For neutral fans, choosing a team to back in the World Cup final will make the game that bit more exciting. Even as England fans overcome the heartache of losing out to Croatia, most will tune in to watch the final, selecting their favourite team out of Croatia and France.
Croatia gaining new fans
Nobody is particularly surprised that France reached the final but the same cannot be said about Croatia. Until they beat Argentina 3-0, they were expected to get to the last 16 at most, or perhaps the quarter-finals. Modric and his teammates changed those opinions with some fine performances to ensure they stayed in the competition as the likes of Brazil, Germany, Spain and Argentina all headed home.
Due to their underdogs label, Croatia have become the team that neutral football supporters are choosing to cheer on. With the U.S. not getting to the World Cup finals, it was surprising that a huge number of tickets were actually sold to American fans. It looks like the U.S. are really starting to enjoy watching their football (or soccer) these days, even without their team competing.
Croatian village Replica in Texas
One area of America that definitely has its full support behind Croatia is a village in McKinney, Texas. The village called Adriatica in North Texas has been designed based on a Croatian village. The Croatian national team actually visited the 45-acre village a few months ago to see it for themselves, enjoying a BBQ with the developers of the village.
With a population of 300 people, Adriatica epitomises European architecture and allows residents to feel like they are living in Croatia and they all feel a strong connection with the nation. So on Sunday when they line-up against France, there will be 300 people in Texas that are rooting for them, just like they are their own home team.
