World Cup is back and soccer enthusiasts are excited
We have arrived at the end of the semester, and yet happiness is still 40 days away – at least for me.
On June 11, the world’s largest sporting event, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, will begin. More than one billion viewers around the world will tune in with high hopes only to see the eventual failure of their national selection. Only a truly blessed few million people will have the opportunity to see their national selection head to South Africa and return with the golden trophy that symbolizes global soccer dominance.
The World Cup’s draw has been out for quite some time. The 32 nations have been selected and set into round-robin groups, ordered from “A” to “H.” Each team in each group will play the other teams in their respective groups and will earn points – three for a win, one for a tie and zero for a loss. At the end of the round-robin, the two teams with the highest total point from each group advance into a single-elimination bracket, and the only undefeated team at the end will be the World Cup champion.
It’s anyone’s game – or is it?
My purpose today is to give you a preview and a prediction of which nations will have the best shot at advancing past the group stage. Picking the eventual winner on reason is impossible. This task is daunting, but at least it’s not as difficult as an NCAA bracket.
Let’s take it group by group.
Group A is fairly strong. Three quality teams – France, Mexico and Uruguay – accompany the host nation and should provide decent competition within the group. The only clear loser in this group is the host country, South Africa. South Africa is only in the World Cup by virtue of the fact that South Africa is hosting it and, therefore, gets an automatic bid to entry. Two other teams – Mexico and Uruguay – in group A earned their way to the top. France cheated its way in by way of Thierry Henry’s handball in the home-and-home elimination that turned into a goal and gave France their ticket to the cup at Ireland’s expense. FIFA did not disallow the goal and did not punish the officials for the blatant error that cost Ireland its chance at glory. France should not be in and Ireland should be. I’ll be upset if France advances too far. I’ll say, however, that France and Mexico will advance out of the groups and into the elimination.
Group B has only one real contender: Argentina. Lionel Messi is a monster, and the Argentines worship soccer. The other teams in the group are Nigeria, South Korea and Greece. Although Greece won the 2004 Euro Cup at Portugal’s expense, the Greeks have struggled through a significant drop in efficiency and skill. Along with Argentina, I would call for Greece to advance but keep a close eye on Nigeria. The African club is no chew toy, and there’s plenty of margin for error.
Group C houses the US, England, Algeria and Slovenia. This group draw was very favorable for the American squad. The only real contender along with the U.S. in this group is England, and the Americans shouldn’t have too much trouble advancing. Were the tournament played in Europe, I would worry, but the U.S. has historically done well outside of the old country in World Cup matches, so look for Landon Donovan and Jozy Altidore to put good offensive numbers. This year should be much different than the ‘06 cup that saw the US bow out after losing twice and drawing against the eventual champion, Italy. Be confident, American soccer fans. Your club has a real shot this time.
Group D is similar to group B in that only one clearly superior team is accompanied by three chipmunks who must squabble to advance. Germany, Euro 2008 runner-up to Spain and the third-place team in the ‘06 World Cup, will clearly advance. The other teams are Australia, Serbia and Ghana. My heart yearns for the Socceroos to advance, but in the end, I think we’ll be looking at Germany and Ghana moving out of the group into the eliminations. Ghana fields a very competent team every four years, and they were definitely not last in their qualifying group either.
Group E also facilitates easy prediction as the Netherlands will certainly advance. Accompanying the Dutch are Denmark, Japan and Cameroon. Given the limited knowledge I have of these clubs, I am inclined to say the Japanese will advance with the Dutch out of group E. Denmark fields a decent team, but Danish soccer is sub-standard in Europe, and the tiny nation rarely gives the world soccer legends to the degree of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, David Beckham and others. Cameroon is very likely to fizzle quickly.
Defending champion Italy is the clear frontrunner in group F. The Italians will be searching for their fifth world title, and the Azurri definitely have the talent to see it through. After that, it’s anyone’s game. New Zealand clinched a berth for the first time in a long time, but they’ll have to square up against Paraguay and Slovakia to make their way through. I would like to see New Zealand advance, but in the end, I think Slovakia will be too much for them.
And then, the group of death. There usually is one group in every world cup from which any of the four teams could advance because they’re all so good. Five-time world champion Brazil sits along side a talent-loaded Portuguese squad for which expectations could not possibly be any higher. Accompanying them are North Korea and the Ivory Coast. Now, North Korea will probably get swept out quick, but the Ivory Coast has produced big-name talent in the Premier league – Chelsea’s Didier Drogba for example – and will definitely be anything but a pushover. I will make the eye-test predicition and call Brazil and Portugal to get out of this messy group, but if any of my predictions are uncertain, it’s this one for sure.
Finally, group H. The powerhouse of this group is defending Euro Cup champion Spain. Alongside the Spanish are Chile, Honduras, and Switzerland. Honduras had a terrific start to their qualification. They jumped out quickly ahead of the rest of the North American field but then slowly drifted off to fall behind Mexico and the U.S. Don’t doubt them though. I pick Honduras and Spain to move out of group H and on to the elimination.
After the elimination, I believe choosing the eventual champion would be just as easy as trying to shoot a moving bullet at night blindfolded with your ears plugged. The field will be wide open, and only the team that peaks at the right time and gets the right calls from the right official will walk off the pitch with the most coveted trophy in all of sports. I don’t have the courage to be able to predict which team will top which after 90 short minutes of soccer, but I do know this – the World cup will be everything any sports fan could hope for.
So, while you’re lounging about on a warm summer’s day, take the time to paint your face, get your friends, bust out the barbecue and turn on the tube to enjoy the beautiful game played on the most prestigious stage. We’re only 40 days away, and this will be good. Bank on it.
– la.hem@aggiemail.usu.edu