The Vatreni are headed to Qatar two years before the 2020 World Cup even kicks off.
Next month, Croatia, Belgium, Portugal, and Switzerland will all play in a mini-tournament dubbed the Qatar Airways International Tournament. These fixtures will take the place of the normal friendlies these teams normally play at this time during the international break.
Croatia will play Switzerland March 26th and Portugal March 30th. They will not play Belgium. All four teams have qualified for Euro 2020 and are currently ranked top-12 in the FIFA Rankings; with Croatia coming in at #6.
So here’s the deal regarding Šuker bringing Croatia to North America next month. From the sounds of it, playing in Toronto, New York, and/or Chicago was his first choice. In an interview with CroatianSports in 2017, Šuker stated he wanted the Vatreni to play around the world – in front of the dijaspora – and not only in Europe. His word has stayed true. Šuker has already set up games for Croatia in Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas. I’m almost positive we will see our beloved Vateni play on the east coast and Canada in the next two years. You can add Australia to the list after that happens.
Šuker and the HNS are riding the “make Croatia a global brand” train. And that’s the right move. Playing a mini-tournament three months before Euro 2020 kicks off in Qatar against Ronaldo and a very good Swiss team only helps the brand. I’m sure the payday won’t hurt either.
For those of you upset that Croatia will not be headed to North America this year, I say to you- patience. It’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen soon. The Vatreni are coming off a dream World Cup run and need to keep their foot on the gas going into Euro 2020- not only on the field but in the world’s eyes as well. Exposure is huge and if 2018’s Cinderella can do it again this year, that only creates an easier path to greatness in the future.
Results equal exposure. Exposure turns into cash. Cash becomes better better development and infrastructure.
Patience North America. Be happy Croatia is being invited to a tournament in the Middle East. It means ‘naša mala zemlja’ has arrived.
@ Anonymous – DC is actually my favourite MMA fighter after Miocic. Like his personality, heart and life story.
@ Anonymous – Fedor fought in pride in its heyday. Cormier fought in SF. Yes some UFC champs came from SF but there is no comparison between SF and Pride at their peak. That’s why I made that comment.
HW champ in SF is great but it’s not Pride or UFC. SF turned into Bellator and most fighters wouldn’t make the top 5 in UFC.
Also, I still think its important there remains an MMA competition with a ring. It’s easier to be a physically gifted fighter in a cage vs a ring.
I swear I tried to post this and it didn’t go through lol.
@CP85
I don’t get why you’re saying 5 UFC HW fights where DC is concerned, but Fedor is in your opinion the best HW of all time and he has no UFC fights. You got to admit that some of the guys Fedor beat weren’t even HW’s, Renato Sobral, Matt Lindland etc., come to mind.
Not a fan of DC?
How old was Fedor when he lost to Werdum, Hendo and Big Foot Silva? Overrated Fedor is by many in my opinion. I’d rate Stipe ahead of Fedor right now.
@ Anonymous – I have to disagree with you there.
Cormier only has a few fights at HW in the UFC (Mir, Nelson, Lewis, Miocic x 2). He was SF HW champ and that’s great. I have a hard time calling someone the best HW of MMA of all time who has 5 UFC HW fights to their name.
Fedor is still the best MMA HW ever IMO. Some would argue, but his losses came at the tail end of his career and fighters are the worst athletes for not knowing when to retire. Anderson Silva I think is the best Middleweight ever at least in the UFC. Again, didn’t know when to call it quits/tone down the flashiness. Loses to Weidman, Bisping, Cormier, Adesanya later in his career. Jones is the best LH ever IMO.
Here’s why I asked MMA vs UFC. Ring vs Cage.
Fighting in a cage vs ring is like playing indoor soccer with or without boards. The game changes and becomes less technical in the cage and there’s a greater emphasis on your chin. Many Pride guys were great in a ring where they can keep distance but not as good in a cage (Reem, Cro cop).
Re Miocic, yeah I do think Miocic deserved it. Jose Aldo deserved a rematch more. Guy has the belt for 10 years and gets KO in 13 seconds (Mcagregor got in his head). There should have been a rematch.
I know I am biased. He defended the belt 3 times (record), beat Ngannou in 5 rounds not long prior which was impressive and UFC rushes him into the first DC fight, your chin and head need more time to heal. You could see by his entrance to the ring his mind was elsewhere when compared to previous fights. I remember telling my buddies SM would win but after watching his walkout I changed my prediction. It didn’t seem like the Stipe we’ve seen before.
Miocic was running after Cormier like he wanted to send a message to Dana White. He was trying to KO him in the first round and got caught.
Up until DC’s KO, Cormier looked like a dead man walking. Miocic didn’t like the lack of respect from UFC and DW and fought on emotion. Also DC has a great chin and heavy hands for a base wrestler so kudos to him.
Fedor best MMA HW ever. Miocic best UFC HW ever but I think it’s only a matter of time till Ngannou or Rozenstruick is champ. FN, He’s too strong, like Wilder re boxing but Wilder is better technically at boxing then Ngannou at UFC. I bet you Ngannou wouldn’t be the champ in a ring though like Pride.
@CP85
Best HW of all time, only ever lost once at HW and that was his last fight against Stipe whom he beat in their first meeting.
DC getting that initial HW title shot was not at all like McGregor getting a LW title shot against Alvarez, because DC was an undefeated HW.
So it’s 1-1 between Stipe and DC and a 3rd match makes sense in my opinion.
Did you think Stipe deserved a rematch after getting knocked out in the first fight?
Sorry that I posted twice. They both were ‘awaiting moderation.’
@ Anonymous – do you think DC is the best UFC HW of all time or MMA HW of all time?
So I just randomly had a thought. Are teams allowed to call up preliminary squads for friendlies and other competitions that aren’t big tournaments? I believe I’ve seen the US national team do this a few times. It would be useful for players that may not make the 23-man squad to at least train with them for a couple of sessions. Since I already mentioned most of the U21 eligible players won’t get called up to the main squad I’ll exclude them, but why not just let players like Filip Benkovic, Nikola Katic, Ivan Sunjic, Toma Basic, Filip Krovinovic, Ante Budimir, and Mirko Maric who might not make the squad, but could be useful in the future get some time working with the main team players who they will be playing with if they do become main team players. I could see why club teams might not want to let their players go and possibly get injured, but I would just make it light training with little injury risk. It might also reassure any player that is eligible for another nation that they are still in the plans, just need to be patient.
So I just randomly had a thought. Are teams allowed to call up preliminary squads for friendlies and other competitions that aren’t big tournaments? I believe I’ve seen the US national team do this a few times. It would be useful for players that may not make the 23-man squad to at least train with them for a couple of sessions. Since I already mentioned most of the U21 eligible players won’t get called up to the main squad I’ll exclude them, but why not just let players like Filip Benkovic, Nikola Katic, Ivan Sunjic, Toma Basic, Filip Krovinovic, Ante Budimir, and Mirko Maric who might not make the squad, but could be useful in the future get some time working with the main team players who they will be playing with if they do become main team players. I could see why club teams might not want to let their players go and possibly get injured, but I would just make it light training with little injury risk. It might also reassure any player that is eligible for another nation that they are still in the plans, just need to be patient.
You never know who we might need to call on for emergency call ups. We had to start Bartolec at RB and he didn’t do horribly, but I think he might have been better if he had gotten more work in with the squad. Another example was when Barisic got injured against England and we had to throw slow Antonio Milic at LB to mark their speedy winger. That was basically his first cap in a meaningful game and he was definitely not prepared. If I recall, he didn’t do that bad, but could have been better for sure.
I’m sure some people reading this are thinking that there’s no point because simply training isn’t the same as playing with the team. And you would be right. However, anyone who has ever even played in a pick up game with a team of players that are all better than you, it causes you to try to elevate yourself as much as you can to try to be on their level and actually contribute. Basically, training with Modric is a lot different than training with players from the English Championship or the HNL.
Or at least to re-launch the S9 Šuker Academy
Nice payday yes. Let’s hope it gets put to good use – invested it in grass roots Croatian football.
Lovro has been triggered.
@CP85
DC was a HW first, he only went to LHW because he didn’t want to fight his buddy Cain who was HW champ at the time, his first 2 fights in the UFC were at HW.
DC is the best HW of all time, Jones even knows this, that’s why he wants nothing to with DC at HW but would gladly fight Stipe, in fact Jones is on record saying he beats Stipe comfortably.
I don’t think Cormier will be able to win against Stipe anymore.
He fell apart too quickly after that changed strategy where Stipe went for the body. It’s a serious weakness that got Cormier exposed there.
Not sure what Cormier can do to prevent Stipe from just attacking his body from the get-go.
He’ll literally just start going for the eye poke, and the UFC will let him.
u know he should do the walk-out wearing protective goggles for real as a joke and f u to DC if they fight
If Stipe DOES fight DC again he should be allowed to wear protective goggles lol.
anyway, when do the serbs play that playoff game against norway or whoever?
Stipe should avoid fighting Cormier at all costs.
The UFC will do whatever it can to ensure Cormier wins that one, and they will definitely overlook the multiple eye pokes that are already coming Stipe’s way.
He already has permanent damage to his eyes, and will probably sustain more. Even attempted eye pokes that don’t land, will result in Cormier having an advantage in that next fight (as Stipe will constantly be concerned about the next eye poke, knowing that the ref will not be disqualifying Cormier for it).
Stipe should just try to cash in with a Tyson Fury boxing match or mixed match, and call it a career.
If that can’t happen, then fight one of the more honorable Heavyweights like Ngannou, Blades or Jones (if he comes up).
@BZ – maybe not Ronaldo but other stars. I’m not sue what the protocol is with these tournaments/games. There’s big money involved so I would think there has to be a balance of stars playing/resting. Maybe I’m wrong.
I still don’t think anyone is beating Jones anytime soon even though the Reyes fight was a farce. That’s another convo. I still think Miocic/Cormier should fight Blaydes/Ngannou next. One of those except for Miocic Vs Cormier. Don’t know why DC gets a pass on FN. it’s because he’s 40 and retiring soon. Both Miocic and CB fought him mind you CB lost twice. Can’t stand how Cormier thinks he deserves a title shot automatically in a division he moved up to for 1 or 2 money fights like McGregor.
Money talks is all I know.
Polski are an embarrassment to the sporting world…a population base almost 10 times ours and they can’t even touch us on an athletic level.
They do have some hot women though,even if most of them are moody biatch’s
I’d love to see Catholic Polish power knock out a fucking communist atheist Croat!
How good would that be?
You actually think Ronaldo is going to play? Nah, I don’t think so, bet on a Rakitic-like injury.
@cp85- yeah Polish Power knocked Anderson’s ass out.
Realiatiscally it can go one of 2 ways – The teams are skilled ( although the Swiss butchered the Brazilians at the last world cup) and the Chops play chippy also many stars I would think won’t be playing full games so less experience players will be playing harder to prove themselves and earn a spot = harder play and greater potential for injury
Or the better players play because Qatari money paid for it and hopefully there are no injuries. We’ll only know when the games begin.
I know right, a pretty obvious response lol.
Ps. Anyone see the UFC fight tonight? Anderson vs the Polish guy?
I dont like the idea of this… for the same reason already mentioned. Potential injuries.
But I guess the money has spoken.
It’s just a couple of friendlies. Not an actual mini tournament at all.
Hopefully no injuries.
Good news is these teams are all skilled, so it’s not like we’ll be playing an Estonia or Georgia out there (with aggressive and clumsy play).
I have a bad feeling about this tournament. Nations
League we no showed. We won’t risk injury
So maybe we finish third.