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Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
National
Rob Miech

Bet on it: Covering all the bases

Brett Okamoto Argentina Lionel Messi Croatia John Murray World Cup Chiefs Cowboys France Morocco
A ticket bought on Lionel Messi would pay off at 18-1 if Argentina’s superstar wins the Golden Boot award. Argentina and France will meet in the World Cup final Sunday. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS — Before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, I sat in the sports department of the Las Vegas Sun and jousted with colleague Brett Okamoto.

He was bullish on the United States; I wasn’t. I’ve long believed this country is several generations behind the global powers, in Europe and South America, whose footballers possess tiny soccer balls in their DNA.

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