How to Pick a World Cup Winner: Part I

Every four years, I get absolutely obsessed with the World Cup. I meticulously pour over squad details, the histories and stories of different teams, possibilities for how match-ups play out, how the table and bracket line up. And, at the end of this process, in the days right before the tournament begins, I know who will win the World Cup.

You might think that this is merely posturing on my part. Which is fair enough. This is absolutely an exercise in self indulgence. But, I do know my stuff. I correctly predicted the winner of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. I called the winner of the Copa America Centenario. My score is not perfect. I predicted the Netherlands would win the 2010 World Cup,…