World Cup Thread for June 12 - Brazil vs. Croatia

After a 3 year and 11 month break, our World Cup threads are back!  While it doesn't always provide the most exhilarating games in terms of offense (especially if you're watching Greece), that only means that each goal weighs that much heavier for each game.  The tournament kicks off with the opening ceremony at 2 PM Eastern (it's on ESPN3), and you might want to watch it, in case something like this happens:

This year is the 20th anniversary Diana Ross missing a penalty in the Rose Bowl during the opening ceremonies. It's only gotten better with age.

As for actual soccer, there's only one game today, Brazil vs. Croatia. Brazil is the home team and the favorite to win the whole thing, while Croatia is probably hoping for a tie in this game. Who should you root for? Let's break it down.

BRAZIL: They play a positive (read - attacking) brand of soccer. 80% of the time you see promos for Brazil, you see people dancing, so it seems like a pretty upbeat place. One of their players goes by "Hulk", which is the second coolest name on the team. The first? Fred. No last name, just Fred. FRED.

CROATIA: They have one of the more original looks in the World Cup, wearing something you might find at a picnic. Like at least one-third of the other teams in this tournament, they have some strength up front, but the defense leaves something to be desired. Why you may not want to root for them - one of their players lead their fans last year inwhat could be interpreted as a fascist salute.

So this is the open thread. Same rules apply here as they do in others - no links to illegal game streams, no slurs, and be cool to one another. Enjoy the game everyone.