With the World Cup well under way, trio of local soccer devotees Glen Fernandes, Justin Panos and Gaurav Thapa give their opinions on who will move on, who you should to watch, and who will win the final.
As the second round takes shape, what countries will join the seven already qualified?
Gaurav Thapa: While both Germany and Ecuador are in, Ecuador might be the sleeper team to watch. With two clean sheets against a handsome tally of five goals scored, their tournament performance is a testament to when statistics actually tell the truth. They’ve also silenced their critics in the South American press, successfully playing their style of futebol away from the high altitude of their homeland. Equally impressive is their commitment to the attack, refraining from putting ten men behind the ball once ahead.
Justin Panos: No real surprises in Group B with Sweden likely advancing with England. Great play from Paraguay’s keeper though. If the offence could do something to match his 12 saves they could have replaced the Swedes.
Glen Fernandes: Mexico, ranked fourth in the world, has qualified for the FIFA World Cup 12 times, more often than heralded world powers England and France. They will be tough to beat this year, as last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup showed. The Mexicans defeated eventual winners Brazil 1-0 in the preliminary rounds, before losing on penalties to Argentina in the semi-finals.
JP: The play of Mexico’s Omar Bravo has been their biggest weapon. They will definitely join the Portuguese in round two.
GF: In Group E, the group of death, anyone still has a chance. Look for a Czech Republic led by the Czech canons Pavel Nedved and Tomas Rosicky to make it through, and watch out for a U.S. team lead by veterans Donovan and Landon, along with a roster made of an Under-17 World Cup championship team. If the States can get out of this group, look for them to cause a lot of trouble for opposing teams.
JP: I have the Italians advancing. Can someone tell me why the U.S. is ranked fifth in the FIFA rankings, ahead of Argentina and England? They did go farther in 2002 but I mean come on.
GT: Joining Brazil in Group F will be the Socceroos. Australia’s first ever World Cup win was a come-from-behind one over Japan. The Aussies also showed the desire and ability of a true winner as they nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament against Brazil. Their dingo-like determination and the steady hand of the best coach in the competition in Gus Hiddink will propel them to the group of 16.
GF: I think Japan will sneak through instead of Australia. They are the Asian Champions of 2006 and are led by Asia’s most formidable midfield in the trio of Hidetoshi Nakata, Shunsuke Nakamura, and Shinji Ono.
GT: While Group G is still up in the air, I have the South Korean’s topping it off. No other Asian team runs as hard or has as loud and loyal a fan base as the South Koreans. Park Ji Sung’s meteoric rise to stardom coupled with a French team still searching for its scoring shoe leads me to cheer “Go Reds Go.”
GF: France and South Korea both have a lot to prove. France needs to redeem itself after its poor world cup performance of 2002 and South Korea needs to prove that their amazing run in the last World Cup wasn’t a result of the huge home-field advantage.
JP: Group H’s Spain should advance, and I think we might see Saudi Arabia along with them. Each Saudi player will receive $200,000 if they move on. What an incentive!
GF: Although Spain has never lived up to expectations, an easy group and the duo of Cesc Fabergas and Raul will propel them onwards. Ukraine should join them, but their success relies heavily on the legs of Andriy Shevchenko, FIFA’s 2004 European Footballer of the Year.
Who is your player to watch in the tournament?
GF: Arjen Robben. Netherlands’ forward has an opportunity to showcase his talents and perhaps even take the Dutch team to a long awaited World Cup Final. Plagued by injuries in Chelsea, he is healthy and ready to emerge as one of the top players of this World Cup.
GT: Tim Cahill. The lad can jump higher than your average kangaroo and is Australia’s star on a team to look out for.
JP: Keep your eyes on the two Ecuador boys Agustin Delgado and Edison Mendez. They can work magic and are fun to watch if they can keep up the good play.
Who is in the final and who will win?
GF: When Brazil challenges the Netherlands in what will be one of the best finals in World Cup history, look for the Orange to be crowned champions as the Dutch team wins its first ever championship. Only Ronaldinho might stop them but my bet is no one steals Holland’s moment on this day.
GT: The conquering Czech Republic against the omnipresent Brazilian squad. The old horses in the Czech midfield will be teetering by this stage and the likes of Kaka and Ronaldinho will tear them apart. I see the canaries winning the trophy for a record sixth time while the Brazilian fans chant “Hexa hexa”.
JP: There is no better life on earth than the life of a Brazilian soccer player. They are God-like. Reverence aside, I am going to say Argentina pins a loss on Brazil in the final. There it is peeps, Argentina over Brazil.
