The time is now, the place is here, the whole damn world is fillled with cheer

Another four year wait, over.  The 2014 World Cup starts tomorrow.   Some predictions, of varying distance from the consensus:

• Brazil wins, and if not them, Argentina.  Neymar will win the Golden Boot, but Messi will have a better tournament.
• England will surprise and make the semis, beating Spain along the way, with Raheem Sterling having a breakout performance.
• The United States will go through (with five points), along with Germany.  Michael Bradley will make the all-tournament team.  There will be clear instances where Landon Donovan will be missed.
• Mathieu Valbuena and Paul Pogba (the soccer versions of Fred and Ted) will impress neutrals.
• Several of the above predictions will be embarrassingly wrong.

FF