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Many call the World Cup the best sporting event on the planet, and considering soccer's popularity in other parts of the globe, it's hard to argue with that claim. Football, as most people in the world refer to it, carries the kind of global appeal that Bud Selig, Paul Tagliabue and David Stern would kill for, and for one month every four years, the sport's biggest stars take the pitch with one goal in mind: win it all.
The 2006 World Cup is being hosted by Germany. For a complete schedule, click here, and to blog about the tournament, visit SRSoccer.com. Also, be sure to check out our World Cup webguide.
Below, you'll find breakdowns of the tournament from two of our writers. Mike Barkacs takes an in-depth look at each group and discusses who he thinks has the best shot at advancing while John Palazzo broke the tournament down into the frontrunners, strong sides, Cinderellas and the leftovers. Mike and John certainly don't agree on everything but they each offer insightful commentary on the 2006 World Cup.
Group Previews
By Mike Barkacs
Group A preview
Germany, Poland, Costa Rica, Ecuador
Group B preview
England, Sweden, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago
Group C preview
Argentina, Holland, Ivory Coast, Serbia Montenegro
Group D preview
Portugal, Mexico, Angola, Iran
Group E preview
Italy, Czech Republic, United States, Ghana
Group F preview
Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan
Group G preview
France, Switzerland, South Korea, Togo
Group H preview
Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia
Team Analysis
By John Palazzo
The frontrunners
John places Germany and Brazil in this group. Find out who else he thinks has an excellent chance to reach the semifinals.
Strong sides
Teams like Italy and Sweden may not be favorites, but they're certainly strong enough to advance deep in the tournament.
Cinderellas
The United States is just one team that could catch fire and find themselves in the quarter or semifinals.
The leftovers
The also-rans and longshots that won't be making much noise this summer, plus several teams that could surprise.
For the Newbies
We realize that not everyone is a soccer fan, but now is the perfect time to pick up the game. John Palazzo offers a starter course for the uninitiated while also discussing how and when he first caught football fever.
Blog the World Cup
Visit SRSoccer.com to discuss and debate the tournament
Congratulations Man City: In an incredible come behind victory with 2 goals after the 90th minute, Man City beats QPR 3-2 and wins their first premiership title since 1968. Congratulations to Roberto Mancini and all Man City fans around the world [Continued at SRSoccer.com. Comments?]
Soccer year in review: Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels (15) scores a goal by penalty kick against against Olympique Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandana during their Champions League Group F soccer match in Dortmund December 6, 2011. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY – Tags: SPORT SOCCER) It was a good year fro Soccer games, but a bad year for FIFA according to this [...] [Continued at SRSoccer.com. Comments?]
Italy’s Mario Balotelli: Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli controls the ball during a training session at the club’s Carrington training complex in Manchester, northern England, November 1, 2011. City will play Villareal on Wednesday in their Champions League Group A soccer match in Spain. REUTERS/Nigel Roddis (BRITAIN – Tags: SPORT SOCCER) Will Italy’s National Team ever be the same? [...] [Continued at SRSoccer.com. Comments?]
Challenge of World Cup preparations in Brazil: Issue like corruption, crime and poor infrastructure still present problems in Brazil, and many of these issues are getting attention in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup: For all those reasons, we should not overhype the economic effects of World Cup 2014. There will obviously be short-term gains for Brazilians working in construction and [...] [Continued at SRSoccer.com. Comments?]
Mostly Baffled, But There Are Some Answers: I’m big enough to admit it. I have no idea what the hell is going on. Does Rafa Benitez have any idea what he’s doing at Liverpool? By almost everyone’s estimate, he came into the season with the second best team in the Premiership. They’ve struggled for their form to say the least so far. [...] [Continued at SRSoccer.com. Comments?]
‘New’ Transfer Dealings Mess: The transfer window closed a week ago. I’ve waited until now to soak this mess in and see how I actually feel about this so-called ‘new way of doing business’. I think my initial reaction was right. When I first started watching European football–especially the Premier League–I embraced every delicious aspect. My love was non-judgmental [...] [Continued at SRSoccer.com. Comments?]
Sunderland Comedy Keeps Things Light: I have to admit, it’s not been a great start of the season for me. Practically every result has been going the wrong way. So my thanks go out to Sunderland. They’ve managed to keep a smile on my face through this rough patch of matches. The only team in the Championship fairing worse than [...] [Continued at SRSoccer.com. Comments?]