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World Cup Pool

ScrantonicityIII

Freshman
Jan 21, 2018
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A guy at work is running a world cup pool. I have never watched a world cup soccer game in my life, but am a degenerate when it comes to joining pools...

Anyone who knows anything about "futbol"....I have to pick one team from each "Pool Category" (one team from 1, one team from 2, etc... through group 8).

Scoring: 5 points for a win, 3 points for a draw, 1 point per goal. Most points wins the pot.

Country Pool Category
Brazil 1
Spain 1
France 1
Germany 1
Belgium 2
Argentina 2
Uruguay 2
England 2
Croatia 3
Portugal 3
Colombia 3
Mexico 3
Peru 4
Serbia 4
Poland 4
Switzerland 4
Nigeria 5
Egypt 5
Denmark 5
Morocco 5
Senegal 6
Iceland 6
Costa Rica 6
Iran 6
Russia 7
Tunisia 7
Japan 7
Australia 7
Sweden 8
South Korea 8
Saudi Arabia 8
Panama 8
 
Just pick the highest rated teams and hope for the best. The egalitarian philosophy underlying the rules of the sport minimizes the effect of talent differentials and injects a large luck factor into determining the champion. Single elimination following pool play adds to the crap shoot.
 
Germany
Belgium
Mexico
Poland
Egypt
Costa Rica
Russia (only because you know some shenanigans will be going on)
Sweden
 
A guy at work is running a world cup pool. I have never watched a world cup soccer game in my life, but am a degenerate when it comes to joining pools...

Anyone who knows anything about "futbol"....I have to pick one team from each "Pool Category" (one team from 1, one team from 2, etc... through group 8).

Scoring: 5 points for a win, 3 points for a draw, 1 point per goal. Most points wins the pot.

Country Pool Category
Brazil 1
Spain 1
France 1
Germany 1
Belgium 2
Argentina 2
Uruguay 2
England 2
Croatia 3
Portugal 3
Colombia 3
Mexico 3
Peru 4
Serbia 4
Poland 4
Switzerland 4
Nigeria 5
Egypt 5
Denmark 5
Morocco 5
Senegal 6
Iceland 6
Costa Rica 6
Iran 6
Russia 7
Tunisia 7
Japan 7
Australia 7
Sweden 8
South Korea 8
Saudi Arabia 8
Panama 8

You gotta like Russia given home field, a very weak pool, and high point possibilities based on the scoring of your pool. Iceland is a team who can make it out of the group
 
1. Brazil 2. Belgium 3. Columbia 4. Serbia 5. Egypt 6. Senegal 7. Japan 8. Sweden
I'm surprised Russia is so low, given that they seem to be good at sports. Japan is good at soccer I seem to recall, so looks like a good call.

Russia is not a soccer power but are usually decent. Actually, they are very close to the USA in terms of soccer talent in general and they face some of the same difficulties in recruiting talent as they lose some good athletes at early ages to sports like basketball, hockey, and volleyball just as the USA does. Even by Russian standards, this generation of players isn't anything to write home about. That said, their pool is very easy and they are at home. Wouldn't be shocked at all if they made the quarterfinals
 
Russia is not a soccer power but are usually decent. Actually, they are very close to the USA in terms of soccer talent in general and they face some of the same difficulties in recruiting talent as they lose some good athletes at early ages to sports like basketball, hockey, and volleyball just as the USA does. Even by Russian standards, this generation of players isn't anything to write home about. That said, their pool is very easy and they are at home. Wouldn't be shocked at all if they made the quarterfinals
You are the tie breaker:
Colombia or Mexico
Serbia or Poland
 
Do the points just count for the group stage? Or are we allowing the points and goals to count in the knockout stages, as well? There are some pretty weak groups, IMO. And that could play a huge determining factor.
 
Iceland
Tunisia
Panama
Alternates:
South Korea
Saudia Arabia

Kick da ball to me studid?

The World Cup rates a click above the NBA finals!


"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go PITT & CSU Rams!
 
I'm surprised Russia is so low, given that they seem to be good at sports. Japan is good at soccer I seem to recall, so looks like a good call.

Russia and Sweden are both too low, IMO.

Russia isn't a world-class team, by any means. But they're hosting. That is a HUGE advantage. Vegas has Russia with the 12th highest odds of winning the WC - they're slightly ahead of Poland and Mexico. A 3 or 4 seed would probably be more realistic. The highest ranked team in Russia's group, is Uruguay (ranked 14th in the world). I think Russia has a legit shot at winning their group.

Also, Sweden in the bottom tier is crazy. Sweden isn't going to win the whole thing, no way. But they knocked off Italy to advance to the World Cup. Their in a group with Germany, Mexico, and Iran.. Germany will easily win the group. 2nd place will be a battle between Mexico and Sweden.

Here are my picks for now:

Germany
Argentina
Portugal
Poland
Denmark
Iceland
Russia
Sweden
 
Last edited:
Do the points just count for the group stage? Or are we allowing the points and goals to count in the knockout stages, as well? There are some pretty weak groups, IMO. And that could play a huge determining factor.
the whole shebang.

I'm trying to think strategically whether it's worth it to pick multiple teams from a Group, or diversify on Groups.
 
I find effing hilarious that Iceland, Iceland which has the population of the city of Pittsburgh, that is actual city not metro area can have a decent team and qualify and the US sucks and is now worse at soccer 25 years later after it thought it was getting good.
 
Before some of you get too high on the Russians, they are the lowest FIFA ranked team in the tournament for a reason. They have won exactly 1 of their last 10 games. And 9 of those 10 games were played at home.

For anyone to think that the Russians are going to do anything at this tournament you have to believe that the kind of corruption that allowed Russia to get picked to host the games in the first place is going to be working in their favor. And it is FIFA, so there certainly is a chance of that. After all, look at the group that they got drawn into. Surely no one really thinks that came about through the "luck of the draw", do they?
 
South Korea has looked so bad leading into the tournament you almost have to wonder if they were tanking on purpose. I’m betting they weren’t and are just in horrible form.
 
Brazil 1
Uruguay 2
Colombia 3
Peru 4
Nigeria 5
Senegal 6
Russia 7
Sweden 8

HUGE soccer guy
 
Before some of you get too high on the Russians, they are the lowest FIFA ranked team in the tournament for a reason. They have won exactly 1 of their last 10 games. And 9 of those 10 games were played at home.

For anyone to think that the Russians are going to do anything at this tournament you have to believe that the kind of corruption that allowed Russia to get picked to host the games in the first place is going to be working in their favor. And it is FIFA, so there certainly is a chance of that. After all, look at the group that they got drawn into. Surely no one really thinks that came about through the "luck of the draw", do they?
FIFA along with Russia and fairplay is the same as Baron Mikhail Sicluna going to his corner and trying to hide the foreign object to show he was not heating.

Scicluna250.JPG
 
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Before some of you get too high on the Russians, they are the lowest FIFA ranked team in the tournament for a reason. They have won exactly 1 of their last 10 games. And 9 of those 10 games were played at home.

For anyone to think that the Russians are going to do anything at this tournament you have to believe that the kind of corruption that allowed Russia to get picked to host the games in the first place is going to be working in their favor. And it is FIFA, so there certainly is a chance of that. After all, look at the group that they got drawn into. Surely no one really thinks that came about through the "luck of the draw", do they?
Don't forget that the entire Russian sports apparatus was found to be cheating and they were nearly tossed out of the olympics. Given that government's hacking and otherwise meddling in the 2016 elections, they could be up to all kinds of shenanigans.
 
A guy at work is running a world cup pool. I have never watched a world cup soccer game in my life, but am a degenerate when it comes to joining pools...

Anyone who knows anything about "futbol"....I have to pick one team from each "Pool Category" (one team from 1, one team from 2, etc... through group 8).

Scoring: 5 points for a win, 3 points for a draw, 1 point per goal. Most points wins the pot.

Country Pool Category
Brazil 1
Spain 1
France 1
Germany 1
Belgium 2
Argentina 2
Uruguay 2
England 2
Croatia 3
Portugal 3
Colombia 3
Mexico 3
Peru 4
Serbia 4
Poland 4
Switzerland 4
Nigeria 5
Egypt 5
Denmark 5
Morocco 5
Senegal 6
Iceland 6
Costa Rica 6
Iran 6
Russia 7
Tunisia 7
Japan 7
Australia 7
Sweden 8
South Korea 8
Saudi Arabia 8
Panama 8

I'll play so I can show my soccer experts just how wonderful I am.

1) Brazil
2) Belgium
3) Mexico
4) Serbia
5) Nigeria
6) Iceland
7) Russia
8) Sweden
 
Russia is not a soccer power but are usually decent. Actually, they are very close to the USA in terms of soccer talent in general and they face some of the same difficulties in recruiting talent as they lose some good athletes at early ages to sports like basketball, hockey, and volleyball just as the USA does. Even by Russian standards, this generation of players isn't anything to write home about. That said, their pool is very easy and they are at home. Wouldn't be shocked at all if they made the quarterfinals
You are the tie breaker:
Colombia or Mexico
Serbia or Poland

Based on talent alone its Colombia and Poland all day. Both are the kind of sleepers to make the semifinals....or not advance out of the group. In a tournament like this, when you have 2 of the best footballers on the planet as Poland and Colombia do, those are the types of players that can get you far like Bale did for Wales at the Euros
 
Iceland
Tunisia
Panama
Alternates:
South Korea
Saudia Arabia

Kick da ball to me studid?

The World Cup rates a click above the NBA finals!


"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go PITT & CSU Rams!

Gee, what a surprise that you dont like the NBA or soccer. I wonder why.
 
Before some of you get too high on the Russians, they are the lowest FIFA ranked team in the tournament for a reason. They have won exactly 1 of their last 10 games. And 9 of those 10 games were played at home.

For anyone to think that the Russians are going to do anything at this tournament you have to believe that the kind of corruption that allowed Russia to get picked to host the games in the first place is going to be working in their favor. And it is FIFA, so there certainly is a chance of that. After all, look at the group that they got drawn into. Surely no one really thinks that came about through the "luck of the draw", do they?

To be fair, the host team gets one of the top 8 seeds so they couldn't have faced one of the blue bloods though they sure did draw the worst of the available teams it seems
 
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I might as well give my picks too:

1 - Germany (they should score a ton in the group games)
2 - Uruguay (they should score a ton in the group games and will have the advantage of an easy walk into the knockout rounds)
3 - Croatia (wonderful in the midfield, but off the field issues could screw them up)
4 - Poland (they look like a group winner to me)
5 - Nigeria (if Mo Salah was healthy that might be enough to pick Egypt, but if he can't play they might not be able to score)
6 - Senegal (Iceland has to be the sentimental pick, but I have a feeling the clock is about to strike midnight for them)
7 - Australia (although Russia's easy group might make them a better pick)
8 - Sweden (by process of elimination, since the other three are going to have trouble scoring a goal)
 
I might as well give my picks too:

1 - Germany (they should score a ton in the group games)
2 - Uruguay (they should score a ton in the group games and will have the advantage of an easy walk into the knockout rounds)
3 - Croatia (wonderful in the midfield, but off the field issues could screw them up)
4 - Poland (they look like a group winner to me)
5 - Nigeria (if Mo Salah was healthy that might be enough to pick Egypt, but if he can't play they might not be able to score)
6 - Senegal (Iceland has to be the sentimental pick, but I have a feeling the clock is about to strike midnight for them)
7 - Australia (although Russia's easy group might make them a better pick)
8 - Sweden (by process of elimination, since the other three are going to have trouble scoring a goal)

Thanks!

Too bad we can't do one on this site. Seems like we have some soccer fans, and possibly some fellow pool degenerates.
 
I know he has espoused conservative politics on many occasions and made the reasonable assumption that’s what you were referring to with your comment on him not liking the NBA or soccer.
He has proven himself to be a bigot, a liar and a moron all in one comment. Well done.
 
I find effing hilarious that Iceland, Iceland which has the population of the city of Pittsburgh, that is actual city not metro area can have a decent team and qualify and the US sucks and is now worse at soccer 25 years later after it thought it was getting good.
Read the article about Iceland in Sports Illustrated, it's the ORGANIZED, SOCIALIST coaching program that makes them good, little kids get real coaches-and it doesn't cost $5000, and not someone's dad. In America it's random freedom, so you can't organize a sport to that degree.
 
Brazil 1
Argentina 2
Portugal 3
Switzerland 4
Nigeria 5
Iceland 6
Russia 7
Sweden 8
 
Read the article about Iceland in Sports Illustrated, it's the ORGANIZED, SOCIALIST coaching program that makes them good, little kids get real coaches-and it doesn't cost $5000, and not someone's dad. In America it's random freedom, so you can't organize a sport to that degree.

Our 330 diverse million population with all of our resources cant find 10-15 better players than Iceland?
 
Our 330 diverse million population with all of our resources cant find 10-15 better players than Iceland?
Why should we expect that? Why are you acting so entitled? I don't see China or India on the list? They both have way bigger populations than us. The USA isn't entitled to be good at every sport. I actually think the USA is OVERACHIEVING at soccer, considering how this country has ignored the sport for the last 100 years. we have been to every World Cup since 1992 until now. We have a domestic league, MLS that is way better quality than we deserve based on how much emphasis has been placed on the sport here. USA will be fine, maybe in 100 years we can compete, who knows?
 
Why should we expect that? Why are you acting so entitled? I don't see China or India on the list? They both have way bigger populations than us. The USA isn't entitled to be good at every sport. I actually think the USA is OVERACHIEVING at soccer, considering how this country has ignored the sport for the last 100 years. we have been to every World Cup since 1992 until now. We have a domestic league, MLS that is way better quality than we deserve based on how much emphasis has been placed on the sport here. USA will be fine, maybe in 100 years we can compete, who knows?

Why? Entitled? For one thing, the USA is in the top 10 in any sport. Indians just aren't athletic and rarely top any sport aside from an occasional golfer. China? They will be coming for sure.

But I don't think it is arrogance and entitlement as much as sheer numbers, resources and empirical evidence and if you can't understand this, that is on you, not me.
 
Before some of you get too high on the Russians, they are the lowest FIFA ranked team in the tournament for a reason. They have won exactly 1 of their last 10 games. And 9 of those 10 games were played at home.

For anyone to think that the Russians are going to do anything at this tournament you have to believe that the kind of corruption that allowed Russia to get picked to host the games in the first place is going to be working in their favor. And it is FIFA, so there certainly is a chance of that. After all, look at the group that they got drawn into. Surely no one really thinks that came about through the "luck of the draw", do they?

They're not going to win the whole thing, that much I'm sure of. But they have a fairly manageable group. Also, I would note that the FIFA World Rankings are highly dependent on meaningful matches. You can't earn many points with just playing friendlies for the past 2 years. All of the other European nations had 10+ WC Qualifying matches, while Russia had just 3 significant matches from the Confederations Cup.

And yes, they have lost quite a few home games in their last 10. But those were all to world-class teams in the likes of Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and France.
 
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