NIGERIA
Manager: Gernot Rohr
MVP: Alex Iwobi
Best WC Result: Second Round 1994, 1998, 2014
Don’t tell Nkechi we said this (Nkechi, if you’re reading this, we’re sorry) but, even with some of the most talented squads African football has ever seen, Nigeria have never really shown their true potential in the World Cup. But with one of the sickest team jerseys we’ve ever witnessed and a team full of pace and skill (not to mention players who are used to regular play in the big leagues; an aspect that cannot be overstated when the pressure’s on) they might just be a (long overdue) run of form. Stuff your face full of fufu if they make it through to the final.
Nkechi African Cafe
2717 W Manchester Blvd
Inglewood, CA 90305
Inglewood. A baking hot day. Those wobbling lines emanating off the asphalt. Into the cool of Nkechi’s with Nkechi waiting for us. She is stood in the middle of the restaurant with clanging noises coming from the kitchen behind her.
“What do you want?” she says.
We get jollof rice with a big chunk of tilapia, a fish we overhear someone saying is a “fake fish” designed “in a lab” to be “extra delicious”. Nonsense, of course, but you can see where he’s coming from. The meat falls off the bone, mixing in with the tangy jollof. Someone switches the mounted TV to a sports channel. Nkechi brings over suya, skewered beef marinated in spices and barbecued to fiery perfection and traditional to Northern Nigeria. They don’t last long at our table, polished off in just a few bites.
“We have soccer on all the time,” says Nkechi, turning to the screen. “There are a lot of people with Nigerian heritage around here. Eighty percent of our clientele are Nigerian, but whenever someone else comes here and tries our food? Yeah, they like it. During the World Cup, everyone comes to watch.”
We try some fufu for the first time: pounded yam, sticky and white, to be torn off into a little ball with your right hand and dipped into an accompaniment, here it’s ogbono, a spicy cow foot soup. It is great.
“You like, huh?” We like. “Tastes good. Don’t chew it, though. Just dip and then swallow it. No chewing. I have no idea why American people always chew it. I keep telling them not to.” Okay, sorry.
The spice rises up, warm and peppery. We’re handed a bottle of water, ice-cold. It is well received.
“LA? I love LA,” says Nkechi, stealing a piece of fufu for herself. “I love the weather. I love it all.”
CROATIA
Manager: Zlatko Dalić
MVP: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)
Best WC Result: Third Place, 1998
In 1994, Croatia were the 124th best team in the world. That’s not very good. By 1998, they were third. That is very good. A fiery, attacking side bolstered by Davor Šuker, at the time, one of the best strikers in the game. Since then, Croatia’s game has been defined by its technically gifted midfielders and disappointing performances in big games. But with world-class playmakers Modrić and Ivan Rakitić behind pretty good strikers Andrej Kramarić, Mario Mandžukić, and Nikola Kalinić they could be liable for a surprise or two this summer…
ICELAND
Manager: Heimir Hallgrímsson
MVP: Gylfi Sigurðsson (Everton)
Best WC Result: First Appearance, 2018
First timers! Go Iceland. They won the hearts of neutrals at the Euro Championships in 2016 with their plucky courage in handing England their asses (and, mostly, with their strapping fans’ synchronized “HOOOO!” Viking chants on the terraces) and will likely be the underdog favorite in Russia, too. Their lack of squad depth may be an issue, but for a country with a population of 300,000, can you blame them?
ARGENTINA
Manager: Jorge Sampaoli
MVP: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Best WC Result: Winners, 1978 and 1986
Are you aware of the work of Leo Messi? A deft touch personified; the barreling run, the supreme balance, the wand of a left foot, the brain of Euclidean excellence, the humanizing ginger beard. He’s a genius. Literally a genius. He’s the best soccer player of all time, and there’s only one title that’s evaded him… He came so close in 2014 only to be beaten by a solitary, squirming goal by the Germans in the final, and will be absolutely desperate to get there again. Add Paulo Dybala, Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín, and there’s plenty of firepower on show in front of an often shaky defense. Sampaoli might just be their best hope, looking to settle a notoriously anxious squad with regimented tactics and zero horseplay.
The Empanada Factory
2513 S Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
You like empanadas. A perfectly grip-shaped bread stuffed with filling: what’s not to like? The Empanada Factory, as you’d imagine, are great at them and situated in a low-key little spot ran by Marcelo, an Argentine soccer fan, who loves nothing better than to be pessimistic about his country’s chances and fill you full of awesome food.
