Wednesday, June 4, 2014

4 Awesome, Non-Conventional Teams to Use in 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil (PS3/ X360)


The World Cup is less than 10 days away and being football nut, I am stoked to catch the biggest single sporting event in the world come June 12th. My SIXTH World Cup yo! 

Released in conjunction of Brazil 2014 is EA Sports' official video game for the tournament - 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil which is available on the PS3 and Xbox 360

With 203 playable national teams in the game, gamers now can lead their own nation to qualify for and compete in the final tournament, relive the qualifying campaigns of select nations and obviously control their favourite footballing nation to lift the cup Brazil.

While of course one can choose to use the heavyweights and more popular teams such as Brazil, England, Germany, Argentina and Spain but where's the fun in that? Backing the favourites is always boring. It's always much more fun beating the odds and rooting for the underdogs in tourneys such as this.


So in no particular order nor preference, here are my top four unconventional teams you'd wanna use to win the World Cup in 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil … and then some….



*FIFA World Ranking as of May 1st 2014


Colombia
World Ranking: 5
Rating: 4.5
Attack: 77
Midfield: 79
Defense: 75
Surprise surprise! Did you know that Colombia is currently the second-highest-ranked South American team after Brazil? With a good mixture of experience and youth, Colombia should not be underestimated having qualified as second best in the South America behind powerhouse Argentina. Spearheaded by Monaco's Radamel Falcao who happens to be Colombia's second top scorer of all time (tied with legend Faustino Asprilla), players can also bank on the Milan-based players - Christian Zapata (Milan) and Freddy Guarin (Inter) to carry the team forward. With a decent lineup in midfield, Colombia is a good choice for those opting to play the counter-attack style of football.

*update - Radamel Falcao WILL NOT be flying to Brazil as he's been ruled out due to injury. But who's stopping you from using him in the game eh?!


Cameroon
World Ranking: 50
Rating: 4
Attack: 75
Midfield: 74
Defense: 76
While the 2014 squad might not be as flashy as the Cameroon world cup teams of the past, the Indomitable Lions of 2014 is still a team you'd want to avoid meeting in the World Cup. Chelsea's Samuel Eto'o remains the biggest threat coming from the former African champs, supported by Alex Song of Barcelona and Schalke's Joel Matip. Don't let the stats fool you. Being one of the most physically-gifted teams in the game, Cameroon will out-jump, out-run and yes, out-power you in midfield battles. Plus, their kits are among the better looking ones in compared to the others.



Uruguay
World Ranking: 6
Rating: 4.5
Attack: 84
Midfield: 73
Defense: 78
While the mention of Uruguay instantly remind you of Liverpool's Luis Suarez, there's more to Uruguay than 'El Pistolero'. The other ace in Uruguay's lineup is Suarez's strike partner, Edinson Cavani. Part of the Paris St-Germain setup, Cavani currently holds the record for the sixth-highest transfer in history following his move from Napoli. But Uruguay isn't all about attack. Diego Lugano of West Brom, Martin Caceres who plays for Juventus, Atletico Madrid's Cristian Rodriguez, Southampton's Gaston Ramirez and Espanyol's Christian Stuani are among other players who provide extra depth and dimension to the squad that placed fourth in the last World Cup in South Africa.



Russia
World Ranking: 18
Rating: 4.5
Attack: 77
Midfield: 77
Defense: 77
An all-round balanced team, Russia is made up of players plying their trade in the Russian Premier League, mostly playing for Russian top clubs including CSKA Moscow, Lokomotiv Moscow, Spartak Moscow and Zenit Saint Petersburg. Without any jarring weaknesses in the squad, Russia is a good team for those who prefer playing balanced, patient games, grinding for close results. Playing with a team without any star names could also be an advantage for players as their opponents will have a hard time picking out who to put special focus on.
Having qualified to Brazil 2014 as group winners ahead of Portugal, Russia is a lock-in for the next World Cup edition in 2018 which they will play host.

Honorable mention(s):


Japan
Apart from your own national team (Malaysia, Singapore, etc), the one country you’d wanna try take control of to win the World Cup in the game is none other than Asia’s best hope - Japan. With the likes of Keisuke Honda (AC Milan) and Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United) in the squad, Japan is a decent, mid-tier team that has the potential to surprise many.

Don’t expect an easy ride though - The Blue Samurais is in a tricky group with the likes of Colombia, Ivory Coast and Greece standing in their way. A draw or two coupled with that one crucial win will most certainly put Japan through the group stages.  While not as physically imposing as Ivory Coast nor technically gifted as Colombia, Japanese players tend to get into right positions to receive that killer pass to rip open their opponent’s defense.



Australia
I always have a soft spot for the underdogs and if you’re the sort who, like me, always root for the weakest one in the bunch, then look no further than backing Australia. Having qualified via the Asian qualifying ticket, the Socceroos are ranked outsiders in real life football. But what better than bragging to your friends that you’ve taken Australia to lift the World Cup in the game eh? It is definitely more satisfying to win the cup using the weakest qualifying team than one of the favorites such as Brazil or Spain.


NON-QUALIFIERS
If I had it my way, I'd have all these three teams included in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but as fate has it - all three, despite the talent and quality they possess, won’t be participating in this year’s World Cup. But will that stop me from using any of them to win the cup in the game? Of course not!


Wales
A World Cup without the likes of Welsh stars such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Joe Allen (Liverpool fans would agree. Or not)? Let’s fix that. A fun team to control if you prefer fast-paced, attacking football or just want to torment defenses with Gareth Bale’s phenomenal in-game stat.


Poland
Poland’s absence from the World Cup means that football fans are set to miss out on seeing Bundesliga and BPL stars including Robert Lewandowski, Łukasz Fabiańsk, Wojciech Szczęsny, Łukasz Piszczek and Jakub Błaszczykowski perform on the biggest stage of world football. Easily the most talented team to miss on of this year’s World Cup.

Sweden
One name. Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Nuff said.


So there you have it folks. My top four teams to try out in 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil as well as several unconventional ones you’d wanna give a go at. Tell me how you fared with them in the comments section below!


The game is now in stores for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Agree with the list? No? Then tell me who deserve to be included in, and who I should have left out.
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