Soccer TMI

Since the World Cup is starting tomorrow in Brazil, I wanted to post this for those who want to sound smart about the event.

This is the 20th version of the event held every four years. This is the 19th time it has been held on a continent which borders the Atlantic Ocean. (One was cohosted by South Korea/Japan) Except for 1930, the other 18 events held in an Atlantic Ocean border continent all had UEFA (Europe) or CONMEBOL (South America) teams in the semi-final.

Also in those 18 events, 17 of the winning countries were on the same side of the Atlantic Ocean as the host nation. The only time it didn't happen was in 1958 when Brazil won in Sweden captained by someone named Pele.

 So what does that mean? First of all, don't expect a team from North America, Asia, or Africa to make the semi-final. Second, since this year's event is in Brazil, expect a team from South America to win.

Generally, teams focus on defense in the World Cup so teams with talented scorers have an advantage. The best one in the world right now is Luis Suarez, who led the Barclay's (English) Premier League in goals but is having knee issues. If he holds up, my pick of Uruguay to win the title would be a good bet even though they were the last team to qualify for the 32 country final.