The 2012 FIFA Club World Cup is getting ready to kick off, with the first game, a play-off match, tomorrow. The tournament will be held in Japan, so this game will kick off (according to my timezone math) at 5:45 AM ET tomorrow morning. The teams competing for a chance to advance and play Mexico’s Monterrey on Sunday the 11th are: Japan’s own Kashiwa Reysol and New Zealand’s Auckland City FC.
Auckland City’s crest is okay, though the tower reminds me a little much of a tourist souvenir, and the way the silver borders swoop in on the sides is disconcerting. Meanwhile Kashiwa Reysol’s badge is just smashing. The colors, the sunburst, the lines, the calligraphic “R”; I like that one very much. I say Kashiwa Reysol walk away with this match, winning by at least 2. (Check the scorecard or follow me on Twitter to see how my prediction turns out.)
The OFC (Oceania Football Confederation) has just begun this year’s edition of their Champions League tournament. It’s still group stage, with just two groups.
The game I’ll make the pick for is New Zealand’s Waitakere United vs. Fiji’s Ba FC:
You have to appreciate a simple crest to go with the short team name of Ba FC (of Ba District, Fiji). But in my opinion, it’s a little too plain. And though a swooshing ball isn’t my favorite, Waitakere’s shield is sharp, and I really like that “W”. I have to go with Waitakere United, and by a margin of a good 2 or 3.
I’m posting this Saturday evening US Central Time, which I thought would be plenty in advance of a “Nov. 20″ game. But looking at the time difference, I think the game kicked off about 20 minutes ago! Guess I’ll be updating the prediction scorecard sooner than I thought.
