2014 WORLD CUP GUIDEBOOK by Abe Asher Presented by CREDITS THE SITE Since 2005, World Soccer Talk has been the independent voice for soccer fans - featuring daily news and analysis on all of the top soccer leagues and competitions around the world. More than 668,000 unique visitors a month trust World Soccer Talk for their daily fix of soccer news, analysis, video features and interviews as well as exclusive stories found only on WorldSoccerTalk.com. Plus, the site features the World Soccer Talk Podcast, the longest running soccer show in the world (launched in 2006) as well as original video shows including This Week In Soccer and Voices Of Soccer. World Soccer Talk writers and analysts have appeared on talkSPORT, BBC Radio Five, NPR, BBC World, ESPN Radio, beIN SPORT, CBC and BBC World Service, as well as in print and online in The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC News, International Herald Tribune and CNN. 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His Twitter handle is @worldsoccertalk GUIDEBOOK AUTHOR Abe Asher lives in beautiful Portland, Oregon. He fell in love with the intensity, stakes and spirit of football during the 2006 World Cup, especially during the Netherlands – Portugal Round of 16 game, which featured 34 yellow cards, 12 red cards, 129 screams, and 645 dives. Abe loves the Portland Timbers, and mostly tolerates his favorite European club, Chelsea FC. His Twitter handle is @abe_asher GUIDEBOOK DESIGNER A.G. Hease has been creating content for World Soccer Talk since 2009. His first soccer memories are of reading the New York Daily News' agate type coverage of the 1990 World Cup. He lives in sunny Santa Monica, CA. His Twitter handle is @aghease WORLD SOCCER TALK / WORLD CUP 2014 2014 WORLD CUP GUIDEBOOK INTRODUCTION Not All World Cups Are Created Equal. This One Is Special. The FIFA World Cup is the pinnacle of sports, and one of the joys of our modern world. It’s an unparalleled blend of pageantry, pride, drama, intensity and intrigue. It’s the world’s party, and a celebration of the beautiful game. However not all World Cups are created equal. They are defined by the moments of brilliance, the fervent atmosphere of the stadiums, and the idea of 32 nations on the cusp of transcendent glory. The 2014 edition in Brazil has a chance to be remembered as one of the best ever. This summer, football returns to its spiritual home, recapturing the soul of the beautiful game. Brazil breathes football. The nation’s carnival atmosphere already established, it’s possibly the premier World Cup host. Of course, it hasn’t all been rosy. Protests in Brazil have been rampant over the cost of hosting while the local economy suffers, and while the protests are valid, they don’t subtract from the country as a host. We have our strongest field of teams since the field was expanded to 32, rendering three groups of death, and mouth-watering matchups that will keep the eyes of the world glued in for the duration of the tournament. For viewers in the United States, the game times could hardly be better. ESPN broadcasts their last World Cup, with Ian Darke leading the coverage. From here, it’s onto Russia and Qatar – that is, if those two countries don’t get the World Cup stripped from them. But for now, for this summer, Brazil is perfection. Not all World Cups are equal. This one is special. TABLE OF CONTENTS Stadiums page 4 Group A pages 5-9 Group B pages 10-14 Group C pages 15-19 Group D pages 20-24 Group E pages 25-29 Group F pages 30-34 Group G pages 35-39 Group H pages 40-44 Knockout Bracket page 45 Full Bracket and TV Schedule page 46 WORLD SOCCER TALK / WORLD CUP 2014 THE STADIUMS Estadio do Maracanã – Rio de Janiero – This Brazilian temple of football is the crown jewel of the stadiums and is the hub of the tournament in Rio. The hallowed ground will host its second World Cup Final in July. Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha – Brasilia – The second largest stadium came off without much ado. It will host seven games – including the third place match. Arena Corinthians – Sao Paulo – The Arena Corinthians is very much the second most important stadium. Located in Brazil’s biggest city, and hosting the tournament opener and a semi-final, the stadium is architecturally stunning. But multiple workers have died building the stadium from the ground up, and there are concerns over its readiness. Estadio Castalao – Fortaleza – In the industrial town of Fortazlea, this stadium is notable for its huge roof, and it was the first of the World Cup stadiums to be ready for action. Estadio Mineirao – Belo Horizante – In the city where the USA beat England in 1950, football is king. The majestic Estadio Mineirao will host Brazil’s semi-final if the hosts make it that far. Estadio Baro-Rio – Porto Alegre – This stadium lights up at night like the Allianz Arena in Munich, and it will host a full slate of games. One of the most visually arresting stadiums in the tournament. Arena Fonte Nova – Salvador – Built from scratch for the World Cup and upcoming Rio Olympics, the Arean Fonte Nova will host a quarterfinal – plus Spain – Holland, and Portugal – Germany. Arena Pernambuco – Recife – Different because of its square shape, this is another stadium built from scratch, and it’s possibly Brazil’s finest effort. Arena Pantanal – Cuiaba – Resembling Tottenham’s White Hart Lane, the brand new stadium in Cuiaba – not one of the big hotbeds of Brazilian football – will host three group games. Arena de Amazonia – Manaus – Manaus is in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, and this is the ground everyone desperately wanted to avoid because of long travel and poor playing conditions. Both the USA – Portugal and England – Italy games are here. Arena das Dunas – Natal – The Arena das Dunas has a flower-shaped roof, one of the cool features of this new stadium that will host four group matches. Arena de Baixada – Curitaba – FIFA has threatened to pull this stadium from the roster because of it’s crawlingly slow pace of renovation, and it’s still only 85% complete. It’s one of the many black eyes from the process of hosting the tournament for Brazil. Manaus Fortaleza Natal Recife Salvador Cuiaba Brasilia Belo Horizonte Rio de Janeiro Sao Paulo Curtiba Porto Alegre WORLD SOCCER TALK / WORLD CUP 2014 GROUP A BRAZIL CAMEROON CROATIA MEXICO FIXTURES Brazil ___v___ Croatia 6/12 4ET ESPN Mexico ___v___ Cameroon 6/13 12ET ESPN2 Brazil ___v___ Mexico 6/17 3ET ESPN Cameroon ___v___ Croatia 6/18 6ET ESPN Cameroon ___v___ Brazil 6/23 4ET ESPN2 Croatia ___v___ Mexico 6/23 4ET ESPN GROUP BESTS Player – Neymar BRA / Goalscorer – Neymar BRA / Manager – Scolari BRA / Supporters – BRA / Defense – BRA / Attack – BRA / Depth – BRA Teamwork - BRA / Most Likely To See Red – Marquez MEX Passer – Modric CRO / Leader – T. Silva BRA BIGGEST MATCHES Best Match - Brazil v. Croatia - Opening games always pop with occasion and carnival, and if Brazil can notch a big win in Sao Paulo, it could be the springboard to their title challenge. Most Important Match - Mexico v. Croatia - The winner of this game on the last day of group play goes through with Brazil. ! WORLD SOCCER TALK / WORLD CUP 2014 GROUP A BRAZILBRAZIL "SELACAO""Selecao" BRAZIL MEXICOCAMEROON CROATIA CROATIA CAMEROON MEXICO PREVIEW It will never be said enough: For all the bedazzling glories and trophies and great players and plays, losing the World Cup final at the Maracanã to Uruguay in front of 200,000 Brazilians in 1950 left an unmistakable scar in Brazil. They are at the heart of the game. No one plays, lives or breathes soccer better than Brazil. When the country was selected as host for the 2014 World Cup, it seemed like a slam-dunk. But a mess of a run-up with stadium delays, worker deaths and mass protests has marred the party atmosphere. Still, it’s football, and Brazil wants to win. The bond between the Selação and the people of Brazil is among the strongest between team and people in the world. The team stands with the people in their protests, and the people stand with the team to create a stunning home-field advantage. With their best team since they last lifted the trophy in 2002 led by national hero Neymar, the scars from 1950 can be erased, and the World Cup can be returned home.! SQUAD Goalkeepers: Julio Cesar (Toronto FC), Jefferson (Botafogo), Victor (Atletico Mineiro) Defenders: Marcelo (Real Madrid), Daniel Alves (Barcelona), Maicon (AS Roma), Maxwell, Thiago Silva (both Paris St Germain), David Luiz (Chelsea), Dante (Bayern Munich), Henrique (Napoli) Midfielders: Paulinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Ramires, Willian, Oscar (all Chelsea), Hernanes (Inter Milan), Luiz Gustavo (VfL Wolfsburg), Fernandinho (Manchester City) Forwards: Bernard (Shakhtar Donetsk), Neymar (Barcelona), Fred (Fluminense), Jo (Atletico Mineiro), Hulk (Zenit St Petersburg) THE KEY 3 Brazil won the Confederations Cup in 2013 because Neymar was awesome.