The World Cup is right around the corner, and while baseball teams carry on their business, 48 nations will be traveling about the North American continent, fighting for the ultimate prize in what’s widely regarded as the biggest sporting event in the world. With less than a week to go before the start of this tournament, why not try to make comparisons between the powerhouses in these two sports?
Yankees and Brazil, the old guard
Even if you’re one of the most casual followers of soccer, you’ll know the reputation of Brazil, historically
the most successful nation in international soccer. The Brazilian national team is a five-time winner of the World Cup and the only one to participate in every edition of the tournament.
The Yankees and Brazil have always been around, and the deck seems stacked in a way for them to always be around, even if in the current landscape, their level of dominance isn’t quite what it once was. Brazil, much like the Yankees, has seen competitors rise up in the last couple of decades, and if not even the playing field, provide a level of competition unlike that of previous eras.
Despite being the winningest entities in their respective sports, the Yankees and Brazil carry the burden of championship droughts that would seem normal for most teams, but for them are borderline unconscionable. The Brazilian national team heads into the United States of America having last won a World Cup twenty-four years ago, tied for their longest drought that previously occurred between 1970 and 1994. For those of you who are superstitious, Brazil ended that last 24-year drought on US soil in the 1994 World Cup. The Yankees have a few years before reaching their longest timeframe between championships, but with their last championship coming in 2009, they’re not far off the period of two decades without a ring in the early part of the 20th century.
The Dodgers and France, the new overlords
Finalists in each of the last two World Cups and possessing a core that makes even the strongest nations quiver in fear, the French national team, much like the Dodgers, seems overloaded with talent, and their recent success backs that up.
Building an imperfect narrative, one of the flaws in our argument is that historically, France has had its way against Brazil in the World Cup, eliminating them three times across four World Cup matches. France got the better of Brazil in the 1986 quarterfinals on penalties, beat them 3-0 in the final in 1998, and most recently knocked out the South American squad in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup. Brazil’s only success came in the semifinal of the 1958 World Cup. In baseball, however, even though the Dodgers got the better of the Yankees a couple of seasons ago, New York still holds an ample advantage in that particular matchup historically. Nevertheless, the similarities are too clear to come up with any other answer.
Between Kylian Mbappé, Michael Olise, and Ousmane Dembélé, the French have an attack whose potency is unmatched, and much like the Dodgers, they seem able to buydevelop more and more talent by the loads. Rayan Cherki has been one of the top breakout stars and will be appearing in the World Cup for the first time in his career, as will Olise. It’s kind of like the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker when they already have a stacked lineup.
These were the two parallels that stood out for obvious reasons, but there are many more to be made across the pool of 30 and 48 teams and nations, respectively. If you see any other good parallels, drop them in the comments below!
