Combat sports fans were treated to a number of memorable performances inside the cage this past year. Laquon Treadwell Jersey . 2013 will go down as one of the greatest in Mixed Martial Arts history and as we close out the year, TSN.cas MMA staff takes a look back at these performances with our Year End Awards. As always wed love to hear your opinion, so tweet myself (@LynchOnSports), Jordan (@FitCityJordan) or Big Marv (@BigMarv204) on Twitter. Or feel free to leave your opinions in the comment section below. Knockout Of The Year James Lynch – TSN.ca (@LynchOnSports) Vitor Belfort def. Luke Rockhold at UFC on FX 8 (Spinning heel-kick knockout, 2:32. RD. 1) Many pundits will point to Chris Weidmans upset knockout over Anderson Silva at UFC 162 for the knockout of the year, but in this case Im taking style over significance. In a finish that emulated Street Fighter II character Ryus "Hurricane Kick", Belfort stunned fans in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil this past May, by finishing the former Strikeforce champion in the first round. Interestingly enough, this would be the second of three straight head kick knockouts for Belfort in 2013. Jordan Cieciwa - TSN Radio 1290 (@FitCityJordan) Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez (Knockout Punch, 2:08. RD 1) This gets my nod because NO ONE EVER gets knocked out at flyweight. Johnson has been looking impressive as of late, but the power and timing it takes to knock out someone like Benavidez is more than impressive. This knockout came out of nowhere, and established Johnson as a force to be reckoned with in the Flyweight division. In addition, this was the first knockout loss for Benavidez in his career. Marvyn Timog – TSN Radio 1290 (@BigMarv204) Junior Dos Santos def. Mark Hunt at UFC 160 (Spinning heel-kick knockout, 4:18. RD.3) Too many to choose from and most of them are of the spin kick variety. What a year for MMA highlight reels! I picked this one because of two major reasons. One, when does JDS throw a kick, much less a spinning back kick. Reason number two, who the heck knocks out Mark Hunt? Submission Of The Year Lynch Rose Namajunas def. Kathina Catron at Invicta 5 (Flying Armbar, 0:12, RD 1) Sure Anthony Pettis had a great submission win over Benson Henderson to win the title, but in this case I have to give props to Namajunas (especially with how quickly she sunk in the hold). The 21-year old wastes little time with this impressive flying armbar finish back in April at Invicta 5. Fans will be seeing more of Namajunas in 2014, as shes been added to the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter and subsequently will be joining the UFCs newly created strawweight division. JC Anthony Pettis def. Benson Henderson at UFC 164 (Armbar, 4:31, RD 1)This gets the nod for the submission of the year simply because of the stage it was set on, a championship fight. Pettis had to follow up his off the cage kick with something amazing. He did the unthinkable with a first round submission against Ben "Smooth" Henderson. He beat the unbeatable, and he did it quickly and out of his normal practice. The submission was slick, and secured Pettis a title he deserves. Big Marv Anthony Pettis def. Ben Henderson at UFC 164 (Armbar, 4:31, RD 1)Pettis beat Henderson in 2010s fight of the year to win the WEC Lightweight championship. Fast forward three years and they meet again, this time for the UFC Lightweight title. We all expected another epic five round war and we were all shocked that the man who seemed like he could never get submitted tapped out to this arm bar. Fight Of The Year Lynch Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 (Unanimous Decision, RD 5) Ive had few lucky moments in my life but this was one of them. Sitting cage-side this past September in Toronto at UFC 165, I was able to witness what I consider one of the greatest fights in Mixed Martial Arts history. What puts this contest above other worthy candidates such as Mark Hunt vs. Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva (UFC Fight Night 33) or Diego Sanchez vs. Gilbert Melendez (UFC 166) for me was the implications. Nobody gave the 26-year old Swede a chance in this fight and he was nearly seconds away from taking home the UFC Light Heavyweight title. JC Gilbert Melendez def. Diego Sanchez at UFC 166 (Melendez via unanimous decision, RD 3) Because no one saw it coming, and nothing was on the line, these two went out and put on a show. It was amazing. This year had half a dozen fights that could be right here. It was a great year for fight fans. This fight stood out for me because it was an epic back and forth battle. It represented a fight were Diego Sanchez stepped up to the next level, something he hasnt done for a while, and Melendez stood in the pocket and gave fans what they wanted. This is one for the record books, and one to be watched again. Big Marv Mark Hunt vs. Antonio Silva fight to a draw at UFC Fight Night 33 (Majority Draw, RD 5) When have we ever had this many fights up for fight of the year? Brian Stann vs. Wanderlei Silva, Denis Bermunez vs. Matt Grice, Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler II, Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez, Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson and Hunt vs. Silva. I went with this fight because no one expected much from it, yet it was technical yet sloppy, brutal yet beautiful and the only time Ive ever seen the majority of people so satisfied with a draw. Upset Of the Year Lynch Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva at UFC 162 (Knockout, 1:18, RD 1)While odds-makers wont back up my case for this being the upset of the year as Silva was only a 2-1 favorite prior to his UFC 162 encounter with Weidman, the significance of this win earns the upset of the year in my books. If you consider that Silva was defeated for the first time by technical knockout in his 38-fight career and the middleweight title changed hands for the first time in 2457 days (since Oct 14th 2006), I have a strong case. Other upsets like Bellators Emanuel Newton (who was a whopping 9-1 underdog) knocking out King Mo at Bellator 90 should also be noted, but that had more to do with the fact that Newton was extremely underrated. JC Emanuel Newton vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal at Bellator 90 (Spinning back-fist KO, 2:35 RD. 1) The best part about this knockout win was the amazing under-dog status Emanuel had heading into the fight. Then he followed it up at Bellator 106 with yet another win. He got his knock out, people said it was lucky, and then he backed it up with a solid win. That makes Newtons win special, and the upset of the year. If Weidman can defeat Silva without him show boating, then Im going to be changing my vote on the 28th. Big Marv Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva at UFC 162 (Knockout, 1:18, RD 1)No doubt about it. Weidman over Silva will take the cake. Too much clowning on the champs side? Maybe. But Weidman took FULL advantage. I expect nothing less than fireworks on December 28th. Male Fighter Of The Year Lynch Demetrious Johnson (UFC Flyweight Champion) 3-0 in 2013 Johnson gets the nod simply because hes taken out the top guys in his weight class and is seemingly doing so more impressively in each fight. In his last title defence (UFC on FOX 9), he knocked out Joseph Benavidez in the first round, handling the Team Alpha Male fighter the first knockout loss of his career. This is always a tough choice because generally a champion has the upper hand if he is able to defend successfully, as his quality of opposition is generally top notch compared to his peers. Johnson gets this award over Vitor Belfort because the 36-year old middleweight is barred from competing in certain parts of the United States because of his TRT use. Other considerations would have been UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao (2-0 in 2013) and fellow bantamweight Urijah Faber (4-0 in 2013). JC Vitor Belfort (UFC Middleweight) 3-0 in 2013 Vitor gets the nod for his three knockouts in one year (and in a row) He shocked us when he head-kicked Michael Bisping, then improved the style points against Luke Rockhold, and then did the unthinkable by knocking out Dan Henderson. He gets the nod for doing it three times in one year. In 2013 Vitor had three fights and spent a total of five minutes and 16 seconds at work. He defeated a top contender, Strikeforces champ, and the legend Dan Henderson in just over the equivalent of one round of fighting. Thats the reason the Phenom gets the nod. Big Marv Demetrious Johnson (UFC Flyweight Champion) 3-0 in 2013 Prior to UFC on Fox 9, my fighter of the year was Vitor Belfort. Then "Mighty Mouse" knocked out Joseph Benavidez in the first round of their fight (a man whos been knocking out flyweights on his way back to a title shot) Then I looked back at Johnsons year and I can clearly see he improved astronomically with each fight and just walks with that championship swagger. One impressive 2013 for Mighty Mouse Female Fighter Of The Year Lynch Alexis Davis (UFC Bantamweight), 3-0 in 2013 Canadian bias aside, I had to give the nod to the Port Colborne, Ontario born Davis over champion Ronda Rousey because shes been more active. At the start of 2013 she avenged her loss to Ultimate Fighter 18 contestant Shanya Baszler at Invicta 4 and would follow that up with two-straight wins over Rosi Sexton (UFC 161) and former title challenger Liz Carmouche (UFC Fight For The Troops 3). JC Rose Namajunas (UFC Strawweight), 2-1 in 2013 The 21-year old Namajunas showed the world that the girls can play rough and do it with a real flair. Invicta 5 had Namajunas winning her fight against Kathina Catron in 12 seconds with a flying armbar. She represented the strawweights perfectly, and brought some new fans to the division with her speed and accuracy. The question now is, can she follow it up with some consistent wins. Big Marv Alexis Davis (UFC Bantamweight), 3-0 in 2013 I have to agree with Lynch. Not only did Davis go 3-0 this year, but she improved with each fight. Beating down former title challenger Liz Carmouche was a huge step towards her title contention. Canadian Fighter of the Year Lynch TJ Grant (UFC Lightweight), 2-0 in 2013 Grant earns the award because he pushed his undefeated streak at 155lbs to five-straight in 2013. His most recent win, a first round knockout over Gray Maynard (UFC 160) back in May earned him a title shot against then champion Benson Henderson. Unfortunately for the Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia native, a concussion has sidelined him for the second half of this year. JC TJ Grant (UFC Lightweight), 2-0 in 2013 The reason Grant gets the nod is strictly because he lived up to the hype. There was a ton of pressure put on TJ by the media and fans. With all that pressure what did the kid from Cole Harbour Nova Scotia do? He knocked out Gray Maynard at UFC 160. As soon as he shakes this concussion, hes got a direct line at the champ (Pettis). This will be a great year for him; I only hope he recovers fully before coming back. We need this young man around a while. Hes got that special something, and hes Canadian! Big Marv Georges St-Pierre (Former UFC Welterweight Champion), 2-0 in 2013Lets look at the former Welterweight Champions year. He won with a total domination of Nick Diaz in his first fight and a win over Johny Hendricks in an all-out war in his second bout. Controversial ending or not, that fight was a war. He accomplished all of this while battling some personal demons. Then, knowing he needs time off, rather than holding up the division or having the UFC bring in another interim championship, he vacates his belt. All class, all the time, a true, proud Canadian. Comeback Performance of the Year Lynch Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight 26 (Front-Kick Knockout, 4:08, RD 1) Former Strikeforce champion Overeem was seconds away from pulling off what many believed would be a first round knockout of the Jackson/Winklejohn product Browne. Instead the 31-year old Hawaiian weathered the early storm and caught the former K1 champion with a beautiful front-kick knockout. JC Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight 26 (Front-Kick Knockout, 4:08, RD 1) I cannot think of many fighters who could be on the brink of a loss to Overeem and come back. "The Reem" finishes people, its what he does. He is powerful, aggressive, talented, and has a ton of experience. When Travis Browne battled back, and finished the fight, he had this locked up. That fact that he came back was amplified by the fact that he did it in the first round. He regained his sense, and ended the night for Alistair. It was a very impressive gut check. Big Marv Travis Browne def. Alistair Overeem at UFC Fight 26 (Front-Kick Knockout, 4:08, RD 1) As soon as this fight ended, I knew this was my pick for comeback of the year. Browne was all but done against the cage. Then he showed some heart and fortitude and eventually introduced his foot to Overeems face and said good night. What an amazing one round fight to watch! Robbery of the Year Lynch Phil Davis def. Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 (Unanimous Decision, RD 3) This fight, like many controversial decisions in MMA history has come down to one round. In this case, it was the first round of the light heavyweight affair and for some reason the judges in this contest valued Davis one takedown over the flurry of punches that Machida imposed. Just to give you an idea, Machida was close to finishing the fight early on, yet the one takedown Davis made in the eyes of two judges was enough to steal the round. Almost all major media members scored this fight for Machida and to make matter more bizarre, this fight was held in Machidas native country of Brazil. JC Rashad Evans def. Dan Henderson at UFC 161 (Unanimous Decision)Never leave it in the hands of the judges, that is the number one thing coaches will tell you. Dan Henderson has a bit of a sleepy style, looking for the big right hand. This fight was no exception. The problem I had with the decision was with the judging. There is no clear cut way to judge a fight. Dan definitely was more aggressive, but Rashads speed landed more shots. The more damaged fighter clearly was Rashad, but he scored more strikes. Id like to see MMA judges decide if we are scoring the Sport of MMA (More points for strikes, Rashad, GSP) or the Fight of MMA (More damage Dan, Hendricks). Whatever it is, I was heartbroken to see Dan lose. Big Marv Phil Davis def. Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 (Unanimous Decision, RD 3) Lynch and I seem to be on the same wave length here. At no point was Machida in any trouble during this fight, yet somehow he loses? Its like Pacquiao/Bradley all over again. Disappointment of the Year Lynch Alistair Overeem (UFC Heavyweight), 0-2 in 2013 2013 was supposed to be a breakout year for Overeem in the UFC. After sitting out all of 2012 due to getting popped for elevated levels of testosterone, the 33-year old Dutch heavyweight was a round away from earning himself a UFC Heavyweight title shot back at UFC 156. Instead the Blackzillians members overconfidence proved to be his downfall, as in the third round against Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva; he dropped his hands and suffered a knockout loss to the Brazilian. Overeem would follow that up with his second straight loss in a head-kick knockout loss to Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 26. Now facing Frank Mir next year at UFC 169, another loss could spill the end for Overeem career inside the UFC. JC Alistair Overeem (UFC Heavyweight), 0-2 in 2013....but hey hes drug free. Im happy we have this category. You cant hear my sarcasm, but Alistairs lack of honesty in the whole performance enhancing drug scandal had me livid. Blaming doctors, using his sick mother as a cover to not take a test. You name it, and in 2012, Overeem did it. So what is Karma like? Well its 0-2 in 2013 and losing the respect of fans and pundits around the MMA world. He looked lack luster and flat. For his reputation sake, I do hope he can turn it around in 2014. Big Marv Alistair Overeem (UFC Heavyweight), 0-2 in 2013 I would absolutely fawn over how awesome Overeem was when talking to fairweather MMA fans. Then he came to the UFC and suddenly I dont know what Im talking about anymore. I sincerely hope we see an Overeem on fire in 2014! Comeback Fighter of the Year Lynch Robbie Lawler (UFC Welterweight), 3-0 in 2013 Nobody in Mixed Martial Arts has had a resurgence in their career quite like Lawler did this past year. After losing his final Strikeforce bout against Lorenz Larkin in 2012, the 31-year old would be brought over to the UFC and made the smart decision to drop down to 170lbs. Facing a stiff opponent in his UFC return against former welterweight title challenger Josh Koscheck (UFC 157), the ATT product would finish the former TUF contestant in the first round. Lawler would follow that up with wins over Bobby Voelker (UFC on FOX 8) and Rory MacDonald (UFC 167). Because of current champ Georges St-Pierre taking a leave of absence, Lawler now faces Johny Hendricks for the vacant welterweight title. JC Robbie Lawler (UFC Welterweight), 3-0 in 2013 I had written Robbie off in Strikeforce. His weight cut to 170lbs was a thing of brilliance. He made short work of Josh Koscheck at UFC 157 with a first round knockout (at 3:57). Hes turned so many heads that at 31, Lawler will be fighting for the championship. I dont think Lawler could have beat GSP, the wrestling and control would have been too much. I do think he can out strike Johny Hendricks, and you know thats the direction this fight is going. Big Marv Vitor Belfort (UFC Middleweight) 3-0 in 2013 Vitor looks like hes 19 again. Hes really enjoyed finishing his opponents in 2013 by kicking them in the head. And these werent tomato cans either. Belfort knocked out TUF winner Michael Bisping, Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Luke Rockhold and the un-knockout-able Dan Henderson. Breakthrough Fighter of the Year Lynch Matt Brown (UFC Welterweight) 2-0 in 2013 With finishes over Jordan Mein and Mike Pyle, Brown pushed his undefeated streak to six-straight. Unfortunately a back injury ousted the 32-year old from his fight with Carlos Condit at UFC on FOX 9 this month, but likely would have earned a title shot with a win over the former interim welterweight champion. Considering he lost four of his last five fights at the end of 2011, the fact hes been so impressive since then has earned him this award. JC Khabib Nurmagomedov (UFC Lightweight), 3-0 in 2013 Undefeated now at 21-0 (5-0 in the UFC) and took out top fighters Thiago Tavares, Abel Trujillo and Pat Healy all in 2013. Thats enough to get my vote! Big Marv TJ Grant (UFC Lightweight), 2-0 in 2013 In 2012 we said, "who is TJ Grant?" Now were saying, "when is he getting his title shot?" Disappointing Fighter Performance Of The Year Lynch Gray Maynard (UFC Lightweight), 0-2 in 2013, two first round KO lossesDespite a lackluster split-decision win in 2012 over Clay Guida, it seemed to many that Maynard would be back on the road to title contention in the 155lb division in 2013. Instead the TUF 5 contestant would lose back to back fights to the hands of TJ Grant and Nate Diaz, both first round knockout losses. Now the question isnt "is Maynard a title contender?", but instead "should the 34-year old be thinking retirement?" JC Ryan Jimmo (UFC Light Heavyweight), 1-2 in 2013 (including the most boring fight of the year at UFC 161) 2012 had Jimmo knocking out Anthony Perosh in seven seconds, the record fastest KO in UFC history. Coming out of the MFC with the hype of a natural born superstar and starting this new chapter of his career with a bang, Jimmo shocked the world with one lackluster performance after another. His fight with Igor Pokrajac was boring and disappointing at best. Jimmo has to be on his last legs with the UFC, Im hoping 2014 has a few performances worth watching. Love to see that robot dance again (not really). Big Marv Gray Maynard (UFC Lightweight), 0-2 in 2013, two first round KO lossesTotally Agree with Lynch here. What happened to Maynard? His chin seems weak and his wrestling is almost non-existent. Event of The Year Lynch UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez, April 20th 2013 Top to bottom, this free card on FOX delivered in a number of different ways. For starters, there were 11 finishes, with the only decisions being Daniel Cormier over Frank Mir and Francis Carmont over Lorenz Larkin. We saw a number of spectacular highlight reel knockouts from Josh Thomson, Yoel Romero, Joseph Benavidez and Miles Jury. The main event (while controversial) produced an entertaining battle between two of the top lightweights in Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez. JC UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez, April 20th 2013 There is no question, 2014 was a year full of solid events. But when you cap off 11 fights finished, and many with some flash and style, with a fight people will be talking about for years, youve got something special. If the UFC could recreate the energy more often, theyd secure themselves as a mainstream success. The fights had everything, including excitement start to finish for a new fan. Not to mention an absolute war between the Champ Benson Henderson and the Challenger Gilbert Melendez. Big Marv UFC on FOX 7: Henderson vs. Melendez, April 20th 2013 Again, I have to agree with Lynch. This was a fun card to watch and it was absolutely free! What are your year-end awards? Tweet us or leave your opinions in the comments section below. Also be sure to tune into the "Weigh-In" on TSN Radio 1290 Winnipeg every Saturday at 12:30pm ET as myself, Jordan and "Big Marv" Timog go toe to toe discussing the hottest topics in MMA. Authentic Minnesota Vikings Jerseys .com) - Mike Miller scored a season-high 21 points in a rare start and the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced back from their worst loss of the season with a 95-91 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Mike Remmers Jersey . The game got off to a less-than-ideal start for the Jets as Oliver Ekman-Larsson found a wide open net from the slot and opened the scoring for the Coyotes a lead in the first period, but Olli Jokinen answered back just over half a minute later. http://www.cheapvikingsjerseysonline.com/?tag=brett-jones-jersey-online . Price also posted the longest shutout sequence since 1960 at 164:19 minutes. He stopped a combined 55 shots in Canadas final two games and 70 of 71 shots in Canadas three elimination games, allowing only a breakaway goal to Lauris Darzins of Latvia. For his efforts, Price was named best goalkeeper by the tournament directorate. Prices outstanding play is marred only by the extremely strong defensive play of Canadas top six defencemen; Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester.There is a fine line that every World Cup gives birth to. A line, if crossed, that can mean so much. A line that can be approached, stared at and almost touched, but come the final whistle, can seem so far away no matter how near a team can get to it. A dream crushed. The right side of the line produces emotions of joy, relief, and satisfaction. The wrong side of the line leaves players in tatters, full of disappointment and despair. In the sport, there is nothing quite like the fine line between success and failure at World Cups. For every nation, the line is different, placed perfectly in tandem with their expectation. For Brazil, the positioning of the line is clear. It is placed at 18:00 hours local time inside the Maracana in Rio de Janiero on Sunday July 13. Win the World Cup and it is a success; anything else and it is a failure. Past World Cups have shown us just how close winners have come to falling on the wrong side of the line as their journey across it takes shape. In 2010, Spain became the first ever champions to lose their first game of the tournament and they had an Iker Casillas penalty save to thank for them not going behind to Paraguay in the quarterfinals. In 2006, Italy flirted with both sides of the line in the knock-out stages, scoring goals in the 95th minute (vs. Australia) and in the 119th and 121st minute against Germany in the semifinal before winning it all on penalties in the final. It is worth remembering this when making predictions of a winner during this upcoming World Cup; Brazil of 1970 and 2002 are the only champions to ever win every game in a World Cup (minimum of five games played). The line, however, is not placed for all at the final stage. For some teams, the difference between success and failure is simply getting out of the group stages and reaching the last 16. For others, it is the next step, winning a knockout game and reaching the quarterfinals; suddenly doing something few expected you could do. At this point, a countrys entire success on the tournament is based around one game. Lose it and you may have underachieved. Win it and you may have overachieved. It is such a small margin, one that has led teams in the past to continue on a run that goes a long way beyond their initial expectations. In South Africa 2010, Uruguay, Paraguay and Ghana all fell into that category. Ukraine surprisingly reached the last eight in Germany 2006 while in 2002, hosts South Korea, Senegal and Turkey all went much further than most predicted. Croatia got to the semifinals in 1998, Sweden did the same in 1994, as well as Bulgaria at USA 94. Cameroon had a memorable run to the quarterfinals at Italy 90. It could very well happen again. There is likely one, or possibly two, teams in the World Cup this year that will make it past their line of success and reach the quarterfinals and, maybe even, the semifinals. Many peoples pick for a dark horse in Brazil is Belgium because a lot of their current crop of players now belong to well-known club teams, particularly in the English Premier League. Belgium, however, were seeded for this World Cup. That meant they were considered as one of the best eight teams. Yes, they have not been to a World Cup since 2002, but that seed, coupled with a much weaker group than others, ensures that this team should not be considered a surprise if they reach, for example, the quarterfinals. The semifinals? Yes. Then two games would have to be won to cross the line. Here is my top five teams that have a chance to go beyoond that line and become a surprise member of the final eight or last four in Brazil. Brian ONeill Jersey. 5. England - It has been some time since expectations were this low for England heading into a World Cup. In fact, they are so low, you get the feeling something has to happen for them to rise again before, as usual, it all goes up in flames. If England gets to the quarterfinals, it will be a surprise but if they are to achieve it, the biggest hurdle will be getting past one of Uruguay or Italy in Group D. Once through, a game against any team in Group C will seem easier than what they faced in the groups. 4. Switzerland - There are few easier paths to the quarterfinals than winning Group E. Paired in the last 16 with Group F, likely won by Argentina, the group winner would play one of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran or Nigeria for a spot in the last eight. Switzerland hasnt reached that stage since hosting the tournament in 1954 but with a young group, a terrific coach and this path, they may finally do something they should have done in 2006. Yes, like Belgium, they are seeded but this was much more controversial and few expect the Swiss to do something in Brazil that they havent done for 60 years. 3. Chile - No team will be more fun to watch than the one run by the excellent Jorge Sampaoli. Placed in a very difficult group alongside 2010 finalists Spain and Netherlands, Chile has one mission – win the group. They simply cannot beat Brazil and too many World Cups have ended at the feet of the South American powerhouses, so to avoid them this time, they must finish top of Group B. It sounds like a difficult task but this team can do it and after that, the draw really opens up for them, likely playing one of Mexico/Croatia in the last 16 and then, probably, the winner of Group D. This is a breathtaking team to watch and if they start well and complete their first mission, then a semifinals berth would not surprise me. 2. France - Like Switzerland, France also must travel on the same path to the last eight and, after an embarrassing 2010 World Cup, coupled with a late comeback in the playoff game against Ukraine in qualifying, a place in the last eight in Brazil would be a real success for Didier Deschamps team. They are handed a comfortable start, playing Honduras, and then get the familiarity of opponents in Switzerland next. Win the group and they will be favored to reach the last eight and will likely only have the winner of Group G standing in their way of a trip to the semifinals. That would represent a remarkable turnaround following the dismal night in Kiev last October but they have a core group of genuine stars that could carry them deep. 1. Portugal - Speak to fans in the USA and they say Portugal wont get out of the group. The same is being said in Ghana. Thats what happens when you are in a group with Germany. Nobody predicts the Germans will get knocked out at that stage (its never happened, by the way). That leaves one spot between three competitive teams. For me, Portugal are in a different class to the other two and this team will qualify for the last 16. They would then be paired with a team from Group H, none of whom would worry a team that has some proven experience at how to navigate to the late rounds in major tournaments. A quarterfinal berth would be a major success for Paulo Bentos team and, for me, they are the best suited to go even further than that. 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