Dec 2, 20222022 FIFA World Cup: Consumer Guide (Round of 16)Matchday 3 of the Group Stage is one of the best things about the current World Cup format, and the 2022 edition certainly didn’t disappoint. There were 13 spots in the Round of 16 up for grabs, and in several of the groups all four teams had at least a…6 min read6 min read
Nov 29, 20222022 FIFA World Cup: Consumer Guide (11/29–12/2)For the last few World Cups, I have published a “consumer guide,” providing my subjective choices for the most entertaining matches (assuming you are not a sicko completist like me who is watching all of them). This time, I decided to skip the first two matchdays and just concentrate on…Football6 min readFootball6 min read
Jul 14, 2018Viewer’s Guide to World Cup 2018 (Part 7)The Final France vs. Croatia is a fitting final for this somewhat upside-down but incredibly entertaining World Cup. On one hand there’s France, the second youngest team in the tournament, brimming with talent, fresh from the experience of losing the Euro 2016 final at home to an overacheiving Portugal. …Soccer7 min readSoccer7 min read
Jul 10, 2018Viewer’s Guide to World Cup 2018 (Part 6)The Semi-Finals France, Belgium, Croatia and England have reached the World Cup semi-finals, marking the fifth time the final four have come entirely from the European continent. While it’s kind of sad that none of the South American teams (or even, for that matter, an African or CONCACAF team) made the last…Soccer6 min readSoccer6 min read
Jul 6, 2018Viewer’s Guide to World Cup 2018 (Part 5)The Quarter-Finals Well, that was amazing. With a few exceptions (I’m looking at you, Spain) the Round of 16 produced some of the best matches of the tournament. …Soccer8 min readSoccer8 min read
Jun 29, 2018Viewer’s Guide to World Cup 2018 (Part 4)Round of 16 One way to think about the Round of 16 is as 4 groups of 4 teams, each producing a semi-finalist via single elimination. Here is the Round of 16 broken down that way (former World Cup winners in bold):Soccer7 min readSoccer7 min read
Jun 25, 2018Viewer’s Guide to World Cup 2018 (Part 3)Group Stage Round Three Here we go. Uruguay, Russia, France, Croatia, England and Belgium are already through to the Round of 16. These last group stage matches could see big names like Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Germany, or even Brazil go home early. The third round of group stage matches works a bit differently: the…Soccer6 min readSoccer6 min read
Jun 19, 2018Viewer’s Guild to World Cup 2018 (Part 2)Group Stage Round Two Round one is in the books. While there was plenty for football nerds to chew on, there were two truly remarkable games for neutrals: Portugal v. Spain and Germany v. Mexico. Some of the big pre-tournament favorites (Argentina, France, Brazil, Germany, and England) either dropped points or left it late…Soccer5 min readSoccer5 min read
Jun 11, 2018A Viewer’s Guide to World Cup 2018With the USA out of the World Cup finals, fans in America are free to choose another side to support, or watch the tournament for the pure enjoyment of the sport. Or continue wallowing in post-traumatic depression, wincing at every mention of Klinsmann, Arena, or Trinidad & Tobago. …Soccer6 min readSoccer6 min read
