Thursday, June 6, 2024
Our 4th Euro pool kicks off with a deadline June 14th
LOS ALAMITOS, CA (smt)- Amidst a busy summer of American soccer with the USMNT (finally!) playing in the Olympics (July 24-Aug 10), the USWMT also trying get the bad taste of Women's World Cup 2023 out their mouths in their Olympics, the USMNT participating in Copa America again on U.S. soil (June 20-July 14), and Major League Soccer participating in the Leagues Cup (July 26-Aug 25), our attention right now turns to the great players of Europe as the European Championship kicks off June 14. Euro 2024 will feature the typical favorites D4-France, E1-Belgium, C4-England, F3-Portugal, D2-Netherlands, and B1-Spain, all in the top 8 FIFA overall rankings. Throw in defending champion B3-Italy (#9) and host A1-Germany (ranked a low #16), who else could win the title?
Of the 8 aforementioned teams, only BEL has not won any major title and six have already won the Euros (not ENG & BEL). And no host nation has won the Euros since 1988 (FRA) and last year's heartbreak of ENG scoring early and losing at Wembley Stadium in the Euro 2020 (well, played in 2021) final while fans broke through barriers outside (a great documentary about the chaos of that day, The Final: Attack on Wembley, is now on Netflix) was a reminder that being the home team was not all that it's cracked up to be. ITA, who can't even qualify for the World Cup (missed 2018 and 2022), will try to repeat as Euro Champions like ESP did in 2012, our first Euro Pool.
Unlike the World Cup,
