We've gotten nearly all the way through the group stage without many inert stinkers, and that's as it should be. Read more »

It was one thing to read of Aleksandr Golovin's quality from second hand reports, another to experience his drive and skill on the world's biggest stage. We've seen him play for 180 minutes; we can imagine Golovin dribbling, turning, and passing at Stamford Bridge or Juventus Stadium. Read more »

So much can change during a four-year cycle. We look to the club game for cues on on the direction of international football, yet the current dominant pressing style is difficult to pull off in this format. Read more »

African football has always been filled with big names. And while no African side has gone further than the quarterfinals in the World Cup, the lack of results are not due to individual talent. Read more »

The top-10 unsurprisingly includes Lionel Messi, Neymar, Mohamed Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane. Read more »

Belgium are sixth choice as favorites from a betting perspective, the highest on a list for a country that previously hasn't won the World Cup. Read more »

On Kevin de Bruyne, Robert Lewandowski, Luis Suarez, Manuel Neuer and more. Read more »

The familial bond that runs through the national side is their defining feature. Uruguay's stability begins at the top, with manager Oscar Tabarez in his 12th season as national team manager. Read more »

On Kylian Mbappe, Son Heung-Min, David De Gea, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Keylor Navas and more. Read more »

Sadio Mane, Roberto Martinez, Xherdan Shaquiri and Alex Iwobi headline the second set of our Essential 50. Read more »

Dele Alli, Maya Yoshida, Alisson and Aliou Cisse open up our list of the Essential 50. Read more »

The initial aftermath led to debates about the future of soccer in each country, and an optimism that governing bodies treat the cause and not just the symptom with a new, modern approach to tactics and player development. Read more »

The World Cup hangs over the background as the ebbs, flows and crescendos of a season shapes players, national and domestic sides and transfer moves well before and well after the event. Read more »

If the most pressing tactical question a decade ago was how to fit England's most dynamic two midfielders in the same lineup, then Pochettino's versatility with his group of national team players is the anti-Gerrard-Lampard conundrum. Read more »

The CONMEBOL table reflects a larger changing of the guard at play in analyzing the rise of Colombia and Peru, and the struggles of Argentina and Chile. Read more »

Under Jurgen Klinsmann's watch, the United States has moved in no discernible direction, constantly shuttling players in and out of the squad, messing with different shapes and approaches, going young in one tournament and leaning on veterans the next. Read more »

It’s in the Soccernomics manual for why transfers fail at number 3: stars of recent World Cups or European Championships are overvalued and best ignored. Watching these games with heightened sensibilities, we all get carried away. Read more »

The individual brilliance of the early matches was eventually neutralized by countries with better all-around squads and this was a World Cup that became reasonably predictable once we escaped the group stage. But every single minute was thrilling and worth it. Read more »

Lionel Messi has been magic, while Colombia is now the sentimental favorite, but let's take a step back so we avoid dismissing Brazil and the completeness of France and Germany. Read more »

The deluge of goals from Messi, Neymar, Müller, Robben and Van Persie, impressive play from Costa Rica and Colombia, and the bite seen round the world all overshadowed the changing of the era. Read more »