Going into this World Cup, I thought that there were only a few teams with a legitimate chance of winning it: Germany, Brazil, Spain, France, and Argentina. For the sake of argument, I’ll also say it’s possible for Portugal, England, and Belgium. Possible. And I’m being kind.

So, of those teams that I just mentioned, only one has a win. It’s France and it was unconvincing. (And, yeah, two have yet to play and they’re England and Belgium: both long shots.)

I see two explanations for this. One is that the world’s superstars who fill those favored teams are worn out from so much European soccer and so rusty playing for their countries that they may be at a disadvantage.

Two, it’s still early in the tournament and we actually don’t know anything yet.

Let’s talk about today’s games.

Costa Rica vs. Serbia

Alright, I slept through this but I saw the highlight. That was a hell of a free kick. Costa Rica isn’t the kind of that can easily bounce back in their group.

Mexico vs. Germany

Mexico beat the defending champions. That was awesome. I said I wouldn’t root for Mexico because of their rivalry with the U.S. but after that performance and seeing Chicharito crying afterward, it’s not hard to have a soft spot for them.

Brazil vs. Switzerland

Apparent this is the first time in nine World Cups that Brazil didn’t win their first game. Coutinho’s goal was amazing but it wasn’t enough.

Let’s talk about Switzerland.

I wrote off Switzerland. Little did I know that they’re ranked sixth in the world right now. I know Shaqiri and that’s it. The rest are strangers to me. I’m not sure how cool Zuber’s push was to get his header (apparently, several former British starts don’t think it should have stood) but they got a result.

Serbia is at the top of Group E, now. If you saw that coming, you’re lying.

Real quick: what is up with Neymar’s hair?

What did he ask for when he went to his hairdresser? “Hey, can I get dystopian surfer dude? No wait, can I get meth head Goldilocks? No wait, can I get cyber punk Carol Channing?”

Final Thought

I keep thinking back to Spurs vs. Real Madrid in he Champions League last fall. Spurs beat Madrid in the group stage. It was a major victory for Spurs. The pundits were all saying never count out Spurs. Maybe Spurs have really arrived. Et cetera, et cetera.

Cut to a few months later: Spurs were eliminated in the knockout round and Real Madrid won the whole thing. We’ve gotta think big picture, people. The big teams are the big teams for a reason.

When the World Cup started I said there would be one disappointment and one surprise. I’d say there’ll be far more of each. Perennial powerhouses will probably step up, eventually.

Or maybe not. That’s why they play the games. It’s why we watch. England and Belgium tomorrow.