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Group E
Brazil: Atlanta Falcons
Top to bottom, the Atlanta Falcons are one of the best, most talented, all-around rosters you’re going to find in football.
In futbol, that’s exactly where you are when you look at the Brazilian national team, too.
Believe it or not, it wasn’t always a lock for this Brazil team to even make the World Cup. To start their qualification, they were playing so poorly they were sixth in their qualification group when they fired their old manager. Now, with Tite in command, the team is rolling like they should. Sure, Neymar is the centerpiece, but it’s not just Neymar — that was what did them in in the 2014 World Cup Final. Dani Alves, Marcelo, Casemiro, Gabriel Alves, Coutinho and Willian are all very talented players all across the pitch.
That’s how I look at the Falcons. It wasn’t too long ago when the Falcons were just Julio Jones and Matt Ryan. But, over the last few seasons, they’ve surround them with Devonta Freeman, Mohamed Sanu, Alex Mack, Tevin Coleman, and on the other side Vic Beasley, Grady Jarrett, Keanu Neal and more.
Top to bottom, these parallels can beat any team in their sports. Not to mentioned, Brazil is still trying to make up for their embarrassing 7-1 lost in the last World Cup Final like the Falcons are trying to recover from their embarrassing blown lead in the Super Bowl two years ago.
Switzerland: Tennessee Titans
It was by the smallest of margins that the Swiss were able to earn their World Cup bid, and such was the case with the Tennessee Titans, who barely made it into the 2017 NFL Playoffs.
Switzerland’s top players come from the back line where Serie A pair Stephan Lichtsteiner (the captain) and Rodriguez are both outstanding players. Plus, there’s depth behind them as Michael Lang can step in at any time. This reminded me of the situation the Titans now have in cornerbacks Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan and Adoree’ Jackson.
The big question for both Switzerland and Tennessee is where the offense will consistently come from. Is this the year where Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota really takes control? And with new faces in the run game and the pass game, nothing is solidified, albeit talent present.
Costa Rica:Â Jacksonville Jaguars
Elite defenses can take you to place you might not have believed it could have previously. We learned that when Costa Rica made the quarter finals in the 2014 World Cup, and we learned it last year when the Jacksonville Jaguars made their run to the AFC Championship game.
Costa Rica had the second-best unit of the Hexagonal CONCACAF phase, allowing just eight goals. On the back line Kendall Waston, Giancarlo Gonzalez and Johnny Acosta play opposing offenses as tough as any. To me, that’s Telvin Smith, A.J. Bouye and that Jacksonville front. But, for both teams, their defense is highlighted by their best; for Costa Rice, their keeper Keylor Navas; for Jacksonville, their All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Both Navas and Ramsey are considered to be one of the best if not the best at what they do in the world.
These squads have shown us what defense can do before, now it’s just a matter of watching how far it can possibly take them in the near future.
Serbia: San Francisco 49ers
If you ask me, the drawing parallel between the Serbian national team and the San Francisco 49ers comes from Serbian midfielder Aleksandar Mitrovic and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Mitrovic is just 23 years old, but in his limited experience with the national team and at the high club level, he’s show glimpses of his potential. Such can be said about Garoppolo, who mostly notable has yet to lose an NFL game as a starter, and has already been rewarded handsomely for it with a big contract in San Fran.
Serbian and San Francisco also share a similar them in that their defense is aging and fading before them. For Serbia, Branislav Ivanovic, Kolarov and Antonio Rukavina are all on likely on their last ride. Such was the phasing out feeling when Patrick Willis, Ahmad Brook and NaVorro Bowman moved on from their time in the Bay.
Both of these squads’ futures hang on the shoulders of young talent – but that’s often when things get the most exciting.