World Cup 2014 RECAP Before Last 16 Knockout Round - USA, Costa Rica, Belgium In; England, Spain, Italy Out: What Led To These Upsets? Plus FIFA News From Brazil!
Today (Friday June 27, 2014) marks the first day since the 2014 World Cup games in Brazil began where no matches were scheduled. This welcome break from this intense action gives fans some time to breathe, but instead of hitting the "pause" button, we've decided to rewind back to recap the tournament so far. How did we get here and what teams made it through and who was eliminated?
Some of the biggest upsets of international soccer came in the opening games of the groups phase this year. Spain, the defending World Cup champs, faltered early, ultimately leading to a quick exit from the tournament. Meanwhile Costa Rica surprised the world by ending up leading Group D ahead of powerhouses Italy and England, both of which have already gone home!
Read more on Costa Rica's underdog success HERE!
Maybe the biggest news for us Americans is that the USA has made it into the knockout round! Check out some Twitter reactions to this news HERE!
Here are the teams that made it to the final 16 knockout round of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil:
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Uruguay
Netherlands
Mexico
Costa Rica
Greece
France
Nigeria
Germany
Algeria
Argentina
Switzerland
Belgium
USA
So where do we go from here? The action kicks off tomorrow with a slew of games, so check out our breakdown of the matches RIGHT HERE - which details what countries could advance into the next round.
In other news, Uruguay recently lost its star player, Luis Suarez, thanks to a biting incident during the Italy match. Though Uruguay has made it to the knockout round, winning a game without Suarez will be incredibly challenging.
Read more on this story HERE and see some Twitter reactions HERE!
A bit of news that occurred off the pitch - Fox correspondent Ann Coulter declared American soccer fans to be Un-American! She explained that soccer lack violence, despite the above story of Suarez biting an opponent.
Read more on this Ann Coulter story HERE!
This weekend should bring out much more excitement and drama now that every point matters. Is your favorite team still in the tournament? Do you think you'll be celebrating victory or accepting defeat as the games progress? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!