2014 FIFA World Cup Final Review

A month of football/soccer magic is what we have just witnessed. A tournament that began with 32 teams from all corners of the globe who had worked hard to make it to the world's biggest stage has now culminated with 2 teams left fighting for the crown. Germany and Argentina meet in the World Cup Final for the 3rd time in the tournament's history with Argentina winning their 2nd title in 1986 and Germany winning their 3rd title in 1990. Who made it best two out of three?

Final: Germany vs. Argentina
Result: After extra time, a 1-0 win to give Germany a 4th star on their crest
Goalscorer: 113' Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich)
Bookings: 29' Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), 34' Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), 64' Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), 65' Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)

Lineups
Germany (4-2-3-1)
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich); Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich, captain), Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke); Christoph Kramer (Monchengladbach), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich); Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal); Miroslav Klose (Lazio)
Changes from last match
Due to an injury in the warmups, Sami Khedira was ruled out of the final, meaning Kramer had to fill in.
Subs:
Andre Schurrle (Chelsea) 31' for Christoph Kramer
Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich) 88' for Miroslav Klose
Per Mertesacker (Arsenal) 120' for Mesut Ozil

Argentina (4-4-2)
Sergio Romero (Monaco); Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Martin Demichelis (Manchester City), Ezequiel Garay (Benfica), Marcos Rojo (Sporting CP); Enzo Perez (Benfica), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Lucas Biglia (Lazio), Ezequiel Lavezzi (PSG); Lionel Messi (Barcelona, captain), Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli)
Changes from last match
Just the change in formation which put Ezequiel Lavezzi as a midfielder as opposed to a striker
Subs:
Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) 46' for Ezequiel Lavezzi
Rodrigo Palacio (Inter) 78' for Gonzalo Higuain
Fernando Gago (Boca Juniors) 86' for Enzo Perez

Unfortunately for Sami Khedira, a last minute injury ruled him out of the World Cup final. His replacement didn't last long either with Christoph Kramer suffering a concussion, leaving Jogi Low no choice but to use a substitution early on to bring Andre Schurrle into the mix, his first half debut at this World Cup. Argentina looked very impressive in the first half and had the best chance which Gonzalo Higuain, to use one of the more kinder words, squandered. Germany weren't being dominated but they were facing a worthy adversary for sure. Both teams played skillful defense despite a number of cards being given out (nowhere near the number that were distributed at the World Cup Final 4 years ago, thankfully). Both teams wanted this win but they couldn't want it hard enough to take the chances that came their way, with Neuer and Romero doing their bit to keep their respective sides' chances at winning optimum. In the 2nd half, Germany's closest attempt hit the post while Rodrigo Palacio mishit a golden opportunity for Argentina. Miroslav Klose did come off in the 88' minute playing his final match for Germany after 13 years and 4 World Cups worth of achievements and memories. And you couldn't have scripted it any better with the man who replaced the top German goalscorer of all time scoring the goal that decided the match: Mario Gotze. Despite Argentina's solid defense in this game and this tournament, Andre Schurrle's cross was able to find Mario Gotze to score the decisive goal late into extra time. Argentina found themselves in an awful position and were desperate to get back in the match with what little time remained. Their final chance was a dangerous looking free kick with Lionel Messi to take it. This would've been his chance, possibly, to turn things around and to complete his World Cup legend in the best of lights. Unfortunately the free kick was too high to do anything and Germany become World Champions after an incredible run and after 24 years of waiting.

Golden Ball: Lionel Messi (Argentina)

This was the most controversial of the awards given out because Lionel Messi didn't play as well as he usually does for his club in this tournament, but every game it was apparent to me how vital Messi is for Argentina and how tough it'll be when Messi is no longer around (though that won't be for a while since he is only 27). If not for Messi, not only are they screwed for getting to even the quarterfinals, they'd be tied with Iran with 2 pts in the group stage getting knocked out there with Nigeria and Bosnia-Herzegovina advancing. Lionel Messi is the heart and soul behind this Argentine team and their run to the World Cup final. The importance of other players like Javier Mascherano and Angel di Maria is not to be forgotten, but Lionel Messi did a great job to make his team better and get them farther, just like Diego Maradona did.

Best Young Player: Paul Pogba (France)

One of the many French players to shine brightly in the World Cup, Pogba made it very difficult for the midfielders of any of France's opponents (except for eventually winners Germany) to have any sort of foothold in the game. Leading up to the World Cup it was not a mystery that he is something special, it takes talent to be a key player in a team like Juventus (the club that inherited Pogba after an unsuccessful period with Manchester United, who will be kicking themselves for letting a player of his quality slip away). He's the next Franck Ribery, and in Ribery's absence he showed that. A smart player and good sport for someone his age, he could well go on to do many more great things with Frane.

Golden Gloves: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich)

So many great goalkeepers at this world cup: Tim Howard, Guillermo Ochoa, Jasper Cillessen, Keylor Navas, Vincent Enyeama, David Ospina, Hugo Lloris, Diego Benaglio....you get the idea. With a team as richly talented in the outfield positions as Germany it's easy to underestimate the importance of having a world class goalkeeper in the mix of things. But they've certainly found one in Manuel Neuer. Neuer was first given a chance when Rene Adler was ruled out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup due to injury, and he made the #1 goalkeeper position for Germany his with an impressive showing in South Africa, and he's been amazing for club and country ever since. His athleticism, intelligence, and reflexes have done well to put less pressure on the rest of his teammates who would be able to do their job knowing Neuer is fully capable of doing his. Even in the match against Brazil when Germany had the game all wrapped up early on he stayed focused to preserve Germany's massive win.

Golden Boot: James Rodriguez (Colombia)

Ramadel Falcao's injury threatened to derail Colombia's World Cup dreams but James Rodriguez certainly kept them alive by scoring 6 goals in 5 matches for Los Cafeteros. The player who had the biggest surge in popularity through this World Cup (yes, shockingly even more than John Brooks haha), he had big shoes to fill but passed the test with flying colors, promoting a beautiful style of play echoed by the other Colombian players, making Colombia one of the most entertaining and impressive teams at this World Cup. Several big clubs will be chasing the Monaco superstar down now, while the rich French club will not be modest in paying him to keep him around for the future.

Elimination Analysis: Argentina

In every championship game there's a winner and loser. Everyone knows that going into it but it's little consolation to the team or player(s) that lose it. Knowing you were that close to glory. The look of Lionel Messi's face receiving the Golden Ball award, which many would argue he didn't even deserve to win that but I thought he did. I don't think one individual was more important to a team in this World Cup than Lionel Messi was for Argentina. The closest were Neymar and James Rodriguez, but it came down to how early they were needed in the group stages the majority of both Brazil and Colombia squads shined brightly, while Lionel Messi scored 4 of Argentina's 6 goals, the others coming from Marcos Rojo and a Sead Kolasinac own goal. Despite Argentina not cruising through their "easy group", they still did just enough to get the 9 points, even if there was some controversy along the way, most notably against Iran were Iran felt they deserved a penalty. Ultimately though it did seem like Argentina benefited from a bit of luck time and time again, and it caught up to them in the final where their luck ran out by wasting golden opportunities. But they also benefited from a lot of players other than Messi. Argentina's entire backline along with Javier Mascherano and Lucas Biglia were very organized, and Angel di Maria had a great tournament before his injury. Sergio Romero, the backup goalkeeper for AS Monaco, proved to the world that he is better than that and hopefully he'll be getting 1st team action wherever he may end up. Argentina should be proud of getting this far and giving Germany their biggest challenge but ultimately it just wasn't meant to be. Even though they had their best World Cup run since 1990, being eliminated from the last 3 World Cups by Germany (the 1st time the same team has been defeated by the same opponent 3 World Cups in a row) will not be something they'll let go of easily

My team of the 2014 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeeper
Starter: Manuel Neuer (Germany)
Backups: Sergio Romero (Argentina), Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)
Honorable mentions: Guillermo Ochoa (Mexico), Tim Howard (USA), Jasper Cillessen (Netherlands)
Defenders
Starters:
Philipp Lahm (Germany)
Ron Vlaar (Netherlands)
Mats Hummels (Germany)
Daley Blind (Netherlands)
Backups:
Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina)
Jerome Boateng (Germany)
Thiago Silva (Brazil)
Pablo Armero (Colombia)
Honorable mentions: Benedikt Howedes (Germany), Ezequiel Garay (Argentina), Mario Yepes (Colombia), Vincent Kompany (Belgium)
Midfielders
Starters:
Javier Mascherano (Argentina)
Sami Khedira (Germany)
Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
Backups:
Toni Kroos (Germany)
Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands)
Angel Di Maria (Argentina)
Honorable mentions: Mario Gotze (Germany), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Mathieu Valbuena (France), Kevin de Bruyne (Belgium), Paul Pogba (France)
Forwards
Lionel Messi (Argentina)
James Rodriguez (Colombia)
Thomas Muller (Germany)
Backups:
Neymar (Brazil)
Miroslav Klose (Germany)
Alexis Sanchez (Chile)
Honorable mentions: Robin van Persie (Netherlands), Karim Benzema (France)

Before I wrap things up, I'll just take one last glance at each of the 32 teams, give them a letter grade and summarize their World Cup in 1-2 sentences. Their letter grade is based on their expectations going into the tournament, how they actually did, how they did it, and what impact this will have. And how bright their future looks.

Cameroon (1-0 loss to Mexico, 4-0 loss to Croatia, 4-1 loss to Brazil)
Grade: F
Future: Questionable, needs work
Summary: They weren't favorites in their group but they were expected to put up a much better fight but they completely fell apart. Scoring against Brazil was the highlight of their World Cup
Honduras (3-0 loss to France, 2-1 loss to Honduras, 3-0 loss to Switzerland)
Grade: F
Future: Not good.
Summary: I mean winning a game would've been a generous prediction for this team but they just didn't look like they belonged there at all. Definitely a reason why Group E looked weak.
Australia (3-1 loss to Chile, 3-2 loss to Netherlands, 3-0 loss to Spain)
Grade: C
Future: Optimistic, but possibly good
Summary: They did lose every game but they lost after putting up a series of great fights. Tim Cahill's goal is by many considered to be the goal of the tournament and a great way for the Aussie legend to end his World Cup career.
Japan (2-1 loss to Cote D'Ivoire, 0-0 draw with Greece, 4-1 loss to Colombia)
Grade: D
Future: May be brighter
Summary: Not a great tournament for the 1st team to qualify for this World Cup. So many talented individuals shining for great clubs but they couldn't beat a 10-man Greece.
Iran (0-0 draw with Nigeria, 1-0 loss to Argentina, 3-1 loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Grade: B-
Future: On the right track
Summary: When your most famous players play for minnows across Europe and the rest play in Asia, expectations are rock bottom, but they made their nation proud playing much better than anyone expected, especially against Argentina.
South Korea (1-1 draw with Russia, 4-2 loss to Algeria, 1-0 loss to Belgium)
Grade: D+
Future: Not something to get excited about
Summary: You get a draw against Russia from a goalie mistake and you let Algeria put 4 past you. Even if you're South Korea that's not really good, so meh.
England (2-1 loss to Italy, 2-1 loss to Uruguay, 0-0 draw with Costa Rica)
Grade: D+
Future: With a lot of young players, possibly bright
Summary: They had a horrible tournament but it could've been a lot worse for the Three Lions. They gave Italy and Uruguay a good fight but it's nothing like even the 2002 or 2006 England teams right now, but they could be soon.
Ghana (2-1 loss to United States, 2-2 draw with Germany, 2-1 loss to Portugal)
Grade: B-
Future: Promising
Summary: A team very much in transition that needs to make a few adjustments to get better. Full of talent, gave all of their group of death opponents great games and a 2-2 draw against Germany at the World Cup looks great now that they won the whole thing
Russia (1-1 draw with South Korea, 1-0 loss to Belgium, 1-1 draw with Algeria)
Grade: C-
Future: Very unclear
Summary: Russia were their own worst enemies. They were one big mistake away from the Round of 16 and despite their domestic league producing more and more dark horses to make deep runs in Europe, they're still nowhere where they want to be.
Spain (5-1 loss to Netherlands, 2-0 loss to Chile, 3-0 win over Australia)
Grade: D+
Future: Good if right decision are made
Summary: It was a nightmare tournament for Spain who were supposed to own this group. Their tika taka football should be buried by now and they have to find a new way to succeed.
Italy (2-1 win over England, 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, 1-0 loss to Uruguay)
Grade: B-
Future: Great potential
Summary: Italy was unlucky to be eliminated in the group stage for the 2nd straight World Cup. They played hard and well but their main problem, even with Balotelli in the mix, is scoring goals.
Cote D'Ivoire (2-1 win over Japan, 2-1 loss to Colombia, 2-1 loss to Greece)
Grade: D+
Future: Not great
Summary: No excuses for them to get out this early this time with a very reasonable group they were put in. Check Tiote's mistake let Greece take a spot in the final 16 they've wanted desperately since 2010.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-1 loss to Argentina, 1-0 loss to Nigeria, 3-1 win over Iran)
Grade: C
Future: Bright
Summary: Even with the Nigeria controversy they failed to reach their potential, with some of their best players unable to step up most of the time. But I'd be shocked not to see them again 4 years from now.
Croatia (3-1 loss to Brazil, 4-0 win over Cameroon, 3-1 loss to Mexico)
Grade: B
Future: Looks good
Summary: They couldn't have fought harder and more impressively in their opener, and despite their collapse against Mexico the quality in this team was plainly visible.
Portugal (4-0 loss to Germany, 2-2 draw with United States, 2-1 win over Ghana)
Grade: C-
Future: Needs sorting out desperately
Summary: Portugal looked very fragile throughout their World Cup and fought hard to earn as many points as they did. They need to find out what new players they can depend on because Ronaldo will be 33 when 2018 Russia takes place.
Ecuador (2-1 loss to Switzerland, 2-1 win over Honduras, 0-0 draw with France)
Grade: B-
Future: They likely won't be giants soon but in a manageable spot
Summary: So few start players on this team but they produced a few results and 1 last minute Swiss goal denied them a spot in the final 16. Enner Valencia looked very impressive, especially.
Nigeria (0-0 draw with Iran, 1-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, 3-2 loss to Argentina, 2-0 loss to France)
Grade: B-
Future: Possibly bright despite some aging key players
Summary: Their scrappiness and their dependance on luck on one big instance prevents them from getting a better grade, but at least they survived the group stage. Amhed Musa and Vincent Enyeama notably inspiring.
United States (2-1 win over Ghana, 2-2 draw with Portugal, 1-0 loss to Germany, 2-1 loss to Belgium in extra time)
Grade: B+
Future: Bright
Summary: They had their blunders and rough patches but in a American perspective they couldn't have asked for much more. Revenge against Ghana, preventing Portugal from getting their revenge, and surviving the group of death=amazing.
Algeria (2-1 loss to Belgium, 4-2 win over South Korea, 1-1 draw with Russia, 2-1 loss to Germany in extra time)
Grade: B+
Future: Bright
Summary: Where did this Algerian team came from? They played admirable soccer and did well to give their nation their best World Cup performance by far.
Greece (3-0 loss to Colombia, 0-0 draw to Japan, 2-1 win over Cote D'Ivoire, 0-0 against Costa Rica then losing on penalties)
Grade: B
Future: Biggest names running out of time.
Summary: They weren't always the team I enjoyed watching most but they did what they had to do to get the results and for them to get this far was impressive.
Uruguay (3-1 loss to Costa Rica, 2-1 win over England, 1-0 win over Italy, 2-0 loss to Colombia)
Grade: B
Future: Up in the air.
Summary: Once again despite needing to go through playoffs to get here, once they did they made an impact and were a reason why England and Italy's tournaments ended after 3 matches, but when playing without Suarez they looked uninspired.
Switzerland (2-1 win over Ecuador, 5-2 loss to France, 3-0 win over Honduras, 1-0 loss to Argentina in extra time)
Grade: B+
Future: Promising
Summary: Did they deserve to be a seeded team? No, stupid FIFA rankings. But were they entertaining and was Xherdan Shaqiri among others fun to watch, yes they were.
Mexico (1-0 win over Cameroon, 0-0 draw with Brazil, 3-1 win over Croatia, 2-1 loss to Netherlands)
Grade: A-
Future: Bright
Summary: Miguel Herrera's antics aside he did well to make Mexico such a force to be reckoned with in a short amount of time. Many Mexican players had decent showings but of course Guillermo Ochoa steals the spotlight.
Chile (3-1 win over Australia, 2-0 win over Spain, 2-0 loss to Netherlands, 1-1 against Brazil then losing on penalties)
Grade: A-
Future: Bright
Summary: Knocking out Spain and being very close to knocking out Brazil definitely shows how good this Chilean team were and how unlucky they were not to stick around longer.
Costa Rica (3-1 win over Uruguay, 1-0 win over Italy, 0-0 draw with England, 0-0 with Greece then advancing on penalties, 0-0 with Netherlands then losing on penalties)
Grade: A
Future: Might be one hit wonders but hopefully not; we'll see
Summary: No one would've dreamed in a million years that Costa Rica would've gotten this far. Being one of only three teams to not lose a game this World Cup alongside Netherlands and Germany is something to be proud of.
France (3-0 win over Honduras, 5-2 win over Switzerland, 0-0 draw with Ecuador, 2-0 win over Nigeria, 1-0 loss to Germany)
Grade: A
Future: Bright
Summary: A complete 180 from the disaster of 2010 South Africa. Played well even without Franck Ribery and the depth of the squad was apparent as well.
Belgium (2-1 win over Algeria, 1-0 win over Russia, 1-0 win over South Korea, 2-1 win over United States in extra time, 1-0 loss to Argentina)
Grade: A-
Future: Bright
Summary: The chemistry still has much room for improvement but the quality this team has was very apparent.
Colombia (3-0 win over Greece, 2-1 win over Cote D'Ivoire, 4-1 win over Japan, 2-0 win over Uruguay, 2-1 loss to Brazil)
Grade: A
Future: Bright
Summary: James Rodriguez was the breakout star and golden boot winner. Aside from him, the entire squad looked in sync and at home throughout most of their journey in this World Cup
Brazil (3-1 win over Croatia, 0-0 draw with Mexico, 4-1 win over Cameroon, 0-0 against Chile then advancing on penalties, 2-1 win over Colombia, 7-1 loss to Germany, 3-0 loss to Netherlands)
Grade: C-
Future: Very hard to say
Summary: The grade would've been much higher if it weren't for being outscored 10-1 in their last two games; certainly not how I or anyone envisioned Brazil's World Cup journey culminating. A World Cup journey riddled with controversy, egos, and luck along the way and most non Brazilian firmly believe that if this World Cup was held elsewhere Brazil wouldn't have a prayer
Netherlands (5-1 win over Spain, 3-2 win over Australia, 2-0 win over Chile, 2-1 win over Mexico, 0-0 against Costa Rica then advancing on penalties, 0-0 against Argentina then losing on penalties, 3-0 win over Brazil)
Grade: A
Future: Bright
Summary: Many of their players who had little expected of them stepped up big and Netherlands performed very well in this World Cup despite modest expectations after a disappointing 2012 UEFA Euro run.
Argentina (2-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1-0 win over Iran, 3-2 win over Nigeria, 1-0 win over Switzerland in extra time, 1-0 win over Belgium, 0-0 against Netherlands then advancing on penalties, 1-0 loss to Germany in extra time)
Grade: A
Future: Seems good
Summary: They had a very slow start and there was never really a period where they couldn't stop scoring countless goals. But they stayed unified as a team, fought to the very end, and with an amazing effort against Germany justified their appearance in the World Cup Final
Germany (4-0 win over Portugal, 2-2 draw with Ghana, 1-0 win over United States, 2-1 win over Algeria in extra time, 1-0 win over France, 7-1 win over Brazil, 1-0 win over Argentina in extra time)
Grade: A+
Future: Without a question bright as the sun
Summary: It was the perfect tournament for Germany; they didn't crush every opponent but they did well in every match and had an interesting journey along the way to end up deservedly winning the title. Now that they've had a taste of victory and with a large group of talented players that exceeds their 23 man World Cup roster, there's no limit to what they can achieve.

I'd like to thank everyone who took time out of their regular schedules to read what I wrote, it definitely means a lot. Whether you read one article or all of them I appreciate it and I sincerely thank you. Feel free to suggest sports related topics or events you'd like me to write about in the future and feel free to share these with as many people as you'd like. It feels fitting to end this World Cup series of articles with one final look at the team that won the 2014 FIFA World Cup: Germany

1 GK Manuel Neuer (Age 28) Bayern Munich
12 GK Ron-Robert Zieler (Age 25) Hannover 96
22 GK Roman Weidenfeller (Age 33) Borussia Dortmund
2 DF Kevin Grobkreutz (Age 25) Borussia Dortmund
3 DF Matthias Ginter (Age 20) SC Freiburg
4 DF Benedikt Howedes (Age 26) Schalke 04
5 DF Mats Hummels (Age 25) Borussia Dortmund
15 DF Erik Durm (Age 22) Borussia Dortmund
16 DF Philipp Lahm, captain (Age 30) Bayern Munich
17 DF Per Mertesacker (Age 29) Arsenal
20 DF Jerome Boateng (Age 25) Bayern Munich
21 DF Shkodran Mustafi (Age 22) Sampdoria
6 MF Sami Khedira (Age 27) Real Madrid
7 MF Bastian Schweinsteiger (Age 29) Bayern Munich
8 MF Mesut Ozil (Age 25) Arsenal
9 MF Andre Schurrle (Age 23) Chelsea
13 MF Thomas Muller (Age 24) Bayern Munich
14 MF Julian Draxler (Age 20) Schalke 04
18 MF Toni Kroos (Age 24) Bayern Munich
19 MF Mario Gotze (Age 22) Bayern Munich
23 MF Christoph Kramer (Age 23) Borussia Monchengladbach
10 FW Lukas Podolski (Age 29) Arsenal
11 FW Miroslav Klose (Age 36) Lazio

Coach: Joachim Low

Congratulations Germany on your 4th World Cup title, 2014 World Cup Champions!