World Cup 2006: Are you ready?
Soccer’s biggest event less than three months away
Steve Bohrn Staff
There is an event that comes around every four years that simply knocks the world off of its feet for a month, and I’m not talking about the summer Olympics. I’m talking FIFA World Cup.
Every four years, the attention of three-quarters of the world’s population is diverted from the struggles of everyday life to the soccer pitch, where they watch their heroes take to the field in a flurry of national pride to compete in the biggest sporting event in the world. This year’s version will be played in June in Germany, where 32 teams that have already qualified will compete for the grandest prize in all of sport.
Every year there are the so-called “teams to watch.” Television sports analysts talk endlessly about all the possibilities. This reporter will add one more voice into the mix to give you his own personal take on the teams that will provide viewers with what may be the best World Cup yet. If you will, hear him out.
The team that has first and foremost made the tournament seem like a bit of a one-sided affair in recent years is Brazil. Brazil has made it to the final game in the last three World Cups, winning two to give the team an impressive five World Championships in total — more than any other nation.
Brazil is currently ranked number one in the world in every measure of the game, making the tournament theirs to lose. But if history has taught us anything, the teams expected to win are often overcome by the pressure.
Led by stars like Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and 2005’s world soccer player of the year, Ronaldinho, the Brazilians will have skill and experience on their side.
But there are also a great number of young Brazilian players that will provide them with the depth they need to be a great team well into the future. Brazil is definitely going to play a big role.
The Netherlands is a team that will arrive in Germany to a completely different situation than Brazil. Having failed to even qualify to go to the 2002 tournament in Korea/Japan, the Dutch will be looking to make up for lost time.
Led by lanky forward Ruud van Nistelrooy and keeper Edwin van der Saar, who both play club soccer for Manchester United in England, the Netherlands has been recently ranked as high as second in the world behind only Brazil.
In their bright orange uniforms, the Dutch players, who have made their name playing club soccer on elite teams all over Europe, will be one of the most exciting teams to watch and will undoubtedly make a splash in Germany in June.
These are my two personal favourites, but there are undoubtedly more and I’m sure I will get angry letters asking why I didn’t pick this team or that, but that is the nature of the game.
Other teams that should do well include Turkey, Portugal and Argentina, and who can forget about the home team, the Germans? All said, it should be an exciting tournament, well worth the hype it is getting in the media.
This reporter predicts that the Netherlands will come away with this year’s trophy, with Ronaldinho winning the goal-scoring title, but I’ve barely scratched the tip of the iceberg in this short analysis. The best way to find out what happens, as always, is to watch for yourself.
