FIRST ROUND (WITH PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH)
A
4. COSTA RICA
Manager: Alexandre Guimaraes
Key players: Paulo Wanchope (F), Ronald Gomez (F) and Gilberto Martinez (D).
Goalkeeper: Jose Porras
Wanchope must regain his form to make up for a defense that allowed 14 goals in 10 qualifying matches.
Previous World Cups: (2) 1990 and 2002
Best finish: Final 16 in 1990.
3. ECUADOR
Manager: Luis Suarez
Key players: Agustin Delgado (F), Luis Valencia (M) and Edison Mendez (M).
Goalkeeper: Cristian Mora
Seven of Ecuador’s eight qualifying wins came at home, but Germany is far from Quito and there is no high altitude to give an edge.
Previous World Cups: (1) 2002
Best finish: Group stages in 2002.
2. POLAND
Manager: Pawel Janas
Key players: Maciej Zurawski (F), Grzegorz Rasiak (F) and Marcin Baszczynski (D).
Goalkeeper: Artur Boruc
When Germany hosted in 1974, neighboring Poland finished third. Will Janas’ bold roster cuts help the Poles match that success?
Previous World Cups: (6) 1938, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986 and 2002
Best finish: Third place in 1974 and 1982.
1. GERMANY
Manager: Jurgen Klinsmann
Key players: Michael Ballack (M), Miroslav Klose (F) and Lukas Podolski (F).
Goalkeeper: Jens Lehmann
Inexperience and an inconsistent defense hurt Germany on paper. What will count for the Germans are the fans in the stands.
Previous World Cups: (15) 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Champions in 1954, 1974 and 1990.
B
1. ENGLAND
Manager: Sven-Goran Eriksson
Key players: Michael Owen (F), Steven Gerrard (M) and Frank Lampard (M).
Goalkeeper: Paul Robinson
England’s “contender” status was shaky after Wayne Rooney’s injury, but he’s been cleared and the recent hat trick by Peter Crouch has many believing.
Previous World Cups: (11) 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Champions in 1966.
2. SWEDEN
Manager: Lars Lagerback
Key players: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (F), Freddie Ljungberg (M) and Henrik Larsson (F).
Goalkeeper: Andreas Isaksson
Ibrahimovic leads Sweden’s new attacking style. But can a cocky 25-year-old lead his team to its first World Cup title? He thinks so.
Previous World Cups: (10) 1934, 1938, 1950, 1958, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994 and 2002
Best finish: Runner-up in 1958.
3. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Manager: Leo Beenhakker
Key players: Dwight Yorke (M), Stern John (F) and Marvin Andrews (D).
Goalkeeper: Kelvin Jack
T & T celebrated for four days after earning its first World Cup berth. How long the party lasts in Germany rests on Yorke’s foot.
Previous World Cups: (0)
Best finish: First appearance.
4. PARAGUAY
Manager: Anibal Ruz
Key players: Roque Santa Cruz (F), Nelson Valdez (F) and Julio Dos Santos (M).
Goalkeeper: Justo Villar
Paraguay advanced out of the group stage in the last two tournaments. If the Paraguayans play like they did during September’s win over Argentina, it may be three straight.
Previous World Cups: (6) 1930, 1950, 1958, 1986, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Final 16 in 1998 and 2002.
C
4. IVORY COAST
Manager: Henri Michel
Key players: Didier Drogba (F), Emmanuel Eboue (D) and Arouna Kone (F).
Goalkeeper: Jean-Jacques Tizie
The “Elephants” hope to become this year’s Senegal of 2002-though just a group win would be considered a success for Drogba’s side.
Previous World Cups: (0)
Best finish: First appearance.
3. NETHERLANDS
Manager: Marco van Basten
Key players: Ruud van Nistelrooy (F), Arjen Robben (F) and Mark van Bommel (M).
Goalkeeper: Edwin van der Sar
The best soccer country never to win the big one removed big-name players in favor of youth and unity. Will van Basten’s bold moves pay off?
Previous World Cups: (7) 1934, 1938, 1974, 1978, 1990, 1994 and 1998
Best finish: Runner-up in 1974 and 1978.
2. SERBIA-MONTENEGRO
Manager: Ilija Petkovic
Key players: Mladen Krstajic (D), Nikola Zigic (F) and Nemanja Vidic (D).
Goalkeeper: Dragoslav Jevric
They won’t dazzle opponents on offense, but the “Blues” will frustrate them on defense after allowing one goal in 10 qualifying matches.
Previous World Cups: (9 as Yugoslavia) 1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1974, 1982, 1990 and 1998
Best finish: Semifinals in 1930.
1. ARGENTINA
Manager: Jose Pekerman
Key players: Lionel Messi (F), Juan Roman Riquelme (M) and Hernan Crespo (F).
Goalkeeper: Roberto Abbondanzieri
Fans are relieved Messi is ready to go, which means it’s time to find out if anyone will finally live up to the “next Maradona” title.
Previous World Cups: (13) 1930, 1934, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Champions in 1978 and 1986.
D
1. PORTUGAL
Manager: Luiz Felipe Scolari
Key players: Cristiano Ronaldo (F), Luis Figo (M) and Deco (M).
Goalkeeper: Ricardo
Scolari coached Brazil in 2002. Now he coaches another Ronaldo who hopes to silence critics like his Brazilian version did in ’02.
Previous World Cups: (3) 1966, 1986 and 2002
Best finish: Third place in 1966.
2. MEXICO
Manager: Ricardo La Volpe
Key players: Rafael Marquez (D), Jared Borgetti (F) and Carlos Salcido (D).
Goalkeeper: Oswaldo Sanchez
“El Tri” recently lost to France and the Netherlands but hope Barcelona’s Marquez shines when it counts like he did in the Champions League finals.
Previous World Cups: (12) 1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Quarterfinals in 1970 and 1986.
3. IRAN
Manager: Branko Ivankovic
Key players: Ali Daei (F), Ali Karimi (M) and Ferydoon Zandi (M).
Goalkeeper: Ebrahim Mirza Pour
Before Mexico and Portugal make reservations for the knockout stages, they face a goal-friendly Iran side that has given defenses problems.
Previous World Cups: (2) 1978 and 1998
Best finish: Group stages in 1978 and 1998.
4. ANGOLA
Manager: Luis de Oliveira Goncalves
Key players: Akwa (F), Figueiredo (M) and Edson (M).
Goalkeeper: Joao Ricardo
Even if they don’t advance, the “Black Antelope” will be known as one of the World Cup’s feel-good stories given its civil war past.
Previous World Cups: (0)
Best finish: First appearance.
E
4. GHANA
Manager: Ratomir Dujkovic
Key players: Michael Essien (M), Samuel Kuffour (D) and Stephen Appiah (M).
Goalkeeper: Sammy Adjei
Accepting the award for “Team most likely to play spoiler” is Ghana, lead by midfielder Essien.
Previous World Cups: (0)
Best finish: First appearance.
3. ITALY
Manager: Marcello Lippi
Key players: Francesco Totti (F), Alessandro Nesta (D) and Fabio Cannavaro (D).
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
If friendlies aren’t supposed to mean anything, why are fans still talking about Italy’s 4-1 pounding of Germany?
Previous World Cups: (15) 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Champions in 1934, 1938 and 1982.
2. UNITED STATES
Manager: Bruce Arena
Key players: Landon Donovan (F), DaMarcus Beasley (M) and Eddie Johnson (F).
Goalkeeper: Kasey Keller
“The Bruce” refers to his team as the sleeping giant, but if it advances over Italy or the Czech Republic, wouldn’t that make them the giant killer?
Previous World Cups: (7) 1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Semifinals in 1930.
1. CZECH REPUBLIC
Manager: Karel Bruckner
Key players: Pavel Nedved (M), Milan Baros (F) and Tomas Rosicky (M).
Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
FIFA’s No. 2 ranking for the Czech Republic may seem high, but so was the Czech’s scoring total of 35 goals during qualifying.
Previous World Cups: (8 as Czechoslovakia) 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1970, 1982 and 1990
Best finish: Runner-up in 1934 and 1962.
F
1. BRAZIL
Manager: Carlos Alberto Parreira
Key players: Ronaldo (F), Ronaldinho (F) and Roberto Carlos (D).
Goalkeeper: Dida
The list of the greatest players ever is short: Pele and Maradona. A second World Cup for Ronaldinho could start to change that.
Previous World Cups: (17) 1930, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Champions in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002.
2. CROATIA
Manager: Zlatko Kranjcar
Key players: Robert Kovac (D), Dado Prso (F) and Niko Kranjcar (M).
Goalkeeper: Tomislav Butina
Niko can give his dad-the coach-the ultimate Father’s Day gift with a win against Japan on June 18.
Previous World Cups: (2) 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Third place in 1998.
3. AUSTRALIA
Manager: Guus Hiddink
Key players: Harry Kewell (M), Tim Cahill (M) and Mark Viduka (F).
Goalkeeper: Mark Schwarzer
Fans of the Socceroos are hoping Hiddink has some magic left over from his semifinal run with South Korea in 2002.
Previous World Cups: (1) 1974
Best finish: Group stages in 1974.
4. JAPAN
Manager: Zico
Key players: Hidetoshi Nakata (M), Takashi Fukunishi (M) and Shunsuke Nakamura (M).
Goalkeeper: Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
Nakata knows baseball and sumo wrestling have greater traditions in Japan than soccer. He also knows how to change that.
Previous World Cups: (2) 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Final 16 in 2002.
G
4. TOGO
Manager: Otto Pfister
Key players: Emmanuel Adebayor (F), Yao Aziawonou (M) and Jean-Paul Abalo (D).
Goalkeeper: Kossi Agassa
Adebayor’s 11 goals earned the “Sparrow Hawks” a World Cup berth. The element of surprise may earn them a World Cup win.
Previous World Cups: (0)
Best finish: First appearance.
3. SOUTH KOREA
Manager: Dick Advocaat
Key players: Ji Sung Park (M), Kyung Ho Chung (F) and Chun Soo Lee (F).
Goalkeeper: Woon Jae Lee
With as many as seven players from 2002 in the lineup, it’s time to prove they can succeed without home-field advantage.
Previous World Cups: (6) 1954, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Semifinals in 2002.
2. SWITZERLAND
Manager: Jakob Kuhn
Key players: Alex Frei (F), Johann Vogel (M) and Philippe Senderos (D).
Goalkeeper: Pascal Zuberbuehler
Much is made about their lack of experience, yet not enough is said about how the Swiss were unbeaten during qualifying.
Previous World Cups: (7) 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966 and 1994
Best finish: Quarterfinals in 1934, 1938 and 1954.
1. FRANCE
Manager: Raymond Domenech
Key players: Thierry Henry (F), Zinedine Zidane (M) and Patrick Vieira (M).
Goalkeeper: Fabien Barthez
Henry isn’t big enough to carry France on his back alone. Good thing Zidane has broad shoulders to help.
Previous World Cups: (11) 1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1958, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Champions in 1998.
H
1. SPAIN
Manager: Luis Aragones
Key players: Raul (F), Carles Puyol (D), and Xabi Alonso (M).
Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas
The Spain of old is slowly being replaced by youngsters Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres. Where does this leave Raul?
Previous World Cups: (11) 1934, 1950, 1962, 1966, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Fourth place in 1950.
2. UKRAINE
Manager: Oleg Blokhin
Key players: Andriy Shevchenko (F), Andriy Voronin (F) and Andriy Husin (M).
Goalkeeper: Oleksandr Shovkovskiy
No other player means as much to his club as Shevchenko, which is why his knee injury is a concern for this popular World Cup sleeper.
Previous World Cups: (0)
Best finish: First appearance.
3. TUNISIA
Manager: Roger Lemerre
Key players: Hamed Namouchi (M), Santos (F) and Radhi Jaidi (D).
Goalkeeper: Ali Boumnijel
Santos hopes to “annoy the big teams a little” and can do just that leading an attack that scored 25 goals in qualifying.
Previous World Cups: (3) 1978, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Group stages in 1978, 1998 and 2002.
4. SAUDI ARABIA
Manager: Paqueta
Key players: Sami Al Jaber (F), Yasser Al Qahtani (F) and Saud Khariri (M).
Goalkeeper: Mohammed Al Deayea
Al Jaber will play his fourth World Cup but has obviously lost a step. What isn’t obvious is which young player will step up.
Previous World Cups: (3) 1994, 1998 and 2002
Best finish: Final 16 in 1994.
MATCH SITES
1. Hamburg
2. Hanover
3. Berlin
4. Gelsenkirchen
5. Dortmund
6. Leipzig
7. Cologne
8. Frankfurt
9. Kaiserslautern
10. Nuremburg
11. Stuttgart
12. Munich
WINNERS: ENGLAND
3RD-PLACE GAME: BRAZIL OVER FRANCE
