World Cup Final Groups: France, Norway & Dark Horses | Tyler Kern, Arman Kafai | Groups I-L Preview

Alright. Welcome in everyone to the third and final installment of the Sunset Soccer Club's World Cup previews. Today, we are doing groups I, j, k, and l, if I can remember my alphabet well enough. Welcome into the show. I'm Tyler Kern joined by Armand Kaffai. And we are breaking down the final four groups here in the World Cup. Coming up is starting later this week, so we're really cramming these in. We hope you have time to listen to this before the matches all start. But Arman, welcome. How you doing, man? I'm excited, man. I'm a little beat because I'm, you know, I'm actually not gonna be working for, a month, so I have to do a bunch of work. But it's super exciting. Right? We're two days well, when this comes out, I think we'll be a day away from the So World we are we're right there, guys. We made it. We survived. We made it. It's here. We've been looking forward to this for so so long, and now it's finally here. By the way, however you are enjoying this podcast, make sure to, you know, subscribe, stay up to date with the latest episodes, all the Give us a like. Give us a like or a a nice comment or something like that. Comment on Arman's hat or his jersey. Yeah. My hat is basically, like, cover on like, comment on my jersey is better. Yeah. Exactly. The hat's or the garbage background I have right now. Figure poison. Just whatever. If if this is an audio medium, then don't worry about the background. Regardless, we we are happy you are consuming this podcast however you are doing it. Look. There's so much to talk about in the world of soccer. We're not gonna get into Liverpool's new manager that can wait till after the World Cup. The US lost to Germany two to one in their final tune up match. I don't even think it's worth diving too too deep into that either, unless you have any massive thoughts about that, Arman. I thought The US looked great. So I kinda thought so too. I think the patterns look good, I think The US looked pretty strong. So, again, like we kinda talked about, these friendlies just don't take too much into them. Take away patterns of play and take away ideas. I think The US ideas are really sharp, especially with who we presume will be their first group, basically, maybe plus or minus two guys. So that's all it is, man. Like, I think they look good, so super excited. I'm with you. I thought they looked great. Also, I got a text from my always pessimistic uncle who lives up in New Jersey who said this team sucks, and so No. Is that a good or a bad thing? You know, I'm gonna call because I get litmus test. Like I'm gonna call I'm gonna call it a great thing. So that's The US. We don't need to dive too too deep into, that friendly. A lot of the same things that we kind of talked about from the previous ones. But let's get into this World Cup preview here starting with group I. Group I has France, Senegal, Iraq, and Norway in this group. A fun little group, honestly. Let's start off talking about France. Obviously, France is a powerhouse. I mean, they've made the last two finals. They won, two World Cups ago. They fell in just an epic match in 2022 in the final to Argentina. But they've made they've won this tournament twice. They've made the turn the final four times, and this is their seventh time seventeenth time to qualify. They're ranked third in the FIFA rankings, and look, they're just absolutely loaded all the way up and down the roster. I think the big question is, when you look at a team that has, you know, Usman Dembele, who's won a Ballon d'Or, you've got, you know, Kylian Mbappe, who is one of the best attacking players in the world. And you've got just all of this attacking talent on this team, and and good players at every single position, honestly. Is it still too much to ask for them to make three consecutive finals? Like, that feels like a lot, but that's kind of the ceiling for for Francis. Like, they're they're a team that could easily go all the way and win this thing. And so it's Didier Deschamps coming back, coaching this team again for the World Cup. And so not a lot from that perspective has changed. So can they kind of run it back and do this all over again after doing it for the previous two World Cups? I mean, they have so much star power too. We didn't mention Elise. He has absolutely been phenomenal. He had a hat trick, what, two days well, literally two days ago in their last match. I think, yeah, I think your whole thing about has it gone standard with Deschamps is a really good point. Like, do they need a refreshing of ideas, or were talent gonna take them all the way through? And either egos get in the way. I think it's a big thing. Because egos can play a big role, TK. This France team is talented enough to win this whole thing. We know this. Yep. But can they do as a team? That's the question. I think they can, but I think this group's really challenging for them, to be honest with you. I think it's a challenging group too. I'll be really curious just to see how it goes kind of throughout the group. Like, Norway is no slouch. You know? Senegal is no slouch. And so and and we'll come on to talk about talk about Iraq here in just a moment. But, yeah, this France team, even I I I think I think they're loaded. I think they're stacked. But when they won in 2018, like, there was the kind of, like, the selflessness about how they played, and they were never, like, outstanding or spectacular looking in anything they did. They kinda played this this diamond midfield four four two sort of thing, and N'Golo Kante just, like, cleaned everybody else off the field when it came to the midfield, and it was phenomenal. And you had other people kind of doing important work on that team, but they weren't necessarily stars. So how do you take a group of guys that are all, like, the man on their team or, like, within their perspective, like, roles on their other teams and then bring them into a setting where, like, sometimes you're gonna be asked to be a role player, I think, is maybe the biggest concern in this team. And we've seen a lot about Kylian Mbappe recently, like, not being willing to kind of, like, do the defensive work or do the off the ball kinds of things that are sometimes required for teams to be successful. So if there is an Achilles heel to this team, I I suppose it's that. Like, I suppose it's the curse of having, like, too many outstanding players. And I think the whole thing with, like, you bringing up the whole, like, the way they're playing kinda pragmatically is so accurate because remember, like, game against Morocco, the semifinal, where it was, like, they survived to beat more they did enough to force Morocco into not playing well, it wasn't like France is playing sexy soccer. It was, like, we're gonna force Morocco to be bad, essentially, is what it was. And that's two different ways of play. Right? It's like, hey, we're gonna sit back. We're gonna try to hit you, but, like, we're cool with whatever happens. I think that's a really interesting point, TK. And I think they they should win the group. Right? Like, they should win the group. But this is a lot more challenging group than I'd even say The US has. I'd probably say, like, most of their teams don't have this challenging of a group to where you play one of the best teams in Africa and Senegal, to where you play a team that went undefeated in World Cup qualifying in Norway. Right? Like, these are all, like, two huge games. And one thing, TK, that I think we've mentioned quite a bit on this show, but to reemphasize, winning the group is so important. Because if France might be second in the group, you have to travel a lot more. But if you finish first, you stay in that East Coast bubble. And that's huge, especially in a World Cup where travel is gonna be like it's not like the Qatar World Cup where travel wasn't that big of a deal. Right. This really mat like, the travel will matter with how grand and how big North America is as a whole. So they should win the group, though. They should. They should. Speaking of Senegal and the rest the group, let's talk about Senegal. This is their fourth time qualifying for the World Cup. They reached the quarterfinals in o two. It's their best ever finish, similar to The US. US. Yeah. FIFA ranking is fifteenth. And look. They have players. Like, we saw this in the The US friendly against Senegal. Like, they have Sadio Mane who I know isn't playing for for Liverpool anymore, but, like, still a really talented player. Adriza Adriza Ganege has played for PSG. He plays for Everton now in the Premier League, but that's a that's a quality midfielder who's played at the highest levels in the game. And then Nicholas Jackson, a guy that, you know, is I believe his rights are owned by Chelsea, but played for Bayern Munich this past year. I mean, they they have players. Like, they've got guys up and down this roster. Like, this is they are no slouches. And like you said, one of the best teams in you know, to come out of Africa. And so, I mean, they're a team to be taken seriously in this tournament. They're gonna cause problems, TK. Especially that first game, Senegal, France. Oh my gosh. Yeah. You have to come out and not get, like, a warm up period. You know? Exactly. I think that's banger of a game. And I think Senegal, like, they looked pretty they look good against The US, to be honest with you. But, again, those are friendlies. Right? Like, you're trying to the rust off. You're you're coming over from Europe to US. Like, you have an acclimation period. I'm not really worried about, like, Senegal, how they played. I mean, that game is whatever. Like but but, like, I mean, that is a tough number two, like, to be in that group. You know? Yeah. Like, some of the number twos that team has, like, that teams have are a lot weaker than Senegal. So It's true. It's true. That's a that's a really, really tough kind of number two team to have have in your group. Absolutely. And, yeah, quality talent. And, look, I think I think eventually, like, we're gonna see a team like Senegal, like, really, really breakthrough. We saw it from Morocco last World Cup, and I think it's coming Ghana in the two thousand and ten World Cup in South Africa. Yeah. Totally. Totally. I I I I think that's right. And I I think Senegal has the potential and has that kind of talent to be able to to actually make a run-in this tournament. If France were to slip up in this group, also in the group and this is I I I feel for them because the other three teams in this group are so solid, but Iraq, is also in, in group I. It's their second time qualifying, first time, since 1986. They're ranked fifty sixth in the FIFA rankings. And look, the simple fact that they they qualified for this tournament, I think is really, really impressive. I I don't know that there should be any expectation beyond just, like, show up and and perform in a way that that makes you proud. You know? Just happy to be there. Yeah. I mean, kinda. Right? Like, we see a we've talked about that with, like, the teams that are at the bottom of each of these groups. Right? Or or the teams that we kind of assume are gonna be, you know, the last the the team that's gonna finish last in a lot of these groups that there is gonna be some, like, hey. It was really cool that you qualified. This is your first tournament in a long time, or maybe your first tournament ever for some of the other nations we're gonna talk about here in off of that. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. So that's kinda how I feel about Iraq. Do you have any other thoughts on a team that is almost certainly gonna finish last in the group? I mean, they did draw Spain and the friendly. Again, results, we don't care, but, like, we don't care. We do not judge or where however that thing goes. We don't shame. What was that? I don't know. It's like a TikTok trend or something. Like, it's yeah. Like I mean, I I deleted my account a few days ago. I don't know, but how how that stuff even works anymore. But, like, when it comes down to Iraq, like, I think, again, like, they might benefit from a couple of these teams just being like, it's Iraq. You know what I mean? Like, it's Iraq. And then this team will stun them, make the game difficult. Will, like, Norway, Senegal, and France, I think, beat them? I think they'll all get results against them. Mhmm. But I think a couple, you might be like, oh my god. This is an upseller. Like, what's going on here? Why can't Norway break down a rock? Right. Right. It'll be like, okay. Hey. Turn it up. Stop being stop playing so sleepy. Let's wake up from a team that's giving it its all versus a team that underestimate them. I know it's the World Cup Nights to underestimate one, but underestimate anyone, but it happens. It's natural. No. It does does happen. That makes sense. So, I mean, I think You're putting Norway on upset a little is what you're saying. Yeah. I'm not expecting much from Iraq, but final team in the group is Norway. This is the furth fourth time to qualify, the first since 1998. They're ranked thirty first in the FIFA rankings. They've got players also. Erling Haaland, obviously, I think maybe probably the best striker in the world. Martin Nordegard, creative midfielder who plays for Arsenal. And Antonio Nusa is a player to watch, really. A 21 year old winger from RB Leipzig, just an exciting player that can play on the outside. I mean, they also have players like Alexander Soloff, who has played for Atletico Madrid in the past. I mean, this, I think, would almost certainly have to be called, like, a golden generation of Norwegian players, and the question now becomes, like, okay. You have this incredible opportunity where you've made the World Cup. You have this talent, and you have the ability to actually, like, kind of do something and make some noise now that the third place team also moves through. Yes. You're in a really, really tough group, but you have no reason not to get a result against Iraq. If you're able to, you know, work out a draw or something like that against Senegal, then, like, you're you're almost certainly gonna make it through to the knockout rounds. And then from there, like, who knows what can happen? You've got the best striker in the world. Like, it's an incredible opportunity, I think, for Norway. No. Exactly. And I think they have like, again, when you compare player to player, like, probably, if you compare them with Senegal, they're probably the best player out of those two teams in the early Holland. I mean, early Holland is a top player. Right? Now, like, that's where how do they play? Early Holland doesn't need to be involved too much to make an impact in the game. That's a big thing. I always talked to couple people about this. It's there's been a high action player and, like, just a low action player. High action players need to be involved to make noise, or else if they only touch the ball, nothing happens. Holland is not one of those guys. He could have five touches and boom, pounce on you and score. Right? Like, he's a definition of a poacher that you'd want him to be involved, but he'll make it hard for a center back. He's always in the back of their minds. I think that's probably one of the dis difference makers is having Odegaard in in Holland. Like, your top end talent is so much higher. I think if they don't qualify to the round of 32, it's it's I would say it's a failure. They they finished undefeated in qualification. Yeah. They grew up in Italy. I I'm with you. Like and UEFA qualification stuff. Like, those are big groups. You play a lot of matches. Like Yep. It's not it's not easy to do. And, look, Holland is 25. He'll be 29 the next time the World Cup rolls around. Is that right? Am I crazy about that? Is he really 25? That's kinda crazy if he's 25. Yeah. He's only 25. That's wild. That's wild. So it's it's not like, like, this is your only opportunity with him, but, like, I think this is, like, the best opportunity with the team, like, as solid around him for now anyways. Right? Like and so I I I think the challenge is, like, how do you be solid enough to, like, provide the platform for you're right. Like, all he needs is, like, one or two touches in order to kind of, like, make the difference in a match. How do you remain, like, defensively solid enough? Right. How do you, keep a good enough structure and provide those opportunities? Because you know he's gonna take advantage of a a decently high percentage of them. And so he's just he's just one of those guys that's a really, really special player. So are they able to hang in these games enough to provide those opportunities and come away with big results? Exactly. I mean, they should have the talent to do so. But Yeah. We'll find out. I don't know. I'd say so. Easily, the favorite in this group is France. I think we both agree on that. The dark horse, both of us agree, I think, is Norway in this group. But we differ on what match we think is the best out of this group. I say Norway versus Senegal because I think that's gonna be the match to really determine who comes in second place in this group. Because I think, like, we both agree France is by far and away, like, the best team in this group and and one of the favorites for this tournament. So I'm going I'm going Norway versus Senegal, June 22 in MetLife or New York, New Jersey, whatever we're calling that stadium. The stadium in New York. That's gonna be my game of this of this group. I'm with France Senegal. I think the opening game of the group I think it's the opening game of the group or maybe, like, the opening game for both teams. Yeah. I think there's also a little bit of, like, political history there as well too, geopolitical history there as well too. And I think that, like, again, if France isn't ready and Senegal can maybe nag a win off them, all of a sudden, France's path to the finals is a way a little bit harder than what it was going into it. So it's a must win. And that's the thing, TK. Again, we talk about how the World Cup is forgiving this in this time around. Yeah. But if you're a top team, you need to win your group. Or else, again, like we mentioned, the travel gets harder and also your pathway gets harder. Your pathway is very straightforward if you top the group. But if you finish second in the group, it gets a little messy. It gets a little messy. Yes. I think we all we both have the same group order, France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq. I think that's right. Yeah. I think that's think that's what I think. France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq. I go in that order, I think. But I'm I'm dying to watch that Norway, Senegal match, and I think that's gonna be a fun one. Well, It'll be on for you. Don't worry. Alright. From the team that came runner-up in 2022 to the team that won it, let's talk group j, which is headlined by Argentina. They're number one in the FIFA rankings. Look. They won the World Cup in 2022. They're an outstanding side led by Leo Messi, obviously, who's 39 years old. They're stars on this roster, of course. There's young players on this team also. Guys that can announce themselves, I think, as as part of, like, the larger, conversation around, like, great players. I I assume that when it comes to Argentina, looked like Leo Messi left Inter Miami's his last game for Inter Miami with what looked like a hamstring injury. He didn't play in that match, in College Station that had, like, over a 100,000 people and had, like, the great pregame, moment where Leo Messi exchanged jerseys with Marcel Reid, the Carter Marcel Reid. What the hell? That was incredible. That might be the great the greatest talent disparity shirt swap between two athletes ever. The MSC has no idea. And, look, I would say the greatest players of all time. The other one is Marcel Root. Like Just absolutely incredible. But, hey, can can Messi can Messi beat LSU in Death Valley for a night? But he can play at Kyle Field more than Georgia can, apparently. He apparently can. So, I mean, look. This is an interesting Argentina team. They're they're looking to defend their title from from 2022. Messi is 39 now. You know, there's not the pressure of will he be able to do it at some point in his career. His team is still loaded. Right? Like, there's still really, really talented players up and down this roster for Argentina. I think it comes down to is Leo Messi too old to build a team around, at the international level? Like, can his body, like, withstand a tournament like this and the amount of punishment that you take by playing so many games in quick succession? And will the supporting cast around him step up in the way necessary? Will, Julian Alvarez or will even, when I was talking about young players earlier, Nico Paz, the the 20 year old from the place for Como in, in Serie A. Will one of those players gonna step up and be a guy that that Messi can utilize as a sidekick or that Argentina can rely on to also be a a really key contributor? Does Messi need to play in all the group stage games? Do you see do you see that, TK, personally? Their order, think, is Algeria, Austria, Jordan. Do you see Messi playing in all those games? No. I don't. I don't see Messi playing Alaskan as Jordan. Yeah. I don't think so. I think if they know the game the group wrapped up by then. Is one of the easier groups for a number one, like, the pot a team, the pot one team. Excuse me. Argentina doesn't need to play Messi all throughout. I think you can load manage Messi up to a point to where, okay, well, you need him to play. You can bring him on. But Messi is also a prideful guy. Maybe he still won't be benched. Maybe he wants to play all the time. You know? It's last World Cup. Let's be honest. So I don't know. Like, it puts Argentina, man. Like, they don't need Messi for his group stage. I think you're right. Like, yeah, looking at this roster, this this team is stacked. Like, it's just like like Like, they don't need them at all. Like right? Like, you you have guys like Julian Alvarez. I mean, I'm looking at this roster right now. I got, Thiago Almada. Thiago Almada. Yeah. Like, you mentioned Nico Paz, Arturo Martinez. Like, I was gonna say Rodrigo DePaul, and then I realized he plays for Inter Miami. So I'll He's also on this roster. But he's also on the roster. Exactly. And it's like Alexis McAllister was a key part of the team that won the World Cup four years ago as well. Plays for Yep. Plays for Liverpool, Enzo Fernandez as well. Also a key contributor and really one of the emergent stars of the last World Cup. Plays for Valentin Barco, man. I love Valentin Barco, by the way. I watched him play when he was at Boca, which is a crazy thing. But, like, it was I mean, I said, I I'm pretty sure he played a yeah. He did play at Boca. I was like, oh my god. If I said that wrong, I'd be an idiot. And then he he moved to Brighton. He didn't play much for Brighton, he's kinda bounced around. And he's I he's listed as a midfielder, but I'm pretty sure he's, like, kind of, like, a wingback slash or, like, center mid, wingback ish left. Like, he could play either or. So it's, like, interesting to see how that works with Tammy's nice, young, intriguing talent. But, again, do you need a full strength squad going into this in the group stage? I think Argentina again, I said sleepwalking is dangerous. I think they sleepwalk through this group. I think they can do it. Oh, I I could see it. Austria is also the kind of team who could, like, grind you to, like, a one one draw or something. Right. And then all of a sudden all of a sudden, you might need But you expect Messi to play in that game. I'm saying Messi plays the first two games against Algeria and Austria, then you'll see him. And then you get two wins there, you'll see him play against Jordan. Yeah. No. I I I agree with that if they win both of those games. I'm just saying I could see a scenario where, like, Austria can take a couple points off of them or something like that. That'd be fun. Let's talk Algeria. Algeria is also in this group. This is their fifth time to qualify. They're twenty eighth in the FIFA rankings. They've got some, you know, some guys that some names that you might recognize, like Riyadh Mares, who played on that Leicester City team and then moved over to to Manchester City for a good number of years. He's up there in age, doesn't play a full 90 anymore. Plays about an hour for each match, but, I mean, still always dangerous over on on that right side, attacking down that right side. They also have a player named Ebrahim Mazza, who's a 20 year old attacking made a place for Bayer Leverkusen, and it's kind of stepped into that, role vacated by Florian Wirtz when he moved over to Liverpool. And so Ibrahim Mazza is gonna be a player that I am watching for Algeria. But overall, like, you have Argentina at the top of this group, and then you kinda wonder, like, how it's gonna slot when it comes to, like, Algeria versus Austria. Jordan is also down at the bottom of this group. We'll get to them here in a minute. But how it works out between Algeria and Austria, I think, is the is the big question here and whether or not Algeria is capable of going toe to toe against the you know, another UEFA team in in Austria. I mean, that's the matchup we're both eyeing. Is that argent or or Argentina? Algeria, Austria matchup. And we talked about Austria, talked about Ralph Ragnick as their coach. Right? Like, I don't wanna jump ahead to them, but, like, at the high pressing style play, how can these teams are these teams gonna be used to a high pressing style play? Yeah. Like, where where they're all where, you know, Austria's going super tight on you, etcetera. Or is Algeria gonna punt and say, hey. We don't want the ball. We don't wanna deal with this pressing. And then his off strike are gonna like, hey. We don't want the ball. We wanna press you. Like, it's gonna be interesting chess match to see how these things line up because I think this is one of only like, one of the very few groups, TK, where it's like, Argentina's number one. We know that. The rest, it's like, how does Donald's gonna fall? I think you can say Jordan's four. And then it's like, okay. Where does Austria and Algeria fit in this mix? That's that's exactly right. Let's let's talk about Austria. This is their eighth qualification, the first since 1998, which actually surprised me a little bit. Their FIFA ranking is 24. And like you mentioned, Ralph Reynak is their coach. Now for people who might only recognize that name from his time at Manchester United, There's a reason why he's, like, a renowned name in coaching circles. He kind of pioneered that style that RB Leipzig play that is a high press, like Arman was mentioning, that is a very direct style of play, different than what you're gonna see across a lot of other, the way a lot of other teams play, where there's more of the possession and keep the ball and play defense by by holding on to the ball or sit deep. It's neither of those things. Right? They don't wanna necessarily play with the ball. They wanna press, win it back quickly, and then play super direct. They have some players that, have played in the Premier League, like Marco Arnautovic, who's now 37 years old. Conrad Lymer is probably their best player, plays for Bayern Munich and can play a number of different positions, left back, right back, center mid, that sort of thing. And then David Alaba, who is a longtime center back who played for Bayern Munich and and Real Madrid and is now looking for his next club. But this is a team that plays a unique style, and to me, that's that type of style that in your face different than what you're gonna see from any other team in this tournament, I think is it's well suited for a knockout tournament like the World Cup. Exactly. Exactly. And it can cause it's a different kind of style that can stun some teams. And I would hope to see it, like, you know, stun a couple teams. I mean, I don't know how much they're gonna utilize it though. Like, again, if you're Jordan and you're sitting back. Right? How often are you gonna be, hey, we're gonna press you're gonna be doing the pressing while Austria has the ball. So question is gonna become, when can you utilize that? And I'm assuming it's probably gonna be against Argentina. That's when that's that style and that difference in style might be like what you're talking about where they could pick off a point or two from off Argentina. So it's a good style to have, but it's also it's also dependent on what team impose their style the most, if that makes any sense. Yeah. Like No. It totally totally impose their style on the other team. And if Algeria can impose their style, Austria has a ball to okay. How do you break it down? And that Gen Gen pressing, it's it's it's kinda what it's called. It becomes a little bit more interesting when you are forced to press, but you have the ball. So it's like, okay. We win it or we lose the ball. We counter press immediately and try to force the ball back into our hands. Like, that's from see how that works. You're right, though. It's a different style that the question is, TK, how much can you do that in The US heat? Is this summer? Pressing is gonna be a pain in the afternoon in the summer. Yeah. No. That that's a good point. But, I mean, like, when you look at who Argentina is starting look. I think Argentina is immensely talented, but it does look like they're probably gonna end up starting Nicolas Ortemendi at center back, perhaps, next to Old man. Alessandro Martinez. You know, he I don't know if you wanna see, like, Ortomendi getting, like, really, really closed down, you know, and hustled too too much in possession. And so I I do think there's vulnerabilities in that Argentina team when I think about the this matchup against Austria. I think it's gonna be fascinating to see how that style actually, like, plays out in that matchup between Austria and Argentina. It wasn't my match to watch, and maybe it should be now that I'm thinking about, like, how that tactic how that tactical matchup might actually play out. No. I'm with you. I'm with and final team in this group is Jordan. This is their first time to ever make the tournament. The FIFA ranking is sixty third. A player that you might wanna keep an eye on for them is Musa Altamari. He plays on the right side for Ren in, League. Look. There's no doubt about it. I think this is a tough group for a team like Jordan making their first World Cup. We've we've done this multiple times with multiple different teams now throughout these previews. Tough to make your first World Cup and be drawn into a group with, like, three other teams that are clearly more talented and better than you. Can Jordan, you know, press for a result against a team like Algeria or something? I don't think that that's out of the question whatsoever. But, again, you're in a group with three teams that are clearly more talented than you. I don't know that you go in with a ton of expectations, and if you're able to steal a result off of an Algeria or something like that and potentially push to to make the knockout rounds, like, that would be incredible. But I just don't know that I see that happening for Jordan this time around. Yeah. I'll be honest with you. Just like Iraq, happy to be there. Yeah. That's all that's all I can say. They're just happy to be there, man. Like, are they gonna could they make life difficult for these guys? I think so. But I think, again, like, they're gonna be super cohesive as a unit. Shoot. Who was it? They played Switzerland, I think it was. Like Mhmm. I think have you seen that clip I'm talking about on, like, Twitter? No. I haven't. They played Switzerland. They lost four one. But the clip was Jordanian, a player, I can't remember who it was. Their captain was like, hey. Let's press. Let's press. Oh. And the switch went through their link in three passes. It was just like, bop bop bop goal. I don't know, man. Like, I think they're gonna they're gonna struggle big time. I think they might be a contender for a worst team, like, there or down there for one of worst teams in the tournament. I could see that could see that happening also for Jordan. So we both have Argentina as our favorite. Dark Horse, I said Algeria. You said Austria. And for the best match, we both listed Algeria versus Austria on June 27 in Kansas City. I think that is kind of what you're speaking to about the heat, because a lot of these games are gonna be in I will say that game, if I remember correctly, is later on the day. It's at 9PM central. It's probably a good thing. It's still gonna be pretty steamy if I had to imagine in Kansas City. Because it's at the same time as the Argentina Jordan game. I know that and that's that's the, the decision day game kind of of so that's how big it is. That's gonna be a huge game because you either go in second or third or you're out. Who knows? It's gonna be wild. We both, I think, predict, Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan as the, the way that this group shakes out. Kinda chalky. No maybe major surprises there, but I think that's how I can see it shaking out anyways. Any final thoughts on group j before we move on to group k? No group j thoughts. J for Jordan, but not really. J for Jordan. Good luck, guys. Alright. Group k. Let's talk group k. Group k has Portugal, The Democratic Republic Of Congo, Uzbekistan, and Colombia. My initial thought looking at this was, like, I thought, like, okay. Portugal and Colombia, like, you guys gotta skate through this group. Right? They should. You should. I mean, they should easily dominate this group, I think. And I think you talk about Portugal. I mean, you I mean, I'll look at our show notes right now. Talking about a guy like Vitinha. Oh my god, dude. I saw him play against The US. Oh my god. He's a short, stocky kind of player, but just a maestro with the ball. Amazing. Freaking love Vitinha. Yes. I love Vitinha. I love Bruno Fernandes. I love Liao. I don't like Ronaldo. I don't like I just he needs to be a guy that comes off the bench. I don't think he's a guy who should start. I actually think he hurts them rather than helps them, but I think they're gonna die on the hill of we're gonna start Ronaldo in every game. Okay. Let's let's talk let's talk Portugal. They're fifth in the debate. No. No. No. They they're fifth in the FIFA rankings. This is their ninth World Cup qualification. They won the Nations League last year, and they're one of the best nations, I think, to to not win a World Cup up to this point. 100%. Most people, when they think of of Portugal, are gonna think about Cristiano Ronaldo. He's one of the most identifiable faces in sports in the entire world, I have to imagine. And I think for a long time, he had the most Instagram followers in the world, and then a card or Kardashian beat him out or, you know, something crazy like that. So a lot of people know about Cristiano Ronaldo, and I think he's a lightning rod figure and topic for a lot of soccer fans. He shouldn't have been a starter for Portugal last World Cup, much less this one coming in. At 41 years old, this team is so stinking talented. And Roberto Martinez, the manager of of Portugal, who I didn't think did well enough with Belgium in the last two World Cups to justify being handed another I think he's bare overrated as the manager. Man, I I totally agree with that. I think he's gonna bungle this by featuring Ronaldo and starting him when this team would be so much better with Ronaldo being an Impact sub and coming off the bench or being a figurehead player in this tournament. And look. I'm in in the debate of Messi versus Ronaldo, I've been team Messi for the entirety of the existence of that debate. I don't love Ronaldo, but I acknowledge, like, he's done some incredibly amazing things throughout his career as a player. He is just no longer the kind of guy at the international level that you can rely on in a tournament like this, and it would be a dereliction of his responsibilities if Roberto Martinez has him starting game in game out for for Portugal, but I think that's what he's gonna do. Giancarlo Ramos. You have Francisco Trincao, like, Concert Chao, Pedro Neto, like, Chao Felix. I mean, you know, plays around the roster as well. Look, I don't really care about the Messi Ronald debate. Like, for me, it's never been, like, a thing for me. I just think he's bad right now. Like and I think if you can bring him off the bench as a guy who can maybe make an impact, right, who can like, I'm not saying chase the game or anything like that, but, hey, maybe you're up one o. Hey. Let's calm down the game a little bit. Let's calm down the game, guys. Be a a voice in the field. Maybe you're chasing a goal. Okay. Like, we all know Ronaldo has a great aerial ability still to this day. If you start if you start 41 year old Ronaldo, I don't know, man. I I don't know. I just I just I I don't think it makes sense with the talent that they have. Messi, this is weird to say, but Messi's when you see him play an MLS, you can still see the glimpses of the player that he was. Mhmm. Ronaldo, those glimpses are a lot less in Saudi Arabia, which is the worst league in MLS. So overall, it's just like they have so many great players. I mean, if I were someone and I want to get to know a team and I was, you know, like like Portugal, follow-up with Vitinha, follow-up Bruno Fernandes, follow-up Bernardo Silva in there. Jowan Neff that midfield is disgusting. Yeah. Disgusting how good good that midfield is. You know, everyone they'll say, oh, Ronaldo this, Ronaldo that. There's so many better players on Portugal right now in their form right now. Of course, Ronaldo's an amazing player. It's time we move past him, please. It's time we move past him because this team is so absolutely loaded and stacked. You could see a scenario where if this team is set up correctly and given every opportunity to succeed, that this is a team that could go all the way. You know, they could push their team in a They could. Absolutely. With the with the the midfield they have oh my gosh. Like, you're right. Like, with Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes and all of these incredible players, like, I I mean, what? Are you bringing a guy like like, oh, Matteo Nunez off the bench? Are you bringing a guy like Ruben Neves? You know, he plays in Saudi off the bench. Like, you you can't start all these guys. You know? Like, who are you bringing off the bench in these things? And it's like, oh my god. This team is loaded. This team is absolutely loaded for this. I mean, what they it's what? They played Chile over the weekend, and they started Silva Fernandes and looks like Silva, Fernand. Yeah. Looks like him on the back five. So it's like, you're the guys on the bench are Ciao Neves, Vitinia, Ruben Neves. Like, come on, man. Like, this team is so loaded. Just let them cook. Absolutely loaded team. Let them cook. Boy, what I wouldn't give to see somebody, I don't know, kinda just stand up and say, like, this is not Ronaldo's team. Like, we need to do this for the better of all of Portugal, but it's never gonna happen. No. Oh, man. So let's talk about The Congo who is also in this group. They've been in one previous World Cup in 1974 when they were called Zaire. They won via a, or they they they qualified via a one nil win over Jamaica in, in a playoff. They're ranked forty fifth in the FIFA rankings. Couple of players that play from maybe notable teams, Cedric Bakambu is a 35 year old attacker who plays for Real Betis, in La Liga. Aaron Wambasaka, who, you might remember from his Manchester United days, plays for West Ham now, right back, very defensive minded, kind of a right back player. The main thing to know about The Congo is they had to change a ton of their pre World Cup, plans and setup because of an Ebola outbreak going on in The Congo right now, which is obviously terrible. They played a closed door match against Chile, that they lost two to one recently, but I don't have any major overlying thoughts about The Congo. I don't know if, if you have any thoughts, Arman, or you wanna move on to talk Uzbekistan. I think that they're another just underrated team from Africa, that there's people who will underrate again. Again, I think the con the cons Continent Of Africa as a whole is underrated. Mhmm. And I think Congo is another really good team. They have to go through a playoff. Don't forget where they what was it? They beat Jamaica? I think. Yeah. Yeah. Was it penalties or was it, like, a goal in extra time? I can't remember exactly. One win, and I think that game was played in Mexico, if I It was played in Mexico. Yep. Along with Iraq, Bolivia game as well too. So, I mean, they again, Team Met kinda scrapped to be here. So no no big thoughts on them, but I think that they could surprise some people. Though have them in the last group, I still have them. I think they can surprise some people. Uzbekistan, this is their first time qualifying for a World Cup. They are ranked fiftieth in the FIFA rankings. Interestingly enough, they're managed by Fabio Canavero, which I didn't realize until I started doing the research for this episode. He's the captain of Italy's 2,006 World Cup winning side. Has not had, like, an illustrious managerial career to go along with his his playing career. They have a player named man, I'm gonna butcher his first name. Abdulkadyr Kusanov. Yep. Kusanov. Yep. Kusanov, who's the Manchester City center back. Yes. Nailed it. Manchester City center back. Accidentally, put Manchester United on our notes. That would've been to get wrong. But he's the he's the the first player, for his country to play in the Champions League or the Premier League, for Uzbekistan. Again, man, for some of these teams, like, unless you're gonna go back and watch all of, like, their qualifying matches, it's hard to get a sense of, like, how they're gonna play, what they're gonna do, how they're gonna set up. But in a group where you have Portugal and Colombia, it's gonna be it's gonna be a grind for a team like the Congo or Uzbekistan to make too much of a mark in this tournament. I think Uzbekistan could be, like I'm not saying they're gonna be spooky and win games, but they could cause issue. I watched their game against Canada, and they they probably should have been up on Canada, like, one or two o at one point, and they just were terrible at finishing. Like, they're they play, like, this very weird it feels kinda man mark y almost, but, like, it it it felt very, like, not controlled, which might make for a lot of fun, even though it might get them killed against Portugal and Colombia. But, like, it it wasn't, like, a controlled kind of affair. So definitely interested to see how they look. They have a lot players that play in Iran, which is very interesting as well too. That is interesting. And and Uzbekistan. So not the strongest team by any means, but in Asia, they've constantly been that team that's like, oh, we're gonna finish third and go to playoff and lose. But now with the extended World Cup, they're able to qualify finally. So they're I mean, they can cause problems. They beat I think they either beat or they drew on in with they went to penalty because they're friendly. They drew zero zero. Like, this is a team that I'm not gonna again, I'm not saying they're world beaters by any means, but they lost the Dutch two one. They lost to Canada two o, but that was kind of a weird game because they scored a goal late Canada Day with Nelson. It was a lot more closer than that score. I I'm not saying they're amazing, but I'm not saying they're super bad as well either. So I think they could surprise people. I'm not saying they're gonna beat Colombia or beat Portugal. But again, I think they could just be kinda surprising and, oh, this game is a lot more closer than I thought it would be. You know, I one of the things that stands out to me just in, like, reading about what they've done and how they got here is they introduced a three four three formation under a previous coach who, like, fell under some bad health. His name's Katanich. And he brought in this three four three system. And in that, like, they have Kusanov playing at the center of that back three. And Yep. Canavero has actually kept that system, and it's remained consistent since they introduced it back in 2000 or 2021, which is actually kind of a long time to have, like, some continuity with how you play. And so even if they aren't able to maybe get the results that they expect, I kind of imagine this is gonna be an organized team that, like, at least knows their responsibilities. And through that, can probably generate some chances and be a little bit more dangerous than maybe you would otherwise assume that they would be. Yep. Also, one like one crazy fact I'll say Mhmm. I it's a very linguistic thing, but all their last names end with, a, you know, a v. If you look at their roster, it's Ubisov, Uruzov, Kusanov, Shomorozov. That's crazy. They all, like again, it's linguistic, like but, like, it's very it's really interesting, man. Like, I The Guardian has, like, their their projected starting 11 for all the teams, and only one player in their projected starting 11 for Uzbekistan has a name that ends in something other than v. And it's a y. Yeah. So That's crazy. No. I'm but I'm super interested to see how they they set up. I mean, their team isn't, like, the oldest. You know what's crazy? It's like they have a bunch of young players too. They have, like, an 18 year old. Like, their roster is pretty well balanced. That's good can be a good experience to them as as well. You know, these guys, I I would with how the World Cup is now set up, I wouldn't be surprised they continue to qualify World Cups through Asia. So I don't know, man. Yeah. Like I say, they're gonna win, like, be the most amazing team on Earth, but they could be interesting. I'm I'm with you. I'm with you. Columbia rounds out this group. This is their seventh time to make the World Cup. They're ranked thirteenth in the FIFA rankings. You might know players like Luis Diaz who played for Liverpool and now plays for Bayern Munich. Really, really outstanding left winger. Jamez Rodriguez really burst on the scene back in 2014 and ended up getting a big move to Real Madrid. Now he's obviously starring for for Minnesota United, of course. Obviously Well, not anymore. Not anymore. Not anymore. I suppose the question for Columbia is, how much are they relying on Hamez Rodriguez to still produce the magic and like, does he have enough juice to actually like make that happen? This to me does not seem to be the extremely talented Columbia teams that maybe we've seen in the past. They're always ardently supported. I love, like, the yellow jerseys and, like, the excitement around Columbia and, like, they're fantastic to have in tournaments. To me, this does not resemble some of the teams that have been, really, really outstanding over the last maybe decade or so. No. I'm with you on this, and I think they can somehow rely on Jamez Rodriguez just because he's Jamez Rodriguez, and he always shows up for his team in, like, World Cups and international matches, which I think is just so funny. But, I mean, if you look at the roster top to bottom, it's like, you have Luis Diaz who's absolutely fantastic. You have Luis Suarez. Not that Luis Suarez, the other Luis Suarez who played for sporting, I believe. Mhmm. And it it has been really good as well too. But, I mean, overall, I think they're fine. I think they're gonna give Portugal a great game, though. When they when they do play, I just I'm I'm not sold on them going super far in the World Cup, if that makes sense. Portugal and Colombia is our game of this group. It is Saturday, June 27. It's gonna take place in Miami. My goodness. Jesus, man. Think the Colombian contingent there I I think it's just gonna be, like, an outrageous atmosphere. Right? Absolutely. I think this would be fantastic. I can't wait. That's gonna be an incredible if if there's, like, a stadium I could be in for a game, like, just to experience, I think, like, the fan base, like, what all that's gonna be like. Colombia playing in Miami against Portugal, man, I think that's gonna be outstanding. Both of us are picking Portugal to win this group though. Right? Yep. Portugal, Colombia. I have Uzbek finishing third. You have Congo. But Yeah. I may have talked myself into Uzbekistan in third, but I'll be different. Yeah. I'm saying that they might get smoked in their first game or something along those lines. The thing is, again, the the way that the group sets up, they have their last game against each other, Uzbek and Congo, and that could be a game where whoever wins that game could advance. Right? So I love definitely a lot on the line that like, the way these groups are kinda shaken out, I kinda like the way that they kinda end. Yeah. I like that too. And the fact that, like, those matches are happening at the same time, we'll get a chance to see if The The build. It's the drama of the freaking World Cup. Alright. Last but not least, we have made it to group l, final group of the World Cup previews. England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama make up this group. England is obviously a team that a lot of people know. A lot of people know a lot of the players because they all play in the Premier League, and they're all just recognizable as hell. This team is coached by Thomas Tuchel. They're fourth in the FIFA rankings. England has won one World Cup in their nation's history back in 1966. If simply wanting to win a World Cup and wanting to to, you know, be really, really good in this sport and have the best league in the world produce the World Cups, then England would have it many, many times over. Instead, they've only won it once. I think it's a wonderful example of how, like, simply wanting to have it and having a great domestic league does not always mean that you're gonna have immediate international success or any international success at all. The big thing about this team is that Thomas Tuchel called up some strange players. Jordan Henderson being on this roster is kinda baffling, while Phil Foden, who didn't have a great season at Manchester City, sits at home. It's a little baffling what Thomas Tuchel is trying to do with this squad. I think England probably comes in with really, really high expectations. To me, it's You think? What do you think? I mean, yes. They have to have high expectations. It's coming home every freaking time you see It's always sort of tournament. It's always coming home. The thing that's crazy, TK, is they have the pathway to where if they win other games, win out the group, the round of 16 game is in Mexico City against Mexico who have who who, if they finish first in their group, will have not left Mexico and will have not left Mexico City for quite a bit at that point. Oh, that is tough. That's gonna be tough, tough, tough. I'm not necessarily sold on Thomas Tuchel. I don't know what it is, but, like, I just doesn't scream amazing manager? I mean, obviously, he's amazing manager, but, like, it's just again, like, the roster decisions made by Thomas Tuchel, I think you touched upon it. Why? Like, why leave Phil Foden at home? Yeah. For Jordan Henderson, for experience? I don't I don't get it, man. I don't get it. Yeah. A lot of conversation around the the roster, obviously, and and English fans and media are gonna have a million different opinions about it. It's a talented team. Harry Kane, I mean, might be your Ballon d'Or winner for this year, and and So good. Certainly, if he So good. He's so incredibly good. If you don't watch a lot of Harry Kane, or haven't seen him since he left Tottenham, and he's been playing at Bayern Munich the last several seasons, just what he does dropping into the midfield and kind of playing a creator role from that striker position and the passing that he is able to pull off. I mean, he is just a fantastic player to watch. And I don't have any I'm not some Anglophile. I'm not, like, I don't love England by any means. But, like, boy, watching Harry Kane is awesome. And so no. I I feel like at the international level, they've never been able to unlock Harry Kane the way that they are at the club level. Maybe some of that is just due to repetition and the inability to have the the necessary training time on the pitch to work out, like, the way the movement should work when he drops into the midfield. But it's a talented team. I mean, Bakay Osaka is on this team. You know, Jude Bellingham, who plays for for Real Madrid, formerly of of, Borussia Dortmund in the in the Bundesliga. It's a really, really talented team, that comes in with sky high expectations. It just seems like the weight and the pressure of that always crushes them. And in their group, they've got Croatia, the team that beat them in the semis in 2018. It's gonna be a tasty matchup and a fun little group, I think. Yeah. First their first game is against each other in Dallas. That's awesome. And you know we all know, like, Croatia, top team made made, what, the final 2018. Luka Modric still there. My favorite player of all time. Also, Petter Moussa, FC Dallas player. So based in Dallas The moose. The moose will the moose be loose? We'll find out. But, like, again, Croatia is always one of these countries, again, super small, but they always figure out ways to just wreck shit in any of these tournaments. I I couldn't think of a better word to describe it. That's the right way to say it. Yeah. And I think that Croatia England game is gonna set the tone for us as a group because another one of these groups where I think it's a clear one two and then the three and four are even though I like Panama. And I we're gonna talk about them in a second. But overall, I think I really like Croatia. I really like the way they set up. I just I don't know, man. I think England's your clear cut number one. Well, I I think you're right. Like, Luka Madras is my favorite player of all time. He's he's 40 years old. Yeah. You know, like, the the entirety of the the Croatian squad can feel like it is holding on to, like, the best of, you know, what they've achieved, and that was eight years ago at this point. Right? And Yep. Madras was incredible in that tournament and kind of broke the spell that that Messi and Ronaldo had over the Ballon d'Or and ended up winning it that year because he was just so good in that tournament. And look, he's a magician. Getting to see him in person is still one of the coolest things that I've ever experienced in my in my soccer watching life. I love watching that Real happen. Madrid and Roma came and played. Oh my God. Was in the 2013 or 2013. It was awesome. Yeah. Seeing him in person and just do what he does on a, on a soccer pitch is just unbelievable. Like if you get to watch a player and just wanna watch like the, I I think Vitinha is, like, the modern day, like, iteration of what Luka Modric is. He wears, like, the most oversized baggy clothing. He just freaking pings the ball around. It's insane. Luka Madras is just he's a short god out there and just runs the game from the midfield, for Croatia. If they're somehow able to hold England to a draw, then this game this this group, I think, is is wide open to being those two teams. Yep. It'll it'll be, up for the taking. It all kinda just depends on how that first match goes. But I love Croatia. I love the their jerseys. They they have kind of the white and the red and white The picnic. Yeah. The fighting picnic blankets, or tablecloths. They're awesome. I I love Croatia. They're eleventh in the FIFA rankings. I loved watching them get all the way to the final in 2018 where they they lost eventually to France. But put up a hell of a fight to get there. And, yeah, I've just always had a soft spot in my heart for this team. I'm with you, man. I'm with you. Ghana is the next team up in this group that ranked seventy third in the FIFA rankings. And look, I don't have a ton to say about Ghana other than like Ghana is a country that The US played just a number of times, like, in consecutive World Cups. You know, they got knocked out by Ghana in 2010 in the knockout stages under Bob Bradley in 2014 under Jurgen Klinsman. They were able to win that opening group stage match of that World Cup, against Ghana. They had the early Clint Dempsey goal and then, the John Brooks header kind of late on in the game after the Jersey outfit. It's John Brooks. It's John Brooks. It's John Brooks. This is not the same Ghana team, I think, is fair to say. Like I said, seventy third in the FIFA rankings. That is a far, far fall from grace for this country that was kind of perennially thought of as like one of the powers of Africa. I don't think that they're at that point anymore. And I don't have too much analysis kind of on Ghana other than just to say like, they used to be a lot better than where they are now. Do you know who their coach is? Oh. Carlos Kirosh, who is a coach of Iran and who will set up in a way that'll be super, I think, restrictive, but will make it make it very hard to break you down. That was Iran's kind of MO for their time when he coached them. It was very compact. It was very, hey. You gotta beat us, and we're gonna make life hell. We're gonna foul the hell out of you, etcetera. I mean, if you they hired him basically, like, a month or two months ago. You hire him how quick are you gonna put a system into care? It's the like, that's exactly the way they're gonna play. So I think, like, I'm not necessarily super high on them, but, I mean Do you think that that style can get them get these results? Exactly. It's like you could make things difficult for them. Now you compare Carlos Quiroz to who Panama's coach is, and it's like, I I I just man, TK, like, some of these teams, man, I hope I'm wrong, but it could be some ugly, ugly soccer. Talk to me about Panama. What do you think about Thomas Christensen as a coach, the consistency that he's had at Panama, the way that they play, they in Concacaf, they cause problems for everybody, man. Yeah. It's not just what's it called? Oh, they qualify because The US wasn't in the group. Okay. Yeah. That's right. And did they get smoked by Brazil? Yeah. They did. They absolutely got smoked. But who will get smoked by Brazil? Right? If you go back to the twenty twenty five Nations League, right, they beat they beat The US, and they beat The US super late. They pushed they pushed Mexico to the brink. They almost beat Mexico there. They're a team that can be a giant killer, TK. Am I saying they're gonna beat England? No. I don't think so. But I think they could definitely cause problems to where again, the whole thing that I am gonna say about these lower teams is they're gonna make their lives difficult for these upper teams because I think some of these teams I'm not saying they're underestimating on purpose, but naturally, you're kinda like, it's Panama. It's Ghana. And when you have a coach like Tomas Christensen, who is a coach who's known his group for so long, who knows his style, who knows how to set up, and who's done it where he it has been a minnow. Right? Where they were minnows against Mexico, where they were minnows against US. Yeah. They have experience in these moments where for example, just an example, it's really easy for me to kind of articulate. Iran. Iran isn't the minnow in Asia. They are the top dogs in Asia. So it's different when they go from, hey. We're the top dogs to, oh, we're playing Belgium now. You know? Yeah. But for Panama, there never have been the top dogs in the in in in the region. They have to play a certain way, so they're used to this. This won't be any problem for them. Right? Right. It's it's that shift that I that that you're you're articulating, having a shift between being underdogs or being the minnows and then all of sudden being the favorites that I think is has been challenging for The US because they used to just be able to play like, they're the minnows, they're the underdogs. Exactly. Most Most the time. Now trying to shift between being the big dogs in Cockacaf and then when you play a a giant in Europe shifting to to have that underdog mentality, it has proven to be really really tough for The US. For Panama, like, you don't have to change how you play and change anything about, like, your system or how you're set up or how you're coaching or anything along those lines, and there's there's certainly there's value in that. Exactly. Exactly. So ex super excited to see how Tomas Kershenson sets up the team. So England, Croatia, that game is in Dallas, June 17. That might be the best game that gets played in Dallas. Right? That or Netherlands or France? Outside the semifinal. If that counts. Okay. Okay. Okay. I'll I'll I'll take away my BS answer. Yes. I think so. I mean, it's definitely the most expensive game. I'll tell you that. Actually, it's a second most, I think, behind some of the Argentina games. Yeah. That makes sense. People wanna see Messi. People wanna see Messi. You know what? I'm gonna go I'm I'm gonna call an upset here because we haven't done much of that here in our previews. I'm gonna say Croatia wins the group. I love it. I'm a say England wins the group. I go Croatia, England, Panama, Ghana. Oh, you're going that? Yeah. I'm going England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana. So we're basically in line. A little in I just flipped I just flipped I just flipped Croatia. Okay. That kind of walks us through all of our different groups and everything. All of the teams got to mention here across these three episodes, which was a hell of a lot of work in a big lift Arman after all of that, who I'm gonna put you on the spot. Who is your pick to win the tournament? Spain. Sorry. Vegas. I know I'm going chalk, but it's Spain. I think their pathway to the final is very straightforward. I think they are just way more talented than everyone else, and I think they can kinda sleepwalk through into the next into the next into the next rounds. I also wouldn't be surprised if well, it's a big caveat. Portugal dumps Ronaldo from the starting lineup. I think Portugal make a deep run as well too. Who's your golden boot? Woah. That's tough. Damn. Well, I'm not gonna say LaMigne Amal because I don't think he's gonna play all the games. Right. I'm not gonna say Messi because I think he's gonna play all the games. I kinda wanna say Harry Kane, but I don't know how far they're gonna get. And I don't know if I don't again, I don't know how man, it's tough. Man, you're you're you got me on the spot right here. I'm Yeah. I didn't prepare you for this. No. I I I am not prepared. I'm gonna go with Kylian Mbappe. I can dig it. He's gonna take penalties for France. It totally makes sense. And he's one of the favorites as well. I am yeah. So I'm gonna go Argentina as my team to win. I They go back to back, which would be wild. But they're nine to one according to Vegas right now. So I'm gonna step out a little bit on a limb, take Argentina. And then I think for Golden Boot, I'm gonna go Harry Kane. I buy that. My dark horse is The Netherlands. They're 20 to one right now. I just like their team a lot. And I know they have got a tough road, but I think they can make Are you sure dark horse isn't Uzbekistan? Might be now. Maybe talk myself into it. Gonna be I mean, man, we are just strapping up for, like, a month and a half of incredible soccer. Cannot wait. It's gonna be amazing. We need to go get some rest before all these games get started, and we just give our lives away to soccer. So, Aman, any final thoughts before we say peace out? Just get ready to enjoy soccer, people. Let's make it happen. That's it. Let's make it happen. Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of the show. If you didn't catch either of our other World Cup previews, make sure to go back and check those out as well. We will be checking in throughout the World Cup, obviously, with episodes. Probably do a short episode or two after some notable games as well. And so we will be here, there, and everywhere trying to make sure that we record good stuff for you all throughout this tournament. But until we talk to you again for Arman, I'm Tyler. We'll talk to you next time. This is a Stolen Water Media production.