World Cup primer: Arizona soccer figures share picks, insights

The world’s biggest sporting event is back. Four and a half years after France took down Croatia in Moscow, the World Cup returns Sunday morning with the opener between Ecuador and host Qatar.

Not much about this edition of the quadrennial soccer tournament is normal. It was awarded to Qatar after representatives from the country reportedly bribed FIFA officials, prompting years of global investigations and arrests. It’s being held in November, rather than the traditional early summer slot, because of weather in the Persian Gulf state. Hovering over everything is Qatar’s wretched human rights record, the subject of protests from World Cup players and teams.

And yet, there’s still the unmistakable magic of the one sporting event that unites all corners of the world. Brazil is the betting favorite to break its 20-year championship drought. England might have its best team since 1966, when it won its only title. Superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will have one last chance at the sport’s ultimate trophy.

Finally, the U.S. is back, after failing to qualify in 2018. The Americans are in a group with England, Wales and Iran. The top two teams from each of eight groups advance to the knockout rounds, ultimately leading to the championship match on Dec. 18. The U.S. opens at noon Monday against Wales on Fox; all games will be shown by Fox or FS1.

Mexico opens group play at 9 a.m. Tuesday against Poland; Argentina and Saudi Arabia are also in the group.

Ahead of Sunday’s opener, The Republic spoke with some of the most influential figures in Arizona soccer for their insights and predictions for the World Cup: Juan Guerra, Phoenix Rising manager; Mike Kraus, Grand Canyon men's soccer coach; Graham Winkworth, Arizona State women’s soccer coach; and Brent Erwin, Real Salt Lake Arizona sporting director. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.

What are you most looking forward to seeing?

Guerra: I think this is going to be, soccer-wise, one of the best World Cups. The players have only played half of their club seasons. Usually when we play World Cups, it's right after the players have played a full season, lots of minutes and traveled so much so they're usually tired.

Kraus: The World Cup is something that brings the whole world together every four years in a sport that everyone loves. Whereas clubs might have built up superstars, this is an even playing field. It’s not based on which club has the most money and can compile the most superstars, it's which country has developed talent and can put together the best chemistry.

Winkworth: One of the most fun things for me watching the World Cup is different teams offer different qualities. Look at our group. The U.S. is very athletic, England is a bit more technical than they have been in the past. And then I love watching the African teams like Cameroon and Ghana. I love the camaraderie and the togetherness that these nations often bring to the World Cup.

Erwin: I'm actually looking forward to it being in the winter. I think it's a unique thing to be able to sit down over Thanksgiving and watch these games.

How will it go in Qatar, and in the late fall?

Erwin: It's in a city-state with a questionable human rights record. It's got everything. The subplots that go on outside of the event will be interesting. Just seeing if everybody is welcome there and if everybody's able to enjoy the games.

Winkworth: With the amount of money that is in the professional game these days and the knowledge that it is the clubs that pay the salaries, this time of season, players don't want to get hurt. There will be players who are in the final years of their contracts that want to make sure they're healthy and ready to sign a new contract with their clubs. It's just not the same this time of year.

Guerra: The World Cup should be utilized to focus on the World Cup and the countries and players representing their countries and playing football. And then obviously at some point, we should utilize the platform of the game for other things.

Who's likely to win it all?

Guerra: I’m between Brazil or Argentina. If I have to pick one, I'll pick Argentina. It would be unbelievable to see Messi lift the cup.

Winkworth: The World Cup being played outside of Europe is not a benefit for the European teams. I wouldn't be surprised if a South American team like Brazil, for example, had a great year. The amount of depth they've got is unbelievable.

Kraus: It's a safe bet no matter what World Cup you're going into to go for Brazil. They've got a good mix of young talent that's ready and eager to put Brazil at the top of world soccer.

Erwin: I've gone back and forth on it, but Brazil is my pick. There's probably five or six teams that are strong and have really strong rosters, but I think that Brazil has the strongest roster and the fewest issues going into it. France has a good roster, but they have a couple players injured and there just seems to be unrest in that camp.

How about a surprise team that can go far?

Guerra: The Netherlands. They have a young team that is very versatile. The style of soccer that they play is great. They have players who are in good form in their club teams and their manager, Louis van Gaal, has already been at the World Cup and he does a good job every time he's back with the national team.

Kraus: I don't know if they're a surprise, but I think Portugal is set to do some things. Not only with Cristiano Ronaldo leading it, but with some other younger guys.

Erwin: I could see Belgium in a final. So I think that would be a surprise. But I'm a believer in the blue bloods for this one. In some of the groups, you could get a surprise. In Group E, with Spain and Germany, I could see Japan nipping one of them. Maybe Portugal doesn't make it through and South Korea makes it through in Group H. But for the most part, I think this is a tournament for the blue bloods.

Who are some players to watch?

Erwin: A lot of it has to do with the guys playing in their last World Cup. Messi, Ronaldo, Poland striker Robert Lewandowski, maybe Neymar. It’ll also be interesting to watch the Canadians play and watch left-back Alphonso Davies. He is a world class player. Kevin De Bruyne is probably at his point with Belgium to where he's going to have his best event. Vinicius Junior for Brazil is a good player.

Guerra: Everybody wants to see Neymar at the World Cup. Kylian Mbappe on France. Frenkie de Jong on the Netherlands is a good player. I want to see how he does with his national team. Dutch center-back Virgil van Dijk as well, I want to see how he does with the national team, changing playing styles from his club team, Liverpool. De Bruyne with Belgium. There's so many.

Winkworth: I'm gonna be biased and think about the English here. Jude Bellingham is a top youngster coming through in the midfield. He's a box-to-box player that's got everything. It's a bit of a shame that the likes of Norway’s Erling Haaland and Egypt’s Mo Salah did not qualify. One player I like to watch is Alphonso Davies. I'm a big fan of watching Kevin De Bruyne. The guy's not just a magician on the ball, he's a magician in the fact that he knows what he's gonna do before the ball's even got to him. He's such an intelligent footballer that's really fun to watch.

Kraus: Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna for the U.S. Christian Pulisic is obviously a household name now, but it’s an opportunity for him to really prove and take over the reins of Captain America.

Prediction for the U.S. in group play?

Kraus: I want to say that they're going to get back to the quarterfinals. We have a lot of players that are playing at the top level and in pretty good form right now. The trajectory of soccer in this country is pointing up.

Winkworth: My prediction would be America do finish second in the group and then lose to the Netherlands. England is in the same group and yeah, the U.S. can beat them on any given day, it's soccer. But Pulisic is their best player and he wouldn't be at the World Cup if he was English and I think that's the difference.

Guerra: I think the U.S. is going to get out of the groups. And the beautiful thing about the World Cup is once you're out of the group stage, anything can happen.

What about a prediction for Mexico?

Guerra: That's a tough one. I think they’re going to make it out of the group stage as well. I like their manager, Tata Martino, a lot, even though he’s taken a lot of heat before the World Cup. Once Mexico goes to the World Cup, they do well and they have fans that follow them absolutely everywhere.

Erwin: I know it's popular right now to say they're not gonna make it out. And obviously they're our biggest rival, so I would love to say they're not gonna make it out, but I think they make it out and that’s about it for them. Like the U.S., the forwards they have are fine, but they’re not world class.

Winkworth: Saudi Arabia will not be strong, but I think they'll be difficult to beat so close to home. I think Argentina will cruise through the group stage and Poland have quality players but they don't usually show up in these major tournaments. So it could be a coin toss as to who gets second place. I'd still pick Mexico to finish second behind Argentina.

Theo Mackie covers Arizona high school sports and Phoenix Rising FC. He can be reached by email at theo.mackie@gannett.com and on Twitter @theo_mackie.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about the World Cup, from an Arizona soccer perspective