World Cup Preview

SPORTING GOODS

On a recent cross-country plane trip, I set out to put together my own World Cup preview for readers of this site. Even those without much interest in soccer will concede that this is the biggest event in world sports this year, even though the Winter Olympics occurred just a couple of months ago.

But, it's not as if I could preview the World Cup better than a site like Soccernet or the BBC, so I've decided to do something a bit different. In four parts, I will be comparing each team that has qualified for the World Cup finals to a team in major league baseball. I have tiered both types of teams, and used their overall strengths, success both current and past, and team dynamics to try to draw comparisons. In the end, I think it was largely effective, with only a few teams I really had to stretch for.

So, without further ado, here are 2006 World Cup finalists group A and B, and their MLB alter-egos, along with any other thoughts I have on each group.

Group A:
Germany - NY Mets : Some readers of this blog might not be too thrilled about that one, but the host country draws its comparison with the Metropolitans. The teams are good, but there are still questions as to how far they can really go. They have won in the past, but have not lived up to expectations over the last 2-3 years. Things may change this year, however. Both teams face an immense amount of pressure to win, perhaps more than any of their competition.
Costa Rica - San Diego Padres: The best team in Central America, by a slight margin, matches up with what (at least last year) was the best team in the NL West. In both cases, that isn't really saying much. Still, you won't hear anyone complaining, as if you live in either place how much is there to complain about?
Poland - Chicago Cubs: Been rolled over in the past by stronger foes. There are often high expectations, and often some very good players that create those expectations, but never the results to meet them.
Ecuador - Pittsburgh Pirates: A bit of a stretch, but both are boring, and used to be better. A team that you can look past on the schedule.

Host country Germany got an easy group, so even though the team is weaker than usual, they should have no troubles. Call me crazy, and maybe it's my fond memories of my honeymoon and talking to a number of Ticos about football, but I think Costa Rica is a real threat to Poland to snag the second slot in the group. They played very well at the end of qualifying after switching coaches; almost all of their players come from two teams, so familiarity is not an issue. If they can go into halftime 0-0 with Germany in the opening match, it could get very interesting...

Group B:
England - St. Louis Cardinals: A high number of stars, with solid role players filling out the roster. Winning history, but have largely come up short in recent years despite fielding a consistently strong team. They are now considered a heavy favorite if their stars remain healthy. Both teams have hardcore fans that truly enjoy holding dominance over their major regional rivals, who pretty much stink most years.
Sweden - Texas Rangers: Young, talented, punishing. Probably underrated overall, but haven't proven selves. Yet.
Paraguay - Colorado Rockies: Play at extremely high altitudes, making them difficult to beat at home. But on a neutral field, not really much to worry about, despite showing flashes that they could be more than a pretender.
Trinidad & Tobago - Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Young, some exciting players, but in the end not a threat. One can certainly find nice things to say about each team and its players, but the results don't impress. TNT!

This one should be a cakewalk for England and Sweden. Sweden is underrated, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them go far. England has got to be one of the top 3 favorites, but if young star Wayne Rooney can't play due to his broken foot, that may change things. England has defenders and a midfield that stacks up with anyone in the world; put a healthy Rooney up front and you can pencil them in to the semi-finals.

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Group C:

Argentina - San Francisco Giants : Despite being booed a lot of places they go, they are generally always good, with few off years. The Barry Bonds / Diego Maradona paralells are somewhat obvious. Each is one of the most exciting, dominant offensive players of all time, but also hated by many because of his attitude. Throw in the obvious drug problem that each had, and the only thing we have to wait on is for Bonds to get fat later in his life. And go ahead and ask England and Dodger fans, and they will tell you that Argentina and the Giants cheated in some of their biggest ever wins. (click the links to see what I'm talking about, if you don't know).

Netherlands - Cleveland Indians: Exciting, high powered teams that aren't the true elite, but still scare the elite teams. Always a bit flashy, both teams fell out of prominence for a little while, but seem to be bouncing back very nicely.

Ivory Coast - Toronto Blue Jays: Being the best team in Africa is somewhat like being the best team in Canada. It means you are pretty good, but it doesn't mean you're going anywhere when it counts. OK, maybe that doesn't work any more now that Montreal has moved. The real connection is that people seem to think Cote d'Ivoire and a reloaded Toronto are a threat, but when you look at the two teams that they have to go against, you know that they will have to settle for third place.

Serbia & Montenegro - Hardware City Rockcats: Alright, they aren't nearly that bad, and they somehow qualified out of Europe (while teams like Ireland, Norway and Greece did not), but S&M is ranked 46th in the world and is going nowhere in this group. Unfortunately, there are 32 teams in the World Cup finals and 30 in MLB, so I'll give a shout-out to New Bri'n.

I'll complain about the US draw, but despite what FIFA rankings say this may be the real "group of death," with the best team in Africa, a qualifier from Europe (which is no easy task), and what I rate as the 4th and 5th best teams in the world. If you enjoy soccer at all, don't miss the Argentina vs. Netherlands match. Argentina has some amazing strikers including Chelsea star Hernan Crespo and "the next Maradona" Lionel Messi, who will turn 19 during the Cup. Netherlands has some stars themselves, including Jaap Stam, whom you would not want to meet in a dark alley. Should be a fun group.

Group D:

Mexico - Chicago White Sox: Although they mostly do it by stopping the other team from scoring, they are starting to gain some offensive weapons. They are often better than their geographic rivals, but their neighbors don't necessarily think so.

Portugal - Anaheim Angels of the Western Hemisphere: When you think of this team, you think of speed and offense. Whether you like them or not, they are usually pretty fun to watch. Throughout history, they have had some success, but really it's been mostly disappointment for their fans.

Iran - Florida Marlins: Well it is often said that the Marlins owner is holding Florida hostage in his bid to get them to pay for a new stadium. Seriously though, with their history, who wants to root for these guys, even if they are better than you'd expect?

Angola- New Haven Ravens: Angola is the second lowest ranked team in the entire tournament, and since Togo is the lowest...well, let's just say where have you gone George Brett?

Group D is really a tale of two levels: Portugal and Mexico are probably top 10 in the world. Iran can actually play, but they shouldn't be a threat. Portugal is legendary for falling short of expectations, so their draw was pretty lucky. And I know that the recent anti-Mexico furvor has gotten out of hand for some people, but when it comes to soccer, it's completely warranted. We hate them, and they hate us. So, who do you root for in the Iran - Mexico match? Go Angola!

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Group E:

Czech Republic - Houston Astros : A solid team, relatively new to this concept of being considered one of the best teams, but strong all around. Still, despite being one of the best, not that easy to get excited about. Not a parallel, but the Czech Republic may have the best goalie in the world, strangely enough named Peter Cech.

Italy - Oakland A's: Some people may find them boring, but they have found a style that works for them, and are very good. They were strongest in the early '90s, but they are always dangerous. Physically, they look unkempt, and they have a bit of a reputation for being whiny (see: Italy and Oakland). On a personal note, after Mexico Italy is probably my second least favorite team, due to their (albeit effective) defensive style of play, and propensity for flopping more that Vlade Divac.

USA - Milwaukee Brewers: Up and coming, possibly overlooked, and definitely looked down upon by fans of the teams with a longer history of winning. With good young players, fans are starting to notice. As these young players develop, offers are going to start coming in for these players to follow the money and get out of town. Then, the fans can go back to not paying attention.

Ghana - Detroit Tigers: You don't want to face them, and they may get hot, but they are not really a threat.

According to an unscientific study based on FIFA rankings, this is the "group of death," and with the 6th, 7th, and 11th (my rankings) best teams in the world, it may be. No matter what happens, one of the top 11 teams in the world will not make the round of 16. You may have noticed (or not) that I usually put the teams in order of how I think they will finish. This group, I really haven't decided yet, and will put more thought into it before early June. But you have three physical teams, and not to sound like Joe Morgan, but the two teams that are playing the best at the time of round-robin play will probably make it through. The US either needs to tie both teams, or beat one of them, in order to have the pleasure of playing Brazil in the 2nd round.

Group F:

Brazil - New York Yankees: Who else? Have won often, and are THE team to beat. Flashy, with stars occupying nearly every position on the field. They are the players you will see in the commercials, and the jerseys you will see on the streets. Not only does Brazil have ridiculous offense (2002 World Cup MVP Ronaldo and 2005 FIFA world player of the year Ronaldinho), but they have some of the best defenders in the world. Scary.

Croatia- Seattle Mariners: Both teams had a good surprise season a few years back, and are usually solid, but are a bit down right now.

Japan - Los Angeles Dodgers: No real connection here (besides Nomo-mania of course), but they are popular among fans, they have a shot at moving to the next round despite not being great, they are in the middle of the pack overall, and wear blue and white. Hey, I tried.

Australia- Washington Nationals: We're just happy to be here! Australia is in the World Cup for the first time in 32 years.

It truly will be a surprise if Brazil does not go 3-0 in this group. Despite their expected dominance, I would love to watch every one of their matches. Croatia and Japan are decent teams, probably in the third tier (where a team like France is in the first, and a team like Mexico is in the second). But looking at this group, it shows how hard the US, Italy, and Czech Republic will fight not just to emerge from Group E, but to win. Assuming Brazil wins Group F, winner of Group E will play Croatia/Japan, while the runners up will face Brazil.

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Group G:

France - Atlanta Braves : Their fans are generally disliked for being obnoxious, but you can't argue with the results. They are always a threat, maybe they should have won more often, but they have some titles to their credit and are always in it.

South Korea - Philadelphia Phillies: They had a good run not too long ago, and are a nice little team, but really, they are in that second tier of teams who won't surprise you if they pull off an upset, but would shock you if they actually won it all.

Switzerland - Cincinnati Reds: A long history, not too exciting but decent overall. Some people may still choose to associate them with the shady financial dealings that they have had in the past (not to compare hiding Nazi gold with betting on baseball).

Togo - Kansas City Royals: They are playing the same game, but they are not really in the same league.

I think that France is likely the second best team in the world, and they sport the guy who I enjoy watching more than anyone else in the world at this point (striker Thierry Henry) and the best player I have ever seen in person (Zinedine Zidane). It's fun to root against France, sure, but in actuality the tournament will be better if they make it to the semi-finals. Besides, as a quasi-England fan, it would be fun to see France make it far enough to lose to the English. South Korea has a good chance to get through here. In a case of what might have been, the US easily could have been drawn into this group instead of Korea. Sigh.
Group H:

Ukraine - Minnesota Twins: One superstar (don't miss striker Schevchenko or pitcher Santana if you ever get a chance to watch them) that makes them scary.

Spain- Boston Red Sox: Great players, exciting game, and a long history of disappointment. Fun World Cup fact: Spain is pretty much always one of the best teams in the world, but have never made it past the quarterfinals in the World Cup.

Tunisia - Baltimore Orioles: Style of play may mean exciting games, but it doesn't mean it's effective against better competition.

Saudi Arabia- Arizona Diamondbacks: Not very good, you can't name any of their players, and it's stinking hot where they come from! Yawn.

My prediction for a "surprise" winner, I'll take Ukraine over Spain in this group, but won't have the guts to pick Tunisia to also knock off the Spaniards. The hardest thing to do is try to figure out how good these African teams are. Even European teams will admit they don't know as much as they should about their African opponents.

That about does it - it all kicks off on Friday June 9th when the Ticos take on the host nation. USA plays their first game that following Monday at noon. Plan your lunch break accordingly.