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World Cup In Review

In a flash, the World Cup went by. One month of fútbol, glorious as it can be, never really feels like enough when it follows 4 years of buildup, drama, and anticipation. Adding to the disappointment was the Final itself. I don't subscribe to the ridiculous opinion that France was somehow an undeserving champion, mind you, and the match certainly was entertaining at times. But in a tournament rife with underdogs, World-class goals, terrific defending, and feel-good stories, a tiny country getting blitzed 4-2 by the favored team, in a fairly pedestrian victory aided by some controversial officiating, was an undeserving finale.

But make no mistake, the tournament was glorious all the same. Great matches? Plenty. Great goals? OH yeah. Great play from some of the World's biggest stars? Check. Cinderella runs? More than one. Controversial refereeing? More than ten. An endearing host nation whose political situation presents absolutely no ethical dilemma? Well, you can't win them all.

I'm not sure I agree with the FOX Sports' totally unbiased proclamation that this is the best World Cup ever: just in my lifetime, 2006 saw some of the best matches, best goals, and highest drama we've ever seen, and 2014 had even more upset specials, storylines galore, and mindblowing individual performances. But this was, indeed, a great one.

If it were up to me, and it in no way is, here would be my picks for the various awards of FIFA World Cup 2018. Let's begin with the Team of the Tournament, decked out in the blue, red, and white that show up on the flags of champions France, runners-up Croatia, and hosts Russia:

Team of the Tournament

Bench: Pickford (ENG), Lloris (FRA), Umtiti (FRA), Granqvist (SWE), Godín (URU), Lovren (CRO), Trippier (ENG), Casemiro (BRA), Henderson (ENG), Cheryshev (RUS), Griezmann (FRA),

Lukaku (BEL)

There are several no-brainers in my first-team squad, namely the Golden and Silver Ball winners in Luka Modrić and Eden Hazard, whose teams mostly have them to thank for how far they went in the tournament. The French trio of Mbappé, Pogba and Kante should also come as no surprise to anyone who watched most of the Cup. I have my own opinions about how good English golden boy Harry Kane is, but I'm not going to leave the Golden Boot winner out of the first-team. Both Croatia and France largely had their stable center-backs to thank for their success, and both find representation in this team, with young star Raphael Varane and surprise success Domagoj Vida barely nudging out also-deserving teammates Samuel Umtiti and Dejan Lovren, respectively. They play in front of Golden Glove winner Thibaut Courtois. At the time of the award announcement, I found the award choice of the tall Belgian to be uninspiring; no keeper truly commanded this tournament, and I felt as if Courtois edged into it by default, thanks to Hugo Lloris' atrocious blunder on the biggest stage. But in retrospect, no back line-keeper combo was as steady as Belgium's, and Courtois' 2nd-half performance vs. Brazil was enough to earn the top prize in itself. Finally, two players who didn't reach the semifinals make my first team: Brazil's Phillipe Coutinho and Colombia's Yerry Mina, both of Barcelona. The former was Brazil's engine and creative genius, supplanting Neymar as their key figure to success. In the case of the latter, had Colombia won their Round of 16 penalty shootout rather than losing, the center-back may well and truly have been a Golden Ball nominee, as much for his aerial prowess (Mina scored 3 (!) goals off of set pieces, including a last-second equalizer vs. England) as his steady play at the back.

Best Manager: Zlatko Dalić, Croatia

Silver Manager: Gareth Southgate, England

Bronze Manager: Janne Andersson, Sweden

This is an absolute no-brainer to me. Most have called either for Southgate-- whose admirable job is slightly overshadowed by the fact that England lost to the 3 top-shelf sides they played -- or France's Dider Deschamps to earn this award. Look, I understand the tendency to want to reward the winning manager, but take one look at France's roster. My mother, who watches about 5 soccer matches a year, could coach that team to World Cup triumph. Dalić on the other hand, took a team borne out of a nation of 3 million to their first-ever World Cup final. To be sure, Croatia was never lacking in talent: their key players start for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan, and Liverpool. But Croatia has had that talent for the last 12 years, and their major tournament appearances in that time had never seen them advance past the first knockout round. Dalić turned them into a team that played as a cohesive unit: patient but lethal in attack, steady and physical in defense. They blazed through the Group of Death, then had the mental fortitude to win back-to-back penalty shootouts (including one against the hosts), and rally late for an extra-time victory over an inspired England side. Even in the final, Dalić's men didn't look too small for the moment; they simply got outplayed by a more talented, deeper French side. It was as amazing a run for this manager as it was for his players.

Best Moment: Panama Gets Their Goal

This tournament, again, was full of great moments and stories, so much so that this was one of the hardest decisions for me to make. But this moment, courtesy of the worst team in the tournament, tops them all in my book. Look at how much the World Cup means: this country is losing 6-0, has nothing to play for and is minutes from being eliminated. And yet, when their captain scores their nation's first-ever World Cup goal, the celebration is akin to taking the lead in the Final. Nobody is safe from the contagious happiness: Panamian players, fans, and even the manager rejoice, and even English fans can't help but smile and applaud. This is what makes this tournament the greatest sporting event on Earth.

Best Goal: Toni Kroos vs. Sweden

Bronze Goal: Nacho vs. Portugal

This might be my most controversial pick-- indeed, Kroos' goal is unlikely to top any pundit's list from this tournament that saw so many top-notch golazos. The German's strike alone may not have had the speed of Pavard's and Nacho's near-identical wonder goals, nor the distance of Dennis Cheryshev's, Angel Di Maria's, or Takashi Inui's. In fact, many might say it wasn't even the best free kick goal of the tournament, opting instead for Ronaldo's late equalizer against Spain. But, brilliant as those all were, I'll tell you why Toni Kroos' takes the cake. The context is such: Germany is seconds away from a draw with Sweden, which would all but eliminate the defending champions in just 2 matches played. They've played with 10 men for the last 15 minutes, and have thrown seemingly everything at a staunch Swedish defense, to no avail. This is the last semblance of hope for them to steal a win, a free kick outside the box; but success seems unlikely with how unbeatable the back line and particularly Swedish goalie Robin Olsen have looked over the last half hour. Yet, captain Kroos steps up and, as cool as an ice cube in an Antarctican Coca-Cola, plays a short 1-2 with teammate Marco Reus before drilling the ball perfectly in the far corner. The calm; the tactics; the precision; the pace. It was exactly what gives Germany the nickname "The Machine," and though they would go on to embarrass themselves in the next match against South Korea, this goal at the time was the most electric moment of the tournament.

Best Player: Kylian Mbappé, France

Silver Player: Luka Modrić, Croatia

Bronze Player: Eden Hazard, Belgium

I went back and forth on this several times, and it really is a two-horse race for me. Great as Hazard was, and as fun as the little Belgian is to watch at the top of his game, he never really took over matches to quite the same extent FIFA's Golden Ball winner and Best Young Player winner did for their sides. Let me start by saying I have zero qualms about Modrić winning the Golden Ball; I think he deserved it, for one, and it's also exciting to see it go to someone whose brilliance is understated. Modrić isn't the flashiest player in the Cup (though his knockout punch of a goal vs. Argentina shone bright), but he is an absolutely brilliant midfielder, and piloted Croatia to their best performance ever. Yet, when all is said and done, I just think if there's one player fans will remember from this tournament, it will be France's Mbappé. The 19-year old announced himself in jaw-dropping fashion when he essentially singlehandedly lacerated Argentina in the Round of 16. But he didn't stop there; he may have only netted one goal in the semifinal and Final victories, but he was head-and-shoulders the best player on the field in both instances, thoroughly dictating France's attack. I know I could just watch in disbelief as he made fools of the Belgian and Croatian defenders who had played at such a high level. So, I do think Modrić, in addition to being vastly under-appreciated, was the most consistent performer at the Cup. I just have to give my Golden Ball (by the tiniest of margins) to the young man who gave fans the experience of watching a legend in the making.

And finally, the last and arguably best award of all, because soccer is, at the end of the day, a team sport:

Best Match: Belgium 2, Brazil 1

Silver Match: Belgium 3, Japan 2

Bronze Match: France 4, Argentina 3

France and Argentina were two historic sides, and the two had goals, goals, all types of goals: world-class goals and deflection goals. Belgium and Japan also had some insane goals, and the former had a rally from 2-0 down with 20 minutes left to play, that culminated in absolutely devastating counterattack perfection. But, both of them juuuust miss out for top honors here. If we're talking context + even matchup + entertainment value, nothing conquers that matrix quite like this clash did. The storylines alone were oozing before the match even began: the most successful World Cup country ever against the Golden Generation of a country looking for its first-ever title, in the quarterfinal stage. An embarrassment of riches in terms of talent: Brazil's squad featured many of the best players in La Liga, while Belgium's side featured the best players in the Premier League. Amazingly, the proceedings lived up to the hype, and did so without even needing extra time. With an early own goal, and nervous jitters in front of the opposing goal, Brazil ran the risk of replicating their infamous capitulation to Germany of 4 years ago. This looked even more likely when Kevin De Bruyne doubled the Belgians' lead with an absolute bullet. Yet, throughout, though Belgium looked infinitely more steady in buildup play, Brazil threatened to knock in a goal as well. Once the Seleção's intensity ratcheted up in the 2nd half, that threat became even more real. Splendid goalkeeping from Courtois (and a missed penalty or two by the ref) kept his opponents at bay for most of the half, but with 12 minutes remaining, an inch-perfect pass from Coutinho met the head of substitute Renato Augosto, who redirected the shot into the net. That pulled the scoreline to 2-1, and instigated one of the most frenetic finishes to any World Cup match, with Brazil seeing a seemingly endless barrage of possession in the final third, with Belgium appearing to be holding on for dear life. That dynamic came to a head in the very final minute: oft-criticized Brazilian star Neymar received the ball outside the box and struck a simply majestic curling shot, destined to fall into the upper 90 of the goal and send the match into extra time...only for Courtois to guide the ball just over the bar with his fingertips. Not long after, the whistle blew, and the Belgians' holdout was complete. As brilliant as both sides' attacking play was throughout the match, it was the masterclass defending and goalkeeping that was the story of this instant classic.

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