Who will win the 2014 FIFA World Cup?

[Bull Moose Base]

Aside from Costa Rica, any match of the remaining 7 looks fairly even. Following that logic, that means the Netherlands is the best bet to win, followed by Argentina and Belgium. But since I'm an illogical person, I'll vote for Costa Rica to win. Also don't want to knock Colombia from the lead of this poll.

[Bull Moose Base]

According to 538, Brazil is a 39% favorite, followed by Argentina at 20%.

haha, good one.

It's based on ESPN's Soccer Power Index, which, like everything related to ESPN, is terrible.

That's only part of it. It also includes homefield advantage, how good the individual players are on the team, and how they've been doing in the World Cup so far. And 538's probabilities have been very good so far this Cup.

I don't really know what the ESPN Soccer Power Index is, but it sounds dumb.
The thing is that for instance I don't even know what Homefield advantage means. We haven't won a major international tournament that was hosted by Brazil in like...ever I think. Certainly we haven't won a World Cup or a Copa America in Brazil. Maybe he means advantage because we are playing in South America? Well, apart from 1930 (a very primitive World Cup) and 1978 (we were playing at Argentina under a dictatorship that obviously rigged a couple of matches), we haven't done that well in World Cups in South America. Brazil and Argentina for the most part don't even have the same climate.
And considering the long standing rivalry and animosity between Argentina and Brazil, the fact that the World Cup is being held in Brazil shouldn't be that much of an advantage if any.

"How good individual players are on the team?"? has this guy been watching what I watched? If it weren't for Messi we would be absolutely disastrous. Apart from a few shines by Lavezzi, Di Maria and Romero we have been pretty crappy, not really playing as a team but as a bunch of guys trying to outhit the ball (and doing it poorly by the way)

We beat Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria and Switzerland...LOL World Cup contenders they are not.

Yeah, but you could say something pretty similar about every other team except the Dutch.

[Bull Moose Base]

lol these results

Argentina getting no votes on this board probably means they're the favorite?

Will there be a new thread for the semis?