Germany wins the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Germany defeated Argentina in extra time 1-0 to take home their fourth FIFA World Cup title! This is their first championship win since they beat Argentina back in 1990. It was substitute player Mario Gotze who scored the game-winning goal for his country. He was subbed in the 88th minute and then in the 113th minute, Andre Schurrle hit a cross that bumped into Gotze’s chest and then he immediately kicked it in the side of the net for the win. Before Gotze was brought on the field, his head coach, Joachim Loew gave him some motivation.

“I said to Gotze, ‘Show to the world that you are better than Messi and you can decide the game.'” (Credit: SB Nation)

What a moment! As for Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi, he ended up winning the Golden Ball award, which is given to the World Cup’s best player. However, it wasn’t near as satisfying as what all of the Germans are experiencing now. Staying with awards, German goalie Manuel Neuer was voted the tournament’s best goalkeeper. The thought of winning his first World Cup has still not sunk in yet for the world’s elite goalie.

“It’s incredible. The team did it beautifully,” said Neuer. “At some point we’ll stop celebrating but we’ll still wake up with a smile.” (Credit: ESPNFC.com)

Lionel Messi and Argentina had multiple chances of scoring, but the chemistry was a little off for the offense as they failed to score a single goal. Their defense was able to keep them in the game, but sooner or later, The Machine of Germany was bound to score at least one goal and they did at a perfect time.

Mario Gotze’s goal in extra time won the FIFA World Cup for Germany.
Credit: podcoost.com

Germany started the tournament with a 4-0 rout of Portugal. That was a sign of greater things to come from the Loew’s team. They defeated Algeria 2-1 in the first round of the knockout stage. Then they shutout France 1-0 on the 4th of July. After that, they shocked the world by destroying Brazil 7-1 in the semifinals. Now they stand on top of the world for the next four years as FIFA World Cup champions.

Germany led all countries in goals with 18 and their superstar striker Thomas Mueller was second in the tournament with five goals. He was also second in assists with three, while his fellow teammate Toni Kroos led all players with four assists while also adding in two goals. Gotze finished the World Cup with six appearances and two goals. His rise to fame will surely continue as he is only 22 years old. Watch him in the future to develop into an elite player.

I always knew Germany was going to win, but Argentina put up a good fight. Unfortunately, Germany has a better overall team than Argentina does. It doesn’t matter if you have the best player in Lionel Messi, if you don’t have a supporting cast around him, he won’t win a whole lot of games. That is why Germany came out on top. With players like Mueller, Neuer, Kroos, Klose, Schurrle, Hummels, Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira, Lukas Podolski, Per Mertesacker, Julian Draxler, Philipp Lahm, Gotze, Jerome Boateng, Christoph Kramer and Bastian Schweinsteiger, there’s no way this team could lose. They played together and functioned as one great unit. That is why they are World Champions. Now we will have to wait till 2018 when Russia will host the next FIFA World Cup. I’m looking at you USA!

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The FIFA World Cup Final is Set

Argentina just defeated Netherlands 4-2 in a penalty shootout after both teams went scoreless in regulation and extra time. Netherlands defense was able to shut down Lionel Messi and company, but they couldn’t score a goal themselves. Their defense did great, but their offense did not. Yesterday, Germany defeated Brazil in a heartbreaking 7-1 blowout. The Germans ended the first half 5-0 and they just couldn’t stop scoring the whole game. Neymar was absent because of a back injury and Thiago Silva was suspended because he picked up too many yellow cards. Those two players were the main reason why Brazil couldn’t deliver in the semi-final.

Thomas Muller and Germany will try to win their fourth World Cup Championship against Argentina.
Credit: http://www.dailystar.co.uk

Now it is Argentina and Germany meeting in the FIFA World Cup Final for a third time. The first time they met was in 1986 and Argentina won that round 3-2. Then the very next World Cup in 1990,  Germany got their revenge  and beat the Argentinians 1-0. Argentina has a total of two World Cup championships while Germany has three. Now it will be best two-out-of-three in this meeting for the World Cup Final.

Germany has scored the most goals out of any team in the World Cup this year with 17. That last match with Brazil probably helped out a little bit. Thomas Muller is second among all players with five goals to his name and is also credited with three assists. He will be the player that Argentina has to look out for. Miroslav Klose has a record 16 World Cup goals in his career, scoring two of them in this World Cup. Andre Schuerrle has three goals for Germany and Toni Kroos has two for his team. With a stacked team like Germany to face, Argentina will have a lot to deal with defensively.

As for the Argentinians, they have arguably the best soccer player in the world on their team, Lionel Messi. The 27-year-old superstar has four goals and an assist in this year’s World Cup. He has carried his team all the way to the Finals and now it’s time to see if he can do it one more time. He hasn’t had much help on offense, so he will have to rely on his defenders to keep Argentina in the game.

It’s going to be tough to call this one, but after seeing Germany destroy Brazil in the semi-finals, I have to go with them to win the World Cup. Look for Germany to score early and put Argentina in a position where they have to make hurried decisions in order to catch up. Argentina’s bad decision-making and lack of depth will be their downfall in the upcoming match.

USA Loses to Belgium in Extra Time

The United States have been knocked out of the FIFA World Cup by Belgium in the first round. Both teams were scoreless by the end of regulation, but Belgium was able to score two and the U.S. only scored one and after the dust settled, the final score was 2-1. The loss was a heartbreaking one after expectations were set pretty high for the men’s national team. In the 93rd minute, Kevin De Bruyne scored for Belgium to take the lead and then substitute striker Romelu Lukaku kicked one in 12 minutes later. The U.S. fought back when their substitute striker, 19-year-old Julian Green, knocked in his first international goal on his first touch to give his team a spark of hope. However, time ran out for the United States and their World Cup journey has come to an abrupt end.

Superstar goalkeeper Tim Howard had one of the best performances of his career with 16 saves. That’s the most by any goalkeeper in the World Cup since 1966! However, he couldn’t do it all by himself and the United States’ offense couldn’t produce anything during regulation time after both Clint Dempsey and Chris Wondolowski had chances to score late in the game.

The U.S. team will have to wait another four years and hopefully Tim Howard will remain in good form by then. He is currently 35 years old and is getting near the end of his soccer career. Clint Dempsey should definitely return, but he will be 35 by the time the World Cup comes back around in 2018 at Russia.

One of the biggest struggles facing the men’s national team was Jozy Altidore’s hamstring injury in the first game against Ghana. Latest news says that he will be good to go for Sunderland’s next match. In 2018, Altidore will have to emerge as America’s top soccer player at the age of 28. For now, he is a 24-year-old looking to make his impact in the world of soccer. Other players like Graham Zusi, Michael Bradley and John Anthony Brooks will definitely return for the next World Cup and will be a big help for the United States in other international matches. Hopefully next time, the U.S. will have a good solid foundation to work with against other international clubs.

Christian Athlete of the Week: Clint Dempsey

The USA team tied with Portugal 2-2 last night in a heartbreaking effort. A win would have put the U.S. in the World Cup knockout stage. History could have been made, but it was all for naught when Portugal scored on a header in the 94th minute. Clint Dempsey, the team’s captain and starting striker, scored what could have been the game-winner in the 81st minute. His performance in the World Cup right now is inspiring. However, the one thing that inspires Dempsey is Jesus Christ.

Dempsey was born and raised in Texas where he played for one of the best youth soccer clubs in the state, the Dallas Texans. He played for Furman University and ended up getting drafted by the New England Revolution in the 2004 MLS Draft. From there, Dempsey has been a superstar soccer player. He is the second American player to score a goal in two different World Cups and the first to score in three World Cups. The 31-year-old has now scored 39 international goals in 107 appearances for the U.S. National team. The attacking midfielder has always credited his success on the field to the One who gave him his incredible talents.

“I play to the best of my abilities and am thankful for the many opportunities and amazing success God has given me,” Dempsey said. “Through it all, I want to do right, not make mistakes, and live a life that is pleasing to Him.”

Dempsey grew up as a Roman Catholic and knew about Christ through his grandmother. He also said that there have been times where God has tested his faith, including the loss of his 16-year-old sister.

“My parents had started me in the sport to help me learn good people skills,” said Dempsey to Sports Spectrum, “Little did I know that the sport I loved and the skills I learned would later play a role in my relationship with God. I grew up in a Catholic family and would go to church with my grandmother every Sunday. Through her, I learned that faith was important. When I was 12 years old, my life took a turn that would change me forever. My sister, Jennifer, died from a brain aneurysm and I was faced with questions about why things happen and what role God played in it all. For a number of years, I struggled and put distance between God and me. But He was faithful and patient and provided gradual healing and strength.”

When Dempsey attended Furman, he joined a Bible study and it was there where he gave his life to Christ.

“God’s Word brought me peace and a desire for a relationship with Him,” said Dempsey. “I found that questioning Him and searching for answers through Scripture helped me grow and gave me direction. Now my faith in Christ is what gives me confidence for the future. I know that through both good times and bad, He is faithful and will watch over me.”

Dempsey’s life has been a great testimony to what God has done for him. He has been blessed with the abilities of a superstar soccer player and now he will lead his team against Germany this Thursday. He is going to need a lot of prayer!

Spain Eliminated from the World Cup

After losing to Chile 2-0, Spain has been knocked out of contention for the World Cup. The defending champions were considered a dominant soccer powerhouse entering this tournament, but after getting blown out of the water by Netherlands 5-1 last Friday, it will be impossible for them to bounce back in their Group Stage. This is not the first time a defending champ has been knocked out of the group stage. Italy suffered in the last World Cup in 2010 and France did not make the knockout stage of the tournament in 2002. However, this is the first time in World Cup history where the defending champion is eliminated after just two games.

This travesty happened when Eduardo Vargas scored early in the 20th minute and then Charles Aranguiz closed out the first half with another goal in the 43rd minute for Chile. From there, Spain’s offense couldn’t recover and the team was devastated by the loss. Head coach Vicente del Bosque had led Spain to glory at the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, but this year he couldn’t garner any success. Spain will have to wait four more years for their chance, but by that time, veteran players like Andres Iniesta and Xavi might retire. World Cup fans will be excited to see who will take the crown this year, now that the defending champs are no longer in contention.

USA wins first World Cup Group Stage Match against Ghana

The United States started their World Cup journey with a bang, beating Ghana 2-1 in the Group G Stage match. Team Captain Clint Dempsey scored the first goal in under a minute to put USA up 1-0. It goes down as the fastest goal scored by an American in World Cup history! Then for the rest of the match, it was pretty much USA playing great defense until the 82nd minute when Andre Ayew of Ghana scored, breaking the hearts of almost every American fan. He was assisted by Asamoah Gyan on the play. However, the United States’ team would not go down lightly. Four minutes later, American substitute Graham Zusi found fellow substitute John Brooks on a corner kick that Brooks’ headed in the middle of the box. The 21-year-old defender scored his first World Cup goal and what a goal it was! The United States would hang on for the last several minutes, clinching their first victory.

USA did a horrible job of possessing the ball and had too many fouls, but they were able to overcome all of those mistakes to beat Ghana. The United States will play Portugal on June 22 at 6 p.m. while Ghana will have to take on Germany the day before at 3 p.m. Both matches will be tough to handle, but if the Americans can believe that they can win, then they will do just that.