The World Cup Book 2018: Everything You Need to Know About the Soccer World Cup - Softcover

Stay, Shane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782551336 ISBN 13: 9781782551331

Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2018

Synopsis

Which teams will be participating in the 2018 World Cup? Which are the up-and-coming players to watch out for? What will the coaches’ strategies be, or what will the games in Russia look like? Soccer enthusiasts don’t have to look further to find answers to these questions. THE World Cup 2018 Book is a fun, informative guide to the soccer World Cup in Russia. The book provides all the information anyone would want to know about the World Cup, including in-depth detail about all 32 teams—the players, coaches, their histories, and strategies—and background information on each Russian stadium that will host a game, past World Cups, along with a look at FIFA (the organizing body of the World Cup). Not only will readers find information on the current teams and playing conditions, but they will also gain a bit of insight into the history of the World Cup. Through detailed descriptions and fun anecdotes, author Shane Stay will make soccer fans feel as though they are there at the Cup.
Experience the World Cup with THE World Cup 2018 Book and know all there is to know about the 2018 soccer World Cup!

About this title

From the Author

Initially, when I was told this book would be an exciting project I wondered to myself how in the world writing a World Cup book would be exciting? The person that told me this was very wise after all, and was proven correct, as it turned out to be more exciting than I ever could've imagined. I looked forward to researching and writing this book every day, which included not just the players, but also the coaches, team uniforms, popular beers, past World Cups, FIFA, Russian history and much more. The whole process lasted about a year, and there were plenty of times when I had no idea what day it was. You're welcome. And, toward the end of it I met a beautiful lady - who at one time had been accepted to an Ivy League school - which lasted not quite as long as the writing of the book but that's another story. (Indeed she was smart after all.)
   In 1986, when I was 10, I came across the final World Cup match between Argentina and West Germany during a trip to Indiana Soccer Camp. I only watched for a few minutes. I can't recall if the TV screen hanging from a wall was at a Costco-like store on the way to camp or in one of Indiana University's halls. I just remember the game seemed like a big deal; I could feel the frantic energy and high stakes in the body language of the players. But it also seemed like a distant thing. This was partly because, as a 10-year-old, I knew it was odd for American TV to be displaying such a thing. Soccer was a no-go. I think this caused me to seek out games and really study what I was watching. I had to buy VHS tapes such as Gole! (narrated by Sean Connery) and Hero (narrated by Michael Caine), summaries of the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. Hero is highly recommended and probably the best of its kind to this day; the music, narration, editing and storyline are second to none, and watching Maradona streamline past world-class players like an unstoppable-force-of-nature 5'3" locomotive leaves chills every time you watch it. Along with other avenues, VHS tapes like these provided me an in-depth education about the game. A few others worth mentioning include The 10 Faces of Platini, who was one of the greatest players of all time. As for his time with UEFA, don't ask. Another tape I watched probably a million times, a tape given to me by a Brazilian friend, was a friendly between Brazil and Norway from 1988, featuring Romario, Valdo and Jorginho. Played with the professional passion of a friendly, it was a phenomenal game, from both teams, and like many other tapes, I learned so much from it.
   In the late 90s - from my small apartment in Oakland, California, in-between my habitually sporadic viewing of Tron, Time Bandits, Romancing the Stone and The Cannonball Run - I created a board game about World History (TBA) and then a Current Events game online which followed a similar approach. (And I wondered why I was single.) I was right near Emeryville where Pixar was underway, and I got my first magazine story published at this time. Then came a short-lived magazine startup around the time I had a radio show in the Bay Area and then a restaurant which superseded both and lasted up to 10 years...a restaurant in the wine country with amazing customers ranging from Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, Tom Waits, to one of my favs named Bill. 
   Somehow the VHS tapes, magazine and board games were a perfect storm for preparing me for this World Cup book. The restaurant, not so much. Little did I know, back in 1986, watching Maradona lead his team to victory, that I'd end up being part of the greatest tournament on earth. To be the first author in the world with such a book for 2018 is an honor. It's also an honor to have written a World Cup book and to be part of the grand parade, a parade like no other that originated in 1930 and will continue into the future for as long as we allow it. 
   After all, this is the biggest athletic tournament known to mankind, with an audience of over a billion. Each World Cup establishes a new piece of history...it represents not just a few select countries, but the whole planet. It's like a special time capsule waiting to be discovered centuries from now, to be treasured by future archaeologists, right down to the tiniest pieces of stone from the host stadiums which, someday, will be as valuable as a block of gold stumbled upon by Colonel Fawcett in a South American jungle.

About the Author

Shane Stay is the author of The World Cup 2018 Book: Everything You Need to Know About the Soccer World Cup, Why American Soccer Isn't There Yet and The Cairo Project, whose stories have also appeared in various online and print publications in the genres of sport, humor, and modern culture. Prior to this publication, in the calendar year of 2008, he co-authored a print book, published a magazine story, bottled Leaf Dressing, worked clubs as a comedian, played professional soccer, was a restaurateur, and received a Master of Arts. He has appeared on TV and featured on numerous radio broadcasts including ESPN and NPR. He lives in Chicago, Illinois.

About this edition

• Publisher: Meyer & Meyer Sport
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1782551336
• ISBN 13: 9781782551331
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336