By: Mari León Qatar 2022 is the Japanese men's national soccer team's seventh consecutive World Cup appearance. Interestingly enough, the Samurai hadn’t been to any World Cup prior to 1998. This time around, they had to win at least second place in the Asian Cup, doing so behind Saudi Arabia. Japan (Nippon/Nihon in Japanese, spelled... Continue Reading →
South Korea: The Red Devils
By: Wenses Salomón Pool Albornoz The South Korean men's national team is also called the "Taegeuk Warriors" or "Red Devils” — a reference to their red uniform. They’ve qualified for nine World Cups so far. According to an old country legend, in the times of the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Korio, Baekje, and Silla), a... Continue Reading →
“Advent Just Doesn’t Work Out for Me”
By: Scott Armstrong Have you ever seen the Christmas movie, The Polar Express? It was a mainstay in our household when our kids were little, and we still watch it most years when December comes. Without giving away the whole plot, there’s a seemingly peripheral character who has a few scenes that are hard to... Continue Reading →
Australia’s “Socceroos”
By: Mari León Australia has a soccer team that grows more and more talented by the day, despite having only participated in 5 World Cups. Lately, its greatest successes have come in the Nations Cup of the Oceania National Confederation (OFC), and they’ve also exhibited excellent teamwork in the Confederations Cup, in which they were... Continue Reading →
Costa Rica: Los Ticos
By: Guadalupe Muñoa Difficult, but not impossible! The “Ticos" will participate in their sixth World Cup this year as they were the very last national team to qualify after beating New Zealand in a playoff. They head to Qatar with lots of optimism and a deep desire to seize victory. They’re part of group E... Continue Reading →
Serbia: The White Eagles
By: Guadalupe Muñoa Victory takes courage! Serbia has a fairly recent history with football; with the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the separation of Montenegro in 2006, they were granted FIFA and UEFA membership, finally participating in the World Cup for the first time in South Africa in 2010 as an independent nation. In Qatar, they’ll... Continue Reading →
Morocco: The Atlas Lions
By: Wenses Salomon Pool Albornoz Morocco is a country in the African continent distinguished by Berber, Arab and European cultural influences. In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Moroccan national team seeks to live up to its nickname, the “Atlas Lions." They share Group F with Belgium, Canada, and Croatia. The Moroccan team is... Continue Reading →
Tunisia: The Carthage Eagles
By: Guadalupe Muñoa Nothing is impossible in soccer. The Tunisians have been known to be an unpredictable opponent and will be looking to spring a surprise at the 2022 World Cup after qualifying for the sixth time on March 29, 2022, joining Group D along with Denmark, Australia, and France. This time, they’ll arrive in... Continue Reading →
Wales: The Red Dragons. “Wales Rises From the Ashes Like the Phoenix”.
By: Guadalupe Muñoa Ocampo Wales’s history in the World Cup has continued this year after 64 years of absence. They reached the quarterfinals in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden with an own goal from the opposing team in the 34th minute. Wales secured their position in Qatar with a victory against Ukraine, with fans... Continue Reading →
Poland: The White Eagles
By: Carlos Castro Poland reached the World Cup with some luck when they breezed through a round due to Russia's disqualification, but that shouldn’t overshadow their high quality of play. Robert Lewandowski is an example of the team’s vigor: top scorer of his national team, voted by FIFA as the best player in the world... Continue Reading →