Bleacher Report - John Terry

What U.S. Soccer Fans Expectations Should Be Heading into South Africa

Ryan Pickard — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:23:21 -0500

All of the excitement and hype of the World Cup draw is finally over. We now know who the 32 teams are that will be heading to South Africa and what Group they will be placed in.

For a U.S. soccer fan like myself, this was the most exciting day since the U.S. beat Spain in the Confederation Cup Semi Finals. For many other fans around the world nothing beats the day of the World Cup Draw.

Everyone is waiting to see where they get placed and praying that they don't end up in the "Group of Death."

After taking a look at each of the eight groups and doing a quick check up on each team most analysts and experts have been the "Group of Death" to be Group G which features Brazil, Ivory Coast, Portugal, and North Korea. Brazil, Portugal, and Ivory Coast are all in the top 20 of the FIFA Rankings making this the hardest of all the groups.

Thankfully for the U.S. they received a rather easy draw. The U.S. ended up in Group C which also has England, Slovenia, and Algeria. Just taking a look at these teams bodes well for the U.S. as England seems likely to be the team to give the U.S. the most trouble.

The U.S. will open up against England next summer. The Three Lions are currently ranked ninth in the world and boast some of the best players such as Wayne Rooney and John Terry. They cruised through qualification finishing 9-0-1; six points clear of the next closest team in Ukraine.

If the U.S. can keep it a close game then they have a chance to pull another upset as big as when they defeated England in the 1950 World Cup.

The U.S. will then face Slovenia in their second game. Sloveina currently ranks 33 in the world and finished second in qualifying just two points back of Slovakia. They were able to qualify for the tournament after upsetting heavily favored Russia in a two game playoff on a 2-2 aggregate.

Slovenia did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup, but, they were the only team to beat Italy during qualifying—who eventually went on to win the World Cup. While they do not seem like a team that should be feared all that much, the U.S. can not underestimate them and must play a full 60 minutes for a victory.

The U.S. will play their final game of the group stage against Algeria who won their playoff game against Egypt to qualify for the World Cup.

The Desert Foxes rank 28th in the world at the time and will have a lot of support since their fans do not have to travel as far as others do. Algeria hasn't had much success in past World Cup's but did defeat West Germany in a huge upset in the 1982 World Cup.

Just like Slovenia most U.S. fans have no idea about how good Algeria really is and neither do any of the U.S. players. These two teams have never actually played each other which will make for a very interesting game and will be a battle, especially if it decides who moves on to the Round of 16.

With all this said, U.S. fans should have some pretty high expectations. After their performance in the Confederations Cup last summer where they finished second after losing in the final to Brazil, people's hopes became much larger.

They should be able to move out of their group finishing second to England which would match them up against the first place finisher in Group D which most expect to be Germany.

The U.S. would have a very tough match ahead of them if they met the Germans but anything can happen in soccer. I expect them to make the Round of 16, but end up losing to Germany 2-1.

If they aren't able to make it out of their group, then it will be a huge disappointment and soccer will began to fall back out of people's minds. A great showing next summer could go a long way in seeing whether or not more people in the U.S. began to get more interested in soccer.

Now then I can't wait till next June when the tournament finally vegans. It's going to be a long sixth months but when the tournament finally gets here it will have been worth the wait.

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World Cup 2010 Draw: Analyzing the Groups and Who Will Advance

gus sanchez — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:02:36 -0500

Now that we're all accounted for...

After a tension-filled World Cup 2010 draw, all 32 teams now know where they're going to play, and against whom. While we're still six months away from the first match on Jun. 11, here are some quick thoughts on each group, and what we could expect after the opening rounds:

(Teams listed according to seeding)

Group A

South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

Is it safe to say France got lucky? After a controversial qualification, karmic justice would have called for France to get a just on-pitch punishment by being placed into a group of death, but Les Bleus got a favorable draw. Still, a favorable draw doesn't get them past this first round. Mexico is greatly improved since Javier Aguirre took over El Tri this past summer during qualifying, and they'll be tough and dangerous. You never know what to expect from Uruguay; they can score goals in bunches (with Diego Forlan up front), but they're also maddeningly inconsistent.

No host nation has ever failed to progress past the first round; South Africa could, unfortunately, be the first nation not to qualify. This could be the dullest group of all, with each team finding a way to play inept, uninspired ball, with Mexico and France barely qualifying. So barely that we could see another handball from, say, Franck Ribery...kidding!

Winner: Mexico
Runner-Up: France

Group B

Argentina
Nigeria
South Korea
Greece

After a harrowing qualification, Argentina made it through by the grace of God, and not because of Diego Maradona. He'll now have six months to get his tactical act together, assuming he'll remain as Los Albicelestes ' manager. But he's got the kind of firepower (the trio of Messi, Tevez, Aguero, and even Higuain) at his disposal. Nigeria has always been the great promise of African soccer, but have never capitalized on that promise.

Greece, the surprise winner of the '04 Euro, are well-coached by Otto Rehhagel, and deeply organized; again, they may be one of the surprises of this WC. South Korea played very well in qualifiers, and could challenge Argentina for the top spot.

Winner: Argentina
Runner-Up: Greece

Group C

England
United States
Algeria
Slovenia

England comes into the World Cup with a tremendous buzz following them. The Three Lions have a strong chance to sweep the board with nine total points. This team may be the best team England has fielded since the last time they won it all, back in 1966. Don Fabio has England playing well, and Wayne Rooney could be the breakout star. Provided they don't get snakebitten as always during the WC, we could see England in the final.

USA must be breathing a huge sigh of relief, knowing they've dodged European bullets like France and Portugal. For once, the US gets a favorable draw and has no excuse not to take advantage of this. If the US doesn't advance, the entire team should remain stranded somewhere in Africa. Algeria qualified via an ugly and bloody playoff against Egypt, but they'll be invisible during the tournament. As for Slovenia, they shouldn't be taken lightly; dispatching a heavily-favored Russia showed this team could be a tournament dark horse.

Winner: England
Runner-up: USA

Group D

Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

You know what you're going to get with Germany: tight discipline and a rich history behind them. Der Mannschaft is good, but just how good are they? With Michael Ballack leading the way, they'll be tenacious and balanced. Australia still plays with the style that Guus Hiddink stamped on the Socceroos four years ago, and they'll continue to be feisty, with Tim Cahill leading the charge.

Serbia will prove to be defensively tough, as Nemanja Vidic patrols the defensive backfield. Finally, Ghana will look to improve on their strong WC 2006 showing, and their strong play during qualifications. Look for Michael Essien to have a strong tournament.

Winner: Germany
Runner-up: Ghana

Group E

Netherlands
Denmark
Japan
Cameroon

The Orange wrapped up their qualifying spot earlier than any other European nation. On paper, this may be the strongest Dutch team for quite some time, but they always seem to find a way to self-destruct or play to less than their potential. The one question that remains unanswered is will Rob Van Persie be ready, and fit. The matchup between Denmark and Netherlands will be a matchup of two similar styles, which calls for open, attacking football, and could be the match of the opening rounds.

Japan is greatly improved, what with their J-League providing quality, attacking players that are looking attractive to European clubs. Cameroon will drive you insane; they can play dominant, beautiful football the first game, and inept, uninspired football the next. Look for the Indomitables to play more of the latter than the former, sadly.

Winner: Netherlands
Runner-up: Denmark

Group F

Italy
Paraguay
New Zealand
Slovakia

Italy bears the burden of being the reigning World Champions, and they're much older this time around. They've been placed in a favorable group, but don't expect Italy to advance past the quarterfinals. Paraguay surprised everyone in CONMEBOL qualifiers, handily beating Brazil and Argentina, and they'll come to South Africa as a strong, intriguing side.

As for New Zealand, their qualifying was a feel-good moment for their nation, but the Kiwis will be grossly overmatched. Slovakia showed they're organized, but organization doesn't win tournaments.

Winner: Italy
Runner-up: Paraguay

Group G

Brazil
North Korea
Ivory Coast
Portugal

This here is the vaunted Group of Death. For once, the conspiracy theorists can't claim Brazil has an easy draw. Their matches against Ivory Coast and Portugal will be tough-as-nails tests, but, as Dunga and his highly-disciplined fashion has shown, Brazil will easily mesh into an tightly-organized unit and repel any challenges. Plus, there's too much talent—Kaka, Luis Fabiano, Maicon, and Dani Alves, for starters—for Brazil to falter.

Ivory Coast could be the story of the World Cup. With perhaps the best striker in the game right now in Didier Drogba (who, without question, is playing the best football anywhere right now), they'll carry the torch for the entire African continent and advance far in this tournament. Yes, they will challenge for the cup, and that's not a stretch of a comment to make.

Portugal struggled through qualifiers, but even without former FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo, they managed to qualify. Still, this is Portugal we're talking about here, and taking them lightly comes with great consequences. It's conceivable that Portugal can advance.

As for North Korea, well, let's just say this: This could be the worst team ever to play in the World Cup. Not only will they lose each match by a wide margin, they may be hard-pressed to score a single goal. Their 1966 feel-good story will not be repeated this time around.

Winner: Brazil
Runner-up: Ivory Coast

Group H

Spain
Switzerland
Honduras
Chile

As one of the heavy favorites, and the No. 1 ranked team in the world, Spain comes in with great expectations. They'll carry with them the momentum of winning the 2008 Euros, and there are very few teams with the firepower (Torres and David Villa) to go all the way. Yet they also carry the burden of failed expectations from World Cups past. This time, however, a favorable draw will boost their confidence, and it would be a surprise if they didn't win all three games.

Switzerland is a dark horse favorite to make some noise this time around. With Ottmar Hitfeld at the helm, he'll throw a masterful grasp of tactics against their opponents, and they'll give Spain a difficult matchup. But the Swiss are also prone to slight underachievement as well.

Honduras went through a wild CONCACAF qualification—at one stretch, Honduras was in first place in the final qualifying group—as well as political strife, with a coup d'etat taking place during qualifiers. That political strife could pose problems for the Honduran side during the World Cup. Under former Argentine manager Marcelo Bielsa, Chile isn't going to fear any opponent, and, during CONMEBOL qualifiers, Chile proved they could win the big games, even under hostile conditions.

Winner: Spain
Runner-up: Chile

Of course, all this analysis would be moot were I to be proven wrong...

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Ten Biggest Misses Ever During a Penalty Shootout

Andrew Jordan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:07:14 -0500

Throughout the history of football, there have been many great matches that have ended during penalty shootouts. During the penalty shootout, many heroes have been born for great saves that have gotten their side a trophy or advancement onto the next round, or missed to ruin their sides chances of advancing or preventing your side from winning. This is a list of the players who missed and ruined their sides chances of winning. So here is a list of the ten players who cost their side in the ultimate battle of nerves: a penalty shootout.

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