Western Bureau:

The 2014 FIFA World Cup, which is now in its third week in Brazil, has now churned out two memorable phases - the first round and the round of sixteen and from all indications, it should continue to be a fabulous ride as this tournament, which is already an amazing spectacle, appears poised to earn the unofficial title of 'greatest tournament ever'.

Unlike previous tournaments, which were basically a scramble for top honours between the traditional 'big gins', with the minnows merely tossed in to make up numbers, if not to provide target practice, this time around the underdogs have been shining so brightly that they have left many a fancied team humbled, if not embarrassed.

Surely, regardless of which team ultimately walks away as the world champions, the history of the tournament cannot be properly written if the exploits of Costa Rica, Mexico, the United States, Switzerland, Bosnia, Australia, Ghana, Iran, Honduras and Nigeria, do not come up for worthy mention as they have all proven that they really belong on the big stage.

It would have been an absolute pleasure if Jamaica was numbered among the teams representing CONCACAF in Brazil, but I am more than proud of the way the region's teams acquitted themselves so far, especially Costa Rica, who are still very much in the mix as a quarter-final qualifier; and the United States, who just failed to make it there.

From a spectators' perspective, I believe this tournament ranks as easily the most entertaining that I have seen since I first began watching the World Cup in 1974 when the Germans emerged champions on Germany soil. To see the previously goal-scoring record of 145 goals being surpassed even before the quarter-final stage tells its own special story.

While it is true that the strikers have been on fire, one could not slight the quality of the goalkeeping either as we have seen some amazing performances. Surely, no proper assessment of this tournament could be done without acknowledging the contributions of goalkeepers such as Mexico's Guillermo Ochoa, Nigeria's Vincent Enyeama, the United States' Tim Howard, Algeria's Raïs M'Bolhi and Costa Rica's Keilor Navas.

I am thrilled that established superstars such as Argentine Lionel Messi, Holland's Robin Van Persie and the Brazilian poster boy Neymar have already done enough to make an indelible mark on the tournament. I am also extremely delighted with the number of new stars that have come to the fore. Based on what I have seen of the likes of Colombian wonder boy James Rodríguez, Costa Rica's Joel Campbell and Belgium's Divock Origi, I believe we have enough high quality young strikers to fill the void that will be created when the current greats such as Messi and Neymar join the likes of Diego Maradona and Pelé in the history books of global football.

By the time this column is published today, the quarter-final clash between Brazil and Colombia would have already taken place. I came into the tournament rooting for Brazil, but I believe that based on their less than impressive form so far and by contrast the opulence of Rodríguez and company for Colombia, the fans of the host nation could well find themselves in tears at this time.

As I stated above, my heart is with the Brazilians but my brain is saying that the team to beat is Holland. Based on the way they have acquitted themselves so far, they look the safest bet to take up the crown ripped away from outgoing champions Spain. However, part of me is saying, it would be unwise to overlook Argentina with a rampant Messi in full cry.

With just the remaining quarter-finals, semi-finals and final to go before the guessing, surmising and predicting makes way to what destiny has in store, I am already so pleased with what the tournament has churned out so far. It really doesn't matter which team takes home the title to be frank. In my book, the vast majority of the 32 teams are winners in their own way.

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