BlackJack Fletcher: Why I’m Hitching My World Cup Wagon to Uruguay

The Highlights

• Without the U.S. in the field, BlackJack did some research to find a team that is both fun to root for and good.
• After some research, BlackJack settled on Uruguay, who have stars at both ends of the pitch.
• A good draw should help La Celeste's chances in Russia.

OK guys, the World Cup is upon us now, and it is time for us to adopt a team. With the calendar now almost exclusively devoted to baseball, we need something else to watch. With the United States out of the World Cup, there is no obvious team for us root for (and bet on). We need to find a team that has the right mix. Our squad needs to be fun, easy to root for and also a solid gambling play.

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It's not fun to root for favorites in this tournament because the odds stink and we're not looking for a bandwagon. We also aren't going to take a team such as Iceland because there's no shot of them doing anything in this tournament. We need that perfect blend.

I considered teams such as England or Portugal, but after some research, the English squad was simply too boring, bland and full of disappointing World Cup finishes to be our adopted squad. Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo and that is basically it.

I kept digging and digging, until I landed in Sky Blue heaven. That's right, I landed on Uruguay, who won the first World Cup, on their own turf, in 1930. Currently, our boys are listed at +2800.

Now remember, I am a soccer novice, so I did have to research these squads, and I liked what I found with the Uruguayan side quite a bit. I've seen our two best players, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, play a bunch, and they are one of the most potent attacking duos in the tournament. Suarez has scored 30 goals or more in six of the past seven club seasons, while Cavani has potted 40 goals in each of the past two seasons with Paris Saint-Germain. They are explosive offensively, which makes the game a hell of a lot more fun to watch.

Of course, we can't ignore the defense. As good as Cavani and Suarez are, our centerback duo of Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez could be what puts us over the edge. The two defenders are familiar with each other and play for Atletico Madrid, one of the great defensive teams of this generation.

They also have continuity and experience, as manager Oscar Tabarez is leading this team for the fourth consecutive World Cup. They have two World Cup titles to their credit (1930, 1950) and are optimistic that this club could be their best chance in a long time for their third title.

This is our team, guys. We're in a group with Egypt, Russia and Saudi Arabia, so we should be able to cruise through to the round of 16. From there, with a little luck, and some skill, we just might hoist that beautiful gold trophy at the end of this thing for the Blue and White.