World Cup 2014: Culture, Competition, and a Shot at Victory

With the 2014 World Cup in full swing, Town Fair Tire would like to dig into the culture of the game of soccer in America. The World Cup is a fantastic event because it brings various cultures together from around the globe. While not every country has the opportunity to root for their hometown team to bring home the cup, the ones that do will do so with great enthusiasm.

As you may or may not know, the United States is not favored to win the World Cup this year, but what's amazing about this event is the camaraderie that grows out of the competition. In America we adore our professional sports leagues, our favorite teams, players, and heckling our friends, family members, and co-workers about theirs. While we do have Major League Soccer in America, soccer has yet to take off in our country in the same way that it has in others. The fan base for the United States team in this year's world cup grew substantially after their win over Ghana in the first round. Some enthusiasts might argue that a real fan sticks with their team through victory and defeat, but for a sport that many Americans have yet to accept, the good publicity is more than welcome.

In the second round of this year's World Cup the United States faces quite a challenge. They are pitted against a team from Portugal that has the game of soccer deeply ingrained in their roots. In addition, the Portugal team has one of the best and most famous players in the world playing for them in Cristiano Ronaldo. The United States plays Portugal on Sunday, June 22 at 6:00 pm. Both teams will be playing without star players as Pepe sits out for Portugal due to a red card in the team's previous match, and star forward Jozy Altidore is out for the United States because of a serious hamstring injury.

Can the United States persevere against a team as strong as Portugal? What are your predictions for Sundays game?