With the start of soccer’s World Cup exactly one week away, the following are several headlines from teams that made the tournament:
Argentina: Former ace Diego Maradona admitted to “dream(ing)” of being head coach of the national squad. Fans of the "albicelestes" are hoping for a better performance than four years ago when the squad failed to make it past the group stage, though Argentina is in the “group of death” along with the Netherlands, Serbia & Montenegro, and the Ivory Coast.
Brazil: Defending champions Brazil are heavy favorites to continue their reign, yet the squad has been downplaying the media hype. Star striker Ronaldo has been slowly recovering from a nagging thigh injury and is eager to be part of the “magic quartet” of high-quality attackers along with Kaka, Adriano, and Ronaldinho.
Costa Rica: Coach Alexandre Guimaraes is confident that the team can equal their overachieving performance in 1990 where they made it past the group stage. Such a task will be made very difficult in their first match against World Cup hosts Germany next Friday.
Ecuador: Ecuador will be in the same group as Costa Rica and both teams will meet on June 15th. Ecuador’s coach admitted that the team is prepared for the tournament in light of an immigrant trafficking scandal that implicated him.
Mexico: Ranked as the fourth best country in the world by FIFA, Mexico will field a squad with several Europe-based players; one notable absence from the team will be that of striker Cuauhtémoc Blanco. Nevertheless, “el tri” are expected to qualify from Group D against Iran, Angola, and Portugal.
Paraguay: “New look” Paraguay faces a tough task in qualifying from Group B since European powerhouses Sweden and England are in the same group. Indeed, coach Anibal Ruiz has admitted to “worry” over starting the tournament against England, though striker Roque Santa Cruz is confident and “not scared of England.”
Trinidad and Tobago: The “soca warriors” qualified for the World Cup for their first time and have very little of chance of winning a game in Group B, much less making it out of the group. Nonetheless, coach Leo Beenhakker doesn’t rule out the possibility of any upsets happening and the team is thrilled to be playing in the World Cup.
United States (not Latin America or the Caribbean, per se, but still): The U.S. is stuck in a difficult group with the tough Czech Republic, perennial favorites Italy, and first-timers Ghana. Still, they are hoping to repeat their stellar performance four years back when the “stars and stripes” made it to the quarterfinals.
latin america, world cup, soccer
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