The World Cup 2014 schedule for the quarterfinals starts on Friday and the TV start time on ESPN for France and Germany is 12 pm ET, while Brazil and Colombia play at 4 pm live on the WatchESPN website for the live stream and those are the first two games before the Netherlands play Costa Rica and Argentina plays against Belgium after they defeated the United States.
The major favorites in the tournament remain, with Argentina, Germany, Brazil and the Netherlands coming into this stage favored, while France and Belgium also have the chance to win. Colombia can argue it has played better than any other team and that James Rodriguez has been the best player in the tournament, while Costa Rica doesn't mind being counted out, as everyone has done that to them so far this tourney and they have performed well under those conditions.
France and Germany is a historically great matchup and these two European powers are trying to set a mark, as no Euro team has won in South America when the World Cup is held there. The Brazil and Colombia game means that at least one team from the continent will be in the semifinal, but if Brazil loses the entire nation could explode with protests and other issues, while Colombia would be one of the favorites to win if they van advance.
Rodriguez leads the tournament in scoring ahead of Lionel Messi and names like Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie are still alive in the tournament to pad their stats. France has a number of talented players in Paul Pogba and Karim Benzema, while Belgium may have the most talented team left in the quarters. Belgium played a better game than the United States and still nearly lost and the American should be proud of the way they played in this tournament overall.
The matches on Friday start off at 12 pm ET and have France taking on Germany in Rio de Janeiro and the winner here will be one of the favorites to go all the way. France has rebounded from their horrible 2010 and now they are looking strong, while the Germans are always there at the end. The Brazil and Colombia match is from the Fortaleza and has Neymar and the host nation looking to advance. Argentina and Belgium is the first game on Saturday and comes live from Brasilia on ESPN2, while the Netherlands and Costa Rica is on at 4 pm ET from ESPN. The World Cup has been massively exciting and now there are just eight teams left that can win it all.
Check here for the World Cup 2014 bracket draw and schedule for the next stage.