My World Cup Bracket

The World Cup is only days away, and I've been wondering for a while who I think will be the teams to progress into the various rounds of the tournament. A week ago, I created a preliminary bracket for the 2014 World Cup, and it has went through many changes. I flip-flopped on which teams will make it out of the group stage, and I had an even harder time trying to figure out which "dark horse" will progress the furthest in the tournament. Back in December of last year, when the groups were announced, I made some picks as to who would get out of the group stage, but those picks have changed a bit. To say that determining my bracket caused much frustration is an understatement.

So, after much deliberation, I'll present my own World Cup picks that I will rely on throughout the tournament. If you're not sure about your own bracket, feel free to use mine for the tournament. I won't be posting any explanations on this post, just my picks. If you would like my explanation on some picks, feel free to contact me on Twitter, or leave a comment on this post.

So, let's do this.

Group Stage

Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon

Brazil will win the group.
Croatia will finish second.

Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia

Spain will win the group.
Chile will finish second.

Group C: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan

Colombia will win the group.
Japan will finish second.

Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

Italy will win the group.
England will finish second.

Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras

France will win the group.
Switzerland will finish second.

Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran, Nigeria

Argentina will win the group.
Bosnia-Herzegovina will finish second.

Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA

Germany will win the group.
Portugal will finish second.

Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, Korea Republic

Belgium will win the group.
Russia will finish second.

Round of 16 (winners in bold)

Brazil vs. Chile
Colombia vs. England
France vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina
Germany vs. Russia
Spain vs. Croatia
Italy vs. Japan
Argentina vs. Switzerland
Belgium vs. Portugal

Quarter-Finals (winners in bold)

Brazil vs. England
France vs. Germany
Spain vs. Italy
Argentina vs. Portugal (my surprise of the tournament)

Semi-Finals (winners in bold)

Brazil vs. Germany
Spain vs. Portugal

3rd Place Match (winner in bold)

Germany vs. Portugal

World Cup Final (winner in bold)

Brazil vs. Spain

Brazil will beat Spain and win their 6th World Cup.

Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew: The Soul is Real

I went to the Toronto FC match against the Columbus Crew last Saturday, and what was supposed to be a nice day out hoping for a comfortable Toronto FC win, turned out to be something completely magical.

I'm not going to talk too much about the match itself, but rather talk about the two big moments of the match. Before those two moments, Toronto FC were on the back foot, as the Crew were dictating the play. By the way TFC were playing, it didn't look like they were going to win the match. Ryan Nelsen put on Gilberto and Dwayne De Rosario in the hopes of trying to get the tying goal.

The first big moment was the wonder strike from Jermain Defoe to tie the match up 2-2 in the 81st minute. It was pure world-class instinct from Defoe and an unbeatable strike into the back of the net. At this point, I thought TFC would just take the draw, considering they had to battle back twice to equalize, but TFC was surging for a winner. What transpired next was something I didn't think would happen at BMO Field, in the way that it did.

It was the 92nd minute, in stoppage time. TFC had a free kick outside the Columbus 18-yard box. Dan Lovitz whips in the cross and it meets the head on Doneil Henry. He heads the ball into the net and BMO Field goes absolutely mental. I'm glad that it was Doneil Henry that scored the header, and he needed that more than anyone else. He has faced some rather harsh criticism (myself included) over his tendency to lose focus and foul players in the box, and so hopefully that goal can end the chatter for at least a little bit. Usually, it would be Toronto FC that would get scored on late in a match, but this isn't the old Toronto FC anymore. TFC had to dig deep to find a way to win, and that is what they did. Playoff bound teams would win these kind of matches.

I have two feelings about the match winner, one feeling about Toronto FC and the supporters, and another feeling that affects me personally.

When the winner was scored, it felt like the dormant soul of Toronto FC and the supporters awakened itself in a moment of pure and unbridled jubilation. It felt like all the negativity and criticism surrounding the team, the squabbles between the supporters groups and the Toronto FC front office, and the constant wonder whether this Toronto FC team was good enough to make the playoffs, was all completely forgotten. In that moment, I think we all, as supporters, realized and reinforced why we support this team. I witnessed the soul of Toronto FC. Over the years, it felt like there was no soul in the stands. The supporters sections weren't as lively as the first couple of seasons of Toronto FC's existence. Even now, with the signings and the hype surrounding the team, the supporters sections couldn't capture the essence of what made Toronto FC so special, as supporters were more interested in bickering with each other and complaining about tourists. For those moments, when the winner was scored and for the rest of the match, the essence was back. It felt like everyone was unified in song, and it was beautiful. It was completely and utterly beautiful.

On a personal level, it was a release of everything I ever had built up inside me, on an emotional level. I've long since stated that I don't go to Toronto FC matches just to support the team. I go because it is a kind of therapy for me. I go because I want to escape the pressures of life, whether it's the monotony of school, where I am going to get my next paycheck, and trying to forget about the one girl whom I really liked, but only sees me as just a friend. I don't know if a lot of people knew about this, but going to Toronto FC matches has helped my anxiety disorder as well. This year, I have particularly felt the pressures of school, jobs, and friendships in negative ways. I thought the only true way of escaping all of that was going to Toronto FC matches, if only for 90 minutes. When TFC scored the winner on Saturday, I went ballistic. It felt like my soul was rejuvenated, not just in the sense of supporting Toronto FC, but in the sense that I can deal with whatever has been ailing me. If I ever need to get away, I can just go to BMO Field and just be me, yelling at my heart's content. Despite my criticisms of Toronto FC, Toronto FC has been there when I felt the absolute worst. The role Toronto FC has played in my life as a means of escape, trumps the feelings I have toward (the old management of) MLSE and its greed. From the Danny Dichio chants to the pyro-fuelled celebrations outside Gate 3, I am glad to be a part of it all.

In the match last Saturday, the soul of Toronto FC was present, and I am more than happy to be a part of it.

Sidenote: I took some video of the match after the winner, and the celebrations at Gate 3.

UEFA Champions League Final: Post-Game Thoughts

image from bbc.co.uk

So yesterday, I made a trip to the pub and watched the Champions League Final between crosstown rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. After the game, I avoided reading any post-game reports put out by the media because I didn't want my thoughts of the match to be influenced by those reports. The events of what happened are still fresh in my mind.

Before the game started, I thought Real Madrid was doing to dictate the play in the midfield, even without Xabi Alonso, who was suspended, while Atletico rely on their superior defensive prowess and hit Real on the counter. One of the reasons I thought this was because Atletico lacked their primary scoring threat, Diego Costa, as he went down with a hamstring injury in the last game of their season. With the nature of hamstring injuries, I thought there was no way Costa would come back from injury in only a week, even with the "horse placenta" treatment he went through. Turns out, I was wrong.

Diego Costa was actually in the starting 11 for Atletico Madrid, which I'm sure surprised many, because it sure surprised me. One of two things was going to happen. The horse placenta will miraculously heal his hamstring, or he will have to come off very early in the match because his injury was re-aggravated. Turns out, the latter was true, and it got me thinking. Why did Atletico Madrid risk further injury for Diego Costa by starting him? Looking back at that, it was a bonehead move by Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, and I will argue that the extra substitution that Atletico Madrid could have had by not starting Diego Costa would have helped them later in the match.

On to the 1st half, I'd say it was pretty even between the two Madrid teams. They were both organized defensively and cut out each other's attacks. I noticed that the link-up play with Atletico Madrid, especially between Gabi, Koke, Tiago, and David Villa were well orchestrated. With Real Madrid, they relied more on Luka Modric pulling the strings in midfield and Angel Di Maria running at the Atletico back four drawing fouls outside the box. Real Madrid sorely missed Xabi Alonso's vision and passing, as I thought Sami Khedira had a poor game, giving away the ball regularly to the opposition. I was particularly frustrated with Gareth Bale's performance in the match. Bale, who was bought for 100 million Euros, had a great chance to get Real on the board first, but he hit his shot wide. I also have to say something about Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas and his role in Atletico's goal in the 1st half. If you're going to come out for the ball, you better make sure you either catch it, or punch it out. Casillas did neither, and he was left in no man's land as Diego Godin headed the ball in the net.

In the 2nd half, it was Atletico Madrid that looked more intent to score than Real. It was clear that for the majority of the second half, Atletico wanted this trophy more than Real did, as they constantly out-hustled them to the ball almost every time. Real's attempts at goal were easily stuffed by the Atleti defence and for a little bit, it seemed like Atletico Madrid were going to win the trophy. Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was having a very good match, and Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were non-factors in the match. Gareth Bale once again had a golden chance to score, but he forgot he had a right foot, and instead used his left foot to hit the ball into the side netting. By the 80th minute, Real Madrid woke up, and began to lay siege to the Atletico goal, with Atletico trying all they can to hold on to their lead. Atletico were so close to holding on to the win, but they couldn't hold on. In the 93rd minute of the match, Sergio Ramos headed in the equalizing goal from a corner to save Real's blushes and to crush Atletico's hopes and dreams. Going into extra time, all the momentum was with Real Madrid, and Atletico had to pick themselves up physically and mentally.

In extra time, Real Madrid continued to turn up the heat and pressure Atletico Madrid, which was rewarded with Gareth Bale getting a dream winner. Honestly, I loved that it was him that got the game winner because it made up for his missed chances earlier in the match, and it helps to validate his massive price tag. Atletico were completely exhausted and this was where they could have had that extra substitution if they didn't start Diego Costa, as Atletico could have used an extra pair of fresh legs. Real Madrid added a Marcelo goal, and a Ronaldo penalty to put themselves up 4-1 in the match. However, I thought Ronaldo's celebration after scoring the penalty was a bit excessive. There was also an incident with Simeone and Raphael Varane which had Simeone running out of his technical area like a madman to confront Varane. Apparently Varane kicked a ball at Simeone and then Simeone kicked the ball back at him. I'm not excusing Varane's actions, but for a manager, Simeone acted like a complete child.

The match finishes and Real Madrid are the European champions for a 10th time. It was a heated an entertaining affair, and a great match for the neutral.

Now to turn my attention to the World Cup...

The World Cup 2014 Slogans

The World Cup is fast approaching, and I need to ramp up my coverage of this prestigious tournament. What better for me than to talk about the slogans that will be on the team buses for each country. The slogans have been voted on by the public through FIFA, and I will give my honest opinion on each country's voted slogan. Some of the slogans were well thought out, while other slogans were just plain odd. Let's get started.

Algeria: DESERT WARRIORS IN BRAZIL

Pretty standard and direct. These desert warriors are sure to go down fighting. Actually, I don't know about fighting, but them going down will be a given, barring a miracle.

Argentina: Not just a team, we are a country.

This slogan is trying to tug at the heartstrings of the Argentinean people. The embodiment of the country will be on the likes of Messi, Aguero, and Di Maria. Hope they don't succumb to the pressure.

Australia: SOCCEROOS: HOPPING OUR WAY INTO HISTORY!

How cute. The history Australia must be thinking about is getting zero points in their group stage matches and conceding about 20 goals. Hopping right back on the plane…

Belgium: EXPECT THE IMPOSSIBLE!

Expect the impossible from Belgium? It could be a possibility to be honest. That team could make a deep run in the tournament.

Bosnia-Herzegovina: DRAGONS IN HEART, DRAGONS ON THE FIELD!

I like this slogan. This slogan is solid motivation for a team that is in their first World Cup.

Brazil: BRACE YOURSELVES! THE 6TH IS COMING!

Are they talking about their 6th World Cup win? It’s a tall order considering the astronomical amount of pressure being put on the team. They have a chance, though.

Cameroon: A lion remains a Lion

Cameroon wins the award for the most obvious slogan in the World Cup.

Chile: CHI CHI CHI!, LE LE LE! Go Chile.

This slogan is ridiculously tacky.

Columbia: Here travels a nation, not just a team!

I feel a bit indifferent about this slogan. You'll notice a common theme with slogans trying to use "the nation" or "the country", instead of "the team".

Costa Rica: My passion is football, my strength is my people, my pride is Costa Rica.

This slogan is powerful and patriotic. Usually a winning combination with slogans and this slogan nails it.

Croatia: WITH FIRE IN OUR HEARTS, FOR CROATIA ALL AS ONE!

That's a slogan to fire up their fans. 

Ecuador: ONE COMMITMENT, ONE PASSION, ONLY ONE HEART, THIS IS FOR YOU ECUADOR!

Did this slogan need to be this long? Will it fit on the team bus?

England: THE DREAM OF ONE TEAM, THE HEARTBEAT OF MILLIONS!!

Sadly, those millions of England fans will feel the disappointment and embarrassment only England can deliver.

France: IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT A FRENCH WORD

However, the words "surrender" and "revolt" are certainly French words.

Germany: One Nation, One Team, One Dream!

This slogan is simple and to the point. The slogan is a bit industrial, just like Germany.

Ghana: BLACK STARS: HERE TO ILLUMINATE BRAZIL

That's incorrect. If a star in the sky is black, it wouldn't be able to illuminate anything.

Greece: 'HEROES PLAY LIKE GREEKS'

If this was Euro 2004, then it could be true. Not sure about now, though.

Honduras: We are one country, one nation, five stars on the heart

Decent slogan, but Honduras don't really have much else going on in the tournament, don't they?

Iran: HONOUR OF PERSIA

Three words are all you need sometimes.

Italy: Let’s paint the FIFA World Cup dream blue

Well, at least it's painting the World Cup dream, and not the trophy itself.

Ivory Coast: Elephants charging towards Brazil!

Better hope these elephants will be able to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Japan: SAMURAI, THE TIME HAS COME TO FIGHT !

Japan is channeling their inner 19th century with that slogan.

Korea Republic: Enjoy it, Reds!

This slogan is so stale. It's like Korea are happy to get medals for simply participating in the tournament.

Mexico: Always united, Always aztecas

Mexico could have used this slogan during their qualification for this tournament.

Netherlands: REAL MEN WEAR ORANGE

I would like to argue that people who tend to choke are more likely to wear orange.

Nigeria: ONLY TOGETHER WE CAN WIN

Are you sure? I thought you can only win by standing alone. Man was I wrong.

Portugal: The past is history. The future is victory.

This might be the best slogan of all (and it rhymes!), but I have an alternative slogan: "Help us, Cristiano Ronaldo. You’re our only hope." 

Russia: No one can catch us

I can't help but think this is a thinly veiled statement towards the Western World regarding the situation in Crimea.

Spain: Inside our hearts, the passion of a champion

Spain may be the defending champions, but I have questions on whether they can maintain the passion.

Switzerland: FINAL STOP: 07-13-14 MARACANA!

The Swiss train is more likely to break down on the way.

Uruguay: Three million dreams … Let’s go Uruguay

At least there are a number of dreams.

USA: UNITED BY TEAM, DRIVEN BY PASSION

That slogan would make even the most patriotic bald eagle shed a tear.

25 Years On: My Thoughts on the Hillsborough Disaster

Image supplied by bbc.co.uk

I'll start by saying this. I support Manchester United Football Club.

I've followed the club for as long as I can remember, so naturally, I have come to dislike Man United's rivals, which includes Liverpool Football Club. When I was younger, I used to think that the rivalry trumps everything, but as I got older, I've learned that there are significant events that transcend even the intensity of rivalries.

The Hillsborough Disaster was one such event.

It happened only two years before I was born. With my ever growing love of football, I delved more into the history to football, and I learned about the events that made modern football what it is today. Of course, that curiosity led me to the events at Hillsborough Stadium on April 15, 1989. I watched live footage of that day, as well as documentaries and witness interviews. I learned about how a lack of police control, a decrepit stadium, and the lack of a prompt emergency response claimed the lives of 96 football fans. It's saddening to even think about it. Ninety-six people, who went to enjoy themselves at a football match, didn't come back and were never to be heard from again. I learned about how the police herded the fans like sheep into the already overcrowded central pen in the Leppings Lane end. Looking at that central pen, it felt like trapping wild animals in cages. The onrush of all these Liverpool fans that the police let through into the central pen crushed the fans already inside, which led to people suffocating to death.

What truly made the disaster sickening and appalling were the police and the press spreading lies about what happened at Hillsborough. The police tried to pin the blame about what happened on the fans, citing crowd trouble and hooliganism as the reasons why this disaster happened. In the 1980s, violence at football matches were regular occurrences, and English fans had a reputation for violence and disorder. This culminated in the deaths of 39 fans at Heysel stadium in 1985 during the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus, and it resulted in all English clubs banned from UEFA competitions for 5 years (Liverpool got 6 years). With all that in mind, it made sense for the police to pin the blame on the Liverpool fans.

The press (most notably "The Sun" tabloid newspaper) made false claims that Liverpool fans were robbing the dead. On top of all that, the police and the government at the time tried to cover up what really happened at Hillsborough. This led to a 25-year long battle taken up by the families of those who lost their lives to uncover the truth of what happened at Hillsborough, and who really was to blame. The battle continues to this day.

Looking back at this disaster, I think it's unfortunate that the families of the 96 lost not only had to grieve for their loss, but they also had to fight the corrupt system in order to achieve some sort of appropriate justice, in which they are still fighting for. The police labeled the Liverpool fans at the stadium as hooligans, when they were simply just football fans enjoying a day out supporting the team they love. As for what happened at the stadium itself, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. No one should have to go to a football stadium and die.

I believe that the Hillsborough disaster was a catalyst for the new age of modern football, not only for England, but for the developed world as well. Without the disaster, there would never be the Taylor Report which called for the use of all-seater stadiums, among other things. Football stadiums were modernized, were more safe, and it encouraged a more family-friendly atmosphere. I don't hear about the lack of safety at football stadiums in the developed world anymore, and the Taylor Report kick-started that need for safety. I'm still a bit in shock to know that it had to take 96 people to lose their lives in order for the rest of us to feel more safe when going to football stadiums.

This morning, I watched the 25th Anniversary Hillsborough Memorial Ceremony, which was very touching. This Manchester United supporter is happy that actions are being taken to remove the stain that has been inflicted on the families of those who perished, and the City of Liverpool as a whole. I am happy to see other football clubs and their fans, including rivals, send their prayers and condolences to the families. I hope that it is sooner, rather than later, that the seeds of justice can be sown.

Justice will be served. Justice for the 96.