Baseball

UVA Baseball finished their season 51-14, one win shy of a second consecutive appearance at the College World Series. After earning the fifth overall seed in the tournament, the Cavaliers hosted the NCAA Regionals, beating VCU, Ole Miss, and St. John’s on their way to the NCAA Super Regionals. UVA hosted the NCAA Super Regionals, and after winning the first game against Oklahoma 3-2, they lost the next two; eliminating them from the tournament.  Though the players are surely let down, not making the College World Series should not take away from the fact that the baseball program had a very successful season and will be in contention again to make noise at the NCAA tournament.

Nine members of the team, Jarrett Parker, Phil Gosselin, Robert Morey, Kevin Arico, Dan Grovatt, Tyler Cannon, Tyler Wilson, Kenny Swab, and Neal Davis, were chosen in the 2010 MLB Draft.

Men’s Tennis

Alex Domijan, who is the top rated American junior player, has signed a National Letter of Intent to play at UVA, showing that the quality of the UVA Men’s Tennis team will continue to be high. Current team members Sanam Singh, Drew Courtney, and Michael Shabaz were named Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Americans. In Tennis Alumni news, Virginiasports.com reported that Dominic Inglot has been given the men’s doubles wild card draw at Wimbledon.

Men’s Lacrosse

The 2010 Major League Lacrosse Draft saw three UVA players get selected. Ken Clausen was chosen fifth (first round), Brian Carroll sixth (first round), and Ryan Nizolek twenty seventh (fifth round). After great seasons for UVA, it’s nice to know it wasn’t just because we are UVA fans that we knew Clausen, Caroll, and Nizloek were such good players.

Golf

The UVA Men’s Golf team had a great showing at the NCAA Tournament, finishing 11^th(out of 30), only one stroke behind 8^th place which would have placed them in a four way playoff for the eighth seed to move on to the match play portion of the Golf NCAA Tournament. The team also finished only two strokes behind 7^th place. Will Collins and Ben Kohles were named to the Golf Coaches Association of America’s All-East Region team and Kohles was also an honorable mention all-american.

Image Courtesy of fifa.com

Group A

1. France

2. Mexico

3. Uruguay

4. South Africa

Group B

1. Argentina

2. Nigeria

3. Greece

4. South Korea

Group C

1. England

2. USA

3. Slovenia

4. Algeria

Group D

1. Germany

2. Australia

3. Serbia

3. Ghana

Group E

1. Netherlands

2. Denmark

3. Cameroon

4. Japan

Group F

1. Italy

2. Paraguay

3. Slovakia

4. New Zealand

Group G

1. Brazil

2. Portugal

3. Ivory Coast

4. North Korea

Group H

1. Spain

2. Chile

3. Switzerland

4. Honduras

Second Round

France v. Nigeria

France comes into this World Cup with a cloud of controversy (due to the “hand of the gaul”), but no real pressure or expectations. They have been given an easy draw to gain momentum from and their quality is such that realistically they could be the dark horse team to win it all this year. They have a good mix of young and old and very few injuries. Nigeria may be on their home continent, but the pressure of being the only African team to advance to the second round (and the superior quality of the French side) will be too much for the Super Eagles to handle.

France

England v. Australia

Both countries are strong Rugby nations, but only England is seen as a real soccer nation. If this game is to happen, many non-soccer loving aussies will watch as the former colony tries to beat the mighty former colonizer. Unfortunately for them, their side is still lacking the striker up front needed to make a deep push. Expect a close game, but for England to squeak by.

England

Netherlands v. Paraguay

Though often struggling with internal issues, if the dutch can keep their off the field issues at bay, they easily have enough talent to win the tournament. The “Total football” will again put on a show as the Oranje cruise through to the quarterfinals. Paraguay should be happy with the fact it qualified above both Argentina and Uruguay.

Netherlands

Brazil v. Chile

Only one point separated these two teams in the South American Qualifiers leading up to the World Cup. Chile plays a wonderful to watch, attacking minded style of soocer. Brazil also play a very technical, attacking style, but this Worl Cup the team is no longer solely about Joga Bonita, tending to have two holding midfielders (usually some combination of Gilberto, Felipe Melo, and Dani Alves) to cover for the backs who like to attack (and not necessarily get back afterwards). I think Brazil will win in a high scoring affair.

Brazil

Argentina v. Mexico

A rematch of the 2006 knockout round game, only this time Mexico will be an even weaker side. I cannot see Mexico’s not so perfect defense stopping any of Argentina’s five world class strikers. Mexico will be lucky not to lose by more than three.

Argentina

Germany v. United States

The US soccer team has come a long way since it hosted the World Cup in 1994. The MLS gets better (and bigger it seems) every year, usually due to the mix of young american stars and imported players past their european primes, and no longer are we the laughing stock of every soccer nation. Yes, last summer the US did beat Spain to make it to the Confederations Cup final, but I cannot see them repeating magic of that caliber in this World Cup. Germany has too efficient and strong of an attack for the Americans to handle. Do not be surprised to see another 1-0 heartbreak.

Germany

Italy v. Denmark

There might be a lot of the same people in the squad as when they won the World Cup, but this Italy side is not nearly as good (or as young) as they were four years ago. That said, Denmark is not the strongest side either. The danes are gritty and have an excellent goalkeeper in Stoke City’s Thomas Soerensen, but they will need to come up big if they want to beat Italy. A boring game for sure, but Italy will win.

Italy

Spain v. Portugal

Easily the most exciting sounding game in the first round of the knockout stages, this game could be played too cautiously and end up being not much to write home about. Spain are superior at every position except for one; whatever position Cristiano Ronaldo is playing. The Portuguese have also looked flat in their warm-up matches while the Spanish look unbeatable. Spain should take this one, but it will not come easily.

Spain

Quarterfinals

France v. England

France shocked the world last World Cup as they beat defending champions Brazil in the quarterfinals. This time around they will not be playing a defending champ, but instead a hungry England side looking to finally make it to the semifinals for the first time since 1990. It will be a battle of the rest of England’s “golden generation” (minus David Beckham, Garry Neville, and Michael Owen) versus the rest of France’s “golden generation” (sans Zinedine Zidane and Fabien Barthez). Fabio Capello’s superior management abilities will lead England to victory in this match.

England

Netherlands v. Brazil

This will be an amazing game to watch (if it happens). The dutch and brazilians are so strong in attack that if this game has less than 8 goals it will be a let down. Both teams could win the World Cup, but only one can. I cannot forsee any team stopping Brazil on the road to its sixth title, therefore Brazil wins in a match filled with Sportscenter Top 10 highlights.

Brazil

Argentina v. Germany

Much like the Netherlands - Brazil match, this game could end up being filled with goals. Both teams have strong attacks, both teams have attacking defenders, and both teams lack an amazing goalkeeper. This World Cup will be Leo Messi’s internationl breakout party though, and when the (arguably) world’s best player plays his best, no one will be able to stop him, especially not the shoddy german defense. Maradona gets dangerously close to having to streak Buenos Aires.

Argentina

Italy v. Spain

In a battle of countries known for their football flopping, high unemployment rates, and good food, the youthful and superior spaniards will end up victorious. It was a very successful, deeper than expected run for Italy, and finally Spain will live up to expectations and make it to the semifinals for the second time in World Cup history (1950 was the other time).

Spain

Semifinals

England v. Brazil

In a rematch of the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan, sadly the same result will occur. At least this time I will not have to be up at 2:30 am to watch it and I cannot see David James being lobbed from 42 yards out. England, you finally made it to a semifinal which is better than most from the rest of the world will probably expect. Brazil marches on to the finals.

Brazil

Argentina v. Spain

Messi will have to play against many of his Barcelona teammates that contribute to him being so good. He will wish he was playing with them though, as no matter what he does, Spain still will find a way to outscore him. At least Messi will leave the tournament no longer hated on for not showing up while playing for Argentina.

Spain

Third Place Game

Argentina v. England

In a game that will be most disappointing for both sides, the hungry reserves of England will beat the Argentine reserves. Capello’s job is secure, but the future does not look so bright for England. Argentina on the other hand has a bright future, should it relieve Maradona of his duties that is.

England

Final

Brazil v. Spain

This may seem like a cop-out prediction for the final, but I think it will happen. Brazil and Spain are the two best teams in this tournament and deserve to be playing here. I think Kaka will have the game of his life and Brazil’s defensive midfield scheme will hold Spain’s potent offense at bay enough for the win.

Brazil

Awards

Golden Ball: Kaka

Golden Boot: David Villa

Yashin Award: Júlio César

Best Young Player: Thomas Müller

Image Courtesy of fifa.com

Group A

1. France
2. Uruguay
3. Mexico
4. South Africa

Group B

1. Argentina
2. Nigeria
3. South Korea
4. Greece

Group C

1. England
2. United States
3. Algeria
4. Slovenia

Group D

1. Germany
2. Serbia
3. Ghana
4. Australia

Group E

1. Netherlands
2. Cameroon
3. Denmark
4. Japan

Group F

1. Italy
2. Paraguay
3. Slovakia
4. New Zealand

Group G

1. Brazil
2. Portugal
3. Ivory Coast
4. North Korea

Group H

1. Spain
2. Chile
3. Switzerland
4. Honduras

Second Round

France v. Nigeria

Assuming France has found there step by this point they should be a promising outfit. A mostly uninjured, a star filled squad will be vital to any team from this point on. For a Nigeria team whose highlight was holding midfielder Jon Obi Mikel before he was injured, this is hardly present. France should win the game, though not as convincingly as most would expect.

FRANCE

England v. Serbia

This game will be tough and draining for both teams. England boast a strong squad and should have the ideal set up to bring out the best in their main goal scoring threats (Rooney and Gerrard.) The Serbian defence is fantastic, but has been breached by New Zealand in friendlies, who by this point will probably have already been assessed as the worst team in the tournament. England should win, but at some cost to their already depleted stamina and their commitment. Don’t be surprised if a key injury gets picked up here.

ENGLAND

Netherlands v. Paraguay

The Dutch probably dominated their group to get to this game. Given that their group competition was pretty strong they should be on a high because of this. Paraguay should be somewhat rested after finishing groups with the easier fixtures. Assuming there are no additional injuries to Holland besides Robben (Van Persie is a little fragile,) Holland should take this game comfortably.

NETHERLANDS

Brazil v. Chile

Conquering the Group of Death will have the favourites tag even more firmly on Brazil. Just getting out of groups will feel like an accomplishment in itself for the young Chile squad. Having lost to Brazil in both World Cup qualifiers, they will know the task is daunting, but will be keen to give it their all. Unfortunately for Chile, this will be a David versus Goliath battle, without the David versus Goliath result.

BRAZIL

Argentina v. Uruguay

This match will be particularly interesting to watch. Two free flowing attacking teams will try to outscore each other. Argentina may have the more in-form strikers than Uruguay, but both can only field so many at a time, which evens that out. So the key will be Coach Maradonna’s player selection and whether he can unleash the right attackers for the job. Argentina should win, but expect a high scoring affair.

ARGENTINA

Germany v. United States

The U.S. will have revenge on the mind for their close loss to Germany in the quarterfinals in 2002. Given the German squad at the moment, they could not have found a better time to try. However, I learnt long ago that it is unwise to bet against the Germans this early, plus what’s still in their squad should be enough to squeeze out the win against the U.S.

GERMANY

Italy v. Cameroon

By this point the older legs of the Italy camp will start to feel the years catching up to them. The comfortable group will have helped them settle but may lead to them to find autopilot. Also important for the Azurri is how fit Andrea Pirlo will be at this point. Cameroon will be in high spirit after a close qualification campaign over a favored Danish team. I just see Cameroon having more of the passion required to see the defending champions out with an early exit

CAMEROON

Spain v. Portugal

In the Confederations Cup last year, Spain showed that they can get too lax when dispatching opponents in group stages and then fall in Knockout stages to the US. That said, this is the only blemish one can find in an otherwise flawless squad. Portugal’s greatest threat will be Christiano Ronaldo and he is capable of swiping the game from Spain’s grasp in an instant. However he can only be effective if he gets the ball, and the Spanish are masters at keep-away passing. It would be more assuring if an experienced defensive midfielder was there to further disrupt Ronnie (still a little annoyed at Marcos Senna’s exclusion,) but young Sergio Busquet should be up to this task.

SPAIN

Quarterfinals

France v. England

Not as tantalizing a fixture as it was a few years back. The English will be tired from their match against Serbia and the French will honestly still be a team that can not face top-flight opposition. Both teams know each other well, playing in largely the same leagues and teams. The more cohesive English unit should see this out

ENGLAND

Netherlands v. Brazil

This quarterfinal will be huge. Both teams have the quality to win it all. Both teams showed in qualifiers they can attack as well as defend and have the pedigree on their bench to cope with whatever. This will be a showcase of class against class, flair against flair, and strength against strength. As far key playmakers go, Holland will have the more in-form option going into the tournament in Schneider over Brazil’s Kaka. For this reason I’ll take Holland for the upset. This prediction will either make or break my bracket.

NETHERLANDS

Argentina v. Germany

Both teams had their set backs going into the tournament. Argentina struggled qualifying and Maradona’s coaching ability came into question repeatedly. I’ve seen decent betting odds for the tempestuous former-great getting removed from the game. The increased tension of the later stages will add to this probability. Germany went in with neither their captain nor their first choice goalkeeper and now relies on a crop of the new emerging generation to find glory. The comparatively better Argentine attack will prove the decider in this match. While their defense may seem frailer than the Germans, it means little if they can outscore what they concede.

ARGENTINA

Cameroon v. Spain

The Indomitable Loins represent Africa’s last hope and should have majority of the local support behind them. Defeating Portugal will demonstrate how Spain can overcome the presence of a world class individual with their own. This time their attention will turn to Samuel Eto’o, Cameroon’s main threat. The aged Cameroon defence will not be able to deal with the guile and speed of the Spanish offence, who surely will have a match-fit Fernando Torres. The dream of an African Champion will be over.

SPAIN

Semi-finals

England v. Netherlands

England’s reliance on Emile Heskey over proven goal scorers like Darren Bent has been a question of debate. while he holds up the ball, is unselfish and good for teammates, his finishing is less than clinical and when he’s not playing well he is more of a liability than a valuable addition. If this problem has not highlighted itself yet, it should become apparent  heea as he will be surrounded by a Holland team with far superior ball control compared to him. Overall, the game should be close, I predict Holland coming out on top.

NETHERLANDS

Argentina v. Spain

If any team has knows how dangerous Lionel Messi is its Spain. All but three players play in the Spanish league that the Argentine dominated all year. Of those, seven play with him in Barcelona. So precaution and care will be taken to keep him from finding his best. Here the Argentine defense will show its weakness. Having defensive side backs will give Spain more of a chance to hold possession and while it strengthens the rock-solid defence, it only invites an all too willing and capable attack.

SPAIN

Third Place Game

Argentina v. England

Both teams will probably be gutted at having gotten so close to the final that this game will only feel like a side event, which it is. But they will not pass up the chance to pick up the one final honor available. This fixture also is part of an age old-rivalry between the two, going back to the Falkland’s War. It has been highlighted by memorable Diego Maradona’s Hand of God and goal of the century in 1986 and Michael Owen’s wonder-goal in 2002. The match will be close and could go to penalties, which England will dread given their poor track record. Argentina will prevail.

ARGENTINA

Final

Netherlands v. Spain

The two teams that won every qualifying game will face off for the chance to become the new nation to join the winners club. Both teams were deserving to have reached this point. It’s hard to over-analyse an imaginary World Cup final without thinking your completely insane, so I will just sum up by saying that I see Netherlands coming out as World Champions

NETHERLANDS

Awards

Golden Ball: Wesley Sneijder

Golden Boot: Lionel Messi

Yashin Award (Goalkeeper): Iker Casillas

Best Young Player: Sergio Busquets

Image Courtesy of fifa.com

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Chile

Chile is impressively back in the World Cup after a twelve year absence, finishing second in qualifying; one point behind Brazil and ahead of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. La Roja are led by manager Marcelo Bielsa who is the only manager in this group to have been to the World Cup before (with his home country of Argentina in 2002). Bielsa has brought beautiful attacking football to the squad, favoring a 3-4-3 or 3-1-3-3 with six attacking players, a defensive midfielder, and three defenders. Given their mixture of youth and experience, the team has had no trouble adjusting to the new system and finding the back of the net. Luckily for Chile, the worries over weather and altitudes do not apply to them as, like South Africa, Chile is in the southern hemisphere and mountainous. Additionally, they play Spain in their last game so they do not have to worry about their hardest game until they have probably already qualified for the knockout round.

Leading the attack for Chile are wingers Mark Gonzalez and Alexis Sanchez. Gonzalez was actually born in Durban, South Africa, and currently plays for CSKA Moscow after spells at Real Betis and Liverpool. Sanchez, also known as “wonder boy,” is only 21 and plays in Italy’s Serie A for Udinese. The defense is led by Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo who has helped place my favorite Spanish club, current (but not for long) Segunda side Real Sociedad, into promotion zone (they currently lead the league with 2 games left). Bravo is finally fit after a knee injury and will be very important in determining how far Chile goes.

Honduras

Honduras is in their second World Cup ever, with their first coming in 1982. Led by manager Reinaldo Rueda, this team is older, focuses on the attack, and has an inexperienced defense. They made it to South Africa on the last day of CONCACAF qualifying after they beat El Salvador and the US managed to tie Costa Rica, thus giving Honduras the third and final guaranteed spot in the World Cup from the region (along with Mexico and the US). They will have to hope this past weekend’s performance against Romania (a 3-0 loss) was purely getting their jitters out or this could be an embarrassing couple of weeks.

The team has a fair amount of players that ply their trade in the Honduran league. In terms of overseas big names, Wilson Palacios, a midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, has spent the past two and a half years in England’s Premiership. The 25 year-old is highly rated though has not scored much in England. His younger brother Johnny Palacios is a defender on Honduras and hopes to make a switch to Europe after the World Cup. David Suazo has spent 10 of the past 11 years in Italy’s Serie A, including a year with Inter Milan in 2007. Defender Maynor Figueroa and Midfielder Hendry Thomas play for Wigan. The quality is there but the team’s struggle with inconsistency could send them home early.

Spain

Spain has qualified for the World Cup in style. Easily one of the favorites to win the tournament, Spain won all ten qualifiers and has only lost once in its last forty five games (that was to the US in the Confederations Cup semifinals last summer in South Africa). Even with all this momentum, the European Championships 2008 winners face a set of major injury concerns and pressure from high expectations and the previous World Cup failures. They are led by manager Vicente Del Bosque who thrives off of the many options he has and knows a thing or two about winning; having coached Real Madrid for four years and winning a title each year (two Champions League, two La Liga). Del Bosque usually implements a free flowing and attack oriented 4-1-3-2, but should Fernando Torres be unfit, then a 4-5-1 will still be sufficient to see this team dazzle viewers. If they play like they did the other day against Poland, Spain might be unstoppable.

The main injury concerns on this team are Andres Iniesta (thigh), Xavi (torn calf muscle), Cesc Fabregas (fractured leg), and Torres (knee surgery). Iniesta and Xavi are the midfield maestros, Fabregas is the super sub with great passing and leadership, and Torres is half of arguably the most deadly striker combination in the world. Luckily all seem to be probable, but how they hold up over the next three weeks will make or break Spain’s quest for a first World Cup title. Barcelona bound Striker David Villa will be fit and coming off of a great year with Valencia that saw him score 21 goals. The strong defense will also be healthy with Iker Casillas in net and Sergio Ramos and Carlos Puyol making sure the keeper sees minimal action. Again, their only weakness is injuries and expectations, on paper they are perfect.

Switzerland

Appearing in their second consecutive (and 9^th overall) World Cup, Switzerland will hope to get second place in this group. The road to South Africa was not easy, having at one point lost to Luxembourg, but after an unbeaten streak they edged out Greece to win their qualifying group. At the helm is manager Ottmar Hitzfeld, famous for leading two german clubs (Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund) to Champions League titles. He is aware of his team’s lack of stars, but they are disciplined, hard working, and will not be going out without a fight. The Swiss will hope to emulate their success in 2006 which saw them not allow a single goal, yet they got eliminated on penalties in the second round. Their most important match is their first versus Chile, if there is a winner of that game, they will be in the driver’s seat for second place in the group.

The most important player for Switzerland will be striker Alexander Frei. They will need goals to make it anywhere in this tournament and he will be heavily relied upon to score should he be healthy (Frei tore knee ligaments in the 2008 European Championships and was rumored to have picked up an injury in training recently). Another important player in the Swiss attack will be Tranquillo Barnetta, the 25 year-old winger for Bayer Leverkusen. The midfield will be held down by Udinese’s defensive midfielder Gokhan Inler who is a workhorse and has been sought after by big clubs such as Arsenal. The defense will be anchored by Philippe Senderos, formerly of Arsenal and now of Fulham, who did not play much this season. A surprise inclusion to look out for is FC Basel’s 18 year-old midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri.

Overall Prediction

Even with injury problems and previous World Cup failures to worry about, Spain will have no trouble cruising through this group. The main battle for second place will be between Switzerland and Chile. Given Chile’s attacking style and Switzerland’s lack of firepower, I see Chile advancing on goal differential or beating both Switzerland and Honduras. Honduras is too inconsistent and do not have enough young blood upfront. I expect them to at best get a draw in finishing last.

image courtesy of fifa.com

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

As key injuries descend upon the World Cup squads, I found myself constantly checking the news updates and waiting till the last second to write this group up. It is clearly going to be the most entertaining group regardless of your allegiance. My opinion on this group could change at the slightest whisper, and any other result from the one I predicted will far from disappoint me.

Brazil

The constant billing as the tournament favorites could not be more appropriate for the Brazil squad preparing for this summer’s tournament. That said, few could have predicted the final 23 players chosen by coach Dunga would be missing the likes of Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato and Adriano (making the new Nike Write the Future Commercial impossible not to cringe through when you see said players highlighting it.) Even more unbelievable is the impression that the real stars of the team aren’t the pricey skill-mongers whose names will be on the backs of most of the supporters. Brazil’s real force is being shown in its supporting players who provide tireless, hard-working and committed service so that the more flashy players can shine. This transformation from gem to grit has not made Dunga the most popular man in Brazil, but his critics do not really have a leg to stand on when shown the team’s recent results.

Helping to remove the Samba King’s stereotypical Achilles heel of defending is captain Lucio. The Inter Milan center back forms a tight partnership with Roma’s Juan to defend Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who surely has to be considered the best in the world at the moment. In right wingback Maicon (another Inter player) is good enough to keep rival Dani Alves (Barcelona) on the bench.

Even a poor first season at Real Madrid can not fail to decrease the importance of midfield maestro Kaka. The 2007 World Player of the Year will definitely be a dominant presence in the side. Attack-wise, Sevilla’s Luis Fabiano, Santos-loaner Robinho, Roma’s Julio Baptista and even the untried Grafite of Wolfsburg can all be classified as superstars.

North Korea

The DPRK could not have been given a worse return to the World Cup than the group they have been put in. While history does favor the team, who shocked the world by getting through groups to the Quarterfinals in 1966, their chances of achieving this feat again probably borders the possibility of lightning striking the same spot twice. Being a well organized, hardworking team with a miserly defense, the North Koreans will definitely take some effort to beat since they will be playing to their naturally defensive style. Also low expectations mean low pressure, adding a nothing to lose mentality to a die hard work-rate which can only help. Realistically though, they will be the easier fixture for all the opposition in the group, who will be aware that goal difference could be vital and North Korea is the most probable fixture to pick up extra goals in.

What DPRK can boast is being the most unknown team going into the tournament. The isolationist stance of the nation and the fact only three players in the squad ply their trade outside of the country leaves a lot of left fuzzy. This and the teams alleged changing of squad shirts and line-up numbers immediately prior to matches must leave pundits and analysts pulling their hair out with frustration. What is known is that Kawasaki Frontale striker Jong Tae-Sae is not to be taken lightly, FC Rostov (Russia) midfielder and national captain Hong Yong-Jo is a set-piece threat and Ahn Yong-Hak (Omiya Arjida in Japan) is the midfield workhorse.

Ivory Coast

This is the second consecutive World Cup that Cote D’Ivoire has had an unenviable spot in the group of death. Last time around they lost out on qualification to the second round to Argentina and the Netherlands. This misfortune has seemed to be the consistent for the teams golden generation, who despite critical acclaim have failed to advance from group stages or even win an African Cup of Nations trophy. The generation, often viewed as one of the best of an African team, will be seeing the tournament as their last chance for international silverware. Sven Goran Eriksson took charge of the team in March, so he has a ridiculously short amount of time to instill order and cohesion. Between skirt-chasing in England, and bumbling with Mexico he doesn’t seem suited to this, but this shouldn’t be a problem for the mostly experienced squad which has played together throughout their careers.

The big talking point for the Elephants is the fitness of captain Didier Drogba. The Chelsea striker had an exceptional season terrorizing and belittling opposing defenders in England and in Europe. His broken arm picked up against Japan was one of the more shocking of the key injuries to essential players that have been occurring in the build up to the tournament. Emergency surgery has resurrected his tournament presence, though to what capacity in the group stages that will be is still unclear. In a group this competitive, any absence of a player as key as Drogba will be highly detrimental to a team’s chances.

Otherwise, the team does have Barcelona’s Yaya Toure and Sevilla’s Didier Zokora, two fantastic holding midfeilders both capable dictating the pace of a game. Chelsea Striker Salomon Kalou can be amazing but is inconsistent. Manchester City’s Kolo Toure and Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue are top flight defenders. One weakness in the team has to be goalkeeper Boubacar Barry. While experienced, he certainly is not on par with other top national keepers. Opponents would be wise to test him whenever they can.

Portugal

Any summary of Portugal has to start off with mentioning Christiano Ronaldo. The team’s fourth place finish in the last World Cup was largely down to the then-Manchester United forward, who then went on to become arguably the best player in the world and then unarguably the most expensive with his move the Real Madrid. Whether you love him or you hate him, you can not deny that his presence on the field is electrifying and he has the ability to create the spectacular from the most mediocre of team performances.

This will be vital for Portugal, since what they have besides Ronaldo attack-wise pales in comparison to him. Atletico’s Simao is not the threat he was when he was still at Benfica, and Deco also seems to have lost sharpness. Chelsea’s Jose Bosingwa,  Porto’s Varela and very recently Manchester United’s Nani are all out with injuries, removing three fantastic providers and scorers from the attack. So it does seem like this team will have to be carried offensively by the capable talent of Ronaldo.

Defensively though, Portugal are solid. Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho and Porto’s Bruno Alves provide a strong central defensive partnership. In back-up for this position they have Real Madrid’s Pepe, whose talent will not be wasted on the bench as he will probably play as a defensive midfielder instead. Overall this combination of a solid defense and one of the world’s best forwards makes for a setup of great potential.

Overall Prediction

It goes without saying that the first three spots in this group are largely up in the air. Brazil, Portugal and Cote D’Ivoire all have the potential to take pole position and even advance far in the knock out stages of the tournament. Of the three, it seems Brazil were spoiled for options in terms of selection, so much so that they could afford to make some shock exceptions to their squad. This definitely puts their chances ahead of the other two teams and should secure them the top spot in the group. In my heart of hearts, I saw the Ivory Coast as Africa’s best chance at the trophy this tournament. They had the world class player supported by a respectable supporting cast. Portugal’s squad would need some degree of carrying by Ronaldo to get through. But with the injury doubts for Drogba, keeping Cote D’Ivoire ahead of Portugal would be more passion than ration. I don’t see Drogba playing the role he needs to anymore and therefore see Portugal taking second in the group.

Image Courtesy of fifa.com

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Italy

Hopes for another World Cup title are not high for the defending champions, but that does not seem to lower the confidence of the highly experienced squad. Coach Marcello Lippi’s decision to stick with many of the now thirty-something players who lifted the trophy four years ago, at the expense of some fresh blood like Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano and Giuseppe Rossi, may payoff mainly through having the tried and tested squad spirit devoid of any disruptive behavior (characteristic of Balotelli and Casssano.) What he loses out on by doing this is spark, creativity, and arguably pace to compliment the strong break-up play and trademark Italian defending.

The Italian’s will have captain Fabio Cannavaro as their defensive lynchpin. Despite the obvious setbacks of being a 36 year old outfield player, the former Juventus and Real Madrid Center back is solid and dependable. Most of the midfield tussling will be done by Roma favorite Daniele De Rossi. Fiorentina striker Alberto Gilardino has come a long way from his fringe role in the 2006 tournament and seems set to shine as the main target man this campaign.

While Italy has gotten by with defense minded disruptive play for a while, it has been alongside the creative attacking master-class of Andrea Pirlo. With flawless control and visionary passing, he initiates most of the Azzuris attacking play and was man of the match in the 2006 World Cup Final. At the moment though, his place in the squad has been put in jeopardy by a thigh injury picked up in a friendly against Mexico last week. The playmakers absence will be sorely missed if he can’t compete and will severely blunt Italy’s attacking edge. A very favorable draw leaves them with a decent chance of advancing. Whether Pirlo can play in the later stages is key to determining whether the team will dominate or be dominated by tougher opposition in the later stages.

Paraguay

Paraguay looks set to bring to South Africa another thrilling South American attacking lineup. While sometimes lacking creativity, the team is filled with attacking options. They also possess a very strong team spirit. This is highlighted by the fact that the team all speaks Guarani on the pitch so they are not understood by other Spanish-speaking nations. The unfortunate events surrounding Club América Striker Salvador Cabanas’, arguably the best player in the South American qualifications, absence from the squad since his assault in January is sure to give the squad more emotional drive to get far in the tournament.

The attacking threat will be launched by Benifica’s Oscar Cardozo and Manchester City’s Roque Santa Cruz (hopefully we see the Santa Cruz of old and not his disappointing form with Man City.) Atalanta winger Edgar Barreto will provide the supply for the strikers, with Cruz Azul holding midfielder Cristian Riveros keeping order in the center. Villareal’s Justo Villar provides a reliable pair of hands between the goal posts.

New Zealand

Australia’s move to the Asian Confederation is probably the greatest factor for New Zealand’s qualification for the World Cup. It left the All-Whites in the Oceania Football Confederation with soccer juggernauts such as New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji (to name three of the other ten members) as competition. Their goal to defeat Bahrain in the Play-Off stage came after the majority of the two legs had been played. Their honestly hapless performance in the Confederations Cup last year showed their lack of quality. Going in with this label, they will play with nothing to lose and are capable of surprising teams that take them too lightly, as they showed in a 1-0 victory over Serbia in a friendly two weeks ago. It is unfair not to acknowledge that they only have a single professional club, the Wellington Phoenix of the Australia League. Given there’s not even a professional soccer league in New Zealand, to reach the highest level of competitive football is a fantastic achievement. Getting any further than group stages is highly unlikely.

Team-captain and Blackburn Rovers center back Ryan Nelson will be the leader of New Zealand’s tenacious and hard working defense. Sadly, the other noticeable aspect of the squad is that two of its players currently do not even belong to professional clubs.

Slovakia

This World Cup is monumental for Slovakia since it is the first they have qualified for as an independent nation. This was made much sweeter by their qualification ahead of the Czech Republic, the nation of the two which has had more of the footballing success since Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet Divorce” in 1994. Slovakia begin the tournament with probably the best start of the three (sorry New Zealand) contenders for qualification. Their first game against the All Whites gives them the best chance of starting with full points and will put pressure on the other two, more so on Paraguay probably, from the get go.

While I harped on about Italy and Paraguay’s problems with creativity, Slovakia will not have that problem.  22 year-old Napoli attacking midfielder Marek Hamsik already has the makings of a world class playmaker. As the captain, he embodies the team’s pulse and spirit, with the team’s chances of success mostly down to him. Europe’s top clubs are already on high alert from his performances for his club, what he does for the nation this summer will only drive up his market value. Despite lacking full match fitness since his broken foot in February, Liverpool center back Martin Skrtel provides solid defensive presence and a good attacking header. Lille striker Robert Vittek is a stable and dependable attacking option.

Overall Prediction

As written earlier, this group is favorable for Italy and they can secure the top spot, with or without the presence of Andrea Pirlo on the field.  Further advancement against tougher foes however, will require the class of “l’architetto” and his playmaking abilities. The fight for second will probably be bitter and close. Despite having the more unfavorable run of fixtures, Paraguay seem more likely to prevail, in what should seem like a rousing comeback as they play from the harder to the easier competition in their group. Slovakia will surely beat New Zealand to finish a close third.

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Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Group E

Netherlands

The Dutch go to South Africa having won all their qualifying games, scoring 17 goals and conceding two. This seems to be the result of a team, which habitually fractured with ego- conflicts and bitter rivalry leading up to big tournaments, finally showing mutual respect and harmony. This has turned a squad of, in my opinion, highly undervalued and underrated individuals in their respective settings into an outstanding team unit. All these players have something to prove to their critics, and working together towards that common goal will make them a force to be reckoned with.

The Netherlands boast the two star performers in this year’s Champions League, Champions Inter’s Wesley Sneijder and Runners up Bayern’s Arjen Robben. Both have shown their true value after being cast away by Real Madrid at the beginning of the season, with Robben clinching the German League Player of the Year and Sneijder on course to be the front runner for Serie A’s Player of the Season. Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie will be keen to find full fitness again after five months out with injury, and his brace in a recent friendly against Mexico is an encouraging sign. Liverpool’s Dirk Kuyt will bring a tireless work-rate to the team, while Real’s Rafael van der Vaart is a valuable attacking option, whether starting or coming off the bench. Ajax right-back and the Dutch League’s Young Player of the Year Gregory van der Wiel, is one to watch as a future star.

It would be criminally biased not to disclaim that The Dutch defense is comparatively unspectacular to its offense. Also, while talented, Manchester City’s Nigel de Jong will be a card magnet after recklessly breaking American Stuart Holden’s leg in a friendly in March.

Denmark

Like the Dutch, Denmark will rely on good collective team ethic to succeed. Unlike the Dutch, they seem to lack the star power to compete against the top teams of the tournament. The team does boast a strong formational spine, with West Brom’s Thomas Sorenson dependable in goal. Liverpool’s Daniel Agger and Palermo’s Simon Kjaer confidently and capably control central defense, guarded by Juventus holding midfielder Christian Poulsen. 22 year-old Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner spearheads the attack as the team’s top-scorer in qualification, with service from the experienced, but visibly slower with age, Danish wingers. This set up was good enough to trump both Portugal and Sweden in their qualification group.  Currently, the final squad is littered with little niggling injuries (five players, Klahenburg, Tomasson, Sorenson, Kjaer and Bendtner, should be sitting out Saturday’s friendly against South Africa) which, this close to opening day, should be a little worrying for their campaign.

One young talent worth mentioning is 18-year-old Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen. He probably will not be a starter, but what we do see of the playmaker, touted as the next Michael Laudrup, should be impressive.

Japan

Consistently present in the World Cup since 1998, Japan has never won a World Cup match overseas. They relied on home advantage to get as far as the Second Round in 2002. The Samurai Blue will bring a technical team ability that most teams can’t match. What holds them back is their inability to carry this into their attacking third of the field.

How Keisuke Honda only managed an ₤eight million move to CSKA Moscow this January was a surprise and bargain. The midfielder’s showing in the Champions League showcased his abilities as a goal creator and goal scorer and that Russia is just a stepping stone in the 23 year old’s career. Catania’s Takayuki Morimoto has been compared to Brazilian legend Ronaldo by Alexandre Pato and has been rumored to have caught the attention of Arsenal and Manchester United scouts. Former Glasgow Celtic Star Shunsuke Nakamura will provide experience in the midfield, as well as his renowned dead-ball skill.

Cameroon

As the top FIFA-ranked African nation, Cameroon should feel pressure to perform from the collective African hearts and dreams. Currently, this pressure seems to be souring the team chemistry as the tournament builds up. Cameroon’s Legendary former striker Roger Milla came out in the press criticizing team-captain and pivotal player Samuel Eto’o’s efforts for the national team. This had probably the opposite effect that Milla was hoping for, with Eto’o threatening to leave the team and soon after getting sent off in their latest friendly against Portugal. The Inter Milan striker’s role in the team has come under question before, but it has been more of a question of how the team utilizes his immense attacking talents instead of what he can do for them.

Despite the aforementioned issues with Eto’o, the striker always has the potential to finish clinically, even if provided with scraps. The Indomitable Lions have Arsenal youngster Alex Song to bring stability in defensive midfield.  Lyon midfielder Jean Makoun will add more dynamic support. Veterans on the team Rigobert Song and Geremi bring the benefit of vast experience with the liability of being well past their prime.

Overall Prediction

Provided the Netherlands keep their key players healthy and card-free, they should advance far in this World Cup, beginning with first place in this qualifying group. Second place would have been very tight and probably have would gone down to goal difference between Denmark and Cameroon, if Denmark had a fully fit squad. However, their injury list leads me to believe that they cannot overcome a divided Cameroon camp for second place.

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Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Australia

The Socceroos are making their third World Cup appearance, this time they qualified through winning their Asian Football Confederation group instead of winning the Oceania region and having to beat another federation’s team in a play-off to qualify. Australia was the first team to qualify for South Africa after going undefeated (6-0-2) in qualifying and only letting in one goal. Four years ago in Germany they lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to eventual World Cup Champions Italy because of a penalty given in injury time. Manager Pim Verbeek will look to lead the team like his mentor Gus Hiddink as far, if not farther, this World Cup with most of the players from 2006 returning. Their hardest game will be first against Germany, though no game is easy in this group which has the most depth top to bottom.

The big question mark for this team is who will fill in the large cleats of the only major player missing from the 2006 World Cup campaign, striker Mark Viduka. Goals will be all the difference in this group and with Harry Kewel’s injury problems ever present, it is unclear who will be supplying the goals up front. Luckily for Australia their defensive spine is very solid starting with Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer who’s past two seasons with Fulham have seen them finish in 7^th (the highest to date finish for Fulham in the Premiership) and reach the Europa League Final. Lucas Neil and Luke Wilkshire are experienced and imposing in defense and will also be supported by holding midfielder Brett Emerton. Tim Cahill of Everton will look to be the main offensive spark.

Germany

Germany has one of the most impressive World Cup histories having won the title three times, lost in the final four times, finished third three times, and qualified for the fourteenth consecutive time. Every player on the team plays for a team in the Bundesliga, a testament to the recent rise of the Bundesliga’s quality which is ranked fourth in Europe by FIFA barely behind Italy’s Serie A. Germany also barely lost to Spain in the finals of the 2008 European Championships. They are known well for their discipline and ability to step it up during major tournaments. With tactician manager Joachim Low at the helm, the team will be very dynamic; able to play defensively, attacking, and somewhere in between. They will be without captain and midfielder Michael Ballack though, and for the first time in a long time their Goalkeeper will be a weak link. Their familiarity with one another on the club and league level and their strong manager will be enough to override a lack of depth in the group stage, but how far they go in the knockout rounds when they play more dynamic and star studded teams only time will tell.

Without Ballack, attacking midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will lead the team. Polish born strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski will look to re-create their successful 2006 partnership and put behind them poor club seasons. Strikers Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller will look to add to the German attack as well. Starting Goalkeeper Bayer Leverkusen’s Rene Adler injured his shoulder so Manual Neuer of Schalke will have to step up to the challenge in a major way for Germany to make noise in South Africa. Defender Philipp Lahm will lead an offensively minded defense that will always be involved in the deadly German counter attack.

Ghana

In their second straight World Cup appearance, the Black Stars will look to re-create the magic of their first World Cup this time on their home continent. Ghana beat the Czech Republic and the United States to finish second in the group of death behind eventual World Cup champions Italy in 2006. They were the first African team to qualify for the World Cup and are on a high after winning the U-20 World Cup in October and making it to the finals of the African Nations Cup (which included a win over Nigeria). Unfortunately, (like Germany) they will have to play without their captain Michael Essien. Essien’s importance as a defensive midfielder will be missed and potentially could lead to Ghana not making it out of the group stage.

Even without Essien, this team still has quality in both their youth and their veterans. Though Ghana lacks a major striker, the squad has a very solid group of defenders, defensive midfielders, and creative wingers.  Kevin-Price Boateng is in the squad for the first time despite being born in and having played for Germany up to the U-21 level. Boateng’s tackle for Portsmouth in the FA Cup against Chelsea led to German Captain Ballack’s injury so without even playing a game for Ghana he has already helped their chances. In defense they have Lee Addy of Bechem Chelsea a club team in Ghana, which is impressive as most African players play somewhere in Europe. They also have John Pantsil of Fulham who enjoyed great success on one of Europe’s biggest stages, the Europa League. Sulley Muntari was a favorite of Jose Mourinho’s at Inter Milan and will look to fill the midfield leader role along with Boateng in the absence of Essien.

Serbia

This will be the first time that Serbia is in the World Cup as Serbia. After a disappointing showing as Serbia and Montenegro in 2006 and failing to qualify for the 2008 European Championship, Serbia will look to make their first World Cup a success. They won their group which included 2006 World Cup finalists France with relative ease with impressive displays from their wall of a back line. Though their recent international friendlies have not been too impressive, losing 1-0 to New Zealand, Drawing 0-0 with Poland, and beating Cameroon 4-3, the first two games were in rainy and wet conditions and involved the trying out of different lineups. The defense is there, but scoring will be the difference between early send off and deep run in the knockout rounds.

Serbia’s back line is headlined by Manchester United central defender Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. Last World Cup Serbia and Montenegro were without Vidic and it showed. The midfield is led by captain Dejan Stankovic who won the treble this past season with Inter Milan and has spent the past twelve seasons in Italy’s Serie A. Serbia will hope to score a lot off set pieces given the generally large size of the team as well as Nikola Zigic, the 6 foot 7 striker who recently signed for Birmingham City. He will look to get back in goal scoring form after only scoring three goals during qualification and struggling for first team football at Valencia the past three years.

Overall Prediction

This group has no one team that is going to easily win the group. Though Germany is hard to count out, without Ballack or homefield advantage they are not the same team that finished third in 2006 or second at the 2008 European Championship. It is no guarantee, but Germany should still finish first given its much better attack. Australia, with a wealth of experience and no major injuries, and Serbia with their strong defense look best suited to draw with Germany. Ghana is the weakest link solely because the importance of Michael Essien to this team in defense, passing, leadership, and other intangibles make his absence impossible to recover from. All three teams lack a prolific striker up front and have strong defenses though, making second place truly a matter of goal differential. I think Australia will sneak through in second, with Serbia and Ghana a close tied for third.

Image Courtesy of fifa.com

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Algeria

Algeria comes into their third World Cup (1982, 1986) with no real pressure or expectations. Getting to play in the World Cup in its first time in Africa and having upset arch-rivals Egypt in a playoff match to get to South Africa should be more than enough for Algeria, making any other successes during the tournament icing on the cake. Their Manager Rabah Saadane is the only African manager at this year’s tournament and was the manager during Algeria’s famous victory over West Germany in the 1982 World Cup. It will be up to Saadane to try and get more consistency from a team that on a good day can beat Egypt (to go to the World Cup) and the Ivory Coast (to make the semifinals of the African Nations Cup this past winter) or can lose 3-0 to Malawi (in the group stage of the African Nations Cup).

The Desert Foxes have had some injury troubles of late with starting Defenders Madjid Bougherra and Nadir Belhadj and Defensive Midfielder Hassan Yebda missing time this past season. Belhadj will miss the first game of the World Cup due to a red card at the African Nations Cup while Bougherra will miss the first game due to injury, but both will be back for the team’s second match against England. Starting Goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi will miss the first and second game due to suspension from head butting a referee during the African Nations Cup semifinal loss to Egypt. Though short on attacking options, Algeria has a tall back line that likes to get forward so look for them to score their goals predominately on set pieces.

England

After 44 years of heart break, can England finally win another World Cup? This is the last chance for the “Golden Era” which has already seen Michael Owen, Gary Neville, and David Beckham go trophy-less and fall victim to injury and/or poor form. Though I do not fully rule out all of these players, this will probably be the last World Cup in which David James (40), Jamie Carragher (32), Emile Heskey (32), Rio Ferdinand (31), Matthew Upson (31), Frank Lampard (31), Steven Gerrard (30), Gareth Barry (29), John Terry (29), Peter Crouch (29), Ledley King (29), and Ashley Cole (29) play in. Add in Stephen Warnock, Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Joe Cole being no spring chickens at 28 (and SWP and Cole’s reliance upon their speed), and England only has 6 outfield players and 2 goalies likely to feature from the current side in Brazil in 2014. If that is not motivation enough, enter Fabio Capello. Capello, England’s second foreign manager ever after the hated Sven Goran Erikkson, is an amazing manager, having had success with Real Madrid, A.C. Milan, Juventus, and Roma. He also lead England to a 9-0-1 record in qualification for this year’s World Cup that included a +28 goal differential. His signing through 2012 is the best news the team has had since qualifying. A tough road lies ahead of him, but if anyone can get this group to win a title, it is him.

The biggest obstacle facing England’s World Cup aspirations, in addition to age, is injury. Both Coles have had some trouble staying healthy this season, Ferdinand spent most of the season on the sideline (and injured his left knee today casting his World Cup dreams in doubt), King has chronic knee problems, Barry injured his right ankle a month ago and just started training again, Aaron Lennon has nagging injury problems, and Wayne Rooney has yet again entered a World Cup with an injury as he hopes to shake both an ankle and groin injury. Poor form also plagues England as Terry, Heskey, and James have not impressed this past season. Heskey was still chosen over Darren Bent who is much younger, faster, and scored 25 goals (third most in the Premiership) in 40 games this season for mid-tabler Sunderland. James has been given the number 1 shirt, but it remains to be seen whether or not his knee will be healthy enough to play. Robbie Green will most likely start in net should James been unable to, though I think Joe Hart is their best option. The team will also have to hope they do not end a knockout round match in a draw as England are 0-3 in World Cup penalty shoot-outs (1990, 1998, 2006) and also crashed out of the European Championship in 1996 and 2004 on penalties.

Slovenia

With the smallest population of the 32 nations competing in this year’s World Cup, Slovenia will look to show the world size does not matter. After finishing second behind Slovakia in their qualifying group which included Poland and the Czech Republic, Slovenia made it to South Africa by beating a strong Russia side in a playoff. During qualifiers they even had the second best defense, second to the Netherlands who played two fewer games and had Scotland as their competition in the group. This recent success is quite a reversal of fortune after finishing second to last (ahead of Luxembourg) in their 2008 European Championship qualifying. This is Slovenia’s second World Cup (2002).

Much like Greece, Slovenia is more about the team than star players, with few of their players on major European sides. The main notables are their Goalkeeper and their main Striker. Between the sticks they have 25 year-old Samir Handanovic who plays for Udinese of the Italian Serie A. Handanovic only allowed four goals in their ten qualifying matches. Up front is Milivoje Novakovic who has spent the past three seasons playing for Cologne in Germany. In the past two seasons in the top division in Germany (The Bundesliga) he has scored 22 times.  He also scored 5 times during the World Cup qualifiers.

United States

Though no longer the laughing stock of international soccer, the United States still are not fully respected and will look to change that this year in their 6^th consecutive World Cup appearance. Manager Bob Bradley hopes to lead his physically tough team to the knockout rounds after a disappointing World Cup in 2006. Bradley has shown he can do big things with this team, having won the 2007 Gold Cup, reached the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup (including a win over then #1 in the world Spain snapping their 35 game winning streak), and finishing atop the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group. The United States have also drawn the easiest group arguably since they hosted the World Cup in 1994. The hardest game is first, playing England for the first time in a World Cup since beating them 1-0 in 1950.

The main issues for the Red, White, and Blue will be their defense. Oguchi Onyewu has not played in a real match since October 2009 after tearing left knee’s patellar tendon. Should he not be healthy the usual back line will lack a tall, enforcing central defender. Forward Jozy Altidore is also an injury risk after spraining his right ankle yesterday in addition to poor form this season which yielded only 2 goals in 17 starts and 30 overall appearances. Altidore has been very solid for the national team though, and will be needed with limited forward options due to striker Charlie Davies’ need for more recovery time after a car crash last year. On the bright side, the US has a great keeper in Everton’s Tim Howard and its two star midfielders Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey are in good club form. Donovan played well enough in his loan stint with Everton that he has finally shown he can play with the best in Europe. Expect the US team to rely on Donovan and Dempsey to make big plays and for Howard to make many saves if they are to make it through to the first knockout round and beyond.

Overall Prediction

Although England has a lot of injury problems, the quality of their side and their management is such that I cannot see them finishing worse than second. I expect England to win the group. The United States should be able to beat both Slovenia and Algeria and potentially set up a grudge match with Germany (they lost in the quarterfinals to Germany 1-0 in the 2002 World Cup) in the knockout round. Slovenia will give England and the US some troubles, but I don’t think they will have enough to beat (or even draw) against either. I think Algeria’s injury concerns, inconsistency, and lack of attacking options up front will be their downfall, with them losing all three games like they did at the 1986 World Cup.

Image courtesy of Fifa.com

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F

Group G

Group H

Argentina

Usually mentioned amongst the favorites for the World Cup, this year Argentina is more of a dark horse with a lot of question marks. The biggest question mark of them all is why they have allowed Diego Maradona to continue being the manager. Maradona was one of greatest soccer players of all-time, but has not shown the same style and grace as a manager. He is a lightning rod for controversy, criticizing referees and the press, as well as promising to streak Buenos Aires should Argentina win the World Cup. The World Cup qualifying results were less than impressive, at one point losing 6-1 to Bolivia (tied for the largest loss margin in Argentina soccer history) and needing a last qualifying game 1-0 victory over Uruguay to ensure a trip to South Africa.

The 2008 Olympic Gold medalists are not short on quality, with Argentina having as strong of a squad as any at the World Cup. In Lionel Messi they have arguably the best player in the world, though his phenomenal form for Barcelona has not always shown itself while playing for Argentina. How well he performs could be the difference between first knockout round exit and World Cup victory. In addition to Messi, the team has four other world class strikers in Inter Milan’s Diego Milito, Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuaín, Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez, and Atlético Madrid’s Sergio Aguero. It remains to be seen how Maradona will chose his front line with so many attacking options.

Greece

In their second ever World Cup appearance, Greece will look to do better than they did in 1994 when they lost all three games including losses to Argentina and Nigeria. Greece will also try to recreate the amazing disciplined defense that shocked the soccer world in 2004 as they won the European Championship. In the past six years, a lot has changed as their defensive scheme and risky reliance upon set pieces with no real playmaker on the team left them out of the 2006 World Cup and led to an embarrassing display at the European Championship in 2008. Though they beat Ukraine in a play-off to make it to South Africa after finishing second in their group behind Switzerland, they have not looked particularly strong in their past two friendlies, losing 2-0 to Paraguay and drawing 2-2 with North Korea.

This physical, defensively minded, and disciplined Greece team is anchored by Liverpool Defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos. The defense will be without long-time Goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis for the first time though, so it remains to be seen if his huge shoes can be filled. Though lacking in attacking options, Greece does have huge Celtic Striker Georgios Samaras who has performed well at the club level and will be needed if Greece are to have a better showing at this World Cup.

Nigeria

Of the six African nations with “continental home-field advantage” in this World Cup, it is generally accepted that Nigeria is the most likely to advance. Second place is very much up for grabs in this group and the Super Eagles, who beat Tunisia in the last qualifier to make it to South Africa, hope to improve upon what was in their opinion a poor showing at the African Nations Cup this past February (they lost in the semi-finals to Ghana). After the African Nations Cup they hired a new manager in Lars Lagerback, the former Swedish national team manager. Nigeria is more dynamic than usual with more defensive quality than usual to compliment their assortment of attacking options.

Wolfsburg’s Obafemi Martins and Everton’s Yakubu will lead Nigeria up front with the ever dangerous and timeless African soccer legend Portsmouth’s Kanu on the bench. John Obi Mikel is in support as an attacking midfielder, though injuries have sidelined him as of late. Mikel’s fitness will be key in Nigeria’s success or failure. On the defensive side, Fulham’s Dickson Etuhu and Stoke City’s Seyi Olofinjana shore up a strong midfield with both defensive midfielders allowing more space and freedom to roam for Mikel. Everton’s Joseph Yobo also leads a stronger than usual back line.

South Korea

South Korea is at the World Cup for the seventh consecutive time and eighth time overall. In 2002 as a World Cup host along with Japan, they defeated Italy and Spain in the knockout stages before losing in the semifinals to eventual runner-up Germany. Sadly, they could not recreate the magic of 2002 in 2006 as they failed to get out of the group stage. Guus Hiddink’s influence from his time as manager in 2002 is still seen though, and the team is known for their incredible stamina. They are inconsistent, beating good teams but often playing down to bad teams. They will need to dictate the pace of the game and hope their defense can hold up against and be smarter than bigger and stronger teams.

South Korea’s attack is strong, with the team’s wide spread, free flowing offense playing to the strengths of captain and Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung and AS Monaco’s Park Chu-Young. Chu-Young missed the end of season with thigh injury so his recovery is vital to the quality of attack they will have in South Africa. One thing the team will not have to worry about is the abilities and mental toughness of 37 year-old Goalkepper Lee Woon-Jae who is starting in his fourth World Cup having played in 1994, 2002, and 2006.

Overall Prediction

Regardless of how bad Maradona is as manager, even my mother who knows nothing about soccer could guide Argentina to first place in this group. With strong and experienced players in each position in addition to having the best player in the world and five of the best strikers in the world, they should not have a problem finishing first in group B. With the crowd in their favor and the quality of their side I expect Nigeria to finish second, though this group is evenly matched enough that either of the other two teams could finish in second. I believe Greece will finish in third because they will probably tie with South Korea and not get beaten as badly by Nigeria and Argentina as South Korea, as Greece play a disciplined defensive game instead of a more wide open, running all over the place game like South Korea.