At a Monday night practice for Montgomery County Soccer in Rockville, boys’ and girls’ teams across several age groups were fine-tuning their skills as they prepare to become the future of the world’s game. But next week, the spotlight will shift to the present as the FIFA Men’s World Cup kicks off, hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Opinions on who will lift the trophy are as diverse as Montgomery County itself. With many players connected to countries beyond the United States, loyalties are spread across the globe.
“There is definitely a ton of excitement among our players and coaches for the World Cup,” said Lance Van Winter, director of coaching at Montgomery Soccer, Inc. (MSI). “This year’s tournament has expanded to 48 teams, which means more countries are represented. Our community is incredibly diverse, so just about everyone has a team they’re rooting for.”
Minh Nguyen, a player on the MSI Silver Boys 2013 team, is backing one of the tournament favorites.
“I’m rooting for France,” Nguyen said. “They have a great team, and I think they deserve to win this time.”
France finished as runner-up to Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Nguyen’s teammate, Luka Kleene, sees things differently.
“I’m picking Brazil this year,” Kleene said. “They’ve got some really talented players and a strong starting lineup.”
For MSI coach Ilyes Ouldbrahim, this World Cup holds special significance.
“I’m rooting for Algeria because my parents are from there,” Ouldbrahim said. “It’s a special moment for my family to see Algeria back in the World Cup. The last time they qualified was in 2014, so it’s been a long wait.”
When asked about the United States’ chances, many players were not confident in their prospects. Karson Aazami of the 2017 Boys Silver team was blunt in his assessment.
“They are not going to win,” he said.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11.
View this post on Instagram
Comments are closed.