Saturday Sport: Is Soccer Justified? Messi, Cristiano, Griezmann, Salah, Justify and all...
Every four years, a festival of worldwide sport is celebrated somewhere in the world. This festival is about to begin in Russia, the World Cup of Soccer. Today, a few days before the start of the festivities and competitions, we'll point out some of what to watch in Russia, in this year's Mondial. Belgium is likely to be strong this year. This kind of statement surprises people, as Belgium has no major club teams. What they do have is a great development program, and players throughout Europe. Hazard will lead a powerful Belgium side at the World Cup boasting players from some of Europe's top sides, including Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. Belgium will face England in the final Group G match at the World Cup on June 28. They open their campaign against Panama on June 18 before meeting Tunisia. Fans may remember the enthusiasm which greeted the Belgian selection last go round, spurred on by popular support and support of stars such as Stromae. Instead of measuring up, they washed out in the first round. This should be a fun team to watch this year. Meanwhile, the Mexico soccer team may bear some watching. These hapless lads threw a massive rager on the eve of their departure from Mexico, and some of the prostitutes did not get paid. They managed to escape to Russia just in time but may have to pay when they get back. Surely they will play hard, hoping to stave off that judgment day. Players to watch include: Lionel Messi, Argentina, who is great, but has never won a world cup for his country. He has won La Liga titles for Barca, in the Champions League, and made some beautiful plays in 13 years, but he lacks the top prize. In 2014 he almost made it, but that championship defeat was settled in extra time. At 31, he my be pushing his team hard in what may be his last Mondial. Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal is 33, and considered by almost all fans as the best player in the world. He has won the Champions League title four of the past five seasons with Real Madrid and received FIFA’s top individual honor four of the past five years. Since joining Real Madrid in 2009, Ronaldo has done supremely well. American fans, who have no skin in the game, may want to cheer for Portugal, as its star is named for an American president, Ronald Reagan. Neymar Jr., is Brazil's great star and has played for Paris Saint-Germain this past season. In 2014, Brazil’s hopes of winning the championship at home all but ended when Neymar fractured a vertebra in the quarterfinals. This year he seems to be in top shape. Mohamed Salah, of Egypt, might be well remembered by careful readers of this space. In his first campaign with Liverpool, Salah set the Premier League’s single-season scoring record with 32 goals. He was also instrumental in Liverpool’s unexpected charge through the Champions League. He did injure himself in the defeat Liverpool suffered in the Champion's League final. If he recovers, though, Eguypt should go far based on his prowess. David de Gea, is Spain's great goalkeeper. Goalkeepers tend to peak at ages older than outfield players. At 27, de Gea is just getting started but already finds himself at an exceptional level. De Gea was the best keeper in the Premier League this season, probably the best in Europe and the world. Manchester United supporters voted him their most valuable player. Antoine Griezmann, of France is also a major contender, and should help France to advance far. Atletico de Madrid, winners of La Liga in some recent season, has been a wonderful platform for the left-footed attacker, who has averaged 20 goals over four seasons since arriving from Real Sociedad. James Rodriguez, Colombia. In 2014, the Colombian attacker won both the Golden Boot with six goals (plus two assists) and the hearts of Brazilians when the emotions of a quarterfinal defeat to the hosts were too much to control. Rodriguez had played with joy and zest — traits appreciated by audiences on site and around the world. This past season, Rodriguez was on loan at Bayern Munich, where he scored seven goals in the Bundesliga and once in the Champions League. Meanwhile, in the Sport of Kings, we would be remiss if we did not mention the advancement of the three year old horse, Justify, in this year's racing season. Having already won the Kentucky Derby a month ago, and the Preakness two weeks ago, the horse will have a try at the Belmont Stakes on Saturday afternoon. Should he win, he would also be a Triple Crown Winner, the most storied title in horse racing. Readers of this space will recall that Justify was one of those few horses who did not race as a two year old, yet competed in and won the Kentucky Derby. Justify turned in another strong gallop Friday in his final preparation for a Triple Crown bid in the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes. The chestnut colt will be the odds-on favorite Saturday to become the 13th horse to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont. In the 141 years in which all three races have been run, only 12 previous horses have ever won the Triple Crown. Each of the three races is a slightly different length, with the Belmont Stakes measuring in at 12 furlongs, that is, 1.5 miles. (The Preakness is 9.5 furlongs, that is 1 3/16th miles, and the Kentucky Derby 10 furlongs, that is 1 1/4 miles). This afternoon will prove whether Justify is versatile enough to go the distance in three different races... -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "omnisport" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/omnisport. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
