Sports

#Brazil2014 Live Tweets: US-Portugal & the Business of Fútbol

A Crofton native and Real Salt Lake player is a midfielder on the U.S. team competing in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Follow along via Twitter.

By Hunt Archbold and Deb Belt

Everyone, well almost everyone, is talking about the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. 

On Sunday, millions of eyes will be glued to USA vs. Portugal at 6 p.m. EST from Arena Amazonia in Manaus. See a preview here of this important Group G showdown.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Marylanders can cheer on Kyle Beckerman, 32, of Crofton, a midfielder for Team USA.

As part of the “One Nation. One Team. 23 Stories” video series from ussoccer.com, Beckerman says he always left the notes with his autograph and “USA #15.”

“For me, that’s what I wanted to be -- a national team player.” Beckerman said. “That was it. I made up my mind back then. So, it’s pretty cool to be here now.”

Beckerman attended his first World Cup in 1994, according to The Baltimore Sun. And 20 years later, he is playing in his first World Cup as a midfielder for the U.S. team. The Americans aren’t given good odds of advancing in what has been dubbed the Group of Death, and also includes powerhouse Germany, despite beating Ghana earlier this week.

Find out what's happening in Bethesda-Chevy Chasewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And as to Jayson DeMers at Forbes.com writes in 5 Lessons For Entrepreneurs From The World Cup Social Media Frenzy, all the fútbol talk is “something entrepreneurs and business owners should pay attention to. This kind of chatter around a brand is valuable and can pay dividends in terms of increasing your reach, building social proof, and establishing brand advocacy.”

Provided here is the live Twitter feed for #Brazil2014, but #WorldCup and #Brasil2014 – for those following the Spanish-speaking world – are among some of the many World Cup-centered hashtags to follow, as well. And you can Tweet your support to Beckerman at #KyleBeckerman.

Tell us which ones you're following.

Also, let us know who wins Sunday's big match and when it's done, who will win the Cup?!

In the meantime, here's Patch blogger Sean Stein Smith sharing his "World Cup Business Roundup".

The world is a big place – there are over 190 countries and 7 billion people in the world, which really boggles the mind if you sit down and think about it. In addition to being an interesting intellectual exercise, this fact can also have broad implications for your investments and your financial future. It is easy to stay focused on U.S. firms, news, and events during the day-to-day grind, but it is always important to be aware of your surroundings – especially when it comes to your investments. With that in mind, this series of articles will focus on countries and investment opportunities outside the United States that you might not usually hear about.

As always, be sure to consult a financial services professional familiar with both the potential investment and your unique financial situation before embarking on any investment program.

The Money on the Table
With the World Cup in full swing, and some notable powerhouses already on the way out (sorry, Spain), the emotion, interest, and following of the World Cup and the matches being played are roaring along.

There is much more to this tournament, however, than just the football (to Americans, soccer) matches themselves. There is also big money behind this tournament, invested in this tournament, and playing on the pitch! FIFA estimates the overall economic impact of the World Cup to the Brazilian economy to be in the billions of dollars, and this estimated economic impact is supported by independent analyses that have been performed by financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs. The value of advertiser spending on the World Cup has been estimated at $1.5 billion.

One other way to look at this tournament, however, is to look at the money that is playing on the pitch.

Combining the economic power of the nations that are playing in the tournament, and you have a majority of the world’s economic value present. Some of the largest economies of the pitch include the following:

-The United States
-Japan
-France
-Germany
-Japan

As always, I have attached some links with more information

Happy Reading!

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/teams/


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