“And after all the violence and double talk, there’s just a song in the trouble and the strife, you do the walk, you do the walk of life.” From the song “Walk of Life” by Dire Straits. And, dire straits are where the USA Men’s team will be if they lose again. THIS IS VOLLEYBALL!
World Championships march on in Poland with some incredible volleyball and some spectacular crowds (a round of applause for the Polish Volleyball fans, please). First of all, let’s recap and review to get to where we are today.
We started with 148 hopeful teams all across the world. The 148 teams were then narrowed through a zonal process into a Round 1 in Poland consisting of 24 teams divided into four pools of six teams each. The top four teams in each of these Round 1 pools advanced to Round 2, which consists of 16 teams divided into two pools of eight teams each. Only the top three teams from each Round 2 pool will advance to Round 3, with only two teams then remaining for the final match which will determine the “World Champion.” One interesting and unusual twist to the advancing in the Rounds is that you “keep your record” against the other teams that also advance. For example, the USA had a 3 -2 record in Round 1, but only went 1 – 2 against the other three teams that advanced to Round 2. So, unfortunately, the USA started Round 2 with a record of 1 – 2. See what I mean about dire straits.
Current Standings.
Pool E of Phase 2, at end of day, 9/11/14
(2 More Matches per Team)
| COUNTRY | RECORD | POINTS | |
| 1 | France | 4 – 1 | 13 |
| 2 | Iran | 4 – 1 | 12 |
| 3 | Poland | 4 – 1 | 11 |
| 4 | USA | 3 – 2 | 10 |
| 5 | Serbia | 3 – 2 | 9 |
| 6 | Argentina | 1 – 4 | 3 |
| 7 | Italy | 1 – 4 | 2 |
| 8 | Australia | 0 – 5 | 0 |
Pool F of Phase 2, at end of day, 9/11/14
(2 More Matches Per Team)
| COUNTRY | RECORD | POINTS | |
| 1 | Brazil | 5 – 0 | 15 |
| 2 | Russia | 5 – 0 | 14 |
| 3 | Germany | 4 – 1 | 12 |
| 4 | Canada | 4 – 1 | 10 |
| 5 | Bulgaria | 1 – 4 | 5 |
| 6 | Finland | 1 – 4 | 2 |
| 7 | Cuba | 0 – 5 | 2 |
| 8 | China | 0 – 5 | 0 |
Remaining Matches. See the beIn Sports network for broadcast times.
| Day | Date | Time (EST) | Teams | Location |
| Saturday | 9/13 | 10:40 AM | Argentina vs Italy | Bydgoszcz |
| Saturday | 9/13 | 10:40 AM | Brazil vs Canada | Katowice |
| Saturday | 9/13 | 10:40 AM | Finland vs China | Wroclaw |
| Saturday | 9/13 | 10:40 AM | Serbia vs France | Lodz |
| Saturday | 9/13 | 2:25 PM | Poland vs Iran | Lodz |
| Saturday | 9/13 | 2:25 PM | Australia vs USA | Bydgoszcz |
| Saturday | 9/13 | 2:25 PM | Germany vs Russia | Katowice |
| Saturday | 9/13 | 2:25 PM | Cuba vs Bulgaria | Wroclaw |
| Day | Date | Time (EST) | Teams | Location |
| Sunday | 9/14 | 10:40 AM | Argentina vs USA | Bydgoszcz |
| Sunday | 9/14 | 10:40 AM | Brazil vs Russia | Katowice |
| Sunday | 9/14 | 10:40 AM | Finland vs Bulgaria | Wroclaw |
| Sunday | 9/14 | 10:40 AM | Serbia vs Iran | Lodz |
| Sunday | 9/14 | 2:25 PM | Poland vs France | Lodz |
| Sunday | 9/14 | 2:25 PM | Australia vs Italy | Bydgoszcz |
| Sunday | 9/14 | 2:25 PM | Germany vs Canada | Katowice |
| Sunday | 9/14 | 2:25 PM | Cuba vs China | Wroclaw |
Analysis and Predictions.
In Pool E, I believe France, Poland, and USA will emerge as the three teams advancing to Round 3. Over the weekend France will go 1 – 1, Poland will win both matches, and the USA will also win both matches. Iran will finish fourth in Pool E.
In Pool F, I believe Brazil, Russia and Canada will be the three victors who advance to Round 3. Over the weekend Brazil will go 1 – 1, Russia will go 1 – 1, and Canada will go undefeated to pull ahead of Germany.
If we watch these matches, we all win. Let’s grow the game together!
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