The entire world is going to be glued to the results of each World Cup match that begins this week. Although the top seeded teams are expected to advance to the knockout stage, there are several really good matchups that should be of interest.
While the US v. England match is being hyped as a key first round match, I have to wonder which US team is going to show up. Will it be the team that knocked out Brazil and Spain in the Confederations Cup earlier last year, or will it be the team that struggles with chemistry issues? Of particular note is the lack of defensive strength on the backline. If I am Coach Bradley, I have to strongly consider if Michael Beasley will be placed in the back just for speed purposes to counteract the swift England speed on the wing. The US has some great players up front who could give England’s defense trouble.
England has been a great disappointment in recent Cup campaigns but I believe this team is really primed for success. Like the US, their weakness is at the back especially with injuries to Rio Ferdinand. However, there can be no question that this team is supercharged at the front with world class players, speed and skill. If England wins this first game in pool play, look for them to have a fairly easy path to the Semi-Finals where they could play The Netherlands or Brazil. Even if England wins this game, look for the US to advance to the next round where they likely will face Germany.
It is widely known that Spain is a team that is completely dangerous and is capable of domination. Spain may have some real challenges in their pool play with all three opponents capable of putting some surprises into the Cup. If Spain wins their group as expected, they can expect some very stiff competition in knockout stage where they could be facing successive games against the second place team in Group G (South Korea, Portugal, or Ivory Coast) a potential quarterfinal matchup with Italy and a possible Semi-Final matchup with Germany or Argentina.
Brazil is going to be a heavy favorite in this tournament, but I would not overlook The Netherlands. They are playing terrific football right now and could be the team to win it all. These two teams could face each other in a Quarter-Final match that features two teams capable of being in the final. The winner of that match could find themselves against England for a trip to the WC final.
Argentina has not looked impressive at all in the qualifying stage and yet everyone still understands they are dangerous because they have not yet played their best football. There are at least two readers of this blog that would have a gigantic smile if Argentina goes the Final. Germany and Italy of course are going to be mentioned as favorites, but some are expressing doubts about these two teams having what it takes to go the distance.
Surprise teams that could do well in this tournament include France, Mexico, Portugal, Uruguay, Nigeria and Serbia.
However, all of this is just fun speculation. The games start on Friday and I know I’ll be watching!
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