South America Brazil vs. Europe

I’ve been sitting here chewing over everything from the Copa América to the recent major tournaments and even the Olympics, and honestly, I can't shake this feeling that Brazil and Argentina are just operating on a completely different level than anyone else in Europe right now. When you look at the sheer quality they're putting on the pitch, it feels like they have a massive head start in terms of actually having a shot at taking home the trophy when the World Cup rolls around in Germany. I’m curious to hear what you guys think—how are you weighing their talent against the rest of the field? Is my cynicism justified, or am I totally misreading the landscape?👋

I guess I agree that Brazil and Argentina are ahead of Europe. But this is a tournament; you just have to hit your stride in a month, and with a bit of luck, someone from the underdog tier, maybe Greece, could pull it off. I'm not expecting much from Germany, even if they are playing at home.

Badgers said:Brazil is in a league of its own. 🙏

Honestly, Brazil could field ten different national teams and every single one of them would still be a contender for the title. Is there any job in soccer tougher than being the Brazilian head coach? 😁

Right now, there isn't a single powerhouse national team in Europe. Honestly, there just isn't. We don't even have any real star players. Just look at the lineup of absolute nobodies they started with this season.

The US vs. Europe...

We're somewhere in the middle here😉

If young Nicholas finds his rhythm before the World Cup in Germany, the US becomes a legitimate threat to Brazil.

Honestly, the whole world is holding its breath, wondering where Cicic's kid will land and which billionaire has enough cash to sign him. Meanwhile, Stimac is out there making grand claims about how he’ll "humiliate the globe" by bringing in Kranjcar, while everyone wonders if Elijah is actually going to earn that coaching certification. Stay tuned for the next episode to see how this drama unfolds.

frozentiger6 said:If young Nicholas finds his rhythm before the World Cup in Germany, America is going to be a legitimate threat to Brazil.

Brazil? Please. We'll run right over them. 😎 😁 🙄

Badgers said:We would’ve absolutely crushed them back in '98 if we’d actually made the final. One hundred percent. It just goes to show how teams act way tougher than they really are. In reality, they aren't worth a damn.

And what makes you such an expert on how that would've gone down? You some random pundit on ESPN trying to play fortune teller now?

Jamila and her crew predicted this 😁

They’re operating on the logic that since France tore through Brazil, the US should be able to pull off the same feat 😉

Honestly, I thought the US vs. Netherlands match was supposed to be the real final. But hey, life happens.

It’s tough to make an apples-to-apples comparison, but if you ask me, England is sitting at the top of the food chain in Europe right now. I’d put France in third place alongside the Czech Republic—just behind Spain. Then you’ve got Italy and the Netherlands tied up for fourth. Moving over to South America, Brazil is the heavy hitter, arguably stronger than anyone in Europe, while Argentina feels a bit weaker than that top tier of European teams to me.

frozentiger6 said:I honestly think the USA-Netherlands game should’ve been the actual final. But whatever.

Nah. You don't need a PhD to see those two teams were legitimately the best on the pitch. Whether we or the Dutch could have pulled an upset is a completely different conversation.

young.but.dead
Stop talking nonsense. France absolutely smoked us in the semifinals. Not a single player stepped up to help.

People just refuse to accept that sometimes, the better team actually wins.

Prosinecki really did us in, don't even bother arguing about it. 🙂

young.but.dead said:Please, it wasn't even about Ciro. We just got lucky because Zidane was having an off night with his shooting.

Exactly. That guy was basically coasting through those five games. I remember it clearly because I was actually there at the stadium. 😎

young.but.dead said:Give me a break with the "Ciro" talk. We honestly just got lucky because Zidane had an off night in front of the goal.

And let's not forget we actually had depth back then—having Prosinecki on the bench and... well, having Ciro calling the shots.

The Czechs have managed to claw their way into the World Cup final

Seriously, can we please just move on from the whole Ciro and '98 obsession already? It’s getting old...

fadeddrifter26 said:The Czech Republic is actually making it to the World Cup finals.

But they’re gonna run straight into a legend like Nicholas "Zizou" Kranjcar.🤣
Though, honestly, I wouldn't even complain if that happened...

Lawrence Moore45 said:Please—just spare us the endless debates about Ciro and the '98 squad again...

I suppose they’ll just have Nicholas "Zizou" Kranjcar waiting for them there,🤣
though I doubt anyone would actually complain about that...

...acting as some sort of honorary player who is destined to never actually succeed...

Badgers said:Yeah.🙄

I knew it. You're the one out here scamming people. 😁

Badgers said:I'll admit it. 😛 Oh, please. You're definitely one of those people who spends all day watching nothing but Fox News. 🤣

It’s always the same thing. Every single time you open an app, you're getting hit with ads for those damn butt-shapers or some overpriced samurai knife set. It never ends.