5 Things You Missed At The 2014 World Cup In Brazil: Week 2
The World Cup is here. And the action has been as exciting as we could have hoped. With so many games and so many stories -- after all, it is the biggest sporting event on the planet -- some stuff is bound to slip through the cracks.
We've got you covered. Here are five things you missed recently in World Cup news.
1. US Looking To Get Even With Ghana
The United States Men’s National Team World Cup debuts Monday evening against Ghana. Ghana has eliminated the US in the last two World Cups, so the USMNT may be looking for a little revenge. Also, the US and Ghana are the two teams in Group G (the "Group of Death") that are predicted not to get out of group play; Portugal and Germany are likely to advance. Both teams will be looking to win their first game before facing the favorites.
Follow the United States men's national soccer team action on the CBS Local live blog.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo Still Nursing Injury
Considered the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal is still nursing his injured left knee this week. Recently, the Portuguese player had to cut practice short due to pain in his knee and was seen walking off with an ice pack strapped to his leg. This could be a huge hit for the Portuguese squad, as their best player is showing that he is not 100 percent. Of course, this is good news for the US, since Portugal could stand between them and a ticket to the second round.
3. US Has German Flavor On The Squad
The USMNT squad has five players on the roster that are sons of American servicemen and German mothers. Midfielder Jermaine Jones actually played with Germany back in 2008 for a few exhibitions, but switched to the US when FIFA eliminated an age restriction and allowed players to change countries if the player had not played for a senior team in an official match, which Jones never did with Germany. Defender Fabian Johnson played with the German U-21 team but also switched to the US once Coach Jurgen Klinsmann called him to join the American squad.
Read United States men’s national soccer team Player Profiles.
4. Witch Doctors Make Predictions For World Cup
Every time a World Cup comes around, witch doctors from around the world get involved and make predictions or hex teams or players. Recently, a witch doctor told the press in Ghana that he had hexed the best player in the world – Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo has been nursing muscle pains in his right thigh (in addition to his knee injury), which is supposedly what the Ghanaian witch doctor takes credit for. Portugal and Ghana are in the same group. Also, a Mexican warlock supposedly sent bad vibes to the Cameroon team, which is why Mexico defeated the African country during Friday’s morning game. Additionally, a famous Brazilian witch doctor predicts that Brazil will fail to win the World Cup at home.
5. World Cup Protesters
The ugly side of this World Cup -- that Brazil mistreated many of its poorer citizens to build new stadiums and hotels -- continues to show itself. These and other people continue to protest. A recent uprising included an attempt to attack a tourist spot in the city of Salvador, a World Cup site. The mob was intercepted by the Brazilian police blocks from the World Cup festival. Eleven people were arrested while plenty of others were injured, including innocent soccer fans who were making their way to the festival.
Check out 5 Things You Missed At The World Cup so far.
J.L. Herrera is a huge fan of football and has been following the Raiders since the 1980s during the LA era. J.L. is also a freelance writer and copywriter on the web. He taught English for a little more than a decade in Los Angeles at the secondary level. While writing for web-based news outlets, J.L. enjoys reading, creative writing, and watching sports. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
