Considering I closely follow Green Bay Packers football and the Brazil national futbol team (soccer, if you must), I felt I wouldn’t be doing my due diligence if I couldn’t find a lesson Green Bay could take from Brazil’s 2-1 World Cup win over Japan.
As it turns out, this match offered a reminder of one of the most important traits every championship team needs: discipline.
If you look at both squads on paper, there is no question Brazil has the more talented team. That superiority was reflected in the numbers. Brazil controlled 69% of possession and generated 2.07 expected goals, while Japan finished with just 31% of the ball and only 0.33 expected goals. In other words, Brazil dictated the match from start to finish, creating far more chances than its opponent.
However, it was still a close game because of Japan’s discipline in every aspect of its play, a trait deeply rooted in the country’s football culture. Every player knew exactly where to be on the pitch and understood their responsibilities, both in possession and out of possession. That level of organization allowed Japan to remain competitive despite a significant talent gap and one-sided underlying statistics.
Football is an even more demanding sport because it requires every part of the team to operate in sync. Offense, defense, and special teams all have to function as one. It doesn’t matter how good your quarterback is if the offensive line cannot hold its blocks. We have seen that with Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. We also saw it with Andrew Luck, whose career ended far earlier than anyone expected after years of taking a beating behind a poor offensive line in Indianapolis.
Last season, we even saw that with Jordan Love. When he had a clean pocket, he was the second-best quarterback in the NFL. But when under pressure, he threw only one touchdown pass and threw four interceptions.
Moreover, the Packers averaged 6.89 penalties per road game last season, the 11th most in the NFL. Winning on the road is already difficult, and self-inflicted mistakes only make that challenge even greater.
That was on full display late in the playoff loss to the Chicago Bears. Facing a third-and-long, the Packers called a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty, only to take the delay of game penalty immediately after the timeout. Brandon McManus then missed the field goal attempt, a sequence that proved costly in a four-point loss, especially considering Green Bay reached field goal range again on its final drive.
So, while football and soccer are different sports, the discipline displayed in this match is something Matt LaFleur and the Packers can absolutely learn from. Japan showed what a well-coached, organized team can accomplish by staying committed to its structure for 90 minutes, even against a more talented opponent. Brazil, meanwhile, provided a different lesson. After falling behind 1-0, there was no panic. The players stuck to the game plan, trusted their quality, and eventually turned the match around.
Those are qualities every successful football team needs. Staying composed when adversity hits, avoiding self-inflicted mistakes, and trusting the process can often be the difference between winning and losing, especially in the playoffs, where a single play or one lapse in discipline can end a season.
