
World Cup Fantasy Tips
As this WC nears, I’ve been getting deluged by friends who don’t follow the international game closely for tips to help them win their WC fantasy league. Whether it’s a player based fantasy challenge or a team you-pick-em game (always pick Brazil, if possible), read up to help you pick your winners.
Who’ll win the World Cup? Check the economics.
NPR is has a very interesting story on a Goldman-Sachs study on how the economics of a country affects its FIFA rankings and likelihood of winning the World Cup. Brazil and Argentina are the outliers here, because they are always good.
Uh-oh! Ref for USA v England is card happy
Carlos Simon of Brazil has been named the referee for the USA v England match on Saturday, and boy does he like reaching for the cards in his pocket. Expect to see more flashing yellow than a construction warning sign. Here's the breakdown of the World Cup 2006 games he worked.
Italy vs Ghana (5 Yellow Cards)
Spain vs Tunisia (8 Yellow cards)
Germany vs Sweden (1 Red Card, 5 Yellow Cards)
Oh, and one other interesting tid-bit about Mr. Simon. He was recently suspended by the Brazilian Federation for six weeks for “perceived errors.”
What has two thumbs and loves soccer? This guy!
The Onion cracks me up. They’ve done it again with this hilarious article about the USA’s only soccer fan. Are you that guy in your office?