2008 Woodie Awards
Soccer fans unite, the World Cup is here
Christopher Bengtsson
Issue date: 5/30/06 Section: Sports
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It is unlikely that this Cup will be a repeat of 2002's underdog fiesta in South Korea and Japan where many of the strongest teams in the world, like Argentina, didn't even make it out of their starting groups. These teams are going to be hungrier than ever to redeem themselves and finally let their nations forget the debacle in Asia.
The United States is in one of the toughest groups, Group E. They will be facing both Italy and the Czech Republic, and are going to be forced to play some truly inspired soccer in order to advance.
The Americans are not quite getting the respect they rightfully deserve in the world of soccer. This is mostly because of the low profile of MLS and the relatively small representation of American players in the high-status foreign leagues such as the Premier league, Serie A and La Liga.
America is ranked fifth in the world though, and they are going to remind quite a few just why that is in Germany next month.
If there is one name to remember for this year's tournament, it is Luca Toni of Italy. He has managed to score 51 goals for Fiorentina during the last two seasons of Serie A. That is quite impressive, to say the least. I am hoping Italy will do well this World Cup because of the Juventus referee tip-off scandals. Italy is one of the traditional soccer countries and the state of the sport deserves a better fate than shady under-the-table deals and criminal activities.
In Group D, Mexico should be able to perform well enough to get to the next step in the World Cup together with Portugal. I don't think Iran and Angola have enough experience to put up much of a fight on the world scene, while Mexicans and Portuguese are born with soccer in their blood.
The snake pit of the tournament is Group C, with Argentina, Serbia and Montenegro, Ivory Coast, and the Netherlands. Argentina is fated into the "Group of Death" for the second World Cup in a row. Last time around they didn't survive, and they will be heavily pressured to do so this summer. I do hope they can get their game together though, because they truly do play some beautiful soccer.
It is going to be interesting to see what solution the English manager Sven Goran Ericsson has in store for having his most dangerous striker Wayne Rooney injured. The young Manchester United prodigy broke his foot earlier this spring, and might not make it back for the World Cup.
What makes the situation even worse is that Michael Owen, England's other star-striker, just recently recovered from an injury himself. Lacking their full strength in the goal-producing department might seriously impair their success in the World Cup.
It is not as if they completely lack players though. England has plenty of leaders that are capable of stepping up and taking care of business, such as Frank Lampard (a personal favorite of mine), Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and John Terry.
Something that might be even more dangerous for England is the lack of key balance players combined with a weak defense. They have the offence, and they have some of the most high profile names in the Cup, but the individual parts of the team might be stronger than the team itself.
Brazil is always a strong contender for the title in any World Cup. They have won two of the last three World Cups, and when they didn't win in '98, they placed second. They have tradition on their side, and I have a difficult time thinking of a more iconic country for the sport itself. Brazil seem to have a good mix of high profile veterans and some up and coming talents such as Robinho (Real Madrid).
My home country of Sweden is a bit of a mixed bag. Some players are fantastic, such as Fredrik Ljungberg, Zlatan Ibrahimovich and Henrik Larsson. Larsson is one of the best players in Swedish history, and recently won the Champions League with FC Barcelona. As a counterbalance to this partial brilliance though, is the fact that the Swedish league, Allsvenskan, is one of the worst leagues in Europe.
The Swedish team is heavily built around the trio of Ibrahimovich, Ljungberg and Larsson. If any of these three players get injured or can't play on their regular level or above, Sweden is going to have a rough time in Germany. And then there is that troublesome right flank to worry about as well. Sweden definitely have some flaws, but they can potentially do well, if they can shape up and take their game to the next level.
There are a lot of great teams in the World Cup and there are plenty of contenders for the title, but I think Brazil are going to end up on top. They have the ability to ramp up the steam when other teams begin to tear and wear, both in individual games and seen to the tournament at large. They have been doing great in the World Cup during the last decade, and that is something I don't think is going to change anytime soon.
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