The last time the World Cup rolled around, I was really into it, waking up in the middle of the night, watching all morning, keeping track of the action. But come to think of it, I was also between jobs and had two soccer-mad friends from Japan in town for an extended visit. This time around I really have no idea (and no cable tv).
Overlook published a book in 2002 called BRILLIANT ORANGE: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer, which is as much an exploration of the Dutch psyche as it is an examination of the the uniquely Dutch concept of "Total Football" or "Totaal Voetbal" in the vernacular.
So without further Adu, here are my utterly arbitrary picks for the first round, as much influenced by my experience with a country's cuisine as by the team's chances of advancing.
Group A:
Ecuador (my friend Coe spent 3 years there with the Peace Corps)
or Poland (because it would make my friend Agnieszka go nuts, so yeah, basically this round is Coe vs. Agnieszka.)
Group B:
Sweden (I've had a crush on the general concept of Sweden for several years)
Group C (The Group of DEATH):
Argentina will probably win it, but I'm going for the Ivory Coast. (I hear they're the underdogs, and hey, I'm a Mets fan.)
Group D:
Mexico (because there's a guy in my neighborhood with a bike that's painted green white and red and has an eagle painted on white fabric suspended in the triangle in the middle. It's amazing.)
Group E:
Either Czech Republic (this place should be fun to visit if they advance)
or Ghana (one of our former interns started here immediately after returning from Ghana)
Group F:
Brazil will probably win it (see Argentina above), but I'd like Japan to do well.
Group G:
Spain (my bike was made in Spain, Mallorca to be exact)
--John Mark
Overlook published a book in 2002 called BRILLIANT ORANGE: The Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer, which is as much an exploration of the Dutch psyche as it is an examination of the the uniquely Dutch concept of "Total Football" or "Totaal Voetbal" in the vernacular.
So without further Adu, here are my utterly arbitrary picks for the first round, as much influenced by my experience with a country's cuisine as by the team's chances of advancing.
Group A:
Ecuador (my friend Coe spent 3 years there with the Peace Corps)
or Poland (because it would make my friend Agnieszka go nuts, so yeah, basically this round is Coe vs. Agnieszka.)
Group B:
Sweden (I've had a crush on the general concept of Sweden for several years)
Group C (The Group of DEATH):
Argentina will probably win it, but I'm going for the Ivory Coast. (I hear they're the underdogs, and hey, I'm a Mets fan.)
Group D:
Mexico (because there's a guy in my neighborhood with a bike that's painted green white and red and has an eagle painted on white fabric suspended in the triangle in the middle. It's amazing.)
Group E:
Either Czech Republic (this place should be fun to visit if they advance)
or Ghana (one of our former interns started here immediately after returning from Ghana)
Group F:
Brazil will probably win it (see Argentina above), but I'd like Japan to do well.
Group G:
Spain (my bike was made in Spain, Mallorca to be exact)
--John Mark
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