The Road to the World's Most Popular Cup: Top Teams (PDF)

More than 200 countries in the world have national soccer teams. History has shown, however, that when it comes to playing for soccer's ultimate prize, all countries are not created equal. Every four years, the world's teams come together to see which will lift the gold trophy as the world's best, and inevitably, the same teams rise to the top. Top Teams takes a close-up look at the teams that perform best when the Cup is on the line. There is Messi and Argentina, Neuer and Germany, and Neymar and Brazil, among others. Top Teams has all the favorites, plus a look at teams that could surprise everyone. Every book in The Road to the World's Most Popular Cup series provides an in-depth look at the biggest event in your favorite sport and what it takes for the athletes and their teams to get there. Each title in this series includes original infographics, a "Getting Oriented with the Terms" section to educate readers on terms that will be used throughout the series relating to soccer, color photos throughout, and back matter including: an index and further reading lists for books and internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definitions—building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Sidebars are highlighted graphics with content rich material within that allows readers to build knowledge and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos are offered in chapters through the use of a QR code, that, when scanned, takes the student to an online video showing a moment in soccer history via a video. This gives the readers additional content to supplement the text. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each chapter. They challenge the reader's comprehension of the chapter they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each chapter as well and provide readers with suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. And a Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter containing terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the reader's knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.