The sexiest group of the bunch, by a long shot, and the best case for being called the notorious "Group of Death". This group features the yellow-shirted gods of soccer. The samba men from Brasil will look to add to their fine list of world cup victories down in South Africa. No matter where it is played, no matter who is in their group, no matter how well or bad they did in the qualifying stages; if Brazil is in the world cup, they are a favorite to win it. Much respect has to be given to them, if their is one country that backs all the talk, it is Brazil. They will have their work cut out for them, however, in the group stages. First off, the team that I think challenges them for "sexiest football", Portugal. While they did struggle in qualifying, nobody can deny that they have talent. Their super star, Cristiano Ronaldo, is possibly the best player in the world. Many will argue that title belongs to Messi, and I would partially agree. However, nobody can dominate a game by themselves as much as Ronaldo. The man is, no matter how much you hate or love him, a legend of the game. With that said, there is another team in this group very capable of advancing and causing much havoc. The Ivory Coast, or Cote d'Ivoire if you are picky about names, are arguably the most talented side in all of Africa. They have players at some of the biggest clubs in the world, most notably Dider Drogba. Their is a scare, however, that he wont be able to play. Reports have come out that he broke his arm in their friendly and that his world cup campaign ended far too early. At the same time, however, more reports are coming out saying he will test the waters and hopefully be able to go sometime in the group stages. For the sake of the world cup, I hope he can go. The man is brilliant up top and can finish from absolutely nothing. Last in the group is the strange North Korean's. Finding information on them is like finding the last golden ticket to Willy Wonka's factory. Given their government regime and just how the country is, that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The last time these guys were in the world cup (66) they pulled a shocker against Italy 1-0. They followed that up with nearly knocking off Portugal. They were up 3-0 at half and still refused to defend. They eventually lost 5-3, but won over the hearts of many SOCCER fans (soccer and politics should stay separate). They are the scariest thing when it comes to a soccer team, you don't who they are or what they have. For all we know, they could play some of the most impressive attacking soccer like they implemented in 1966. However, given they are facing 3 giants of the game, I think their story will be short lived. If you can only catch one group's action this world cup, this is the one to catch (outside of the US of course).
Brasil
There are many reasons to love Brasil... and their football is good too
The scariest kit in all of soccer, brasil's home kit
A pretty sweet road kit for Brasil this world cup too
Brasil is, without a question, the best Football team in the world if you add in history and players. They supply the world with some of the most talented players we have ever seen. From the introduction of Pele, to the goal scoring machine of Ronaldo. Kaka is the infamous Brazilian #10 for this world cup, and the man has the skill, size, and pure class to back it up. He, alone, will cause havoc for every team out there (just ask many Italian teams a quite a few Spanish teams). The guy is built like a center back, has the feet of a midfielder, and finishes like a striker. He is, for all intensive purposes, the prototype of a total soccer player. However, it's not just Kaka that will tear teams apart. No no, this squad is built around the concept of playing team soccer and not caring about the name on the back of the jersey, but the one of the front. To be honest, they really don't even need the names on the back of the jersey's for us to know who they are. Ridiculous talent fills every position. They have so much talent, in fact, that the one and only Ronaldinho isn't on the team. Not because he wasn't good enough, but because other players were better. Add to that short list a striker by the name of Pato and you realize just how talented this squad is. They are going to have a good workout in the group phases, but if you think for one second that they wont advance, you simply don't know the world of soccer. I would put my life savings on them advancing out of the group, and likely much farther than that.
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Gomes, Doni, Julio César
Defenders: Daniel Alves, Michel Bastos, Lucio, Gilberto, Luisão, Thiago Silva, Juan, Maicon
Midfielders: Gilberto Silva, Julio Baptista, Josué, Blumer Elano, Kaká, Kleberson, Felipe Melo, Ramires
Forwards: Robinho, Grafite, Luis Fabiano, Nilmar
Portugal
Hey Brasil! We are just as sexy!
Always been a fan of their maroon home kits
And their road kits tend to be pure class as well
Portugal is one of those teams you either love or hate. A lot of that comes because of the players on the squad. Rising above all of them, however, is the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo. The man is a machine that makes soccer so beautiful. He is the poster boy for Nike, not a small feat by any means. He has an incredible right footed blast, and a left foot that makes you wonder which is his natural foot at times. Not only that, but he is superb in the air. The one thing, for me, that makes him better than Messi overall is his ability in the air. He has the speed, the agility, the power, the skill, and the class of Messi on the ball. However, once the ball finds its way in the air, Messi is left in the dust. Ronaldo is scary on set pieces. Not only when he takes them, but when he is in the box. Portugal will need to support Ronaldo, however, much better than they did in qualifying for the cup. With Nani recently going down with a shoulder injury and doubtful for the world cup, many wonder just where the support will come from. 3 players in the midfield have to help shoulder the load, in my opinion, for Portugal to have success. Pepe, Deco, and Tiago must be superb and help shoulder the massive load Ronaldo will initially carry. This team, in my opinion, got very lucky with the Drogba injury and its timing. They have to take advantage of it and get full points against North Korea.
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Beto, Eduardo, Daniel Fernandes
Defenders: Duda, Bruno Alves, Ricardo Carvalho, Fábio Coentrão, Ricardo Costa, Rolando, Paulo Ferreira, Miguel
Midfielders: Ruben Amorim, Deco, Pepe, Raúl Meireles, Pedro Mendes, Tiago, Simão, Miguel Veloso
Forwards: Danny, Liedson, Hugo Almeida, Cristiano Ronaldo
Cote d'Ivoire
The best side in Africa took a huge blow with the injury of Drogba
The very bright and brilliant home kit for the Ivory Coast
Followed by the only road kit Puma seemed to get right
The Ivory Coast were poised, just a few weeks ago, to be the African team that many could get behind. They had talent defense, a decent midfield, and arguably one of the best strikers on the planet. However, that final piece of the puzzle suffered a track blow with a fracture to his arm. If you have ever watched Drogba play, you know just how important it is for him to have the ability to move those arms. The blow couldn't have come at a worse time, either. With their opening match coming against Portugal, they need all the power and strength they could get. Portugal figures to be their competition for that second spot behind Brasil (barring some miracles from those two teams against Brasil) and that game will be huge in terms of who advances. All is not lost, however, if Drogba cant play. Up top they still have another Chelsea striker, who had one hell of a year, Salomon Kalou. The quick forward has the ability to finish from anywhere around the box and a strike that will fly past you if you blink. The Elephants will have to stay composed defensively if they wish to advance, lucky for them, they have 2 very gifted defenders in Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue. These two will be the key to keeping the chances of the Ivory Coast alive. I have to say, sadly, that I doubt this team has enough fire power without Drogba to beat Portugal or Brasil. I think the injury was the worst thing that could have happened, not only to their squad, but to all of Africa hoping for a team to go deep. I would love to be wrong.
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry, Daniel Yeboah, Aristide Zogbo
Defenders: Brou Angoua, Souleymane Bamba, Arthur Boka, Guy Demel, Emmanuel Eboue, Steve Gohouri, Siaka Tiéné, Kolo Toure
Midfielders: Jean-Jacques Gosso, Abdul-Kader Keita, Emmanuel Koné, Romaric, Chiek Tiote, Yaya Toure, Didier Zokora
Forwards: Aruna Dindane, Seydou Doumbia, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Gervinho
North Korea
Nobody is sure what to expect from the North Koreans this time around
The lone picture I can find of either of their kits (home kit I believe)
For any of you that are soccer collectors, I challenge you to find the North Korea road kit... or even the home kit for that matter. I spent nearly an hour yesterday trying to find their stuff. I even went to their suppliers website (in Italian) to see if I could find anything, but no luck. I know, however, that their road kit will likely be all white and just as plain as the home kit. Looking at the roster for North Korea I have no idea what to say. I don't recognize a single player from this side and wish I could find some more information on them. The one thing I do know about this team, however, is their history in the last world cup they were in. In 1966, over in England, they shocked the world in one of the greatest (if not they greatest) upsets in world cup history. They beat the Italians 1-0 and became something close to gods in the town of Middelsbroug. They then went on to face Portugal and lost 5-3, but were up 3-0 at half. The one thing that caused their defeat? They refused to defend. They launched attack after attack using nearly every player to push the ball forward. If you love attacking soccer, I think this is the team to keep an eye on. The culture of North Korea suggests that these guys will fight til they cant stand any longer. They will not be saving energy for anything, they will leave it all out on the pitch. Because of that, you have to respect them. They will be, likely, the least talented team in the whole tournament, but mark my words, they should be entertaining to watch lose.
Roster:
Goalkeepers: Kim Myong-Gil, Ri Myong-Guk, Kim Myong-Won
Defenders: Pak Chol-Jin, Cha Jong-Hyok, Ri Jun-Il, Ri Kwang-Chon, Ri Kwang-Hyok, Pak Nam-Chol, Nam Song-Chol, Pak Sung-Hyok
Midfielders: Ri Chol-Myong, Mun In-Guk, Kim Kyong-Il, Pak Nam-Chol, Kim Yong-Jun, An Young-Hak, Ji Yun-Nam
Forwards: An Chol-Hyok, Choe Kum-Chol, Kim Kum-Il, Jong Tae-Se, Hong Yong-Jo
Matches:
6/15: Ivory Coast 1 - Portugal 2
6/15: Brasil 4 - North Korea 0
6/20: Brasil 2 - Ivory Coast 1
6/21: Portugal 3 - North Korea 0
6/25: North Korea 1 - Ivory Coast 4
6/25: Portugal 2 - Brasil 3
Derived Standings
Brasil 9 pts, +6 GD, 9 GF, 3 GA
Portugal 6 pts, +3 GD, 7 GF, 4 GA
Ivory Coast 3 pts, +1 GD, 6 GF, 5 GA
North Korea 0 pts, -10 GD, 1 GF, 11 GA
Key:
pts = Points
GD = Goal Differential
GF = Goals For
GA = Goals Against
Best Kit in the group: Brasil Home
- Honorable mention to Ivory Coast and Portugal Kits and Brasil road
Worst Kit int he group: North Korea
- Honorable mention to the other North Korea kit... if I can find it
There is only 1 day and 20 hours til South Africa faces Mexico... the adrenaline is already pumping through my veins.
Cheers.
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