank you. And he leaves. So now Fabio Canavaro's in charge. He's a, let's just say this, he's a much better player than he is a manager. He has flamed out basically everywhere he's been. He does not have an illustrious track record as a manager. It's a risk what they did. And I can't imagine it went over well in the dressing room. The guys might have a ton of respect for a legend of the game, but boy oh boy, I don't know that he's proven he could do much of anything as a manager. Seems like a questionable decision to me. How are they going to play? They're not going to take a ton of risks. They're going to be really physical. They do have a couple of players that are playing in top flight European leagues at top flight clubs. We have Eldan Shamorodov, who is a Roma player. He was on loan last season. He is a striker. He leads them in goals. He led them in goals in qualifying. He is nothing special, but he can find a run of form where he scores a couple goals and you turn your head like, oh, that's that was a good goal. So he's a nice player. I don't think he's anything to write home about. And then their best player is Abdoukodir Kusinov, who is an elite center back from Manchester City. They bought him from, I believe, Lons in France a couple years ago. He is young. He's one of the best center back prospects in the world due to his physical attributes. He's kind of a physical freak and he's pretty calm on the ball. So Kusinov will anchor their defense. Shomorodov will lead the attack. What are my expectations? What does success look like? What are my expectations for this group? Let me just say this. I don't have much in the way of expectations. Success would be a point like we've talked about. Maybe because of the group they're in, they could get a win. I wouldn't be stunned by any means to see them beat the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I think that is going to be an interesting game to see who could win their first World Cup match. I think both teams will go for in that one. Could be a little bit of a slug fest, which I'm I'll sign up to watch that. I don't know if there's enough quality on the pitch to make it like, oh my God, these teams are really trading blows back and forth. It might be like, hey, if somebody could score, they might win. But I don't have a ton of expectations for the group. I think, again, though, it's another country where we're starting to see more and more talent come from. So Kuzinov playing at Manchester City and starting a ton of games for them is something that Uzbekistan couldn't have dreamt of years ago. So I think that's progress and it's something to watch for as we go into the next few World Cups.

SPEAKER_00 41:46

Thanks for that. And I agree with you. I think that that DR Congo game against Uzbekistan will be something that'll be interesting to watch in this group. I of course you can't cheer for everybody, but I hope they get a point somehow. So maybe maybe they tie Congo and it's like five to five. So both teams get a lot of goals and they both get a point. I would be happy to see that. But like you said, it it's there are going to be stories at this World Cup. There's 48 teams. There's going to be teams that just simply aren't as good as good as the others. And maybe this is a stepping stone for bigger things in the future. But in the present, unfortunately, it doesn't look like Uzbekistan will be much of a challenge for some of the other teams in this group.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

Completely agree. The last team in this group is a threat. It is Colombia. Their motto as a country is Libertad e Orden, which means freedom and order. The capital and largest city is, of course, Bogota. They have a population of 55 million, and they got their name from once again that motherfucker Columbus. They are named after Christopher Columbus. I can't believe it. He just keeps popping up. This guy. Unbelievable the legacy he left after just being an awful, awful human. He's everything in the world's named after him. I don't know what we're doing. It's crazy. But some fun facts about Colombia. It is the only country in South America that touches both the Atlantic Ocean by way of the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. So that's it's pretty interesting. They also have a river called the Rainbow River, which is called Cano Cristales. It turns red, yellow, green, blue. I'm not sure how. Again, above my pay grade, ask a scientist. I'd also like to see it to believe it because this might be one of those things where it's shades of those colors and not a true pop. I'm skeptical. It is known as the emerald capital of the world. I believe 70% of the world's emeralds come from Colombia. And then a law in Colombia is on every national radio station. The national anthem must be played every day at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Strict. Stri I like that. It's like the Pledge of Allegiance. You stand. Up every day, every 12 hours, 6-6. It adds a bit of routine to your schedule. As for the national team, we have a great nickname, Brandon. Los Cafeteros, which means the coffee growers love it. I talked about Brazil being the biggest coffee country. Colombia's a close second. It's one of the major exports. They do a good brew down there. This is their seventh World Cup appearance. They made their first in 1962. Their best finish was in the quarterfinals in 2014. I have to say, I like the kits. They have a good color scheme. I'm a fan of the kits this year. They have a rich history, which features several strong spells in their national team. They did not qualify, however, in 2022. So that was a missed World Cup cycle for them. After making the quarterfinals in 2014, you would have thought that 2022 would still be part of that steering in the right direction. They had to bring in a new manager. That is Nestor Lorenzo. He's been there since 2022 when they failed to qualify. He has experience with Argentina, and then he was a longtime Columbia assistant coach. How will they play? They will have a decent amount of the ball, especially against Uzbekistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They will be possession oriented. They're creative. They're tricky. They have some really skilled players both in midfield and in attack. I will say we have to start from a playing perspective with Jamez, James Rodriguez. Yeah, he's at Minnesota United for like another. I guess he's he's already done. He's with his national team. He had a cup of coffee in Minnesota. And that was just, I guess, to get a little bit of fitness and hopes for this last World Cup of his. If he could stay fit, he's special. We've talked about him before. His quality on the ball is outrageous. I'm not sure how many minutes he can give you. His body breaks down routinely, but he is a once-in-a-generation type player for Columbia, and he is still their club captain. They also have Luis Diaz, who is a Bayern Munich superstar, played at Liverpool, left winger, a bunch of tricks, probably their best player. He has surpassed Jamez at this point because he's in his peak. They also have our old Tottenham friend, Davison Sanchez, still leading the back line in defense. He's a solid defender. You can't ask him to do too much on the ball, but he he'll cover his box well. They also have Daniel Munoz at right back. He's one of the better right backs in the Premier League. He plays at Crystal Palace. He's battled some fitness concerns throughout this past year as well. But when he's fit, he's a very good option for them, both in attack and he could track back and defend. Their midfield is a strength to me. When they have the likes of Lerma, Richard Rios, and Jamez together in that midfield, that's a strong, strong foundation. We'll see how Jamez's fitness will be able to hold up throughout the tournament. I think that's a big key for them. And why maybe I'm a little bit skeptical about how deep of a run they can make. But what would success be for them? Obviously, they have to win a game outside of the group for it to be successful for Columbia. They have too much talent in the squad not to expect that, in my opinion. What my expectation for them would be, I think they'll win a game in the knockout rounds and get to the round of 16. I think that might be where the end of the road is for them, just because of some of the fitness concerns. And it's not necessarily the strongest backline I've ever seen. So they really would have to be tricky and dominate the ball in order to kind of prevent a constant onslaught of attack. And I think in the round of 16, they're going to come up against somebody inevitably that can threaten them consistently. So we'll see how it all holds up for Colombia, but they're at least an intriguing group.

SPEAKER_00 47:41

They're definitely an intriguing side. I feel like they're one of those teams that you always circle when they make the World Cup because you never know what you're going to get out of them. You know, maybe on this team they have the next Jamez Rodriguez, where in the 2014 World Cup, Jamez goes absolutely insane, and you would have thought he was a Ballon d'Or winner and you know secures his move to Real Madrid then. Maybe the next, maybe the next Jamez is in that squad and we'll get to see him this this summer. I would love to see that. This team is always exciting to watch. Uh definitely one that I'll be I'll be keeping my eyes on. Uh, like you said, I don't know if they have the quality to go past around a 16. Maybe a quarterfinal if they get lucky, depending on the draw, but not, in my opinion, a threat to win it or to really make that semifinal level. But I think they're in that maybe second or third tier of teams that are kind of in the mix. They're there. Uh they'll expect to win some, but but probably will not make a big run.

SPEAKER_01 48:39

Yeah, I'm right there with you. I completely agree. I think the manager has done a good job of getting them back and they qualified a lot easier. They have to participate in World Cups as a nation like Colombia. They have a proud footballing history, they should be in every World Cup. I I'm in love with the nickname. Los Cafeteros is just elite. So I'm rooting for these guys. I can't say that I am as confident in them as some other teams I've previewed once we're outside the group. So I'm done officially with my group previews. Brandon, you have one remaining. Please take us home.

SPEAKER_00 49:14

The last group, we have group L. Sean, I think this group, there's gonna be a little bit more intrigue than maybe what what it looks like on paper. To start, we have England. England is the fourth ranked team in the world currently. The capital of England is London. Sean, I'm sure I'm speaking for you and you'll agree. One of our favorite cities in the world. Probably a place maybe we could live. Top two, and it's not two. We say that. Top two, not two. I agree with you there. Largest city in Western Europe, over 9.1 million people, and it is a melting pot. Over 300 different languages are spoken just in London. Moving on to England overall as a country, they used the term John Bull, uh, similar to Uncle Sam representing the United States. So their equivalent is John Bull. They fought in the shortest war ever. Back in 1896, England was in a war with Zanzibar, and Zanzibar surrendered in just 38 minutes. So they were like, We don't want the smoke. We're good. The national dish in London is chicken tiki chicken tiki masala, very multicultural history, and I'm sure that's due to a little bit of colonization and invasion, but uh chicken tiki masala is world class.

SPEAKER_01 50:32

I almost ate London out of house and home of chicken tiki masala. It's one of my favorite foods in general. I love Indian food, and it was the best I ever had over there. I almost didn't want to leave. That's how good it was. I was asking for the sauce to go. It's just it's a special experience.

SPEAKER_00 50:47

I will say, I'm much probably much more shy than you are coming to food. You probably would not want to go to a restaurant with me. But when I was in London, my brother was with us, and he brought us to an Indian restaurant. It didn't look like anything fancy, just a spot on the corner, basically down the street from our hotel, and this meal was incredible. That's how good. The three of us still talk about this meal to this day.

SPEAKER_01 51:12

So yeah, shout out to it's like you like places like that you would expect find food and you get blown away. I'm actually with you. I'm kind of hesitant with a lot of foods, I'm very scared of stuff, but I I was forced into trying chicken tiki masala once, and I've never looked back.

SPEAKER_00 51:28

So yeah, you gotta you gotta give a shout out to that person who introduced you because yeah, it changed probably changed your life. The last fun fact I have about England is they are the center of world time. So the Primaridian, uh, which determines Greenwich Mean Time, it actually runs right through London. So every sort of time zone is based off of Greenwich Mean Time, which runs right through London. So they are basically sort of time zero, if you will. The nickname for the English national team is the Three Lions. This is their 17th appearance in the World Cup, with the best finish being a World Cup winning team in 1966. This year, I think you mentioned this earlier, Sean, in the previous episode, they won every single one of their qualifying games, so easily qualify for this World Cup. Their manager is a German coach by the name of Thomas Tuchel. Uh, he's probably a familiar name to some. He's coached at some of the biggest clubs in the world, such as Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea, and Bayern Munich. This is his first international job and was just named the coach last year in 2025. England will look to play a 4-2-3-1 style formation. They'll look to keep the ball and hit teams with direct passes. It can even look a little bit more like a 2-3-5 when they attack. Uh, the fullbacks sort of become midfielders, and one of the midfielders moves forward into the attack. So it's a very forward-facing side when they're when they're with the ball attacking others. Could leave them susceptible to counterattacks, but they think that's their best way to play. Some players to watch. Harry Kane, former Spurs legend, currently plays for Bayern Munich, just absolutely bags goals in the German Bundesliga.

SPEAKER_01 53:19

60 this year.

SPEAKER_00 53:20

60 goals this year. I mean, that's just absolutely absurd. Maybe, Sean, maybe we gotta call we have to uh call out the league a little bit, but 60 goals is still 60 goals.

SPEAKER_01 53:32

Farmers only.

SPEAKER_00 53:34

60 is still 60, and that's 60 more than us. So hey, kudos to Harry. He is their all-time leading goal scorer for England as well, and he's the captain of the squad. This team has a bevy of stars: Jude Bellingham, Sokka, Marcus Rashford, Jordan Pickford, their goalkeeper. I think their defense might be their quote-unquote weak weakness, but I think they're still very strong in defense with Mark Gahey, Reese James among some of their other defenders. Notable absences. I feel like that might be something that's been debated in the media, talked about. Cole Palmer and Harry McGuire, two of their better players being left at home. Phil Foden as well. You know, take it as you wish. You only have 26 spots. Somebody's got to get sent home. Unfortunately, those are some of the guys that didn't make it. England will tell you success in this World Cup is winning it. They believe that they have the quality, the talent, the team to do this. My expectation, Sean, I'm gonna go out on the limb and say it. I think football's coming home. Coming home, man. I think no. I think, I think they can win this World Cup. I think they have the team. I think this is their best chance in recent history, especially if France somehow falls to somebody else in a quarterfinal or semifinal. I think England can win it. I know I'm saying this, I will be back here in six weeks with my hand up because they will inevitably lose in the penalty kick shootout. But until that happens, I'm gonna go England, and that's my pick to win this World Cup.

SPEAKER_01 55:06

Oh boy. See, Brandon, I was ready. I I've been I've talked myself into England winning the World Cup, the last few World Cups, because they've had a ton of Tottenham guys in the squad. Deli in 2018, Ares always been up top, leading the line, and I've said it's coming home in it, and it never does. And now the one thing I will say, Thomas Tuchel, you talked about him, he's an elite tactician. He has made some bold decisions that I disagree with. If we're just gonna straight up say who's a better player, I think he has not brought the 26 best players. But what he might have done is brought the 26 players that he thinks fit his style the best. He's very specific in what he looks for. The one Tottenham player in the squad is Jed Spence. He is an example of what Tuchel's looking for. He said he is the fastest fullback in the pool. He's the fastest player on the team, and he offers them something in 1v1 defense where they could toss him on at the end of a game to shut down an opposition. So he's very detailed in that way. And I could see that working in a knockout style tournament. He's had success, he's won the Champions League at Chelsea, tinkering with lineups and doing things of this nature. So those are the positives for England. If you were going to talk me into it, that's what I would point to. It just seems like they're cursed. I don't know what it is, and I don't think this group is even as good as their group in the last World Cup. So something in my head is saying, but they have the manager. I never was a huge Gareth Southgate guy. He just couldn't get him over the hump, but he always was really good with culture and bringing the right guys. So I don't know. My head's gone with this England side. I don't know what to root for. I don't know what to expect. I'm choosing, I think, to be a hater this year.

SPEAKER_00 56:48

Fair enough.

SPEAKER_01 56:49

And unfortunately, that means I'm just gonna have to disagree with you. I hope they flame out. I hope they flame out.

SPEAKER_00 56:54

That is hey, that's fair, Sean. I I have to back somebody, and I just Argentina, for some reason, like we went over, doesn't do it for me. England, for some reason, scratches that itch. They they just tickle my fancy. I I can't explain it. There's there's a little science behind it, it's just more of the feel thing. We don't do the analytics here at the Francisco Football Podcast. It's all feels, it's all vibes, and I'm catching the vibe. I respect that about it.

SPEAKER_01 57:23

I love that you're catching vibe going out with a hunch. I'm all for that. So I can't poo-poo a hunch.

SPEAKER_00 57:28

Yeah. And look, just like Miles Robinson, we'll come back here in three, four weeks, and you'll be like, Brandon, you're an idiot, and I'll take it. I'll take all the punches. So I'm putting it out there first.

SPEAKER_01 57:39

England, it's coming home. I do think they have a high floor. They've been so consistent in these events in terms of progressing deep into the tournament. I don't think that'll be an issue. So I don't think you'll look like an idiot with egg on your face. Like, I feel like the worst case scenario for England is a quarterfinal. So I don't think it's a flame out, but the expectations are obviously to win it, and I just don't think it's coming home.

SPEAKER_00 58:00

We'll see. We'll see. Moving on in this group, we have next Croatia, another pretty attractive team. They are currently ranked 11th in the world. Uh Zagreb is the capital of Croatia, is in the northern part part of the country. It's actually near Slovenia, near the Slovenian border. Croatia is known as the land of a thousand islands, and Croatians, Croatian military wore a military cravat. It was actually the predecessor to the modern necktie. So it became fashionable after the French soldiers adopted it in the 1600s. So the Croatians and the French were fighting. French soldiers said, Oh, what are those? We like those. They took them back to France, and it became the modern necktie. Game of Thrones, I'm not a Game of Thrones guy, but Game of Thrones, a lot of it was filmed there in Dubrovnik. And you can take a Game of Thrones themed tour to see some different filming locations in Croatia, which sounds pretty cool. And the last fact I have are Dalmatians are thought to have originated in Croatia, which is just, I don't know, a little different. On the field, the nickname for Croatia is Vitrini, which just means Blazers. This is their seventh appearance in the World Cup. Their highest finish being a 2018 runner-up. Their manager is Zlatko Dalitch. He is a Croatian coach. He spent most of his coaching career in the Saudi league. He became a coach in 2017. This is the third time he's led this team in the World Cup. Again, he was a runner-up in 2018 and they finished third in 2022. So there's a lot of momentum with this Croatian side, a consistent coach. They'll look to tap into that. I do think the team's getting a little bit older, so that may hurt them, but definitely very good runs for them in the last two World Cups. They'll look to play a 4-2-3-1 style. They'll try to keep much of the ball. Their midfield, I think, will be a big strength of theirs, and they'll look to use that experience that I mentioned earlier in this tournament, having made two big runs in the last two World Cups. Players to watch. Luka Madrich, he is the 40-year-old midfielder. I still think he'll pull the strings for them. He'll be the captain. He's the heartbeat of this team. He is an absolute Croatian legend. Someone who inevitably is in their last World Cup, but will still be class. And I'm excited to see him even at his advanced age in this World Cup. More on the other side of the spectrum, we have Luka Vuskovic. Luka Vuskovic. He is a center defender on loan from our Tottenham Hotspur. Played this season at Hamburg in Germany. He is a 19-year-old and looking to have a big World Cup and show the world his quality. A final player to watch is Ivan Persich. Persich. He'll look to dominate the left side of the field. He played for Spurs for a hot minute. Part of that older generation of Croatian players, but still has a a little bit of legs left in him. He'll get up and down that left side of the field. Not the biggest goal scoring threat, but he'll help to create chances. He'll be in the helping them in the final third. If he does usually a banger.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:15

If he does, he's usually a banger. He's one of the best strikers of a football I've ever seen. He he both feet incredible, incredible striker. Puts in a wicked cross, can score from range, but yeah, he I can't believe he's still kicking. Like you said, he's part of that older crew of Croatians.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:31

Yeah, they'll they'll look to those older crew because they've they've done it. They've been at this level, so they'll they'll rely on that. I think Croatians will say success for them in this tournament will be a quarterfinal run. I don't think they have the legs to to make a final or a bronze medal match like they did in the previous two World Cups, but I think a quarterfinal is a successful trip for them. I don't know if they'll make it that far. I think that the aging squad will hurt them in a knockout tournament just because you have games pretty frequently. But I do think they'll make the knockout and maybe win a game or two, uh, finishing either in the round of 16 or that quarterfinal match.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:13

Yeah, it's funny because the last World Cup came, and we were saying they were an aging squad then, and they still have a lot of the same crew lingering around. Modric is still unbelievable, like you said. He he's 40, but he he's just so tidy and so neat on the ball. He's his quality oozes every time you watch him. I just think I'm with you. I I don't think that these guys can make another deep run with the profile of age that they have in those key positions. It's the generation behind this golden generation for Croatia isn't at the same level. So while they have some young guys, Luka Vuskovic is unbelievable. He seems like a freak phenom who's can who can score goals at the center back position and also be a stalwart in defense. I don't think they have enough of those young players to complement that old crew and take a lot of the burden off Parisic and Modric. So I I'm a little bit I'm a little bit skeptical of this Croatia group, to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:15

Yeah, I think that's a very fair assessment, Sean. Which we'll get into when we get into the last two teams in this group, but I think that second place spot could be interesting. Looking at the team next, we have Ghana. Ghana is the 74th ranked team in the world. Capital of Ghana being Accra is the largest city in Ghana. Uh, it's the business hub, the political hub. The name comes from in Akhan, which is one of their languages word meaning ants, uh, due to a number of the ant hills that are seen in Acra Ghana. So something a little different. The nickname for Ghana is the Gold Coast. Uh, they have very rich gold reserves, and this was named by the British. Here's an interesting one for you. They're known for creating fancy coffins. So they'll carve coffins into the shapes, different shapes representing the deceased. So if you were a fisherman, they might carve your coff coffin into the shape of a fish. Uh a pilot would get an airplane, a mechanic would get a car. So I don't know what ours would be, but maybe a maybe a soccer ball. I don't know how it would fit with our bodies, but uh that's interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:25

Yeah. I have never thought about what how what my own coffin would look like, and I'd prefer not to. So I don't, yeah, but it's a good question. I have never I had no idea.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:36

Yeah, so it's it's interesting, and they are one of the largest exporters of cocoa beans in the world, so one of their big exports are uh cocoa. Looking on the field, the team's nickname is the Black Stars. This is their fifth appearance in the World Cup. The furthest they made it was to the 2010 quarterfinals. They have a little bit of drama with their manager, just like some of the other countries we profiled. Their current manager is named Carlos Cuyeros. Uh, he replaced a man by the name of Otto Addo just two months ago. So we had an April firing, and Carlos came in to coach the team. He's coached at four World Cups previously. Uh, he coached for Portugal in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. He is 73 years old and he's known as a disciplinarian. So, my guess is this guy was sitting at home enjoying his coffee, and they said, Hey, Carlos, can you come coach us? And he was like, Alright, let's do it. So, we have a manager who just got hired very recently. It'll be interesting to see if he can instill his tactics, his ways with this team with barely any time to train for this World Cup. Ghana will look to play a 4 1 4 1 formation. They'll be very organized. Organized in defense, but they'll struggle to create with the ball. They have attacking talent that they'll look to use, especially against Panama, which is the fourth team in this group. But in most of their games, they'll be a little bit more defensive. Players to watch. Sean, we got a good one. Antoine Semeno, the Manchester City man, came from Bournemouth this season. He'll be their star on the left. This guy is incredible. Pacey, strong, can finish. I mean, he's he looks like he was built in a lab. And then they were like, oh, go play soccer. Uh, he could probably play football, he could probably play basketball. This guy is special, so he'll be one that we'll definitely keep our eyes on Sean.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:43

For sure. And he's worked his way up. We mentioned him in the FA Cup final. He scored the winner for Manchester City. He's worked his way up. He's playing in the fifth tier of English football in, I believe, 2019. So Semeno is now going to be a household name at some point. And he is uh very top-level player.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:01

Yeah, so I'm excited to see him, especially playing in a World Cup where he's gonna be the guy for them. Manchester City, you know, a lot of big names on that team. Sometimes you can get a little bit lost. But in this team, he'll he'll really lead the line and be an important figure. Uh, they also have Jordan Ayu. He's a Leicester City forward, Leicester City playing currently in the championship. Uh, a lot of experience. He'll probably actually play as the number nine, and then Semenyu playing on the left behind him. They would have had our guy Mo Kudus from Spurs, but unfortunately, he's out with an injury, so he will not be playing in the World Cup. Uh, that would have been a great front three with the three of them, but yeah, unfortunately, he's out of the World Cup.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:45

He uh was supposed to be back with two months to spare in the season, but the Spurs medical team pulled his groin again, and now he hates our medical team and he's missing the World Cup, so that was cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:56

Yeah, we're gonna have a uh I'm I'm I'm telling you now, Sean, we'll just add it to our list of things to do. We need to have a Spurs medical podcast breakdown because what in the world's going on in that club? I think me and you could cosplay as doctors there because it's just it's a joke.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:11

It's a full-blown joke.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:13

I think I think uh Ghana does struggle in defense, and I think that's gonna hurt them. Success for them, I think they'll want to make it out, make it to the knockout rounds. This group is not easy, but it's not impossible either. It's a weird mix. If they can make it to the knockout round, I think they would find that to be a successful World Cup. In my opinion, I think the game against Panama will be really, really exciting. That game is on June 17th in Toronto. I don't think Ghana make it out of this group. I think they end up actually finishing fourth. But I think the game against Panama could really have some fireworks and definitely will have ramifications on who makes it out of this group. Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:58

Okay. I also want to shout out one other player from Ghana, Anaki Williams, because his brother Nico plays for Spain. So two brothers in the World Cup representing different countries, it's pretty cool. They are both actually from the Basque region of Spain. So Nico plays still, they both played together still at Athletic Bilbao, which is their boyhood club, but one chose to be of Ghanaian nationality, and one chose to represent Spain. So pretty cool story there. Yeah, Brandon. I was listening to you pretty carefully, and I I think I had better expectations for Ghana going in than what you've left me with now after I learned more about them. The injury to Kudus really does crush them. He's such an inventive attacking player. And then just looking at their squad, it's not as it's not as strong as I was thinking in my head. So I I was thinking maybe they could even pull an upset and finish second in this group. Now I'm with you where I'm I'm I'm a little bit worried about the Black Stars.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:57

Yeah, it's it's it'll be interesting to see because the other two teams, it can really go multiple ways in this group. Also, fun fact, Sean. Do you know another set of brothers that play for two different countries? One place for the United States.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:11

There's a couple guys now that are coming to mind that fit this description, but they're not in the U.S. national team. No, I don't know. I can't even think of anybody with a brother. Brandon Air. You'll love this. Who is it?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:23

You're gonna be mad at me. It's Christian and Alex Roldan.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:26

Oh my god, yeah, that's right. I forgot. Alex Roldan, he what is he what's the nationality? El Salvador, I believe. That's right. It is El Salvador, yep. There's I had to throw that in there because I know you're a big community setup that didn't make the team, like Jonathan Gomez and his brother Johan. I believe one represents Mexico, one represents the United States, but neither are in the national team picture. So there's a few of those, but that's funny. I would not have gone. I forgot about that. They play together now, right in the MLS.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:56

Yeah, Seattle Sounders.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:58

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:59

I forgot about Alex, hold on. What a note in there because I know you're a Christian guy, so I'm a huge Christian guy. Let's go USA. Team, team, team. Moving on to our last team, and I think you'll like these guys, Sean. We have Panama. Panama is the 33rd ranked team in the world. The capital of Panama is Panama City, which is actually right on the Panama Canal. About half of the country lives there and in the surrounding area. So 2 million of the 4 million people in Panama live in the Panama City area. And it is the only capital city in the world that has a natural tropical rainforest. Which I found is pretty interesting. I like that. Panama is known as the crossroads of the world. Due to their location and being at the point where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet, Panama uses the US dollar as the official currency. I know you mentioned that with a different country. I do not remember which, but that's another country that uses the US dollar outside of the US.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:59

I believe it was Ecuador, but again, these are these reviews are all blending together, so that's a questionable fact.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:06

That that sounds right, actually. And another fact about Panama, they were the first country outside of the United States to sell Coca-Cola beginning in 1906. The nickname for the Panama team, it's a good one, is Los Caneleros, which just stands for the Canal Men, honoring being on the Panama Canal. This is their second appearance in the World Cup. In 2018, they only made it to the group stage. They didn't make it through the group stage. This qualification is a little bit, I don't want to say Mickey Mouse, but maybe a little bit uh childish.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:42

Yeah, we could say it's Mickey Mouse.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:44

Yeah, because the US, Canada, and Mexico being hosts did not have to qualify. So three of the best teams in CONCACAF just did not have to do anything, and they're in. So their spots are being filled by some other teams, and Panama was like, oh, we'll take that and qualify it through that avenue. Hey, you can only play who they put you up against. So kudos to them for taking advantage. Their manager is a man by the name of Thomas Christensen. He is a Danish manager. He uh played a lot of his career in Denmark and Spain and has two Spain caps. He's managed in Cyprus, Belgium, and actually managed Leeds United before becoming the Panama coach in 2020. He's a very technically sound coach and he looks to be a culture builder for the team. Panama will play a 3-4-2-1 with a little bit of flexibility in there, but every player knows their role. They're a very physical team. I do think they'll struggle against a team with a little bit more quality, though. Now to break down some of their players, one of their better players is a man by the name of Adalberto Carasquilla. They call him El Coco. He plays at Pumas in Liga MX. He's a 27-year-old midfielder. He's spent time in the MLS with the Houston Dynamo. He is known for his uh large afro and can be seen anywhere on the field. They also have Annabelle Gadoy. He'll play next to El Coco in the midfield. Uh Gadoy is the captain of the team. He plays an MLS for San Diego FC and has 159 caps for Panama. So that midfield is pretty strong, but outside of that, they're a little bit weaker in the rest of the field. Panamanians will think success at this World Cup is their is to get a point. They've never had a point at a World Cup before, so a draw against one of these other teams would be good for them. And the knockout stage, I think, would be very ambitious, but it would be scenes if Panama were to be able to make it to the knockout round. My bold prediction in this group, I already said England winning the World Cup. I think Panama beat Ghana, and I think they can get third place in this group. I can see them really frustrating Ghana and scoring a set piece or a late goal to seal a win. It would be they will be playing the first game of this World Cup in their group. So Panama played Ghana in their first game, England played Croatia. Panama Ghana will be interesting because Ghana has this new manager who hasn't been the coach forever. I think Panama might just catch them on a bad day and sneak out of there with three points. And based on the qualifications to make the next round, I think they could sneak in with three points to the to the knockout stage.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:26

I could get behind that. I could root for the Panamaans. I I think that I am more prone to back you on that after hearing about both teams between Ghana and Panama. I I like El Coco. I love the sound of him. And I also like what you told me about the manager, Thomas Christensen. It seems like he has that program heading in the right direction. So interesting, interesting stuff, especially outside of England in this group. I don't think it would be crazy if Croatia stumbles and they struggle due to some of their age and you know just a general changing of the guard, passing of the baton from generations. We've seen that before, where teams do flame out. So I think there's a lot to play for in this one outside of England finishing first.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:13

Yeah, it's a it's a really interesting one. And I played around with who I thought would be second, third, and fourth. I think what I would go with would be England first, Croatia second, then Panama, and then Ghana to close it out. Uh another small fact about Panama, Sean. I know you're a Jersey guy, a vibes guy. Panama is the only team that where will be wearing a Reebok jersey. I don't know if Reebok's really in the soccer game, but they're not out of it. I'll tell you that now. They're not out of the soccer game. Exactly. See, that's the way that's the way you think about it. So I think the the vibes are high for Panama. I think they're coming into this World Cup with hey, we got nothing to lose. Let's just go all in and see what happens. And maybe they catch Ghana on a bad day and sneak through. And and I think that could really happen. So this group, probably my boldest predictions of the of the groups I covered, but I could see England winning it all, and I could see Panama going through. I'll stick behind that for now.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:10

I love it. Also, you mentioned how they play the first game of this group stage against Ghana. I think Panama should have some pretty strong fan support here. I wouldn't be surprised if they just snuff them early and say, hey, welcome to the show. You never know, jump on them early. I'm interested to see that one now. I'm interested to see how this group unfolds. We're finally done, Brandon, with the World Cup preview episodes. A lot of effort went in, but I enjoyed all of it.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:38

Yeah, this has been good, Sean. It's been great to learn from you and learning about what you think is important and learning the geography and the history and not just the soccer, because you know, we're we're we're soccer fanatics, we're gonna be watching every game we can. So when I turn on the TV at three o'clock and two random countries are playing, it would be like, oh yeah, Sean broke this down. This guy's gonna be the guy to look out for. Oh, this country has this, this country exports that. So it gives us a little bit of context, a little juice around the game. So I appreciate your work on this, my friend.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:08

I appreciate yours as well. I echo those same sentiments. So it I think it helped us both learn more about this World Cup, learn more about these countries. I'm excited to join my Aléphonse, my my Côte d'Ivoire folks down in Philly. I'm I'm all in on that tribe. So I think I think that's a good place to leave it. The World Cup is almost here. We're gonna have more preview episodes next week. We we we're done with the group by group breakdown. Now we'll get to more relaxed vibes, maybe a draft or two so we could get some teams on our boards to root for. We'll figure some things out for next week. But Brandon, it was a pleasure as always.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:47

Always. Thank you, Sean. Appreciate this. This is great. And I'm just ready for the first ball to be kicked. Like, let's go.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:54

That's right. Let's get this thing started. I can only listen to the new Shakira theme song for so long. We gotta we gotta get the ball in action. Listeners, thank you all for tuning in. We appreciate you tuning in to all of these World Cup preview episodes. Stay with us throughout the tournament. We have a lot on the horizon. We appreciate your listenership. And until next time, take care.