Group B

Group B-  Spain...Netherlands....Chile....Australia

  Defending Champion Spain has drawn Group B, which includes the other finalists from the last World Cup, but I am not convinced that either side is as dominate as they were last time around. Still, Spain are loaded with talent...relatively healthy, and since the majority of the squad play on just 3 of the top teams in Spain's La Liga, the players have a familiarity with each other of which other countries can only dream. I am picking them to get out of the group...after that we will see how age and injury leave the as to how far they will go.

The Dutch are a fun team to watch. They still have plenty of fire power and can score goals on even the best defensive teams in the world. They lost a few players from last cup but have brought in a number of young players, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Will the mix of young and old be enough to get out of the group and make a run? Their first match is against Spain, and if there is a loser in that match...that team will be in a struggle to make it out. I predict a tense first game and a boring draw, which often happens in the early games of the tournament. A draw will go a long way toward getting out of the group...a loss...and it might be a short visit for the Orange.

Chili is a team to watch. Playing in their home continent is a big advantage. They will be acclimated to the climate and the time zone. They have less pressure, which can allow a team to relax and play up to potential. The 2 biggest stars for Chile are midfielder Vidal, who plays in the Italian first division, and the forward Sanchez who plays for powerhouse Barcelona. They are as good as it gets in international football. If either Spain or the Netherlands falter, these are the players that will move Chile into the round of 16. If i had any guts...I would just pick them through now....but...

Australia is the 4th team in Group B. They have some decent players and they will be fit and work at a high rate, but they just do not have the talent to get out of such a deep group. The biggest soccer news in Australia, will be watching how the investigation goes to corruption in the awarding of the 2022 Cup to Qatar, and will it lead to a re-vote which could bring that tournament down under to Australia.

Group A

Group A - Brazil...Croatia....Mexico....Cameroon

 Brazil is the favorite to win the whole tournament. The group A competition should not give them much competition. Their toughest fight will be off the field. They will need to manage fans expectations, the protests that will be going on around Brazil,( more on that in a separate post), and criticism when they win ugly. Really, these should be warm up games for the next round.

  Croatia is my pick to win the second spot in this group. They have a deep squad with some experienced players who will not wilt under pressure. They are a big strong team and the sometimes physical nature of the World Cup will be an advantage to them. Get used to seeing their trademark red and white checkerboard jerseys till at least the knock out stages of the tournament.

  Mexico barely qualified and in fact, it was a late US goal in a meaningless match against  Panama in qualifying saw Mexico get fourth place and a game against New Zealand for the last spot. Ironic that Mexico owes its place in Brazil to a goal by their arch rivals the USA. I thought that they might pull things together and have a very strong World Cup. they have plenty of talent, but a few injuries and a lack of team chemistry lead me to believe they will be 3 and out.

  Cameroon shocked the world in 1990 by beating defending champion Argentina in the opening game of that years cup. It was so surprising that I was actually able to bet a South American friend on the outcome, even though he knew that I had already watched the game. He still refused to believe that this was possible. Could such an upset happen this year....of course. Will it happen....no.

WC warm-up games.

  So after the second round of warm up games, what have learned.? The US looked a little better against Turkey than they looked in their last game, at least on offense. Dempsey looked healthy and Altidore was a force all game, although he did seem to be missing that last touch. I am a little concerned about our central defense. They seemed out of place and a step slow. Still, fans need to remember that Turkey is a very good team. The might be the strongest side not going to Brazil. No injuries and a tough game next week against Nigeria. The US side needs to keep improving and they will have a shot.
  The real news is injuries and final rosters. Italy is my outside favorite to win the whole thing, but they left Giuseppe Rossi off the team and suffered an injury to another striker, Montalivo, that will have him missing the cup. They are now in danger of even getting out of the 1st round.
 Mexico has seen Montes break his leg, and Uruguay are unsure about the fitness of Liverpool striker Suarez. World footballer of the year Christian Rinaldo of Portugal is also nursing a sore leg. Who will be fit and in form when the tournament starts, because the WC is not just about who is best, but who can perform the best for 4 weeks in the summer, every 4 years.

We are a mere couple weeks away from the start of the World Cup. Over this time I will breakdown each group and make my predictions as to who will win soccer's ultimate prize. Remember last cup I selected Spain and Holland for the final. I got that right, but I predicted a Dutch victory...which I got wrong.
 Watch the warmup games over the next week. Players are fighting for starting spots, and you can also see who is playing well, and who is injured.

So in what I think is good news for US soccer, The USSF has signed Jurgen Klinsmann to a 4 year contract extension getting us to World Cup 2018. The shuffle of coaches is a drain on countries all over and avoiding that for what I believe is a smart maintaining of the status quo is a good move. Check out the below article for additional information.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/12/12/armchair-analyst-four-more-years-jurgen-klinsmann-its-another-level

So the World cup starts in 6 months. It is a strange competition where the participants are set so far in advance. Between now and then, players will get injured, coaches fired and knew stars will arise. The rosters are not set for 5 months, so the competition for a spot on each national team will be fierce. It gives a certain excitement to games for the rest of the league seasons.
 It is my contention that when selecting a squad, most coaches will rely to much on experience and not enough on youth. The pressure of the world cup is so great, sometimes a young player who does not know enough to be scared becomes the star. I predict the star of this World Cup will be some 19 or 20 year old player, who most of us have never heard of. Time will tell.

Time to start looking at the 2014 World Cup

  The Draw for the 2014 cup is in the books. Here it is below for reference sake. The first round is a round robin with the top 2 teams in each group advancing to the knockout round. Team 1 plays 2 and team 3 plays 4 in the all important opening game. The top team in each Group was seeded based on World ranking. The remainder placed in pools and drawn according to ranking and geography. FIFA does not want 3 teams from the same region of the world in the same group. This produces a random yet not even draw. Group C and E and to some degree H are very weak. Group A and F are mere formalities for Brazil and Argentina. Those 2 South American powerhouses will walk through to the second round without breaking a sweat. There are 3 difficult groups, or Groups of Death, as they are called. B,D & G, are all very difficult with the USA's group G getting my vote for toughest. Making it through to the second round typically takes at least 4 points, so the best chance for the USA to make it through might be to get a win in it's opening match against Ghana.
   Over the next few months I will be posting updates in the count down to June 15th and the opening match.