ZWF: Four nations, One trophy
Zander's Weekend Facts #44: Sunday, December 11, 2022
In the quest for soccer’s ultimate prize, just four nations remain on the journey. While Argentina, Croatia, France, and Morrocco each have two matches remaining, only one nation will win both and be crowned champions.
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, an update on the World Cup with just four teams remaining, remembering U.S. soccer journalist Grant Wahl, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 85 features a recap of the United States’ time in Qatar while looking ahead to what comes next. Plus, Zander gives an update on the World Cup and discusses the implications of the Georgia Senate runoff election! Go download and listen to the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, December 11, 2022:
The Semifinals are next at the World Cup
After four incredible Quarterfinal matches that took place over the last few days, there are just four nations left in this World Cup. As the next round is just a few days away, it’s time for another World Cup update.
But before we preview this week’s Semifinal matches, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the passing of American soccer journalist Grant Wahl.
Wahl passed away at the age of 49 after he collapsed in the press area at Friday’s Argentina-Netherlands match in Qatar. The news was a shock when it came across on Friday night.
Wahl was one of, if not the, most prominent soccer journalist in the United States. He covered six men’s and five women’s World Cups, first for Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports, and then for his own Substack page. (His Substack was absolutely an inspiration for me to create Zander’s Weekend Facts.)
He started at Sports Illustrated as a college basketball writer in the 1990s before moving over to cover soccer full-time. While writing for a publication known for captivating the sports world with iconic cover stories, Grant wrote what was arguably one of the most iconic with his February 18, 2002 story, introducing the world to a high school junior named LeBron James.
While at SI, Grant became a go-to for any soccer fan, too. When he began to cover the sport full-time, he was one of only two full-time soccer writers in the country. He helped so many get into the game through his columns that informed the most knowledgeable and the least enlightened just as equally. As the game continued to grow stateside, Grant was right there covering it all.
In 2011, he ran for the role of FIFA President to expose the incredible amounts of corruption inside the organization. In 2020, he was fired by SI owner Maven after he called out the company over extending pay cuts past the pandemic. And over the last couple of months, he wrote several stories highlighting the atrocities that have taken place in Qatar.
Wahl’s substack newsletter and podcast were a go-to for many each week, including myself, who wanted to get their soccer fix from someone who was incredibly informed on the game and willing to share his insights. For many years, he was the top dog in soccer journalism in this country. His work to highlight the good, and the bad, of the game was unmatched.
And by all accounts, he wasn’t just a great journalist, but a great human. Many journalists and friends have come out on social media to share their stories of Grant going the extra mile to help them or to just be a friendly face.
There is no doubt that the rise of soccer in this country would absolutely have not been the same without Grant Wahl. It’s just heartbreaking he won’t be able to cover the next edition of the game’s largest event in his home country.
Thanks to Grant, people like me have discovered this great game, and are so much better for it. Let’s hope that we can honor Grant’s legacy by growing the game he loved to new heights in the country he did so much to help spread it in. Soccer, and journalism, will not be the same without him.
Rest in peace, Grant Wahl.
Now on to the second-to-last World Cup 2022 update:
The Semifinal matches are set, with Argentina facing Croatia on Tuesday and France taking on Morocco on Wednesday. Both matches will kick off at 2:00 pm et on Fox and Telemundo.
In the Quarterfinals that took place on Friday and Saturday, all four matches were spectacular.
Both of Friday’s matches went the distance to penalty kicks, with Brazil-Croatia going first. And if there’s anything you should know about Croatia, it’s that you shouldn’t go to penalties against them. In the last two World Cups, Croatia have been in four knockout round matches that went to penalties, and advanced in all four. Croatia were able to beat tournament-favorite Brazil 4-2 in penalties to advance.
Then, Argentina-Netherlands looked like it the blue and white would wrap it up in 90 minutes. Until Wout Weghorst decided to score in the 83rd minute to cut Argentina’s lead to 2-1. Then in the 101st minute, a low free-kick technique worked to perfection, with Weghorst scoring again. But it was Argentina who were able to advance on penalties, scoring four to the Netherlands’ three.
Then on Saturday, it was tournament darlings Morocco facing Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, with Ronaldo on the bench. A Youssef En-Nesyri goal in the 42nd minute turned out to be the difference maker, with Ronaldo’s second-half appearance not propelling Portugal any further toward a tying goal. Morocco stunned Portugal 1-0 to become the first African nation ever to advance to the World Cup semifinals.
And finally, in the most anticipated Quarterfinal match, England faced defending champions France. For most of the match, England actually looked like the better side. But for two moments, the French were able to exert their excellence. First, in the 17th minute with a Aurélien Tchouaméni goal, and then in the 78th minute when Olivier Giroud scored his 53rd all-time goal for France. England’s lone goal came on a Harry Kane penalty in the 54th minute, and it looked like another would be England’s equalizer in the 84th minute, but Kane skyed his kick. France advance with a 2-1 win, becoming the first defending champion to advance to the semis since Brazil in 1998. Brazil made the final that year, and lost to France.
On to this week’s Semifinal matches:
Starting with Argentina-Croatia. It was thought that Croatia had reached their high in 2018, but maybe not. Luka Modric, at 37 years old, is playing like he’s 25, and the players around him look better than ever. Croatia have been an absolute joy to watch in this World Cup. But on the other side, you have one of the greats in Lionel Messi. Out of the four big names making their final World Cup appearances (Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, Suarez) only Messi remains. Almost blowing a 2-0 lead in the Quarters is concerning, and they better hope they don’t get to penalties against Croatia. My prediction: Argentina 3 - Croatia 2
The other Semifinal features an understandable selection in France, and an unthinkable one in Morocco. Like seriously, is there anyone out there who thought Morocco would make it this far? It’s absolutely a David v. Goliath story here with the defending champions France and little ole’ Morocco. France did not look like the best team against England, but I believe they are just too strong to fall to Morocco when so much is on the line. My prediction: France 4 - Morocco 1
After the two semifinal matches, two teams will advance to the Final, while two others will be stuck playing in the Third Place match. The Third Place match takes place Saturday at 10:00 am et, while the Final will kick off next Sunday at 10:00 am et. Both matches will air on Fox and Telemundo in the U.S.
We’ll have a Zander’s Facts preview of the Final, along with a recap of the rest of the tournament, on this week’s edition of the Zander’s Facts podcast, which comes out this week on THURSDAY.
What Zander’s been reading this week
The consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine reach far beyond the borders of Russia or Ukraine. With access to Russian natural gas now basically cut off, European countries like Germany are scrambling to have enough energy sources to keep the power going this winter.
Check out this week’s featured article in The Wall Street Journal - The Five-Year Engineering Feat Germany Pulled Off in Months (Article is available for free on Apple News)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
The top headlines from the sports world in the ZF Sporting Club:
Daniel Snyder Report: The House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a final report on their findings from an investigation into Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder. The report notes that Snyder evaded many questions and gave misleading answers when he remotely testified in front of the committee in July. The report finds that Snyder helped create a “toxic work culture” where he was involved in sexual misconduct and helped ignore and downplay sexual misconduct within the organization.
NBA CBA: The NBA and the NBA Player’s Association has agreed to extend the deadline that either side has to notify whether they will opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement. The current deadline, December 15, is likely to be extended until February. The CBA expires at the conclusion of the 2023-2024 NBA season but would expire at the end of the current season if either side opts out. The two sides must agree to a new deal before it expires, or else the potential exists for a work stoppage, which has happened before in the NBA and just occurred this past season in MLB.
College Football Playoff: The field for this year’s College Football Playoff has been finalized, with Georgia, Michigan, TCU, and Ohio State being the four teams who punched their tickets to the semifinals. The semifinal matchups take place on Saturday, December 31 on ESPN, with #3 TCU taking on #2 Michigan at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at 4:00 pm et, and #4 Ohio State facing #1 Georgia at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl at 8:00 pm et. The National Championship Game will take place on Monday, January 9 at 7:30 pm et on ESPN in Los Angeles, CA. In the non-CFB New Year’s Six bowl games, #6 Tennessee faces #7 Clemson in the Capital One Orange Bowl, #5 Alabama takes on #9 Kansas State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, #16 Tulane will play #10 USC in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, and #11 Penn State faces #8 USC in the Rose Bowl Game.
NFL Week 14: Several divisional rivalries headline the afternoon slate of NFL action later today. At 1:00 pm et, the Jets will face the Bills in the AFC East, the Browns take on the Bengals and the Steelers face the Ravens in the AFC North, and the Eagles play the Giants in the NFC East. At 4:00 pm et, the Chiefs head up to Denver to take on the Broncos, and the Buccaneers head west to face the 49ers. Sunday night features another Florida team flying to California with the Dolphins taking on the Chargers, and the Patriots and Cardinals face off on Monday night. On Thursday night, newly signed QB Baker Mayfield led the Rams to a comeback 17-16 victory over the Raiders.
College Football Bowls and Heisman Trophy: The College Football bowl season is set with matchups beginning this coming Friday. Including, the College Football Playoff, there are 43 games and 84 teams that will hit the field over the next few weeks. Among the notable non-CFB bowl matchups, #20 Texas will take on #12 Washington in the Valero Alamo Bowl, #21 Notre Dame will play #19 South Carolina in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, and #15 Oregon faces North Carolina in the SDCCU Holiday Bowl. In other college football news, USC quarterback Caleb Williams was awarded the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night. Williams becomes the seventh USC player to win the award (Reggie Bush’s 2005 trophy is vacated) and third USC quarterback to take college football’s most prestigious single-player award.
Rapid-fire Facts
The top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Brittney Griner: Brittney Griner has returned to the United States after spending several months detained in Russia. Griner, who plays basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was detained on drug charges in February and sentenced to nine years in prison in August. In exchange for releasing Griner, the U.S. released convicted international arms dealer Viktor Bout and returned him to Russia. Notably, retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan remains in Russia after being sentenced on espionage charges in 2018. When announcing Griner’s return, President Biden noted that the U.S. government is continuing to seek his release as well.
Georgia Senate Runoff: Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has won the Georgia Senate runoff election against Republican Herschel Walker. The 2.8-point margin of victory for Warnock was the largest for a Democrat in a Georgia Senate election since 2000. Warnock had previously won a runoff election for the seat in 2020 but has now been elected to a full six-year term. The race was the last congressional election undecided, with Democrats now at 51 seats in the Senate, depending on whether newly independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema caucuses with Democrats.
Trump Organization: A New York jury found the Trump Organization guilty in a case of tax fraud. The company was found guilty on all 17 counts in a 15-year tax fraud scheme. The company could be on the hook for $1.6 million in fines after sentencing occurs in January. Previously, the Trump Organization and former CFO Allen Weisselberg were indicted after an investigation into the company’s financial practices.
Peru Coup: Peru President Pedro Castillo has been arrested after he attempted a coup on Wednesday. With Congress set to vote on impeaching the president over corruption charges, Castillo moved to dissolve Congress and set up an emergency government. In response, many government officials resigned, the military announced they wouldn’t support Castillo, and the nation’s top court declared the move unconstitutional. Castillo was subsequently arrested, with Vice President Dina Boluarte becoming the country’s first woman president.
Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Merger: The FTC has sued to block a merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard. The $69 billion deal between the tech giant and video game company would create less competition in the video game space and suppress competitors, the FTC alleges in the lawsuit. Microsoft creates Xbox gaming consoles and is competitors in the space with Sony and Nintendo.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
Check out Zander’s Facts’ Linktree page for more on everything Zander’s Facts related, including the all-new Zander’s Facts website. At ZandersFacts.com, get the latest on all the facts that Zander is putting out, and check out the freshest styles at the Zander’s Facts shop!
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.substack.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment. That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast, which comes out this Thursday! (Note the change in release day this week.)
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The Facts in print return next Sunday, December 18, 2022.
