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votes
Who are you supporting during this FIFA World Cup and why? How far do you expect them to go in the tournament?
I'll start.
I support England even though I am not from there because I follow the EPL and most of my football news comes from England. So I feel an affinity towards them. I'll be happy if they reach the quarters.
I am amazed that anyone not from England would support them, they are a constant source of disappointment. Thank you for your service.
I grew up as a Browns fan and UoM fan. I've basically been raised to root for the hopeless disappointment.
That's why I'm rooting for England and Mexico.
I love the idea of self-hating fans all over rallying around England.
Update: I ONLY HALF HATE MYSELF NOW.
GREAT GAME: ballsy tactics, great execution. Loved it.
England for me too, being English.
My expectations of success are tempered somewhat by our woeful record in knockout competitions. I'd be happy to win just one knockout game this time around. Any more than that would be a happy bonus. I'd love to relive the general excitement that came with relative successes during Euro '96 and Italia '90.
Hopefully in future competitions this cohort of players might go on to greater things. The English FA have changed their philosophy a bit, and some of the England youth teams have had major competition wins in the last couple of years. Hope it filters up to the senior team.
I feel conflicted about supporting England as an American - you're like the snarky older brother that gives us a hard time but is okay deep down. I want you all to do well especially considering how much suffering you've dealt with in the last 20 years, but I can't lie and say it hasn't been a pleasure commiserating with you. Missing out on this year's World Cup is one of the most painful things to happen to me as a sports fan though - ugh.
It would be incredibly satisfying to see an English team finally jell on the biggest stage, and expectations for this side seem (slightly) lower than usual because the talent level is relatively down (or just younger) and the manager is unproven. It's no Scholes/Lampard/Beckham/Gerrard in midfield like the Euro 2004 team, which might be a good thing for releasing some of that pressure.
My heavyweight team that I've followed since the 98 WC after traveling there a lot is France, but unfortunately, they're in the same group as my underdog Anglophone team (Australia) to make up for the US not qualifying. Also, how can I not support the Socceroos?
I don't think France played that well in their run to the Euro final two years ago, so I'd like to see a better culmination of all the insane talent they have. They're just stacked. Same goes for Belgium - they could be poised for a deep run, but people have been saying that about them the last couple major tournaments. I wonder if Martinez is the manager that can put them over the edge or not.
Iceland! We're winning the tournament this time.