Group D

Group D-Italy...Uruguay....England....Costa Rica

This is one of the two toughest groups in the World Cup. I am picking Italy to come out on top. Last World Cup was a nightmare for the Azure. Not only did they under perform, but there were scandals in their  pro league. Match fixing  and financial misconduct. The performance was just the last straw. Since then, they have made changes and brought in a number of new young players. Now I think they are a real favorite to win the whole cup.
     My pick to also make it out of the group is England. I know that Uruguay is the more popular pick, but England have a number of new youngsters to go with  experienced stars. It has been 48 years since England won the World Cup. They seem to always under perform, but this year, expectations are not as high...and I think that works in their favor and they make a deep run. They won't win...but they will do well.
    Uruguay had a great tournament last cup, and they have talent, including Suarez, who might be one of the top 3 scoreres in all football, but the pressure, and team chemistry are not good. No sneaking up on anyone this year.
   Costa Rica have had a great year. They might be the second best team in Concacaf. There are several players from the MLS, and Ruiz, Costa Ricans best player plays his trade in England, but this group is just too tough, and Costa Rica will be short lived in Brazil.