With the World Cup in full swing some Americans are struggling to decide which team to back, as there’s 32 teams maybe just pick one most like your NFL team, useful guide below…
New England Patriots= Germany
Perennial favourites who always make at least the semi-finals. Off to a slow start this year but never write them off.
Buffalo Bills= Poland
Have 1 big attacking weapon and won’t concede much but too one dimensional to stick around for the quarterfinals
NY Jets= Saudi Arabia
Nice green jerseys, lots of money and not a lot else.
Miami Dolphins= Tunisia
Defensive niggly team lacking attacking inspiration but a smashing place for a beach holiday.
L.A. Chargers= Mexico
Great to watch with solid veteran leadership and young attacking talent- looking to make it into that mythical place: the last 8
Cleveland Browns= Panama
Plucky underdogs out of their depth, liked by everyone but will finish winless
Pittsburgh Steelers= Brazil
70s glory side filled with attacking talent but haven’t been to the big game for a while, never tire of telling you how many times they’ve won it and rarely out before the quarter -finals.
Atlanta Falcons= France
Awesome array of attacking options but a coach struggling to get the best out of them- got to a final recently but don’t ask how that went.
L.A. Rams= Belgium
Great ensemble of talent, but do the pieces all fit together? Not too many years left before the team breaks up so it’s win now or never.
Houston Texans= Egypt
It might have been so different if only their star man hadn’t got injured before crunch time.
Indianapolis Colts= Senegal
Have a nice passing game, can’t stop other teams scoring, might surprise a few but won’t t win it.
San Francisco 49ers = England
Former glory team fallen on hard times, new belief has arrived via a young new coach and their great white hope leading the attack. Won’t win it this time but next time…
Green Bay Packers= Portugal
It’s all about their leading man, keep him fit and firing and they’re contenders, if not it’ll be over very quickly.
Denver Broncos= Sweden
Great defence, that’s about it.
Seattle Seahawks= Colombia
Great 4 years ago now looking wobbly as the greying coach tries to keep it all together. Their big star looks very lonely in a talent starved attack.
Minnesota Vikings= Iceland
Snow, beards , thunder claps: liked by many but won’t be in the final.
Detroit Lions= South Korea
Perennial middle tier side, always in close games but won’t bother the knockout stage.
New Orleans Saints= Spain
Great array of talent, wonderful to watch. Can their veteran playmaker bring it home one last time?
Tampa Bay Buccaneers= Morocco
Attractive lightweight side cursed with a tough division. Will entertain more than they win.
Kansas City Chiefs= Russia
Fast starters reliant on the big lad upfront to score, always run out of steam before the semi-finals.
Oakland Raiders= Nigeria
Talented but fractious team with management and application issues. Brilliant one game awful the next.
Baltimore Ravens= Iran
Dour but effective defensive team, they won’t score many but nobody will want to play them.
Cincinnati Bengals= Denmark
Great in the late 80s, a solid stable team who won’t be around at the business end of the tournament but will make a few friends beforehand.
Tennessee Titans= Japan
A neat and tidy team not short of creativity and may make it to the knockout phase but too lightweight when it counts.
Jacksonville Jaguars= Croatia
Bags of talent and playmakers across the pitch but have one glaring weakness that will likely prove their undoing.
NY Giants= Australia
Loud brash team with a solid work ethic, but too little talent and still reliant on a man approaching 40 to win games.
Washington Redskins= Serbia
Unpredictable side who usually put a few wins together but rarely trouble the best teams.
Chicago Bears= Costa Rica
Very solid in defence but their best attacking weapon is injury prone and they lack the invention to score on big teams.
Carolina Panthers= Peru
Inconsistent team who entertain but struggle to finish sides off.
Arizona Cardinals= Switzerland
A solid well-managed team with a couple of talented attackers but attack lacks a focal point.
Philadelphia Eagles= Uruguay
Previously in the shadow of illustrious neighbours now a multi-talented side who could go a long way, but they’re not popular with neutrals.
Dallas Cowboys= Argentina
Another 70s glory team who haven’t delivered a title in decades.Their main attacking weapon moves the ball forward like few others can and there’s no shortage of star names. But their leaky defence may prove their undoing (again).