World Cup Rondo: Are the USMNT genuine contenders? Who has impressed so far? And can Curacao do the improbable?

Tom Hindle: Well, when you think about it, not loads of these "smaller" countries are massive surprises. They have all, in some way, tapped into their vast global diasporas to piece together solid national teams. Cape Verde, Curacao, even Haiti have assembled sides that have decent European talent (yes, that is our barometer for quality - fair or not). The real surprise, then? That no one has fully convinced and established themself as faves. France were bad against Senegal before Mbappe did an Mbappe. Spain don't look the finished article. Jude Bellingham's England were very good for 20 minutes and then pretty average otherwise. And Algeria were so poor against Argentina.

Alex Labidou: Easily Cape Verde. They’ve shown that when there’s strong team chemistry, complementary talent, good coaching, and yes, some luck, anything can happen in this sport. It’s probably too far to look ahead, but it's fascinating to see what will happen with this group.

Ryan Tolmich: In truth, the fact that it's worked so well. There was no shortage of concerns pre-tournament, but by and large, everything has been fun and welcoming. You can't fully overlook the hiccups, from ticket prices to the Iran issue, but there is something to be said about how fun this has been. Full stadiums, lively atmospheres, fun games - it's been a pretty damn good start.

TH: As a team? Probably Turkey. The perennial dark horses are just, well, horses? They looked rather good on paper but were well off it in the groups. But at large? Bloody hydration breaks. How many times have we seen games reach a boiling point before being cut short? They're necessary in hot climates. But inside? C'mon now...

AL: Turkey. There were some who believed this team could be a contender or at least top their group, and it's not clicking for them despite a talented group. Arda Guler, arguably their star, has already said this is a nightmare he wishes was over. Heads will, unfortunately, roll after this one.

RT: It has been wildly surprising how bad Turkey was in these first two games. Plenty of bark, mostly from Hakan Calhanoglu, but absolutely zero bite against two teams that were wildly beatable. Many saw them as a dark horse, but in the end, they were among the first few teams sent packing.

TH: Yes and no. You probably need to zoom out and consider the teams they've played. Paraguay are pretty poor, and the Australian manager went for a classic overthink and benched his best attacking player in their 2-0 win in Seattle. Are they a better team than the one that lost to Germany a few weeks ago? Sure. Are they better enough to take that next step? TBD. At the very least, they are mightily exciting. That counts for something.

AL: This team has semifinal written all over it, and that’s something no one, at least in this space, would have conceived of prior to the tournament kicking off. Credit has to go to Pochettino for fitting in guys like Alex Freeman in the mix, which is arguably his biggest masterstroke. But a nod also goes to finding pieces like Matt Freese and being tactically flexible, as he showed last Friday by starting Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi together.

RT: Depends on the definition of legit. Are they pretty good? Absolutely. Are there still questions about how they'll fare against the elite of the elite? You bet. Look, it's a massive, massive step forward compared to past World Cups, for sure, but there are still lingering questions that can't be answered until the knockout rounds. Once we get there, then we'll find out where this team really stands.

TH: Why not?! This competition has been wacky, and they need three points against Ivory Coast. Can you really bet against that? I wouldn't. They might need a little bit of help from the Germans to seal the deal, but otherwise, it's time to believe.

AL: Curacao have captured the imagination of billions of soccer fans around the world. But no, their journey ends against Ivory Coast on Thursday.

RT: As fun as it would be, it's going to be very, very tough. They're facing an Ivory Coast team with plenty to play for and Curacao will need a win to seal advancement. They'll need more than a heroic goalkeeping performance to get that win, which is why it's hard to imagine them getting it.

TH: There is only one answer here: Leo Messi. A hat-trick in the first game? Show off.

AL: This is going to be a very boring answer and might change depending on France vs. Iraq later Monday, but got to give credit to Kylian Mbappe. He’s 27, and he’s already tied for the third-most goals in World Cup history. He’s probably got at least another two World Cups in him, so he’s going to finish his career likely as the most prolific scorer this tournament has ever seen.

Listen, the criticisms of his club career not reaching the heights expected are fair, but internationally, he’s up there with Pele and Messi. Not bad company to be a part of.

RT: Talk to me in a few days. Messi, Erling Haaland, Mbappe, and Harry Kane all put their markers down, but all still have games to play in this second round of the group stage. Of that group, it's probably Messi, just because, in truth, he had the most to prove due to where he plays his club soccer.

TH: It's been a bit mixed. The fans seem into it, but you could hold a World Cup in a crater on Mars and the Scots would find a way to get sloshed and sing the Proclaimers. In terms of infrastructure? Ehhhh. It's REALLY not good that the Iranian national team is only allowed in the States for less than 36 hours with every game. Transportation is still a real problem in some cities (looking at you, New York/New Jersey). But others have done really rather well (congrats, Seattle). Let's be positive and say it's juuuuust about been a good thing.

AL: To be honest, this has been a logistical nightmare in many cities in the United States, ranging from poorly thought-out traffic routes, like in KC, to poorly laid out pitches as seen in Craplife - also known as New York/New Jersey Stadium.

Yet, in totality, this has still exceeded the best of expectations. Give credit to fans for basically saying screw it and enjoying themselves. From the Scots drinking out the whole city of Boston, to the Norwegians sailing on escalators. This is fun. It’s heartwarming to see fans from around the world enjoying things like Waffle House and Chick-fil-A. Finally, despite all of the logistical problems in the U.S., apparently there’s a lot less of that in Mexico and Canada - so kudos to them as well!

RT: Fantastic. For all the doom and gloom pre-tournament, everything has been even better than most expected. It hasn't been perfect, for sure, and you can look at Iran as an example of that, but, by and large, the World Cup has felt like a world event. Scotland in Boston, Algeria in Lawrence, Kansas, American fans taking over Seattle - it's been wonderful to watch as this tournament has already given us plenty of memories in these early weeks.