World Cup 2010: Breaking Down the Groups- Part 1

32 group stage games down, 16 to go. As we head into round three of matches, 30 of 32 teams still have a chance to reach the knockout stages. Those teams range from a 2-0 side in precarious position to an 0-2 side with a very realistic chance to advance. Let's breakdown the scenarios and my predictions, starting with Groups A-D.

Group A
Standings: Uruguay- 4 points, +3 goal differential; Mexico- 4 pts., +2; France- 1 pt., -2; South Africa- 1pt., -3
Match-ups: Uruguay vs. Mexico; South Africa vs. France
The situation: Uruguay are part of the South American juggernaut that has eight wins and two draws in ten matches. Diego Forlan is one of the emerging stars of the Cup with two goals in the win over South Africa. While a draw guarantees both sides advance, Mexico will want to avoid a second round meeting with Argentina, so look for El Tri to go on the attack. If there's any justice, the French collection of prima donnas will get blasted by South Africa. The hosts will likely miss the knockout stages, but a well-deserved win would allow them to finish on a high,
Prediction: Mexico wins to top the group as Uruguay holds on to second.

Group B
Standings: Argentina- 6 pts.; +4; South Korea- 3 pts.; -1; Greece- 3 pts., -1; Nigeria- 0 pts., -2
Match-ups: Argentina vs. Greece; South Korea vs. Nigeria
The situation: 0-2 may seem like a bleak position, but Nigeria are surprisingly in good shape to advance. A win over South Korea coupled with a Greece loss to Argentina will see three teams tie for second at 1-2. Regardless of the scores on Tuesday, Nigeria are ensured of winning the goal differential tie-breaker. Argentina need only a draw to lock-up the top spot, and it's hard to see them failing to capture a point.
Prediction: Argentina take first and Nigeria sneak in behind them.

Group C
Standings: Slovenia- 4 pts., +1; USA- 2 pts., E; England- 2 pts. E, Algeria- 1 pt., -1
Match-ups: Slovenia vs. England; USA vs. Algeria
The situation: It's win and advance for Slovenia, the U.S. and England, while Algeria needs a win and some help from England to move on. Oddly the fourth-place side is the only one entering their match on a positive note. Slovenia coughed up a two-goal lead to the U.S., a match the Americans left thinking they should have won. Meanwhile England are just grateful that the French are in town, otherwise they'd be the poster children for team disharmony and underachievement.
Prediction: A pair of 2-0 wins sees the U.S. and England advance, with the States topping the group on the second tiebreaker, goals scored.

Group D
Standings: Ghana 4 pts., +1; Germany 3 pts., +3; Serbia 3 pts., E; Australia 1 pt. -4
Match-ups: Ghana vs. Germany; Serbia vs. Australia
The situation: A quick look at the standings, and you'd say Group D leaders Ghana are Africa's best hope of reaching the knockout stages. They might, however, face a tougher task than winless Nigeria. The Black Stars will need at least a point against Germany to ensure passage. If they lose, Serbia will pass them with a win over Australia. While a win advances any of the top three teams, only Ghana are assured of moving on with a draw. Australia needs to show that it can play without getting a star player red carded, following the dismissals of Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell in their first two matches.
Prediction: Germany plays like, well, Germany and gets the win to put them on top of the group. Serbia join them in the second round.

World Cup 2010: Group B Preview

World Cup Group B figures to be a competitive quartet. Argentina are clear but erratic favorites. South Korea, Nigeria and Greece figure to battle for second. Here's a look at the group.

Under coach Diego Maradona, anything is possible for the two-time champs, and that's not a good thing. An Argentina side loaded with Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano scuffled through South American qualifying, but the iconic coach was retained. Given the level of competition in Group B, Diego's troops shouldn't have any trouble advancing. From there, Messi's talents could take them to a title, but a round of 16 exit wouldn't be a surprise either.

Greece have failed to impress on the world stage since their shock Euro 2004 victory. They missed out on the last World Cup and exited without a point at the Euros two years ago. The roster is filled with guys whose last name ends in "s," but that letter doesn't stand for "scoring." The Greeks practice a defensive style that is far more effective than it is entertaining. If they can add a few timely goals as they did six years ago, a run to the round of 16 is quite possible.

Nigeria were one of the first African sides to establish themselves on the world stage, but the first tournament on their home continent does not feature their strongest edition. Chelsea's John Obi Mikel and two-time African player of the year Nwankwo Kanu highlight the roster, although Mikel's fitness has been a concern. Recently appointed head coach Lars Lagerback, the boss behind Sweden's last two World Cup trips, has had little time with the Super Eagles, and how they mesh under his leadership will be key to Nigeria's success. Update: Scratch John Obi Mikel; he's been ruled out.

At first glance the South Korean squad doesn't look terribly organized. But once they shed the tuxedos, there's some talented individuals, none more so than the captain, Manchester United's Park Ji-sung. A controversial run to the semifinals at home in 2002 raised the nation's expectations, and this is the team's best chance at a knockout round appearance away from home. Always a scrappy opponent, their final match against Nigeria could prove pivotal.

Prediction: Argentina are clearly the class of the group, setting up a three-way battle for the second berth. The schedule favors Greece, who don't face the favorites until game three. In a tight trio, that slight advantage could see them through.

The Best of the Decade in Soccer

As the first decade of the new millennium reaches stoppage time, it's time to honor some of the stars and great moments from the past ten years. Here are some of my favorites:

Best Team- 2008-09 FC Barcelona: Great sides are measured by championships, and Barcelona won everything there is to win in 2009. The highlight was a convincing 2-0 win over defending champions Manchester United in the Champions League Final, which followed League and Spanish Cup titles. Spanish and European Super Cups and the World Club Cup completed the six-pack for Lionel Messi and company.

Best Goal- Steven Gerrard, 2006 FA Cup Final: Sure, I'm a little bit biased here, but I challenge you to find a better strike. Trailing West Ham 3-2 in the final minutes of the Final, Captain Fantastic delivered and the Reds ultimately won in a shootout.

Best Tournament- Euro 2008: June in the Alps was a month to remember. The Dutch looked like an unstoppable force in the group stages, until they were dismissed by Guus Hiddink's cagey Russian side. The surprising Turks rode their late-game heroics to the semifinals, before falling to Germany. But in the end, the tournament belonged to Spain, which extinguished decades of disappointment thanks to Fernando Torres' sublime game winner in the Final.

Best Manager- Alex Ferguson: Whether you like ManU or not (and I've made it no secret on here that I don't), you have to admire the accomplishments of Sir Alex at Old Trafford. After capping the '90s with a treble-winning campaign, Ferguson's troops kept on rolling through the decade that followed, capturing six Premier League titles and a Champions League crown in 2008.

Biggest Gag- England's Euro 2008 Qualifying Campaign: Despite all their stumbles along the way, including draws against Israel and Macedonia, England were still in position to qualify for Euro 2008 heading into their final match. Needing only a home draw against a Croatia side that had nothing at stake, England fell behind 2-0, rallied to equalize, but then gave up a late winner and missed the continent's showpiece event.

Best Game- Liverpool over AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League Final: I may have mentioned this one a time or two before on this blog, but just to show you I'm no homer, Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl gave the match similar praise in his end of decade review. Down 3-0 at the half, Liverpool tied the match within a six-minute span in the second half, then defeated favored AC Milan on PKs for their fifth European Cup.

Biggest Shock- Greece wins Euro 2004: While their defensive-minded tactics weren't always crowd-pleasing, the Greeks earned the world's attention with a stunning run to the European title in Portugal. After edging Spain for second in their group on the third tiebreaker, the Greeks netted three straight 1-0 wins in the knockout stages over France, the Czech Republic, and the hosts.

Best Way to Spend a Week- 2006 World Cup: The Germans put on a fantastic tournament for visitors from around the world, including two brothers who had the time of their lives.

Best Source of Comedy- Special 1 TV: The real Jose Mourinho held plenty of entertaining press conferences, but his puppet alter ego and his friends took soccer comedy to new heights.


Biggest Moment- Zidane's World Cup Head Butt: Zinedine Zidane was on the brink of capping his legendary career with a second World Cup title, but instead he went loco and drilled his head into the chest of Italy's Marco Materazzi. Instead of hoisting the trophy, Zidane was in the locker room as Italy triumphed in a shootout.

World Cup 2010: Checking in on UEFA Qualifying

With the club season over, the summer attention turns to qualifying for next year's World Cup. With most nations just past the halfway mark, the race for Europe's 13 slots in South Africa 2010 is taking shape. Nine group winners qualify automatically, while the top eight runners-up will enter four two-legged playoffs for the remaining slots. Here's a look at how the groups stand.

Group 1: Portugal has been one of the biggest disappointments to date, with just one win in five matches. Portugal trails both Denmark and Hungary by seven points, although Portugal does have a game in-hand on the Hungarians. Sweden, with the fewest games played, is also in the mix. Portugal's September 5 trip to Denmark will be a key fixture.

Group 2: The weakest of the nine groups, Greece and Switzerland top the table, three points ahead of Latvia. The Greeks travel to Switzerland on September 5.

Group 3: Northern Ireland are one of the biggest surprises, topping the table with 13 points, but they've played two more matches than second-place Slovakia, which has 12. Poland (10 points in six matches) will also view for top honors. With only eight points through six matches, the favored Czech Republic has work to do.

Group 4: Germany appear in comfortable position with 16 points in six matches. Russia, with 12 points in five matches, should be able to hold off Finland (seven points, four matches played) for second.

Group 5: European champions Spain are perfect in six matches, the best mark of any of the 53 qualifiers. While Bosnia-Herzegovina trail by six points, they're positioned well to take second, four points ahead of Turkey.


Group 6: English fans are giddy over the 15 points in five matches earned by Fabio Capello's men. Croatia and Urkraine will battle for second, with the Croats hosting a June 6 meeting.

Group 7: Serbia are another surprise group leader, two points ahead of 2006 runners-up France. The Serbs are in good shape with two of their next three at home, including a September 9 visit by Les Blues.

Group 8: Despite a home draw to Ireland in their most recent match, Italy are poised to defend their 2006 title. The Irish have yet to lose in six matches, leading third-place by Bulgaria by five points.

Group 9: Holland join Spain and England as the only sides with unblemished marks, and they have more than double the points of second place Scotland (15-7).

Predicted group winners: Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, France, Italy, Holland
Predicted playoff qualifiers: Portugal, Greece, Poland, Russia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Ireland

UEFA Euro 2008: Day 12 Recap

Russia 2, Sweden 0
Spain 2, Greece 1

Yesterday I mentioned that the inclusion of Andrei Arshavin on Russia's roster was a gamble that could payoff against Sweden. The payoff proved to be a trip to the quarterfinals as Arshavin was the central figure in Russia's 2-0 win. Roman Pavlyuchenko opened the scoring in the 24th minute and Arshavin added the second five minutes after the break as Russia advanced past the group stages in a major tournament for the first time in the post-Soviet era.

Full credit goes to Russia coach Guus Hiddink, who adds another historic win to his resume. Qualifying for the tournament was accomplishment enough for Russia, but the man who took South Korea to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup and got Australia past the group stages four years later deserves mention among the all-time greats. Hiddink will be the center of attention in the quarterfinals, as the Dutchman will face his native Holland, a squad he led to a fourth place finish at the 1998 World Cup.

In the other game Greece made history at the Euros again, but this time for the wrong reasons. The Greeks went from first to worst, losing to Spain 2-1 to finish as the only team without a point at Euro 2008. The Greeks took the lead just before halftime, their first goal of the tournament, but couldn't hold it against a Spanish side that made ten changes to their starting line-up.

So it's off to the quarters for Russia and Spain. Russia will face Holland Saturday in Basel, while Italy and Spain meet Sunday in Vienna.

UEFA Euro 2008: Day 12 Previews

Group play concludes as Russia and Sweden will meet to determine the final quarterfinalist. Defending champion Greece will look to avoid finishing dead last at this year's tournament as they face Spain.

Russia vs. Sweden
The venue: Stadion Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria
The broadcast: ESPN, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: Russia will need to win the game to advance to the quarterfinals, while Sweden need only a tie. Russia took a gamble adding midfielder Andrei Arshavin to the roster, but that gamble may pay off Wednesday. The Zenit St. Petersburg midfielder missed the first two games due to suspension, and while coach Guus Hiddink has made no promises about his inclusion in the line-up, expect him to play a key role in Russia's attack. Sweden are unsure how much striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be able to contribute after the Swede's leading scorer left at halftime Saturday suffering from a recurring knee injury.
The prediction: Sweden take the early lead, Russia equalize, and then the Swedes hang on for a 1-1 draw. Is advancing to face Holland really a prize?

Greece vs. Spain
The venue: Stadion Salzburg Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg, Austria
The broadcast: ESPN2, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: Unless they earn at least a draw here, Greece will finish Euro 2008 last among the 16 teams, four years after winning the tournament. Spain will be looking ahead to Sunday's quarterfinal against Italy, so don't expect to see many of the starters.
The prediction: Typically I've been picking against the teams with nothing to play for in this last round of games, but Greece have looked so bad, I can't even see them beating Spain's B squad. I'll at least give the Greeks a goal, but Spain win 2-1.

UEFA Euro 2008: Day 8 Recap

Spain 2, Sweden 1
Russia 1, Greece 0

David Villa was on the mark again for Spain, netting a stoppage time winner to give Spain a deserved 2-1 win over Sweden. Level at the break, Spain dominated the second half as the Swedes struggled to generate offense after the departure of striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Fernando Torres put Spain ahead in the 15th minute with his first goal for the national side since 2006. Ibrahimovic tied the game in the 34th minute with his second goal of the tournament, but the Inter Milan star, who has been nursing a knee injury, departed at the half. Villa, who opened Spain's tournament with a hat trick Tuesday against Russia, snatched three points for his side just before the final whistle to give Spain control of Group D.

In the late game, Greece's title defense came to a feeble conclusion with a 1-0 loss to Russia. The Greeks are the only side in the tournament yet to score a goal. Russia took advantage of a wandering Antonis Nikopolidis in the 33rd minute. The Greek goaltender strayed from his line and when Sergei Semak acrobatically put the ball in front, Konstatin Zurianov was there to knock home the game's only goal. With star midfielder Andrei Arshavin ready to return from suspension Wednesday, the Russians like their chances to advance.

Today's results confirm Spain's ticket to the quarterfinals as group winners, where they'll face Romania, Italy or France. Sweden will meet Russia Wednesday for second place and a quarterfinal date with Holland.

UEFA Euro 2008: Day 8 Previews

The top spot in the first three groups has already been decided. Will the trend continue in Group D when Spain meet Sweden and Russia face Greece?

Spain vs. Sweden
The venue: Stadion Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria
The broadcast: ESPN2, 12:00 pm ET
The storyline: Winning Group D now means avoiding rampant Holland in the quarterfinals, so both Spain and Sweden will be keen to earn three points and take control of the group. The Swedes should find more room to maneuver against the Spain than they did against Greece, but they'll also face an opponent with a lot more firepower.
The prediction: This has the makings of a wide-open affair and a 2-2 draw leaves the issue of Group D supremacy in doubt until Wednesday.

Greece vs. Russia
The venue: Stadion Salzburg Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg, Austria
The broadcast: ESPN2, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: Russia are better than the scoreline indicated after their 4-1 loss to Spain, and Guus Hiddink's men will look to post a group stage win over Greece for the second straight time at the Euros. Expect Greece to take a more aggressive approach after their defensive mentality garnered minimal offense in the opener.
The prediction: How much Greece abandons their defensive style remains to be seen. In scraficing offense for defense, the net result is a 1-1 draw.

UEFA Euro 2008: Day 4 Recap

Spain 4, Russia 1
Sweden 2, Greece 0

Who better to reign in the rain than Spain? (Although said rain fell in the mountains of Innsbruck, not mostly on the plain.) A hat trick from David Villa got the Spaniards off to a strong start in a 4-1 over Russia. With any other side, this would send a message to the tournament's other 15 teams. But this is Spain, where early tournament success is rarely followed by final glory. Case in point, two years ago, when Spain won their opener against Ukraine 4-0 and cruised through their group at 3-0-0 with a tournament-best +7 goal differential. From there they crashed out in the Round of 16 to France.

Spain's well-timed scoring runs were more than enough to overcome some nervous moments defensively, especially in the first half. They'll need to tighten up in teh back half against the tournament's more talented sides.

Russia had their moments early, hitting the post when the score was only 1-0. They're a better side than the 4-1 score indicates and with Greece and Sweden to follow, don't write off Guus Hiddink troops just yet.

In the second game, Zlatan Ibrahimovic livened up a drab game with a wonderful strike in the 67th minute and Sweden capitalized on some clumsy Greek defending six minutes later to post a 2-0 victory. As they did four years ago, Greece takes a defense-first mindset and looks to suck the life out of the game. Fortunately the skill of one individual brought the contest back to life, as Ibrhaimovic emerged from a rather innocent build-up to find the top corner from just outside the box.

Up next for Swedes are Spain in a match that could decise the honors in Group D. Greece face Russia, a rematch of a group stage game from 2004, where Russia handed teh Greeks their only defeat of the tournament.

UEFA Euro 2008: Day 4 Previews

The first round of matches finishes up with Group D, featuring Spain against Russia and defending champion Greece versus Sweden.

Spain vs. Russia
The venue: Stadion Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria
The broadcast: ESPN2, 12:00 pm ET
The storyline: Spain's critics won't be satisfied until they do some damage in the knockout round, but the opener against Russia is a good opportunity to establish their tournament credentials.
The prediction: With Russia short on fire power to start the tournament, Spain gets off to a fast start with a 2-0 win.

Greece vs. Sweden
The venue: Stadion Salzburg Wals-Siezenheim, Salzburg, Austria
The broadcast: ESPN2, 2:45 pm ET
The storyline: The 2004 champs begin their title defense against an enigmatic Swedish side. Lead striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is expected to start for Sweden, but don't expect him to go the full 90 as he recovers from a knee injury.
The prediction: Given Greece's defensive mindset and the health of Sweden's offense, this one has the unfortunate feel of a 0-0 draw.

UEFA Euro 2008: Greece Team Preview

Less than a week to go until Euro 2008, and our previews wrap up with Group D, featuring defending champions Greece, Russia, Sweden and Spain.

The squad: Greece's stunning Euro 2004 championship was all the more remarkable considering they had never won a match in a major championship. While their failure to qualify for the 2006 World Cup blunted the momentum created two years earlier, they returned to form by winning 10 of 12 Euro qualifying matches.

The players: Greece's defensive mindset led them to victory in 2004- they won all three knockout round games 1-0- and that philosophy remains. The rising star of the defensive corps is left back Vasilis Torosidis, who turns 23 on June 10. A member of Greek League champions Olympiakos, a breakout tournament could be Torosidis' ticket to a high profile European club. Veteran goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis is back in net but will be retiring following the tournament. Bayer Leverkusen striker Theofanis Gekas will be the primary offensive target.

The schedule: vs. Sweden (6/10); vs. Russia (6/14); vs. Spain (6/18)

The prediction: Greece are capable of advancing from Group D, especially if they handle Sweden in their opening match. Italy will end their bid for a repeat in the quarterfinals.