Don’t cry for Argentina — or the USA, for that matter — in this year’s FIFA World Cup soccer tournament currently being hosted by Russia.
While Argentina finished a mediocre 1-1-1 in Group D play and managed to squeak into the second stage of the tournament, the United States did not qualify at all for the planet’s most prestigious soccer event.
Some media outlets, reporting from venue sites halfway around the world, suggested the Americans were not missed.
For those who pledge allegiance to Sam’s Army, the U.S. absence was a blow to national pride.
But it’s pointless to cry at this point because there are a lot of entertaining matches remaining to watch as well as chart the courses of surprise teams. Like the tides, the World Cup has its ebbs and flows — exaltation and heartbreak for fans.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup will reach a climax with its championship game on July 15.
This year’s quadrennial event has proven quite quirky with upsets seemingly being registered every day as group play winds down.
Most notable was Mexico’s 1-0 defeat of defending World Cup champion Germany in the teams’ Group F opener on June 17.
Mexico defeated Korea, 2-1, on June 23 to improve to 2-0 in group play but dropped a 3-0 decision to Sweden on Wednesday.
Uruguay, Spain, France, Croatia, Brazil, Sweden, Colombia and Belgium were among the eight teams to cement group titles. Other teams advancing to the second stage include England, Russia, Mexico, Portugal, Denmark, Switzerland and … gulp … Japan.
The World Cup is coming to North America in 2026
After failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup following a string of seven consecutive tournament appearances from 1990 to 2014 (including a meteoric eighth-place finish in 2002), the United States Men’s National Team appears to be undergoing an extensive overhaul.
Team managers have fielded an extremely young side for Team USA’s three most recent international exhibition matches: a 3-0 win over Bolivia on May 28, a 2-1 loss to Ireland on June 2 and a 1-1 tie with France on June 9.
The average age of the American squad was 22 years.
When the new four-year cycle starts this fall to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, U.S. Soccer officials are looking to toughen up their fresh-faced group. Team USA will play six games against top 20-ranked opponents — Brazil, England and Italy — from Sept. 7 to Nov. 20 as part of its kickoff series.
“We are at the beginning phase of building our identity,” U.S. men’s national team general manager Earnie Stewart told the media. “These games are obviously huge challenges, and for young players it’s an opportunity to see the benchmark of some of the top teams in the world. We can use these experiences to learn about ourselves and take the next steps toward developing into the team we want to become.”
The American public, of course, always loves a winner.
For those who missed out on rooting for the USA in this year’s World Cup, they should have a front row seat when the 2026 FIFA World Cup returns to North America after a 32-year absence.
The combined bid of the United States, Canada and Mexico emerged victorious for FIFA’s 2026 event, which will expand to include 48 qualifiers.
Under the current plan, the United States will host 60 of the 80 matches in 2026, with Canada and Mexico each hosting 10.
But the numbers that may matter most deal with … money. The projected revenue is $14 billion. The projected profit is $11 billion for FIFA.
Maybe they should keep the World Cup here. That way the U.S. could automatically qualify every time and everybody can continue to cash in.
Those are numbers hard to beat anywhere else in the world.
Getting their kicks
The U-20 men’s COCCACAF championships are scheduled Nov. 1-21 at the Bradenton complex. Four teams from the 34-nation event will qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland.
The Americans are the defending confederation champions.
France will host the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
For updates, visit ussoccer.com.
World Cup Russia 2018
Group Stage
(Win/Tie/Loss/Points)
Group A
Uruguay 3-0-0 (9 points); Russia 2-0-1 (6 points); Saudi Arabia 1-0-2 (3 points); Egypt 0-0-3 (0 points)
Group B
Spain 1-2-0 (5 points); Portugal 1-2-0 (5 points); Iran 1-1-1 (4 points); Morocco 0-1-2 (1 point)
Group C
France 2-1-0 (7 points); Denmark 1-2-0 (5 points); Peru 1-0-2 (3 points); Australia 0-1-2 (1 point)
Group D
Croatia 3-0-0 (9 points); Argentina 1-1-1 (4 points); Nigeria 1-0-2 (3 points); Iceland 0-1-2 (1 point)
Group E
Brazil 2-1-0 (7 points); Switzerland 1-2-0 (5 points); Serbia 1-0-2 (3 points); Costa Rica 0-1-2 (1 point)
Group F
Sweden 2-0-1 (6 points); Mexico 2-0-1 (6 points); South Korea 1-0-2 (3 points); Germany 1-0-2 (3 points)
Group G
Belgium 3-0-0 (9 points); England 2-0-1 (6 points); Tunisia 1-0-2 (3 points); Panama 0-0-3 (0 points)
Group H
Colombia 2-0-1 (6 points); Japan 1-1-1 (4 points); Senegal 1-1-1 (4 points); Poland 1-0-2 (3 points)
Knockout Stage
Round of Sixteen
Uruguay 2, Portugal 1
France 4, Argentina 3
Russia 1, Spain 1 (Russia wins 4-3 on KFM)
Croatia 1, Denmark 1 (Croatia wins 3-2 on KFM)
Brazil 2, Mexico
Belgium 3, Japan 2
Sweden 1, Switzerland 0
Colombia 1, England 1 (England wins 4-3 on KFM)
Quarterfinals Stage
France 2, Uruguay 0
Belgium 2, Brazil 1
Russia 2, Croatia 2 (Croatia wins 4-3 on KFM)
England 2, Sweden 0
Semifinal Stage
France 1, Belgium 0
Croatia 2, England 1 (extra time)
Third-Place Match
Belgium 2, England 0
Championship Match
France 4, Croatia 2
