FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 - Official Discussion Thread

[Keystone Phil]

We're a year before the World Cup so that means it's time for the Confederations Cup. Most regard it as meaningless or maybe even a curse for the winners (the winner has never gone on to win the following World Cup. In fact, they have usually underachieved). But, hey, it's a warm up for the World Cup, a chance to see young talent in most cases (despite the U-21 Euros overlapping with this) and something for us action-starved fans to watch in the Summer of an "off year."

The opening match is on Saturday, June 15th but I'm starting the thread now as the final 23 man squad lists are due to UEFA today. Hosts Brazil are the defending champions. The tournament is made up of champions from each confederation, the host nation and the defending World Cup champions. Since Spain are both World and Euro champs, Euro 2012 runner up Italy have been invited to represent Europe.

Only Argentina and France have won all three major FIFA International competitions. Italy, Uruguay and Spain have a chance this Summer to become the third team to have won all three.

Group A (I guess this counts as the Group of Death)

Brazil
Japan
Mexico
Italy

Group B

Spain
Uruguay
Tahiti
Nigeria


Discuss tournament news, rumors, results, predictions, whatever.

[Keystone Phil]

I'll have to reschedule the visits to my parents. Just hope traffic don't get unbearably chaotic.

Oh, I can't imagine it being that bad.

The Italian squad was announced yesterday. Surprising inclusion: Barzagli. He was thought to be too seriously injured to play. Surprise omissions: Sau, Ranocchia and Ogbonna. I think it's a good side but would have really liked to see Sau playing. It also would have been nice to see some of our young stars (Insigne, Immobile, Verratti and Destro) but the U-21 Euros kick off this week and overlap the Confederations Cup. It's better that they're with the youth side so we can grab another title there.

[Keystone Phil]

If Tahiti does not win I shall consider the Confederations Cup an unnecessary failure of a tournament.

Ding ding ding! Surprised it took so long but there it is: your first message of ironic support for Tahiti!

[Keystone Phil]

Forza Tahiti!

(And then Mexico I guess for CONCACAF pride lol)

You're a U.S. fan and would root for Mexico? I mean, I've rooted for teams (even rivals of my teams) in the same conference in a Final but I've never witnessed confederation pride (aside from my Euro snobbery). Even still, I'd never say "UEFA pride!" And I've just never seen a U.S. fan cheer on Mexico.

[Keystone Phil]

Kickoff is tomorrow (Saturday)! Let's get our preliminary predictions in before kickoff of the opening match (3 PM Eastern/4 PM Brasilia, Brazil).

I'm going to start with my extended preliminary prediction (Team's total points at the end of the Group stage and knockout round results) but will also post a game-by-game score prediction before each match kicks off. I hope others will join in. It was fun when we did it for the Euros.

Here's how I see things shaping up:


Group A

Italy -  7
Brazil -  5
Mexico -  2
Japan -  1

Group B

Spain -  9
Uruguay -  4
Nigeria -  4
Tahiti -  0

Uruguay advances on goal difference.

Semi Finals

Italy vs. Uruguay
Spain vs. Brazil

Third Place Match

Uruguay vs. Brazil


Final

Italy vs. Spain


Now it might be a bit of wishful thinking but remember: I was one of the very few (maybe only around here) that called an Italy-Spain Euro Final last year before the tournament began when few ever imagined Italy even making it past the Semi or Quarter Final. My winner prediction was ultimately wrong but I'm feeling better this time.

[Keystone Phil]

You're horrible.

[Keystone Phil]

What why? Third is good!

Your predictions aren't serious.

And in this tournament, finishing third might be better than winning it all since the winners have never gone on to win (or even contest the following, if I recall correctly) World Cup Final. So I wasn't irritated by that part of your post.

[Keystone Phil]

And similar to a question I asked previously, if Tahiti ever had a player good enough to make France's team, would he switch over and play for France?

Depends on the player's preference obviously but he most likely would.

[Keystone Phil]

I think Brazil gets a bit of a scare:

Brazil -  2
Japan -  1

[Keystone Phil]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

You can switch teams?  Something's wrong with that.

I say every country should have 1 team, and if you're a dependency like French Polynesia, you play on and root for France.

You can switch youth teams (like you can play for the France under-21s and then the Tahiti Senior team) but you can't switch between the actual teams.

Harry will still throw an ultra-nationalistic fit over that though I must admit, I don't like flirty with Nation A's youth team then jumping ship to Nation B's youth or senior team. Pick one.

[Keystone Phil]

Neymar gets this started beautifully and Japan was a good chance three minutes later. This should be good.

[Keystone Phil]

Brazil up 2-0 with a little over ten minutes to go.

In other news, Italy beat The Netherlands in their U-21 Semi. Their opponent in the Final? The Spanish. 

[Keystone Phil]

Why are Italy's uniforms blue?  Wouldn't that be like the USA wearing green or purple or something?

I would think a national team would wear it's country's national colors.  Or is there some kind of awesome reason behind the blue?

You're painfully ignorant.

I thank wormy for taking the time to answer. And, for the record, blue is the national color of Italy (in at least an unofficial way for the reason wormy gave).

[Keystone Phil]

You're painfully ignorant.

I'm painfully ignorant because I didn't know that the House of Savoy's (which I've only barely even heard of anyway) official color is blue?  Or because I didn't realize that Italy's soccer team would chose its uniform color based on that, rather than the color of its flag?

You're painfully ignorant because your questions prove you assumed the Italian team essentially just picked a color out of a hat. Assumed it had no meaning ("like the U.S. picking purple"). You said you figured the team would pick their national colors which means you assumed blue most certainly couldn't be the national color.

[Keystone Phil]

Harry asked if there was  "some kind of awesome reason" for the color choice. That means he thought the answer might be no, in which case he found it entirely possible that it was picked randomly. I find that to be incredibly ignorant. Whatever the case, Harry is amping up the trolling. He does this whenever an international tournament comes around.

[Keystone Phil]

My calls for today's games...

Italy -  1
Mexico -  0

Spain -  2
Uruguay - 0

[Keystone Phil]

I, too, am an American Football fan, Lewis. 

[Keystone Phil]

I, too, am an American Football fan, Lewis. 

Hence why I'm expecting so little of you.

(but I hope you meant an American football fan.)

I am both: an American that is a fan of Football and an American that is a fan of American Football (my second favorite sport. For a period of time, it was my favorite sport).

[Keystone Phil]

Harry asked if there was  "some kind of awesome reason" for the color choice. That means he thought the answer might be no, in which case he found it entirely possible that it was picked randomly. I find that to be incredibly ignorant. Whatever the case, Harry is amping up the trolling. He does this whenever an international tournament comes around.

It's trolling to ask about a team's uniform colors?  I was legitimately curious...

Why are you so sensitive about these things?

Oh, I'm not sensitive about it at all. If you think I consider this serious compared to what others say about my interest, you're sadly mistaken. I just call out trolling and ignorance when I see it.

But it is funny to see someone who flies off the handle about dual citizenship saying others are "sensitive about this stuff." Just do the five of us that actually follow this tournament a favor: don't come here with questions about a team's uniform or your "I LOVE ME SOME AMURICA" rhetoric if you aren't actually going to comment on the tournament. Thanks.

[Keystone Phil]

2-1 thanks to Super Mario in the 78th minute. Total domination. Mexico's lone goal (so far...) was a penalty kick after a stupid penalty.

[Keystone Phil]

And that's it. All three points.

[Keystone Phil]

Spain ahead after a poor clearance by Cavani, Pedro shot and a huge deflection by Uruguay.

[Keystone Phil]

It's a shame because Uruguay did have a few decent chances.

[Keystone Phil]

Suarez!

[Keystone Phil]

Today's prediction:

Tahiti -  0
Nigeria -  3