It’s been a while since I’ve done a blog post so for those of you who have been reading my recent posts, welcome back! For those of you who are new to my blog, welcome! This is going to be my first blog post to do with Wales, which I’m excited to be writing about. I can’t believe I am writing about Wales at a FIFA World Cup! Let’s dive in to it..
Tomorrow, a sixty four year wait comes to an end as Wales take on USA at the FIFA World Cup. It feels so surreal still, and I don’t think it will properly sink in until kick off. It’s been a long, but very fun journey on the way to the tournament from when we were ranked 117th in the world 12 years ago. Since then, we’ve competed at EURO 2016 & 2020, but this feels like the icing on the cake. I never thought I’d see Wales at a World Cup but I’ve got my shirt, my bucket hat, and I’m ready to shout ‘Yma o Hyd, you sons of Speed’ in every single pub I possibly can. This is a very exciting time for Welsh football, and just to be Welsh in general. Saying that though, being Welsh is always fun!
My thoughts on tomorrow’s match; USA aren’t going to be a pushover. They have a lot of talent in that squad, a side that can hurt you even when you’re on top. The MLS has come a long way in recent seasons and has developed a series of top players who will be looking to show what they can do on the biggest stage of them all. I see this match being an even contest. My head is saying a 1-1 draw but my heart is saying a moment of magic from Gareth Bale in the second half to give us a 1-0 win. To kick start our first World Cup in 64 years with a win would be absolutely incredible, and the chances of me phoning in sick would be very high..(If my employer is reading this, I’m joking! I think…)
Looking at our group with the first two games being USA & Iran, I think we should be aiming for at least four out of the six points that are available to us. I see these two games being more important than the England match, but of course, I am the same as every single Welshman and woman out there that I want to see Wales beat England, but going in to that match with four points on the board puts us in a very tidy position to get out of the group, depending on other results. Group B is the only group at the World Cup to have teams in the top 20 in the world, so this is a group not to be underestimated. Not one bit.
In terms of my own expectations, I’d love to see us just get out of the group. That sounds like a really low bar, but I’m just grateful to see my country, little old Wales, playing at the World Cup. As I mentioned, it’s something I never expected to see. I’d love it if we got some big team in the knockouts and had a repeat of Belgium at EURO 2016, but according to Kevin De Bruyne, playing Wales is “boring”. This is something that a lot of people will be experiencing for the first time; Wales at a World Cup. It could be the last for another long time (I hope not), so let’s just enjoy every single minute we are there and take the Spirit of 58, Gary Speed & Michael Sheen’s speech in to every single game we play.
Everywhere you go, even just walking through the local towns and cities, there are giant bucket hats, pubs with giant flags, little pop up shops. This county is gearing up for this World Cup. Everyone you bump in to, it’s always a topic to talk about and I remember the first World Cup I ever watched was Germany 2006. There has been another three world cups since then, but now we finally get to talk about Wales participating in one. I’m still pinching myself, I don’t know about you guys…
As a lot of you know of course, I am a Swansea City fan, which I know some readers won’t like…but I am absolutely buzzing to see Joe Allen, Ben Cabango & Ollie Cooper representing us at the World Cup. Joe Allen & Ben Cabango you feel were always going to get picked but when I saw Ollie Cooper’s name not on the initial list for Qatar, I was a little gutted. He’s been playing fantastic for his club but of course, he’s never been capped and I think you have to look realistically in some aspects. I’m very grateful that he’s going to Qatar for the experience in the same principle as Jordan James from Birmingham City on standby. To be training with the likes of Gareth Bale & Aaron Ramsey, it’s only going to develop him for both club and country. Cooper’s one to keep an eye on, a very talented player for Wales in the future.
It’s 20 years ago today, Wales defeated Azerbaijan away 0-2 in a EURO 2004 qualifier, a tournament they ultimately failed to qualify for. How we’ve come a long way since then, seeing the rise of Welsh football, and a lot of it we owe to Gary Speed. A man that every Welshman and woman will remember, and remember what he did for Wales. Let’s go and make Gary proud in this tournament. As Aaron Ramsey said, one of Gary’s wishes was to see Wales in a World Cup, so let’s have Gary looking down on us with a big smile on his face, singing Yma o Hyd with his Welsh flag flying high. Have you guys had the chance to watch the episodes of Together Stronger? It’s a very emotional watch when talking about Gary, but it’s a watch I encourage every Welsh fan when you get the chance to tune in to if you haven’t seen it yet. It really shows the rise of Welsh football and how far it has come.
I’ve done a few blog posts now in regards to my club, Swansea City. This is the first one I’ve done with my country, Wales. I didn’t want it to drag on, I just wanted to keep it simple as much as I could with my thoughts leading in to tomorrow’s first group match against USA. I hope you’ve all enjoyed the little read, and as always I am extremely grateful for the support you show me daily over on my socials and on my blog. It means the absolute world to me, and it’s been a pleasure in the build up to the World Cup to talk and meet Welsh fans alike. I shall be doing more blog posts as the World Cup goes on, hopefully there will be lots of positives to write about Wales and how we have a World Cup final to look forward to…(Would be lovely mun) Until next time everyone, take care of yourselves, I’m off for a Bale ale.
Jack27 