Well, it’s here-the final weekend before the World Cup break. I don’t know how I’m going to handle it. While I enjoy major international tournaments like the World Cup and the Euros (like so many Americans my age, I was introduced to the sport during the 94 World Cup), I don’t enjoy it the same way I do club soccer.
Compared to club soccer, international soccer seems a bit basic. National teams don’t have the same time to work together as a club, and it limits how they can play. This year could be even worse. At least in a typical World Cup year, leagues end in the spring, and national teams have more time to ramp up toward the World Cup. This year it’s basically, play for your club this weekend, hop on a jet to Qatar, get in a practice or two and go.
I can’t imagine it’ll lead to the most exciting few matches to start the tournament. Also, it’s more difficult to build up excitement within myself. My soccer brain is currently overloaded with thoughts about how things are going with the clubs I support, and I’m suddenly being smacked in the face with team selection for the United States squad, and I have no idea how I feel about any of it! I haven’t had the time to invest in an opinion yet!
It’s all very, very strange. And who knows? Maybe this will be one of the craziest, most entertaining World Cups we’ve ever seen. Or maybe it’ll be a multi-week exhibition of risk avoidance and pragmatism. I’m hoping for the former and expecting the latter.
Either way, let’s stick to the summer from now on, all right? All odds via Caesars Sportsbook.
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Source : cbssports
