The Croats are one of the inheritors of a rich Yugoslav legacy. Before dissolution, the Yugoslavian National Team reached two Euro finals, three international semifinals and another three World Cup quarterfinals. The team also won Gold in 1960, three silvers and a bronze at the Olympics.
Arkansas looked like a BCS title contender. Abundant offensive talent returns, including Tyler Wilson (the SEC’s best quarterback). New coordinator Paul Haynes should upgrade the defense. Crucially in the SEC West, Arkansas plays Alabama and LSU at home. Bobby Petrino going hog wild and getting himself fired, however, threw the 2012 season into a tailspin. Arkansas stemmed some of the damage, bringing in John L. Smith who has BCS-conference head coaching experience and served as an Arkansas assistant. The Razorbacks also have the closest thing to Bobby Petrino, his brother Paul, running the offense. Arkansas may only be missing that extra bit of continuity, though that may mean the difference between a BCS title and a solid bowl bid.
Portugal’s history is the history of Portugal’s iconic players. 1966 was Eusebio’s year. He led them to the World Cup semifinals. Luis Figo led the Portuguese to semifinals at Euro 2000 and the 2006 World Cup and the Euro 2004 final. This year, for Portugal to succeed, Cristiano Ronaldo must continue that pattern. Ronaldo featured for the 2004 and 2006 team, but as the torchbearer he has yet to win a knockout round. Ronaldo is the captain. He’s in his competitive prime. If Portugal are to advance from this arduous group, he must carry them.
The Dutch revolutionized soccer in the 1970s. A legendary manager, Rinus Michels, teamed up with a legendary player, Johan Cryuff. With Ajax, Barcelona and the Dutch national team, they perfected “total football.” They broke down rigid specialization, playing a fluid system, with versatile and technically gifted players swapping positions. Cryuff would play up front, drop deep into midfield and drop off to the wings. It was beautiful to watch and hellacious for man markers to defend. The Dutch reached consecutive World Cup Finals in 1974 and 1978. Michels returned as Dutch coach in 1988 to lead them to a European Championship.
England beat Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final. The English spent the next 40 years downing pints, composing obnoxious World War Two chants and entrusting their future to fate and English pluck. The Germans revamped their footballing culture, placing a far greater emphasis on technique and tactical discipline. Guess which country has been to the final of 11 major tournaments since.
The Danes won Euro 1992, barely. They failed to reach the tournament through qualifying, but were admitted 10 days beforehand in place of banned Yugoslavia. Riding Man U goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and defensive tactics, they advanced from their group, scoring just two total goals (both in the final match). They beat Holland in the semifinal on penalties and upset Germany 2-0 in the final.
The Big 12 and the SEC will create the “Champions Bowl,” their faux Rose Bowl to rival the Big Ten and Pac 12. In isolation it is just a bowl game, but in concert with a shifting paradigm it is significant. It’s not a “game changer,” but a reflection of how much the game has changed. College football has entered “the superconference era.” It won’t be written, as those anti-trust lawsuits can be pesky, but the next postseason system will favor the Big Ten, the SEC, the Pac 12 and the Big 12 overwhelmingly.
The Greeks don’t support austerity, except when it comes to soccer. Greece plays a cynical, moderately effective defensive system, cultivated under their last coach Otto Rehhagel. They unleashed it on a shocked continent at Euro 2004, bookending the tournament with two wins over host Portugal to win their only major tournament. They were 100-1 odds. Similar tactics have been since that triumph and success has been minimal. Outside Euro 2004 the Greeks have lost 10/12 matches at major tournaments and not reached a knockout stage.
Czechoslovakia had a fairly rich soccer tradition. The country won the 1976 European Championship, reached two more semifinals and made the final of 1962 World Cup. The Czech Republic have qualified for just one World Cup since independence, but have appeared in every European Championship and acquitted themselves well, progressing to the final in 1996 and the semifinals in 2004.
The Texas Rangers are off to a great start. SI’s Tom Verducci believes the Rangers could be an historically great team, the best since the 1998 Yankees. That’s a very optimistic assessment.
