The American
World Cup Preview Gary Jordan looks at how the soccer teams shape up
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very four years the soccer community comes together for a month long festival as the world’s top nations play for the right to be crowned as the best of the best. The World Cup is such a global event that is was estimated that 700 million people tuned in to watch Spain beat the Netherlands 1–0 in the final of the last tournament in 2010. This time around, and with technology as it is, that number could swell even more. Given that this year’s finals are being held in one of the game’s spiritual homes, it is fair to say the appeal is certainly there. Brazil are five time World Cup winners and are always cast as one of the pre–tournament favorites whenever the finals come around. This time it is no different, but maybe with the home fans expecting nothing short of a Samba–style victory, the added weight of expectancy could prove too much.
Group A
Even though they are the most decorated nation in the World Cup, Brazil have also under–achieved a considerable amount. They have many players reaching their peak at the right time, Neymar, Fred, Oscar and Hulk to name a few, and they are the host nation, so the odds makers have them down as heavy favorites. They have a relatively easy group to escape from, but the latter stages of the competition sometimes see the Samba men slip up. They could be tested as early as the
second round where Spain or the Netherlands could await. Mexico should also come out of this group, they are also young and strong and with favorable South American support will have enough goals in them to outlast the challenge of Croatia and Cameroon.
Group B
Spain have been riding a euphoric wave of soccer excellence for the last decade, and take a very strong squad into this year’s finals. Once a country that always failed to deliver despite the wealth of individual talent, they now are the team that the rest aspire to be. Players such as Sergio Ramos, Iniesta, Fabregas, Mata and Silva are now superstars across the globe. They are a serious threat once again and it will be a surprise if they didn’t get to at least the last four. They are in a group with the
team they beat in the final last time. The Netherlands will be looking to redeem themselves from that final defeat when they tried to literally kick the Spaniards off the pitch in an ugly final that went against their normal way of forward thinking. Throw Chile and Australia into the mix and this could be a tricky group to qualify from, but if the two European nations play as we expect them to we should see them both in the last fortnight of the competition.
Group C
With all due respect to the teams in this group, it is arguably the weakest in the opening stage. Having said that, it could prove to be very competitive, but whoever gets out of the group won’t progress too much further. If you were to pick a favorite it would probably be Colombia, followed closely by the Will head coach Jürgen Klinsmann take the US team to victory over Germany?
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