MWilding's 2006 World Cup Primer

[GasX]

Most Americans neither appreciate the game of soccer nor do they comprehend the significance of the World Cup. To the small countries that struggle to qualify, just getting to go is a huge source of pride and to those in war torn countries like Ivory Coast, it means a temporary respite from the horrors of daily civil war. For the larger countries and perennial world soccer powers, the tournament is a chance to win eternal glory on a world stage leaps and bounds above any other sporting event in the world. The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in the USA, but worldwide, over 30-40 BILLION people will be watching the World Cup and the NFL can't get close to that. All that said, I offer this thread as a brief primer to the soccer naive on how to jump into soccer fandom with two feet - even if it is only until July 9th.

Tournament Structure

Ever since the last World Cup final 4 years ago, almost EVERY country in the world has been playing in order to qualify for this tournament. 32 teams have now qualified and are divided into 8 groups. Each group with play a round robin of 3 games each. The two teams with the most points in each group will progress to the final 16 single elimination round. The opening match is on Friday June 9th between Germany and Costa Rica ate noon (EST). The final match will be in Berlin on July 9th.

click here - for a list of each group, the teams in that group, and a nice overview of each team.

Host Nation

Each World Cup is hosted by a different country. This year the host nation is Germany. 12 Cities will host 64 matches. The cities are as follows:

Berlin
Cologne
Dortmund
Frankfurt
Munich
Gelsenkirchen
Hamburg
Hannover
Kaiserslautern
Leipzig
Munich
Nuremburg
Stuttgart

Info on the stadiums can be found here

USA's Match Schedule For Round 1

June 12 - USA vs. Czech Rep.
June 17 - USA vs. Italy
June 22 - USA vs. Ghana & Italy vs. Czech Republic

Full Match Schedule & US TV Listing

Team USA Info
Gone are the days when the United States were derided as a second-tier footballing nation and they are now preparing for their fifth straight FIFA World Cup finals. The USA has been steadily improving over the past decade and are now no longer considered a "glad to be here" type of team. What the team lacks in pure talent is compensated for by strong team play.

Key players are:

Claudio Reyna (C)
Landon Donovan
Kasey Keller
John O'Brien
Clint Dempsey
Brian McBride

With the growth of MLS soccer and the success of American playeres in Europe, Team USA will continue to improve and may be a true contender for the title on the near future. If you are interested in an excellent analysis on the style of play of team USA, read the first post in this thread on Bigsoccer.com.

Player Profiles

Who Will Win?
Anything can happen in this tournament. It is akin to March Madness. Many of the favorites will go far but a few will falter and some underdogs will shine - it's what make this a great tournament. The bookies are laying the odds as follows (source: docsports.com):

Brazil 11/5
Argentina 9/1
Germany 7/1
England 15/2
Netherlands 14/1
Italy 10/1
France 14/1
Spain 14/1
Portugal 22/1
Czech Republic 20/1
Sweden 36/1
Ukraine 50/1
Mexico 40/1
Croatia 62/1
Serbia & Montenegro 80/1
Ivory Coast 78/1
USA 40/1
Poland 80/1
Paraguay 150/1
Japan 200/1
Ecuador 195/1
Ghana 190/1
Switzerland 100/1
South Korea 190/1
Tunisia 240/1
Australia 130/1
Togo 400/1
Angola 450/1
Costa Rica 450/1
Iran 450/1
Saudi Arabia 600/1
Trinidad & Tobago 800/1

Other Useful Links

Official ATOT World Cup Prediction Thread
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/
http://worldcup.reuters.com/
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow;_ylt=AqcWclEz6nmAzZaQfKGsPJM5nYcB
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/default.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,28749,00.html
http://www.planetworldcup.com/
ESPN Article on team uniforms

Enjoy the games. I know I will.

 

[junkerman123]

Originally posted by: Mwilding
Most Americans neither appreciate the game of soccer nor do they comprehend the significance of the World Cup. To the small countries that struggle to qualify, just getting to go is a huge source of pride and to those in war torn countries like Ivory Coast, it means a temporary respite from the horrors of daily civil war. For the larger countries and perennial world soccer powers, the tournament is a chance to win eternal glory on a world stage leaps and bounds above any other sporting event in the world. The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in the USA, but worldwide, over 30-40 BILLION people will be watching the World Cup final and the NFL can't get close to that. All that said, I offer this thread as a brief primer to the soccer naive on how to jump into soccer fandom with two feet - even if it is only until July 9th.

Cough....

besides that, nice post. I'm excited for the WC!

 

[spherrod]

:beer:

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: junkerman123

Originally posted by: Mwilding
Most Americans neither appreciate the game of soccer nor do they comprehend the significance of the World Cup. To the small countries that struggle to qualify, just getting to go is a huge source of pride and to those in war torn countries like Ivory Coast, it means a temporary respite from the horrors of daily civil war. For the larger countries and perennial world soccer powers, the tournament is a chance to win eternal glory on a world stage leaps and bounds above any other sporting event in the world. The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in the USA, but worldwide, over 30-40 BILLION people will be watching the World Cup final and the NFL can't get close to that. All that said, I offer this thread as a brief primer to the soccer naive on how to jump into soccer fandom with two feet - even if it is only until July 9th.

Cough....

besides that, nice post. I'm excited for the WC!

Never doubt me!

 

[junkerman123]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: junkerman123

Originally posted by: Mwilding
Most Americans neither appreciate the game of soccer nor do they comprehend the significance of the World Cup. To the small countries that struggle to qualify, just getting to go is a huge source of pride and to those in war torn countries like Ivory Coast, it means a temporary respite from the horrors of daily civil war. For the larger countries and perennial world soccer powers, the tournament is a chance to win eternal glory on a world stage leaps and bounds above any other sporting event in the world. The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in the USA, but worldwide, over 30-40 BILLION people will be watching the World Cup final and the NFL can't get close to that. All that said, I offer this thread as a brief primer to the soccer naive on how to jump into soccer fandom with two feet - even if it is only until July 9th.

Cough....

besides that, nice post. I'm excited for the WC!

Never doubt me!

"...as the total number of hours watched by all viewers, this year's tournament set a new record for a sports event of 49.2 billion worldwide."

Originally posted by: Mwilding
The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in the USA, but worldwide, over 30-40 BILLION people will be watching the World Cup final and the NFL can't get close to that.

The 35 billion Alien People will also be tuned into the WC final? Mayhap you meant to say the TOTAL viewage of the whole tourney?

 

[GasX]

OK, fine, I'll edit the OP. It's still a crapload of eyes on the tv screen!

 

[junkerman123]

Originally posted by: Mwilding
OK, fine, I'll edit the OP. It's still a crapload of eyes on the tv screen!

Now I can rest in peace...GO USA!

 

[Qwest]

maybe links on best way to watch streaming games?

BBC is only for UK, i don't get espn 360 at work...other options?

 

[Lonyo]

FOOTBALL

 

[chcarnage]

From Mwilding's link:

Out-of-home viewing contributed to the 2002 FIFA World Cup? Final being the most viewed match in FIFA World Cup? history, with 1.1 billion individuals watching this game.

I can't wait for the opening game and for Switzerland's first game, against France!

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: to all of you!

 

[wheresmybacon]

We (the US) are in an incredibly tough group. I'll hope for the best, but I'll be amazed if we make it out. Italy and the Czechs are obviously powerhouses, with the Czechs IMO being way underrated. I haven't been following what's going on with Nedved lately - if he's fit, etc. - but if he's on his game, look out.

We can't even take Ghana lightly. The African countries have a ton of talented players, as evidenced most recently by Nigeria and Cameroon in WC's past.

Add in the incredible venues in Germany and this should be a good one.

Wish I was there... =(

 

[mzkhadir]

screw usa, post other teams profiles.

 

[junkerman123]

Originally posted by: hungfarover
We (the US) are in an incredibly tough group. I'll hope for the best, but I'll be amazed if we make it out. Italy and the Czechs are obviously powerhouses, with the Czechs IMO being way underrated. I haven't been following what's going on with Nedved lately - if he's fit, etc. - but if he's on his game, look out.

We can't even take Ghana lightly. The African countries have a ton of talented players, as evidenced most recently by Nigeria and Cameroon in WC's past.

Add in the incredible venues in Germany and this should be a good one.

Wish I was there... =(

All true...but we can still believe can't we? Miracles happen.

 

[astrosfan90]

Originally posted by: junkerman123

Originally posted by: Mwilding
Most Americans neither appreciate the game of soccer nor do they comprehend the significance of the World Cup. To the small countries that struggle to qualify, just getting to go is a huge source of pride and to those in war torn countries like Ivory Coast, it means a temporary respite from the horrors of daily civil war. For the larger countries and perennial world soccer powers, the tournament is a chance to win eternal glory on a world stage leaps and bounds above any other sporting event in the world. The Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event in the USA, but worldwide, over 30-40 BILLION people will be watching the World Cup final and the NFL can't get close to that. All that said, I offer this thread as a brief primer to the soccer naive on how to jump into soccer fandom with two feet - even if it is only until July 9th.

Cough....

besides that, nice post. I'm excited for the WC!

I think he meant 3-4 billion. From what I've read estimates are in that range for the final. 30-40 sounds like the cumulative number for the entire tournament.

Good information there.

By the way, any hiphop fans--Clint Dempsey, aka Deuce is an amateur rapper. Was good friends with Big Hawk out of the Houston scene (who is now deceased), and recorded a song/video with him on the theme of the US Soccer team and their motto--Don't Tread On Me.

Deuce and Big Hawk


As far as the US squad goes:

Group E is considered by many to be the famed "Group of Death". Every tournament has one group where the stronger sides all seem to land, meaning that some teams with high hopes will be eliminated and no one will get out of the group easily. Group E, the group the US is in with the Czechs, Italy, and Ghana, is among the hardest draws in the cup.

The Czechs are one of the stronger sides out there, with superstars Milan Baros and Pavel Nedved leading their squad. Baros has been predicted by many to lead the tournament in goals scored. The Czechs are solid team who will look to shut down US attacks and dominate the pace of the game. For the US to beat them, they will need to wear down the aging team, using speed, surprise, and counterattack to their advantage to catch the Czech defense off guard. Speedsters such as Beasley and Donovan will be likely targets for the US to find deep in Czech territory in hopes of them outrunning the defense and creating chances. Many of the Czech Republic's roster are dangerously over 30, and many argue that despite talent and experience, they will not be able to overcome their age.

The Italian squad is world-class. Despite controversy back home and injured players, the Italians are nevertheless an enormous threat and will like be the hardest match the US faces in the group stage (I'll be there!!). Italy plays a very reserved game, with an extremely resilient defense and a lethal counterattack. If they go up early in the match, expect them to bunker down. The US needs to get ahead early in this match, or hold the draw far through the game to stand a chance.

Ghana is a wildcard. As with many teams to qualify out of Africa, Ghana has a lot of raw talent and high-caliber players, and no one really knows much about how they'll perform as a team besides that they're going to play a rough and tumble game that will be a challenge for any team facing them. IIRC, Ghana beat out Senegal to earn themselves a spot in the World Cup this time around--Senegal, of course, thumped defending champions France in 2002 and went on to the Quarterfinals before losing to Turkey 1-0. While Ghana's not expected by most to advance from the group, they could very well break out and shock all three of their competitors. The US will need to dominate possession in this match and look to create chances by finding holes in the Ghanan defense.

 

[thebigdude]

Originally posted by: hungfarover
We (the US) are in an incredibly tough group. I'll hope for the best, but I'll be amazed if we make it out. Italy and the Czechs are obviously powerhouses, with the Czechs IMO being way underrated. I haven't been following what's going on with Nedved lately - if he's fit, etc. - but if he's on his game, look out.

We can't even take Ghana lightly. The African countries have a ton of talented players, as evidenced most recently by Nigeria and Cameroon in WC's past.

Add in the incredible venues in Germany and this should be a good one.

Wish I was there... =(

I'm with you on this one. To me it will have been a successful cup if the US gets out of the first round. Even if they do with Brazil as a likely second round opponent it does not look good.

 

[archiloco]

so is this the new world cup thread????

if so go Mexico!!

 

[Mucho]

Computer says Czechs will win World Cup

 

[z0mb13]

can we make this the OFFICIAL world cup thread?

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: Mucho
Computer says Czechs will win World Cup

from the bottom of that page:

TOGO PAYMENT: Togo's World Cup players, who have been bickering with the national soccer federation over bonuses and pay, reached a settlement just a week before their opening match against South Korea.

Players had demanded $200,000 each to play in the tournament, plus $39,000 each per win and $20,000 per tie. The federation said the demands were far too high for the poor West African nation.

Togo spokesman Messan Attolou said Tuesday a deal was reached following talks between the players and federation president Rock Gnassingbe.

"We have found a consensus," Attolou told The Associated Press. He said full details would be disclosed Wednesday.

Togo is a rank outsider at the tournament, having failed to score a goal at the African Cup of Nations in Egypt earlier this year. Togo struggled to defeat Liechtenstein, one of Europe's weakest teams, 1-0 on Friday, and lost an exhibition game against Saudi Arabia in May. It is ranked 61st in the world, the lowest of any of the qualifiers for Germany.

The team's first Group G match is against South Korea on June 13, followed by Switzerland on June 19 and France on June 23.

I bet they said, we will pay you $500 to play in the tournament and $1 million per win.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: Mucho
Computer says Czechs will win World Cup

from the bottom of that page:

TOGO PAYMENT: Togo's World Cup players, who have been bickering with the national soccer federation over bonuses and pay, reached a settlement just a week before their opening match against South Korea.

Players had demanded $200,000 each to play in the tournament, plus $39,000 each per win and $20,000 per tie. The federation said the demands were far too high for the poor West African nation.

Togo spokesman Messan Attolou said Tuesday a deal was reached following talks between the players and federation president Rock Gnassingbe.

"We have found a consensus," Attolou told The Associated Press. He said full details would be disclosed Wednesday.

Togo is a rank outsider at the tournament, having failed to score a goal at the African Cup of Nations in Egypt earlier this year. Togo struggled to defeat Liechtenstein, one of Europe's weakest teams, 1-0 on Friday, and lost an exhibition game against Saudi Arabia in May. It is ranked 61st in the world, the lowest of any of the qualifiers for Germany.

The team's first Group G match is against South Korea on June 13, followed by Switzerland on June 19 and France on June 23.

I bet they said, we will pay you $500 to play in the tournament and $1 million per win.

LOL exactly. Incentive-based pay FTW!

 

[GasX]

bump for the lunch crew.

I have requested a sticky, but no dice (yet...)

 

[CPA]

Great for the rest of the world, the Super Bowl is still 100x more exciting.

 

[GasX]

If you are interested in the style of soccer the USA will (or needs to) play, read the OP in this thread on bigsoccer.com.

(this info added to OP above as well...)

 

[DainBramaged]

Nice post. GO FRANCE! Can't wait for the 13th...

 

[Tom]

I hope the USA does well, but as an American I feel free to root for Brazil too !