First, Mexico’s loss to the Netherlands triggers a whirlwind of controversy. Three days later, the U.S. national team is eliminated by Belgium.
Now, the FIFA World Cup is down to the final four: The host country Brazil takes on Germany on Tuesday, and Argentina faces the Netherlands on Wednesday. The two victors will fight for the title on Sunday.
So now that the town’s favorites are no longer in the running to win the World Cup, who will Eastside residents root for?
Boyle Heights Beat conducted a survey to find out residents’ predictions and favorites.
Out of the 125 fans asked, 20 percent said they stopped following the world cup after Mexico and the U.S. was no longer in the tournament.
One pretty predictable factor: the Mexico fan would have a strong opinion against the Netherlands, as many fans still debated their team was robbed.
“I think Argentina will win because first, I don’t want the Netherlands to win, they took out Mexico,” said Jenesis Bonilla, 25. “It would be nice if a Latin American team wins it.”
Like Bonilla, the majority of those surveyed said they hoped to see a Latin American team come out on top, whether it was Argentina or Brazil.
Brazil took the majority of the votes with 28 percent. The Boyle Heights crowd viewed Brazil as favorites for their home field advantage, most World Cup wins, and super star power.
The second majority of voters supported Argentina. The last time Argentina was in a final match was in 1990 when they fell to West Germany. In 1978 Argentina won a World Cup, beating out the Netherlands in the finals.
A small group, suggested Germany would be the victory, due to their size and experience.
The most popular sport in the world crowns its champion on Sunday, July 13. It is expected to be the most-watched television event in history.
Do you agree with the survey results? Who do you think will win the 2014 World Cup?
Dan Gudino was born in Boyle Heights and currently covers high school football and professional sports in Southern California.
