SOC: Round of 16 Picks
Uruguay vs. Portugal: Uruguay was able to earn wins in all three of their matches in Group A, beating Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and then Russia. Portugal didn't have as much luck as they pair of games on the outset of a win over Morocco. They tied Spain, 3-3, and then played Iran to a draw, 1-1, in the final game. It wasn't the best look for Cristiano Ronaldo and Co., but they were able to find a way out of the Group Stage. A win in the last match would have seen them advance as the top seed from Group B, which meant they'd be playing Russia. The stoppage time goal from Iran means they now have to play an undefeated Uruguay. I think it's clear who the better team is in this scenario, but with Ronaldo on their side, Portugal will have a chance to win.
Post: Uruguay.
Taylor: Uruguay.
Wejinya: Uruguay.
France vs. Argentina: France hasn't been playing at their best, but it's safe to say that they should be able to win this game. They are superior at nearly every position compared to Argentina (outside of Lionel Messi) and because of that, the Frenchmen should be able to advance to the quarterfinals for the second straight World Cup. Coming into the 2018 Cup, France was favorites to reach the semifinals and I think they should be able to get by this Argentina team who barely snuck into the Round of 16. Messi only has one goal so far in the three matches, but he's obviously dangerous in every game. If Paul Pogba plays up to his potential and guys like Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe show up, then I don't see how France loses.
Post: France.
Taylor: France.
Wejinya: France.
Brazil vs. Mexico: This might be the best match of the opening round as it puts two of the best eight teams in the world against one another, according to our World Cup Power Rankings. We have Brazil ranked fifth after they won their group with a draw against Switzerland and wins against Costa Rica and Serbia. And we ranked Mexico as the seventh best team. However, after the first two matches, Mexico was slotted second only behind Belgium. The reason for their slide is because of a 3-0 loss against Sweden in their most recent outing. It wasn't a good showing for a team that looked absolutely dominant in their first two matches against Germany and South Korea. Whoever wins this match might be able to make a deep run in this field.
Post: Brazil.
Taylor: Mexico.
Wejinya: Brazil.
Belgium vs. Japan: Fresh off of the best matchup of the Round of 16, we find ourselves with the most lopsided game in the opening round. Belgium comes in as our No. 1 team in the world. They've simply been dominant for majority of the entire tournament. Romelu Lukaku is tied for second with four goals in the Golden Boot race and has been clicking on all cylinders, so expect him to continue being aggressive. Belgium has outscored opponents 9-2 in the three games, two of which were three goal victories. I don't think Japan can hang in this one, especially since they barely stuck into the Knockout Round, only because of a fair play rule. Japan will try to slow the pace and force Belgium to be uncomfortable, but I don't think it'll work for a full match.
Post: Belgium.
Taylor: Belgium.
Wejinya: Belgium.
Spain vs. Russia: Now we move to the bottom half of the bracket, and no disrespect to these teams, but it's by far the weaker side of the two. The top half has five teams ranked in our top eight and the two best players in the world: Messi and Ronaldo. There are six teams in the top half of the bracket that could get to the final. To me, the bottom half will come down to Spain, Croatia, or Colombia. Spain topped Group B and I don't think they will have trouble eliminating Russia. The Russians looked great against Saudi Arabia and Egypt, but once they had to play a legitimate contender (Uruguay), it didn't end pretty. Spain will look for Costa to add his fourth goal in the tournament and the Spaniards should move on with relative ease.
Post: Spain.
Taylor: Spain.
Wejinya: Spain.
Croatia vs. Denmark: Croatia doesn't always get the headlines they should, but the talent is hard to ignore. Luka Modrić, the captain of the team, is a world class player who plays for Real Madrid. Ivan Rakitić takes the field for Barcelona. And then Davor Šuker leads the team in goals scored. This Croatian team is legitimate and could seriously make a run in this tournament. They don't always come at you quickly like Belgium or Uruguay, but Croatia will eventually break down Denmark and get good looks. Denmark, on the other hand, might rely too much on Christian Eriksen. He's a great player, but you don't want to rely on one player to carry the scoring load and I think that will come back to hurt Denmark in this matchup.
Post: Croatia.
Taylor: Croatia.
Wejinya: Croatia.
Sweden vs. Switzerland: Sweden was a tough team to really understand because they looked good against South Korea, but then had a chance to eliminate Germany and missed out on a big opportunity. The 2-1 loss was tough to take, and yet Sweden bounced back to take down Mexico 3-0. Sweden has Andreas Granqvist who could frustrate Switzerland in the next matchup. As for the Swiss, they have an incredible one-two punch from Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka. These two came up big in the matchup against Serbia, as Switzerland took a 2-1 win after trailing early. If either one of them can find an opening, they'll likely be able to put it away. This game should be a good one, and either team could advance to the quarterfinals.
Post: Switzerland.
Taylor: Sweden.
Wejinya: Sweden.
Colombia vs. England: The final matchup of the Round of 16 has a chance to be a tight game. Colombia wasn't in line to advance to this point after an opening match loss to Japan, but the next two outings were impressive. Colombia beat Poland (3-0) and Senegal (1-0) to move on. James Rodriguez's health is going to be something to keep an eye on, and Radamel Falcao might have to carry more of the load than usual. On England's side, Harry Kane has five goals in the tournament so far, which is the most of anyone. England has a ton of talent led by Kane and Colombia will key in on him. According to Mirror, "Colombia have the inside track on England's World Cup 2018 leading goalscorer because of Davinson Sanchez (Kane's Tottenham teammate)." We'll see.
Post: Colombia.
Taylor: England.
Wejinya: Colombia.
Photo Credit: Goal.