FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022

[CroFlames]

My bet is the USA.

With such a huge population, immigrant players who choose the US over their parents' country, and wealthy sports programs, there is bound to be a golden generation where it all comes together and they have a powerhouse team.

[Slava]

My money is on Nigeria, picking from Africa. Booming population that loves the game, and eventually that has to mean more, better athletes and eventually superstars.

At least a piece of the issue for smaller countries is that the best players seem to always have options to play for other countries. Canada has certainly lost our share of could-be CMNT members through the years. It's a bit of a vicious circle.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Should be thE US.
As MLS grows that should help them too; though Premier League hasn't done it for England...

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Slava

My money is on Nigeria, picking from Africa. Booming population that loves the game, and eventually that has to mean more, better athletes and eventually superstars.

At least a piece of the issue for smaller countries is that the best players seem to always have options to play for other countries. Canada has certainly lost our share of could-be CMNT members through the years. It's a bit of a vicious circle.

The main issue is the Nigerian Federation might be worse than then CSA. There are always problems with coaches, wages, corruption etc...

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Should be thE US.
As MLS grows that should help them too; though Premier League hasn't done it for England...

Thats their own fault. Theres just more money in the Premier League than there is in the World Cup.

So 99% of English players play in the Premier League, but there is also a huge amount of Foreign players.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Locke

Thats their own fault. Theres just more money in the Premier League than there is in the World Cup.

So 99% of English players play in the Premier League, but there is also a huge amount of Foreign players.

This generation of talent in England is deeper than ever and I think the growth of the premier league has played a large part in that.
The fact that they can't win and why is well debated.

As the MLS grows and starts buying more names, you'll see better academies and more youth drawn to the sport in the US. Won't guarantee success but will increase the pool of talented youth coming up the ranks.
Will play a good role in Canada too to a lesser extent.

[Senator Clay Davis]

England can't win because it's just a hard event to win. So much comes down to randomness, luck, timing etc..It's not like winning a league at the club level where generally the best team always wins because over an extended period that's just what happens. Morocco's run was great, sure, but they were also a shootout away from being out in R16 and then we'd be talking about why do European and the big two South American teams dominate so much. I'm sure eventually we'll see a non SA/EURO team win, but it'll be like Greece winning Euro in 04 where everything just comes together perfectly.

[Slava]

I disagree on the point about randomness and luck. Honestly, if all the major sports, soccer is the least random. That’s why you can play a one game final; the better wins probably 9/10 times or more. Sure, you get some undeserving winners here and there. Like Champions League a few years ago when Liverpool inexplicably won (you’re welcome, Locke!), but more often than not it’s not a weird bounce or odd events that turn the tide.

In contrast a sport like hockey has a lot of luck and a single game is much more difficult to predict.

[d_phaneuf]

It's a cup competition it's hard to win, premier league has helped England

Consider it's been 13 world cups since england last won

Man united havent won the last 15 champions leagues, either biggest club in world 1A/1B with real madrid

Man City have had a black cheque for 10 years and have never even made a final

Madrid have won 5 of 9, before that they hadn't won in 11

Even have your 1 off 'lucky' wins, porto in 2004 is a lot like Greece at the euros the same year

It's a cup competition with literally same format as current world cup, so it's a good way to show how it can be so random sometimes

[Paulie Walnuts]

It's not random at all. Hockey has a lot or random outcomes Soccer really doesn't maybe when it gets to penalties you can argue that.

I agree with Slava.

[Senator Clay Davis]

France's two goals today were off deflections that landed in the right spot. On another day they land somewhere else. They won their last game because a penalty was missed by one of the better penalty takers in the world. One game playoffs are always more random, in series based playoffs it's pretty rare the worst team wins. France just beat England when it was clearly the worst team, if they played like that in a best-of-seven they would lose the series. But in a one off? Yeah, it happens.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Slava

I disagree on the point about randomness and luck. Honestly, if all the major sports, soccer is the least random. That’s why you can play a one game final; the better wins probably 9/10 times or more. Sure, you get some undeserving winners here and there. Like Champions League a few years ago when Liverpool inexplicably won (you’re welcome, Locke!), but more often than not it’s not a weird bounce or odd events that turn the tide.

In contrast a sport like hockey has a lot of luck and a single game is much more difficult to predict.

Teams win 1-0. How is that not random. The difference between the best and worse teams is one or two goals and some of those are on penalty shots which are ridiculous. Harry Kane ####ting the bed isn’t some indictment on the entire English soccer system. It’s luck.

[White Out 403]

...yeah

After seeing the alleged Moroccan fans rioting in France I'm not too bent out of shape they lost.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

...yeah

After seeing the alleged Moroccan fans rioting in France I'm not too bent out of shape they lost.

They did the same early in Belgium and Netherlands.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

...yeah

After seeing the alleged Moroccan fans rioting in France I'm not too bent out of shape they lost.

"Passionate fans do crazy things....also water...is it as wet as scientists proclaim? More on News at 11!!"

Vancouver tore itself apart. Twice. Montreal....English hooligans...the examples are almost endless.

You start holding grudges that easily then you wont be cheering for anyone.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Locke

"Passionate fans do crazy things....also water...is it as wet as scientists proclaim? More on News at 11!!"

Vancouver tore itself apart. Twice. Montreal....English hooligans...the examples are almost endless.

You start holding grudges that easily then you wont be cheering for anyone.

Yes, Vancouver is no good. I agree.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by corporatejay

Teams win 1-0. How is that not random. The difference between the best and worse teams is one or two goals and some of those are on penalty shots which are ridiculous. Harry Kane ####ting the bed isn’t some indictment on the entire English soccer system. It’s luck.

A 1-0 win in soccer is not the same as a 1-0 in hockey though. It’s much more difficult to score in soccer, and it’s a different game. While that 1-0 in hockey could be a goalie standing on his head and a lucky bounce for an upset 1-0 win, that kind of scenario is unlikely in soccer.

And that miss by Kane is interesting. If he scored that, it’s a tie and France could easily still win. It’s not like he missed and that was throwing away the sure victory.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Conversely, there's no such thing as parking the bus in hockey. A team can't just put all five guys behind the blue line and hope to hang on for dear life, and then hope when the opportunity to counter comes they score on their one or two chances. A goalie doesn't necessarily have to stand on his head for a 1-0 win in soccer, as we saw with Morocco they just need to be resolute defensively. Both Spain and Portugal created very little in the way of scoring chances, it's not like the goalie produced a masterclass or anything.

Hockey is a bit different because a goalie legitimately can win an entire series, or even a Cup, on his own. There's really no other team sport where that happens.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Using randomness and luck as an excuse for England doesn't work, they got beat fair and square.

Kane missed the penalty it didn't bounce or hit anything he flat out missed.

If you want to talk about luck Brazil is the unlucky one. They ran into a goalie playing out of his mind, scored one of the nicest goals of the tournament only to have a team who played for penalties from the get go get a fortunate bounce off a player that just missed Alisson's hands.

In the penalties they hit a post that normally hits the inside of the post and goes in.

Hockey has a ton of randomness and luck at times, look at Trevor Lewis goal last night, or the goalies Ritchie has scored.

[The Big Chill]

Brazil got unlucky on the deflected goal, but none of the rest of that game is luck.