World Football Tournament Bracket: Who Would Win Among Soccer's Sweet 16?
In the United States, the nation is currently captivated by what we Americans call "March Madness."
The term refers to the current NCAA Basketball Championship tournament that sees the best 64 teams in college basketball face off in a knockout tournament held throughout the last three weekends of the month.
Given that current tournament and its massive excitement and unpredictability it makes me wonder what kind of atmosphere you could get from a Sweet 16 tournament of the world's top 16 clubs.
But how on earth can you figure out exactly who the world's top 16 clubs truly are?
Well, follow along with me and let's see how well I do.
Bracketology
1 of 6In breaking down which 16 teams would potentially make the cut, I devised the following bracket.
The five major confederation club champions received the top five seeds, with the sixth and seventh going to the UEFA Champions League runners-up and UEFA Europa League winners.
Spots eight, nine and 13 were awarded to the English, Spanish and Italian League Cup champions.
Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United States were represented with their top-tier league champions in spots 10, 12, 14, 15 and 16.
The 11th spot was awarded to the runners-up of the Copa Libertadores.
1. Barcelona (UEFA Champions League and Club World Cup Winners)
16. LA Galaxy (MLS Champions)
8. Manchester City (English FA Cup Winners)
9. Real Madrid (Spanish Copa Del Rey Winners)
5. ES Tunis (CAF Champions League Winners)
12. Borussia Dortmund (German Bundesliga Winners)
4. Al-Sadd SC (AFC Champions League Winners)
13. Inter Milan (Coppa Italia Winners)
6. Manchester United (UEFA Champions League Runners-Up)
11. CA Penarol (Copa Libertadores Runners-Up)
3. CF Monterrey (CONCACAF Champions League Winners)
14. Lille OSC (French Ligue 1 Champions)
7. FC Porto (UEFA Europa League Winners)
10. AC Milan (Italian Serie A Champions)
2. Santos (Copa Libertadores Champions, FIFA Club World Cup)
15. AFC Ajax (Current Eredivisie Champions)
Sweet 16 Results
2 of 6Game 1: Barcelona 4 - 1 LA Galaxy
Lionel Messi and company finish the first half level with the Galaxy, but the Americans are poor on the pressure in the second half. By the time the Galaxy realize they are out of gas, it is too late and Barcelona run up three in the last half hour to advance.
Game 2: Manchester City 2 - 4 Real Madrid
Roberto Mancini starts with Mario Balotelli upfront and gets the opening goal of the match. However, by the second half, Real Madrid have regained control, and the young Italian makes a rash tackle out of frustration being sent off with 20 minutes left. Madrid knock in a final fourth in that time to take the match.
Game 3: ES Tunis 2 - 3 Borussia Dortmund
The Tunisian CAF Champions give the German Champions a run for their money, but in the end the creative influence of Shingi Kagawa and Mario Goetze are too much class for the African club.
Game 4: Al-Sadd SC 1 - 3 Inter Milan
Qatar and Asian Champions Al-Sadd have talent but are not enough for even a less-than-stellar Inter Milan, as the Italians would cruise to the next round.
Game 5: Manchester United 3 - 2 CA Penarol
Uruguayan club CA Penarol gave Manchester United a strong challenge for advancement into the next round, but in the end Sir Alex Ferguson's side still would have enough to go through.
Game 6: CF Monterrey 2 - 1 Lille OSC
Mexican side Monterrey manage to out-pass the French side and take a narrow victory in a back-and-forth match of free flowing passing skill.
Game 7: FC Porto 2 - 3 AC Milan
Porto have loads of talent. Unfortunately for them, AC Milan have just a little bit more at the moment and would most likely advance.
Game 8: Santos 3 - 4 Ajax
Neymar certainly lights up the highlight real, but the all-out attack of the Dutch side is too much for the South Americans in the long run.
Elite Eight Results
3 of 6Game 1: Barcelona 2 - 3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid finally get the best of their long-time rivals with a narrow victory to get them into the Final Four.
Game 2: Borussia Dortmund 2 - 1 Inter Milan
The German champions are more dangerous than Inter Milan at the moment and should be able to keep the Italian side from making a run at the next round with a strong defensive stand and great attacking football.
Game 3: Manchester United 4 - 2 Monterrey
Mexican side Monterrey had the ability to knock out Lille in the first round, but Manchester United are a step above and beat their North American opponents.
Game 4: AC Milan 3 - 2 Ajax
Two of the most successful sides in all of European football would give each other a run for their money, but the end result would see the Italians dominate.
Final Four
4 of 6Game 1: Real Madrid 3 - 2 Borussia Dortmund
Although Dortmund have a great deal of talent, they simply do not have the talent pool, money or draw that a massive club like Real Madrid does. Madrid would advance, but just barely.
Game 2: Manchester United 2 - 1 AC Milan
A clash of giants between two of their respected nation's most decorated clubs would see United once again flex their muscle to knock out a major opponent.
The Final
5 of 6The Final Match: Real Madrid 2 -1 Manchester United
There is no doubting that Real Madrid and Manchester United are two of Spain and England's most decorated clubs. Both are also massive around the world as global brands.
Real Madrid currently has more ability than Manchester United, and a close match would see Jose Mourinho's charges defeating Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils.
Conclusion
6 of 6I hope you enjoyed a little fantasy fun as the weekend starts.
Feel free to set your own Sweet 16 in the comments and give me your thoughts.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out more on Bleacher Report and at the links below. You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook, or visit my website.
