2010 FIFA World Cup Preview: The US Will Do Well

from:  http://machorhino.com/?p=15015

The 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off today. It’s soccer’s biggest event and only happens once every four years. 32 teams begin today and play over the next month in South Africa to crown one champion. Injuries have hurt several favorites and could cause us to witness some upsets early in this tournament. ESPN is broadcasting every game so if you need your soccer fix, tune in to ESPN.com or one of the ESPN Networks and catch a game or the whole tournament. I’m not really a soccer fan but I love the passion and enthusiasm the World Cup brings. The time is here for this global event so let’s get to the picks.

GROUP A
1. France
2. Mexico
3. Uruguay
4. South Africa

GROUP B
1. Argentina
2. Nigeria
3. Greece
4. South Korea

GROUP C
1. United States
2. England
3. Slovenia
4. Algeria

GROUP D
1. Germany
2. Serbia
3. Australia
4. Ghana

GROUP E
1. Netherlands
2. Cameroon
3. Denmark
4. Japan

GROUP F
1. Italy
2. Slovakia
3. Paraguay
4. New Zealand

GROUP G
1. Brazil
2. Portugal
3. Ivory Coast
4. North Korea

GROUP H
1. Spain
2. Chile
3. Switzerland
4. Honduras

ROUND OF 16
France over Nigeria
Argentina over Mexico
United States over Serbia
Germany over England
Netherlands over Slovakia
Italy over Cameroon
Brazil over Chile

QUARTERFINALS
Argentina over France
United States over Germany
Netherlands over Italy
Spain over Brazil

SEMIFINALS
United States over Argentina
Spain over Netherlands

THIRD PLACE
Netherlands over Argentina

CHAMPIONSHIP
Spain over United States – Spain will be out to avenge that Confederations Cup to Team USA. Even with this great showing, soccer won’t make a big jump in popularity in the US. It’ll ride for a month or so until the NFL will start and then the World Cup momentum will fade.