A is for Africa.
The draw for World Cup 2010 (South Africa!) is complete, and now we must wait for 6 months until the matches begin. But here at UF we are incredibly inpatient impatient, and have no fear of being proven idiots, so we are launching our Group previews. Who plays who, and where? Which players will we identify as vital to their country’s advancement only for them to be left off the roster in the next few months? Which country will we tab as the surprise of the group only to see them fail to earn a single point in the group stage?
Join me after the jump for generalizations, highly inaccurate predictions, and straight-up misinformation, won’t you?
Let’s start by identifying the times/dates/locations/participants of all the Group A matches:
Friday, June 11th:
Match #1 – South Africa v. Mexico; 10:00AM in Soccer City (Johannesburg)
Match #2 – Uruguay v. France; 2:30PM in Green Point (Cape Town)
Wednesday, June 16th:
Match #17 – South Africa v. Uruguay; 2:30PM in Loftus Versfeld (Tshwane/Pretoria)
Thursday, June 17th:
Match #18 – France v. Mexico; 7:30AM in Peter Mokaba (Polokwane)
Tuesday, June 22nd:
Match #33 – Mexico v. Uruguay; 10:00AM in Royal Bafokeng (Rustenberg)
Match #34 – France v. South Africa; 10:00AM in Free State (Mangaung/Bloemfontein)
Wondering where those stadia are? Well, we’ve got you covered there too!
Around South Africa in 30 days.
Now, on to the substance!
Country: South Africa (aka Bafana Bafana)
Coach: Carlos Parreira
Current FIFA ranking: #86
WC history: This is only their 3rd appearance. They were knocked out in the group stage in 1998 and 2002.
How they qualified: Automatic qualification as host
Players of note: The defense is anchored by captain Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth) in a defensive midfielder role and Matthew Booth (Mamelodi Sundowns), while Steven Pienaar (Everton) roams the midfield. Goals are expected to come up top from Benni McCarthy (Blackburn) and Bernard Parker (FC Twente).
Important notes: Bafana Bafana may be the first World Cup host ever to not advance out of the group stage, as they have been on a particularly poor run of form lately. They fired former gaffer Joel Santana to bring in Parreira, who lead Brazil to the 1994 WC title, but their last 5 matches have seen them lose to Norway and Iceland, draw with Japan and Jamaica, and defeat only Madagascar (and only 1-0 at that).
Country: Mexico (aka El Tri)
Coach: Javier Aguirre
Current FIFA ranking: #15
WC history: This is their 14th time in the World Cup finals, with their best finish being a quarter-final berth in 1970 and 1986. Coincidentally, those were the 2 times that Mexico was the World Cup host nation.
How they qualified: Finished 2nd in CONCACAF (behind the USMNT) with a 6-1-3 record.
Players of note: El Tri’s best player is probably Rafa Marquez (Barcelona), who is the only true lock-down defender on the national team, while Giovani dos Santos (Tottenham) will look to build the attack out of the midfield. The rest of the “names” all feature up top, with an aging Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire) fighting to keep from being forced out at striker by Omar Bravo (Chivas Guadalajara) or Carlos Vela (Arsenal).
Important notes: 92.5% of the world’s population believe that the Mexican national team and their supporters are horrible human beings.
Country: Uruguay (aka La Celeste)
Coach: Oscar Tabarez
Current FIFA ranking: #19 (really?!?)
WC history: They won the first World Cup in 1930, and took the title again in 1950 (upsetting Brazil). This will be their 11th appearance.
How they qualified: The last team to qualify for the World Cup, they finished 5th in CONMEBOL and then had to beat Costa Rica (who had finished 4th in CONCACAF) in a playoff.
Players of note: Cristian Rodriguez (Porto) is a pace-setter on the wing, while Luiz Suarez (Ajax) and Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid) maraud up top.
Important notes: Despite their (very) historical dominance, it is truly stunning that Uruguay are ranked at #19. They are the only nation with a population of less than 4,000,000 to win the World Cup.
Country: France (aka Les Bleus)
Coach: Raymond Domenech
Current FIFA ranking: #7
WC history: Les Bleus won the title in 1998 and finished 2nd in 2006. This will be their 13th appearance.
How they qualified: Finished 2nd in their UEFA group (behind Serbia) and then…well, you know.
Players of note: This team builds through the spine, anchored by young rising goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (Lyon) buffeted by William Gallas (Arsenal) in central defense. The key to the team sits in the midfield with Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), who has been unsettled and injured of late, and emerging playmaker Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux). There are a wealth of attacking options up front, with Andre-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse) and malcontent Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) backing up the veteran strike force of Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea) and Thierry Henry (Barcelona).
Important notes: The fate of Les Bleus may hinge on the astrological readings of the incompetent Domenech, as well as on the ability of someone (anyone, PLEASE!) to unify the squad. Given their qualification, it is almost certain that anyone who is not French is rooting for an ignominious exit from the group stage.
Group Prediction:
France
Mexico
South Africa
Uruguay
Up next, Group B! (We follow the alphabet here).
I could see this group ending as
France
Mexico
South Africa
Uruguay
as easily as I could see it ending
Mexico
South Africa
France
Uruguay
no love for Uruguay though
“Given their qualification, it is almost certain that anyone who is not French is rooting for an ignominious exit from the group stage.”
Does “Arsenal fan” automatically count as French?
“But here at UF we are incredibly inpatient…”
Better than being an outpatient. *Rimshot*
I was disappointed that there was no game-by-game breakdown or score prediction. For shame.
Nothing would really surprise me in this group. I rate Uruguay higher than you give them credit for though. Not as high as the semifinals like Lalas, but I think they could go through.
Mexico
Uruguay
South Africa
France
C’mon folks! As much as I loathe the FFF, they will get their s**t together for the World Cup. Simply too much talent there, and surely enough to step over the awful, raggedy hosts or tenacious Mexicans.
France
Uruguay
Mexico
South Africa
Mexico, France, Uruguay, South Africa, with France barely squeaking through.
Mexico, France, Uruguay, South Africa.
France barely squeaks through.
Yeah, my picks were probably influenced by a dislike of the French team. Would you really really be surprised to see them not go through though?
Just a thought… It’s going to be Winter in South Africa. Mexico doesn’t excel in the cold.
Absolutely not, Ryan. I woke up at 3am to watch them lose to Senegal in 2002′s opening group game.
@Anonsters – I was going to do a game breakdown, but as an inpatient I am allowed limited time on the Internet
@NYK: I blame it on socialized medicine.
Spurs fans, help. Is dos Santos injured right now? Even if he wasn’t would ‘arry play him? He does play Bale, which seems crazy.
As much as I hate to say it, if dos Santos is on form, Mexico could cause some issues. Although I love the “Mexican soccer blows” tag.
Joey Two-Saints was a Ramos buy. I think ‘Arry buying Kranjcar when Modric got hurt tells you all you need to know about what he thinks of Giovanni.
And no, he’s not hurt.
Dos Santos struggled with some sort of foot/ankle issue earlier, but his main problem is showing up to practice late. Or, you know, not at all. Apparently, the fellow likes the nightlife. And that is not they way to get in ‘Arry’s good graces. I think we’ll see dos Santos either loaned back to Ipswich in January, or maybe even sold outright.
Stoires of Mexican failure make me happy.
“Stoires of Mexican failure make me happy.”
You must be ecstatic most of the time.
(BTW, is everyone watching Bayern-Juve today, or some other game?)
Ever since the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836!
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