Only two games remain in World Cup

Only two games remain in World Cup

By Tyler Dixon

The biggest tournament in the world will end this weekend with one team holding the World Cup trophy along with bragging rights for the next four years.

Argentina and Germany will meet in the final Sunday with the Netherlands and host Brazil meeting in the third-place game Saturday.

The Bavarians completely dismantled Brazil in front of its home fans beating them 7-1. Brazil was without Neymar and Thiago Silva, but that shouldn’t matter. Argentina took the Orange to penalty kicks and was able to continue its journey.

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The championship match is always a tough one to pick and this year’s won’t be any different. Germany has firepower and history on its side. They have been one of the most dominant teams in the last 12 years. This year’s final is Germany’s ninth final appearance and they have won three championships. Argentina has always been solid, but hasn’t reached a World Cup final since 1990. They won the 1978 and 1986 finals.

Two players stand above the rest when discussing the final two teams.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi is one of the best, if not the best players in the world. When he has the ball, all 11 players on the other team have eyes on him, but he may not be the best scorer in the tournament.

German Thomas Muller is a wunderkind. He has scored five goals in the last two World Cups and is already a threat to break teammate Miroslav Klose’s record of career World Cup goals with 16.

There are several other players that could be deciding factors in the finale.

Germany’s squad is basically a list of the best players in the world at every position. It had five players score in its last game alone. Along with Muller and Klose, they have Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil and several others in the midfield. Mats Hummels leads the defense and Manuel Neuer is one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

Argentina doesn’t have the firepower the Germans have but they still have great players. Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain join Messi up front while Javier Mascherano mans the midfield.

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My pick for this game is split. Who I want and whom I think will win are two different questions. I will wear my Messi jersey proudly Sunday, but the Germans will win 3-1.

The third-place game will also be close, but the Dutch will come away with the victory. Neymar’s injury is a huge blow to the striking ability of Brazil, but they will still be able to grab a goal from either Oscar or one of its defenders.

The Netherlands has several players who could reel off several goals. Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie can score from any on the pitch.

After Sunday the World Cup will be over for four years. It’s always when another tournament ends but it doesn’t take long for talk about the next one.

Team USA had a respectable World Cup. They made it out of the Group of Death and came very close to beating Belgium. The current roster is young and will be better in 2018. Julian Green made a surprise appearance at the end of the Belgium match and did not disappoint with his skills. Goalkeeper Tim Howard could be back between the posts but it is still up in the air. Jurgen Klinsmann has gotten a lot of heat since being named manager but he is finally putting us in the right direction.

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