The World Cup by Stefan

There have been lots of blogs and writings about the world cup and they are probably all better than what you are about to read but here is my 2 cents. Here is my rundown/opinion on each team. I have already written two different predictions so I'm not gonna do that again.

Algeria: These guys aren't that good but they are diiiirty. Expect a crazy game against the US on June 23rd, or as they call us 'The Great Satan'. The Desert Foxes are going to try and kill of some people on the pitch.

Argentina: This team will be fun to watch. They have lots of talent including maybe the best hobbit player in the world, Lionel Messi. Unfortunately their coach, Maradona, is completely insane and probably still a huge coke head. Maradona is the greatest player Argentina has ever had but there is legitimate concern that if Argentina starts doing too well in the tournament he is going run them into the ground to preserve his own legacy.

Australia: This is probably the best team Australia has had in a long time.  Unfortunately it won't mean much as they have a hard time scoring goals.  Then again they are in a weak group and could be a surprise.

Brazil: As always they are a favorite.  These guys are goal scoring machines.  Even scarier, they now have a really good defense.  This team is different where they aren't playing with a bunch of big names but they are really good.

Cameroon: They are led by Eto'o who is a way better player than the rest of the team.  Unfortunately the rest of the players will have a hard time getting him the ball as they aren't very good.

Chile: This team has gone through a big transformation recently and becoming a decent team.  Chile was banned from the 90 and 94 World Cup after their keeper Rojas cut himself with a razor blade to fake being hit by a flare.

Ivory Coast: Led by Drogba the Ivory Coast should be a pretty good team. They have some talent but have never been able to bring it together.  Drogba is a great player to watch, but I hate him.  He plays like a bitch.  The dude is a total beast who scores amazing goals but loves to dive and play like a punk.

Denmark: This is a decent team with no real big names.  They just hustle and have good work ethic.

England: For having the best professional league England has been a huge disappointment internationally.  They consistently under perform.  This could be the World Cup where they turn it around as they have massive amounts of talent.  I hope they blow it thought because their fans are annoying.

France: Can't stand them.  They are kind of in a transition phase and are probably not going to do that well.  They qualified for the World Cup with a handball goal against Ireland.  Ireland should be in this World Cup not France.

Germany: It will be interesting to see how Germany plays this World Cup.  They lost their captain Michael Ballack a few weeks ago and are now counting on a number of young guys with not a lot of experience.  They are always a threat though and probably will still do well.

Ghana: They aren't really an exciting team as they have a hard time scoring goals.  Mediocre team at best but in a easy group.

Greece: These heavily haired men could surprise people as they are very well coached and tactically very sound.  I still find them boring.

Honduras: This is a weak team that falls apart if they get behind.  That will happen to them, a lot.  Interesting side story about Honduras.  When they lost in the 1970 World Cup qualifier it ignited a 6 day war again El Salvador.

Italy: This is an old team that relies on really boring tactics.  This is probably my least favorite team in the  World Cup.  Their strategy? Get a goal and then just run out the clock for the next 80 minutes.  Boooooring.

Japan: Great passing, terrible shooting.  Japan can get to the goal but then they don't know what to do.  They also have never won a World Cup game outside of Japan.

North Korea: They will probably being playing really hard as Kim Jon Il will probably kill them if they mess up.  Unfortunately they are not very good and they have to play some of the best teams in their group.  All of their matches will be edited in North Korea so that the public thinks they win every game. Sad.

South Korea: This is a team that could win some games but could just as easily lose them all.  They can score goals but unfortunately the Red Devils don't have a very good defense.

Mexico:  Our neighbors to the south may surprise you as their greatest strength is their defense.  Mexico often pays the price for being a dirty team and get a lot of fouls called against them.

Netherlands: One of my favorite teams to watch, these guys do nothing but play offense.  Winning or losing they will sub for more forwards.  They have never been able to fully put it together though.  What hurts them even more aside from their lack of defense is that their exceptional keeper Van der Sar has retired and they are now counting on a much weaker and younger Stekelenburg (cool name though).

New Zealand: The Kiwis have lots of holes and aren't very good.  The only positive for them? They are in a really weak group.  Maaaaybe they can get out of it.

Nigeria: This team is in disarray.  Their coach got hired in February and has had very little team to do much.  They also have massive amount of unfair pressure on them to do well from their local press, bad combo.

Paraguay: They have some great attackers but are missing one of their best forwards.  Salvador Cabanas is sidelined after being shot in January (the bullet is permanently lodged in his skull).  Paraguay is vulnerable to the counter attack due to their lack of midfield.

Portugal: Having one of the greatest and most handsomest (for the ladies) players in the world certainly helps but they have recently had a number of injuries and could struggle.  They should get out of their group but it will be a tough road for them.

Serbia: This team has talent but they have been surrounded by controversy for a while, from their coach trying to bring up his son to politicians trying to get involved with the team. Supposedly they have turned it around but I don't believe it.

Slovakia:  This is their first World Cup and they should be very happy.  Unfortunately, a lot of their team is hurt and they haven't been able to play together much.

Slovenia:  Didn't I just write about them? Oh yeah, different country.  This team plays very well together and could cause some problems if underestimated.  I consider them the Lynden High School basketball team, they have all played together forever which makes up for their lack of talent.

South Africa:  This is not a very good team but since they are the host they get to play.  No host country has ever failed to get out of the group stage but I think this will be the first.  I'm not expecting a soccer version of Invictus here.

Spain: This is really theirs to lose.  They have so much talent everywhere.  Definitely one of the favorites.  Forever Spain has underperformed but they put it together in the 2008 Euro Cup, ever since they have been exceptional.  Spain is also very fun team to watch.

Switzerland: Boring is a good word to describe this team.  They are not very creative and will certainly suffer for that.

Uruguay:  Uruguay has finally come together and are playing well.  After having terrible keepers they have one who can play.  What also helps them is that the players playing in international leagues are no longer hated by the guys who stayed local.  Team chemistry is something they finally have.

USA! USA! USA!: Could this be the World Cup where they finally play to their potential?  We will see.       Many of the US players have been playing internationally now for a number of years and have been pretty successful.  This is a team with talent but unfortunately they consistently play incosistently (is that a word?).

It is going to be a great World Cup with lots of surprises and great games.  Enjoy!