World Cup Power Rankings

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I'm starting to recognize that soccer is the equivalent to the sporting world that art is to our culture. The game is relatively self-policed and referees step in only when necessary, which creates a fantastic flow of play. It's something the NBA sorely lacks and needs to adopt (more on this in a developing post coming soon!) It's unlike other sports in that it operates in a gray area, outside of absolutes, where referees govern the game on intent and don't have defined regulations to follow.

The so-called soccer gods are said to reward teams that play the game the right way. Fans and analysts praise teams for their creativity, risk-taking, and style of play, rather than the score, which is a rather superficial judgment. The beauty extneds beyond the end result. It's a better representation of life, if you care to take it that far (I do). I believe the reason it hasn't fully caught on in America is that we'd rather be told what to think. Forming our own opinions is not a strength of our people. The lack of action argument makes no sense. With no down time, there is actually constant action. Sure, there is less scoring, and sometimes even no scoring, but the subtleties are something to be appreciated, with the game apt to change at any one moment. There are plenty of ways to judge a match or squad, so don't let the score tell the whole story for you. Embrace the gray area. Don't be scared. And remember, only siths deal in absolutes.

Power Rankings (as of 2 games played for all teams):

1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Netherlands
4. Spain
5. Portugal
6. Chile
7. Germany
8. Mexico
9. Uruguay
10. Switzerland
11. Paraguay
12. United States
13. Serbia
14. Ghana
15. England
16. Slovenia
17. Ivory Coast
18. Italy
19. South Korea
20. South Africa
21. Algeria
22. New Zealand
23. Japan
24. Greece
25. Australia
26. Denmark
27. Cameroon
28. Nigeria
29. Slovakia
30. France
31. Honduras
32. North Korea

Thy Shirkness