GOOOAAAALLLLLLL!

What Tom Brady is not playing in the World Cup tomorrow? This is a 5 to 30 minute read depending how fast you read or if you find this remotely funny, I read slow.

The World Cup -- the Super Bowl of Soccer is Tomorrow! Wait, no World Cup commercials to wait for? Where is Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots or where is Vince Lombardi and his Packers of Green Bay? Instead, there is one ball, 2 goals and many injured players who at any given time during a soccer game seem left for dead from a major injury or so it seems. Mysteriously, a secret spray of right guard deodorant and miraculously those players left for dead all of a sudden pop up of the ground like a young foal that has just been born. I am not sure it is the right guard or prayers from Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Baker.

Well, I have conceded there will be no Chevrolet or Apple Pie or even the Gronk tomorrow as France the favorites (I think) are taking on Croatia. Are there even mascots or nicknames for these teams? I don't know and I am too tired or excited waiting for the game to start that I can't even take myself to google it. So lets just say its the French -- Friers based on the tasty treat in the US and they are taking on the Crusty Croatians. I chose Crusty it just flows with Croatian. I have been told by my kids both teams have good players but France is better in the talent department and they have a really cool 18 year old on the team.

This is why I am predicting the Crusty Croatians to win the Super Bowl World Cup tomorrow for the first time ever. I believe it will be a route of 23.5 to 3. It won't even be close. The best talent does not also prevail sometimes its the best team.

I did little to no research for this post and I really don't know if there are nicknames or mascots, but, I do know there are great passionate people from both countries who will be cheering their team to victory or crying in defeat. With that written, I do want to let you know the top 3 reasons why I have picked the Crusty's to win.

#1 Croatia actually supposedly invented the neck tie. Now for those that know me you know that could be a major issue as I really hate wearing neckties. But the ones they invented kind of look like the servers tie at a Churrascaria Brazilian Steakhouse restaurant and I love steak and therefore advantage Croatia.

#2 The Game of Thrones Kings Landing is indeed a Croatian Dubrovnik. Now I have never watched the Game of Thrones but I hear its pretty violent during the fighting scenes. Advantage Croatia again as they will endure the ever lasting fight against the Friers of France. I am not sure what a Dubrovnik is but that sounds scary and therefore still advantage Crusty's.

#3 Croatia is home to the breed of dogs called Dalmatians. I could of sworn they were born in a firehouse in Brooklyn, New York, but I must have been mistaken. The Crusty's even named a coast for them doggies. Advantage Croatia! Love dogs.

Now if you are rooting for France please don't despair, you had a great run. But there are 3 reasons why your team will lose tomorrow.

#1 France has 12 different time zones. Let's face it, people get jet lagged when flying from one time zone. France had to fly through 12 just to get out of their country. They must be jet lagged. Disadvantage France.

#2 There is a municipality named Y. Y's inhabitants are known as Ypsilon which sounds like a fraternity. I just recently re-watched animal house. Disadvantage France.

#3 In France supposedly there is a law which prohibits people calling their pigs Napoleon. Never ever mess with Bacon. You can call my Bacon anything as long as its crispy. Disadvantage the Friers.

Now lets not forget its Bastille Day today as I write this and we don't know if the French team will even sleep tonight. France is probably still sulking they are not playing England and Croatia will no doubt take advantage of that distraction. So where does this leave us? The odds are stacked against the team from France because of the statistically relevant reasons I mentioned before. My mind is made up...Croatia will win very easily and win their first World Super 7-11 Big Gulp 128 Ounce Cup. I will be grateful if the game goes well and every one stays safe and sound and that soccer mercifully is over.

While I usually like to write and post about leadership lessons learned, I thought with the biggest game upon us that I indulge the US Soccer Fan Base. Wait is there a base...sure there is and its growing leaps and bounds. But lets be real, the NCAA and NFL football seasons are just around the corner and we can't wait! LeBron is packing up his house in Cleveland into a UHaul and driving to LA for the basketball season, and the boys of summer are on the diamond right now.

But as we pass the time for football to start, this game only comes every four years and there is nothing more cooler than seeing people so excited and passionate to watch their teams play. I wish Croatia and France well along with the referees tomorrow. I do hope it remains 0 to 0 until the 19th penalty shoot out segment ends so that I can hear commentator Andres Cantor's famous call GGGGGGOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL and in a flash Croatia becomes World Cup Champs! Cue up Queen - We are the Champions! Do they even play after winning the World Cup?

The truth is, I don't know who will win. What I do know is that these players, coaches, staff, referees and all their families from both teams have worked extremely hard to be on this stage, not to mention the TV people, facility staff and of course human resources, etc. It's too bad there can only be one winner, because the world will not have seen the sacrifice it took to get there and the years of hard work put in, all for the opportunity to be called a champion and represent their country. Playing at a high level takes grit, heart, skill and a good potion of passion.

What's in your game?

I guess the true leadership lesson here today is that when you see the passion of the fans and players in the final game, we should ask ourselves as leaders, have we created that environment that is ripe for passion and success? If not...why not? Win with the heart first the mind and results will follow. If you watch the game at the least watch the passion...it starts with heart!

These comments are mine and not those of my employer. Please ignore my bad grammar or missing words as I type slower than I think and my editor is sleeping with the kids as I type this.

For the record, I really don't care for Soccer, in fact I can't stand the darn sport for many reasons but that's for another article. But one of my How's to my Why is to respect other people's passion, and with that I will do just that. I bid you a good day and hope if you are a soccer fan you get the great game you are yearning for. For the Croatians and French People all around the world, you both are recognized as the two best teams left standing and you should be very proud of your country and I am excited to see your passion ring through! (I am sincere about that...the rest of this piece not so much)

By the time you read this the World Cup will probably be over and my prediction I am sure came true...regardless please don't tell me who won as I probably won't watch the game unless it goes to penalty kicks!

Au revoir and Dovidnja ...

Onward and Up until next time!

Greg