World Cup 2014: Can the Underdogs Upstage the Big Guns?

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes an "underdog" as "a person, team, etc. that is expected to lose a contest or battle" or as a "less powerful person or thing that struggles against a more powerful person or thing (such as a corporation)."

And as with every World Cup, there are plenty of them on show in Brazil. 

So far, there's been a glut of goals—as reported by the BBC, Neymar netted the 100th goal of this year's tournament against Cameroon on Monday—as well as a deluge of drama and a huge dollop of excitement, too.

But there's also been quite a few upsets along the way.

And with some of the so-called heavyweights already exiting earlier than expected, there remains quite a number of teams who've gratefully taken their place—but just how far can they go?

Before the large crowds swathed Sao Paolo and further afield ahead of Brazil's opening day 3-1 victory against Croatia, the bookmakers and the regular Joe in the street had labelled the likes of Brazil, Argentina and even the now-humbled Spain as the main favourites for this year's edition of the most prestigious tournament in world football. 

But so far things haven't gone according to plan or predictions. 

In particular, with Vicente Del Bosque's Spain and Roy Hodgson's England now both eliminated from the running after a series of underwhelming matches, we've already witnessed the untimely departure of two of the competition's most well-supported teams.

But what does it all mean?

Simply put, it means there's a gap in the market; a chance for football's underachievers to snag their big break.

Already, some teams have begun to churn out largely unexpected performances as the chaos and entertainment that seems to be prevailing at the moment has a visible effect on the full-time results.

A handful of teams such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Ivory Coast, Belgium and others have stormed to great starts, giving them not only a great building block for the remainder of the month and beyond but also confidence in their ability. It's an ability to not only put up a patriotic fight that still finds them in the loser's column but also the capacity to push on and win at all costs.

Effectively, in a tournament shrouded in and surrounded by social turmoil and heartfelt public upset, as the Brazilian people continue to fight desperately for representation and justice, it would be more than ideal to see an underdog to go all the way to lift the iconic golden trophy.  

And while some may believe that the Brazilian national team would be the perfect champion for their people, it's just as easy to see why another South or Central American team could also take their place—or even simply another group of players that were disregarded before kick-off back on June 12.

It would be equally symbolic, if not more so, for a team of understated players to win it outright; for the romantics, should it happen, they could come to represent the ability to overcome seemingly impossible odds and unshakable restraints.

The Guardian's David Hytner has pinpointed five reasons why Costa Rica have taken the World Cup by storm, and one of the reasons he mentions is the fact they possess a bite that only underdogs can. 

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Understandably, this is something that certainly lends an inhibition to their play, allowing them to approach any match without much to lose, something that could be said of any one of the underrated outfits that qualified. 

Reflecting back on Euro 2004, in which Greece surprised everyone to win, it's clear there is at least one prior example of a smaller team without a successful history winning a big tournament. That year, manager Otto Rehhagel masterminded a 1-0 win over Portugal in the final—a victory that sent shock waves around the footballing globe. 

Considering not many of the favourite teams have really stood out or been tested, it's more than possible that a team waiting in the wings could pounce to make a huge impact on proceedings.

After all, nobody is here simply to make up the numbers. 

A quick rundown of the fortunes of the big guns so far reveals nothing spectacular.

Luiz Felipe Scolari's troops stumbled to victory on opening day against Croatia and have failed to capture the imagination as a unit, despite their star man Neymar grabbing four goals to top the charts.

Argentina have yet to find their goalscoring touch and could yet be found wanting if Lionel Messi picks up an injury.

Italy have struggled in their group and were eliminated on Tuesday after falling 1-0 to Uruguay. And as for Germany, after thumping Portugal 4-0 they were held to a 2-2 draw by Ghana.

So clearly it's been a series of mixed displays from some of the biggest nations in international football.

Looking at performances as a whole—even from Australia, who exited Group B with no points, or Algeria, who recently upset South Korea—it looks as though the underdogs are already upstaging the big guns. They've produced more moments of magic and have brought that much-needed element of romance to the table.

Make no mistake: The chance is there for one of these teams to leave a big mark on the competition, and while it might still seem quite far-fetched for anyone outside the usual suspects to win, it's likely we could yet see a team emulate the success of Turkey's third-place finish from 2002 or the same achievement by Croatia in 1998. 

Per John F. Molinaro of CBC Sports, CBC Sports commentator Nigel Reed believes the World Cup is unique in its atmosphere and vibe: 

"

The tournament has a way of enabling citizens to puff out their chest; of giving them licence to say 'this is our team' and having some pride in their nation, and no other sporting event does that because no other sport truly embraces so many people from every corner of the globe

"

It's this special characteristic that often lends itself to such barrier-breaking performances.

After all, going all the way or pushing the limits in the very place where the spirit of football is at its strongest and most vibrant would be a truly tremendous ode to what the sport is all about.