Now the World Cup Begins: Breakdown

By David J. Cohen

With the field down to 16 and with the playoff portion of the tournament set the true world cup begins. Here is a breakdown of what to expect, organized by halves, as if there were a bracket.TOP HALF – ROUND OF 16

Germany v. Sweden – Certainly an intriguing match-up. Germany comes in sweeping the group on its home turf. They are a giant team that imposes its size on its opponents. They thrive off of crosses and headers. Their best scorer, Klose, is quickly becoming among the top in the world in international play at hitting the back of the net. He comes into the round of 16 leading the world cup in goals scored. Sweden is certainly not a pushover, but they took awhile to get going. They were held scoreless against Trinidad and Tobago and were booed by their fans until scoring late to beat Paraguay. Then they needed more late heroics to tie the British in their last game after giving up a horrendous goal. They can play physical as well, and this ought to be a chippy affair. It should be a battle for Germany but they should prevail in the end.

Score: Germany 2-1

Argentina v. Mexico – Sayonara Mexico. Argentina is at another level. They are extremely versatile up front and have several dangerous players who can score. They play the beautiful, graceful South American style of futbol and can move the ball on the ground through defenses like a magician and his wand. They are also sound defensively, led by world class players. Mexico stumbles in after a 2-1 loss to a Portugal team resting half of its starters. They could not score against Angola and many would say they were outplayed for 65 minutes against Iran before exploding en route to a 3-1 win. But this team is resilient and can respond to being behind perhaps like no other team in this tournament. Capitalizing on quality chances is the key for them to stand a chance. For instance, when they are awarded a penalty kick to tie a game, one of their strikers, Bravo, can’t kick it into the upper deck. Overall, they may be able to hang around with Argentina for awhile but won’t last 90 minutes.

Score: Argentina 3-0

Italy v. Australia – The Italians won their group but didn’t necessarily look great doing it. They looked very sloppy at times offensively. They were really outplayed by Ghana and the U.S. before taking care of business against the Czech Republic. They are extremely talented offensively and will need to be sharper on that end to go far in the elimination rounds. Australia makes the most of its 32 year absence from the cup by moving on from its group after tying Croatia 2-2 in what was clearly the most entertaining and chaotic game in the group stage of this World Cup. They can play physical and run to a degree. Their specialty is catching a defense off guard and taking advantage. They also have perhaps the best coach in the cup in Guus Hiddink, who led the Korean team to the quarterfinals during the last world cup. His ability to get the most out of his players proved worthwhile during the last world cup when Korea defeated Italy. For the “Socceroos” to score an upset in this match they will have to put unrelenting pressure on Italy’s defense and score a few goals. I don’t think Australia is on the same level here but if they can net 3 it’ll be interesting.

Score: Italy 4-2

Switzerland v. Ukraine – Switzerland looks strong coming into the round of 16. They are a defensive minded club and have shown their worth so far. They are yet to allow a goal. They can frustrate opponents and shut down a team’s attack. Offensively they have created some goals but are certainly not anything to brag about. They are one of the weaker scoring teams remaining in the cup. Ukraine is a decent ball club overall but are anchored by one of the game’s best scorers in Shevchenko. He will have to come through with an impressive performance for the Ukraine to advance. They were slaughtered by Spain and then should have lost to Tunisia. They advanced on a flip flop of horrendous calls, with a missed handball that should have given Tunisia a 1-0 lead being uncalled and a penalty kick being called in favor of the Ukraine which was a joke. Switzerland is closer to Spain’s level then Tunisia’s, and it should show in this one. The Ukraine’s back line might be the worst remaining in the cup. They have made many careless mistakes so far and a couple in this match could cost them this match. Switzerland doesn’t create many quality scoring chances but is great at capitalizing on them when they surface. That’s the difference. The Swiss slice on through.

Score: Switzerland 2-0

TOP HALF – QUARTERFINALS

Germany v. Argentina – A true clash of styles. Germany will try to make it a physical contest and attempt to force Argentina to slug it out with them. They will try to take advantage of their size through crosses into the box. Argentina will try to move the ball on the ground and run past Germany’s defense to create scoring chances. Based on what I’ve seen from these two teams during the group matches Germany isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. They looked unpolished, which cannot be said about Argentina. In the World Cup the better team wins 90% of the time. Argentina advances.

Score: Argentina 2-0

Italy v. Switzerland – This could be a very interesting match. Italy hasn’t come across a team this sound defensively, but the Swiss haven’t come across a team with this much firepower either. The style of the Swiss is to suffocate you defensively and then score on counterattacks. Italy will try to get one early and then control the game. These teams are really even when you look at the way each has played so far. If we have seen the best of Italy they could be stunned here. If they have taken the Brazilian approach they may end up meeting them in the semis. This is truly a game that could be decided in the opening 15 minutes. If Italy gets an early goal its all over for the Swiss. If the Swiss take control of the game they should advance if they can score before the half. I also know that if this goes to extra time and/or penalty kicks Italy wins. That’s probably where this one is headed.

Score: 1-1; Italy wins in shootout

TOP HALF – SEMIFINALS

Argentina v. Italy – This will be a welcome match for Argentina after a battle with the home country. Italy is clearly below Argentina in quality and it will show early in this match. Argentina’s ball movement and passing skill should make this an easy affair for Argentina and give them momentum heading into the final.

Score: Argentina 3-1

Thus, Argentina advances to the finals from the top half. Now to see how the other half fares.

BOTTOM HALF – ROUND OF 16

England v. Ecuador – This match has upset written all over it. England has played lackluster at best during the World Cup so far. For all of the collective talent that made them one of the favorites going in they haven’t shown much firepower. Their offense looks weak and unorganized during live play. Beckham has not lived up to his billing. They come into this game shorthanded as their star striker Owen is out for the rest of the competition. This leaves them relying heavily on a striker coming off an injury who isn’t truly in game shape as of yet. Defensively the British are bloody tough with their physical play, but one sided ball can only help you so much. Ecuador has looked impressive in the 2 games they decided to play, disposing of Poland and then Costa Rica. They clearly did not want to spend the energy required to play competitively against Germany on their soil, as shown by their passiveness and the fact that their team captain was sitting out the contest. They have good speed out of the midfield and the wings like to move forward to set up scoring chances. Mendez and Valencia could possibly create havoc for the British defense. England will get caught a couple of times in this one and if Ecuador can capitalize they will advance in what is most likely the upset of this round. I have a gut feeling this one will go into extra time to be decided.

Score: Ecuador 2-1

Portugal v. Holland (the Netherlands) – Portugal did what it had to do in order to advance. They have solid strikers and a good all around team. Holland is a very strong team with a lot of playmakers on both sides of the field. They move the ball with ease down the field. They played very well in their first two contests before kicking the ball around for 90 minutes against Argentina. Portugal didn’t really have another strong team in its group and will have to adjust to the increased level of play. I don’t see it happening.

Score: Holland 3-1

Brazil v. Ghana – If you only watch one game in this round make it this one. This has all the makings of a great one and could be an instant classic. Brazil has a smorgasbord of superstars, headed by the best player in the world Ronaldino. They also have a pudgy version of Ronaldo, who might be out of shape but has still managed to tie for the most goals ever scored in a world cup with 14. They move the ball tremendously well and can lull a team to sleep before suddenly striking like a viper. Just about anyone on the field can fire a deadly ball into the back of the net. They are great at getting the ball back once they have lost possession and it is in that department where they wear a lot of teams down. They are precise with the ball; if you give them a good chance odds are you will pay the price. So far they have done what they have had to do to get to this point. Their philosophy is that this is a 7 game tournament, meaning they should only exert as much effort as necessary to get a result. This was until Japan scored to give them a 1-0 lead, which infuriated the Brazilians as they exploded for 4 straight goals after that point. Ghana has been dubbed the surprise of the cup but is certainly qualified to be here. They are called “the Brazilians of Africa” because they emulate Brazil’s style of play. They keep the ball on the ground and can move it beautifully. They have lived up to the nickname, outplaying Italy in what should have been a 1-1 draw. The refs missed two penalty kicks for Ghana and on one of the missed calls Italy responded with a second goal to end the match. Ghana then put on a clinic against the Czech Republic in what was, in my opinion at least, the most dominating performance in the cup so far. The 2-0 score was very misleading, as it should have been at least 5-0. Ghana played very uncharacteristically against the U.S. by being highly conservative because of the magnitude of the moment. Their inexperienced showed but they still got the job done. Against Brazil they must play their game and go for it. If they play conservative and leave players in the back the game will be over quickly. The weak point of this team is their goalie Kingston, who has looked shaky at times and great at times. His over-aggressiveness could come back to haunt Ghana against the Brazilians. However, if Ghana plays their game and utilizes their team speed, which is probably the best in the cup, this could be a game for the ages. The game could be a Picasso level work of art. What separates these 2 teams besides experience is the fact that Brazil is much better at capitalizing on its scoring chances. Ghana has struggled to put great chances in the back of the net and will have to be precise on its opportunities to beat Brazil. This is where I think Brazil has Ghana beat. I’m rooting for Ghana, and if they pull this off they will reach the finals if they can overcome Spain. But I don’t see it happening. But it’ll be a hell of a match. And I’ll say this: Ghana will be in the World Cup mix for quite some time, with the average age on the team being 25. For them to come this far in their first appearance is remarkable in itself. And come the next World Cup Ghana will certainly have some prestige to its name.

Score: Brazil 3-2

Spain v. France – The marquis match-up as far as team recognition in the round of 16. Spain has looked very sharp so far, cruising through the group stage. They have plenty of world-class players and have many talented scorers to choose from. When you can afford to sit a player of the caliber of Raul you have a very deep and dangerous team. They have been lethal at a moment’s notice and can overwhelm you in a short amount of time if you are lazy at the back. Just ask the Ukraine. France has been just the opposite. They were pathetic against the Swiss. They should have been awarded a second goal against South Korea but that doesn’t excuse them from allowing a goal late to cause a tie. Good teams find ways to put their opponents away. They finally looked good against Togo, but they were playing Togo. The Czechs looked great against the U.S. and now they’re at home. In this match I expect Spain to set the tempo and score early. They will put the French out of their misery.

Score: Spain 3-0

BOTTOM HALF – QUARTERFINALS

Ecuador v. Holland – There is always at least one team that gets to the quarterfinals from what seems like out of nowhere. Ecuador fits this bill despite quality wins during qualifying, beating both Brazil and Argentina. The criticism is that they did it because they played in high altitude. To me this is nonsense. I don’t care if Ecuador beat Brazil and Argentina on Mount Kilimanjaro. If you can beat those teams you have the talent to go deep into the cup. This could be a great match. Holland has the better players and truly can outplay Ecuador at its own game, but it should be fun to watch it all unfold. If the Dutch take this team lightly they’ll be going home. If they play their best soccer the Dutch will be in a rematch against Argentina. I’m sure the anticipation of this possible rematch had a lot to do with how both teams played to a 0-0 draw, not wanting to give away much tactical information to each other.

Score: Holland 2-1

Brazil v. Spain – Another monstrous match-up that leaves the Spanish contingent scratching their heads once again. Spain has notoriously had bad luck in the elimination stage of the cup and has never advanced past this round, which is amazing considering the quality of Spanish futbol. This will be the test of whether Brazil is truly worthy of the hype. Both teams have rosters full of extraordinary players. This game comes down to possession. If Brazil dictates the tempo they will overpower Spain. If the Spanish can turn the tables on Brazil and capitalize when Brazil’s midfielders and defenders come up to attack the opposing goal they will finally get over the hump. This is another game that could easily see extra time. In soccer, if you don’t know, pick the better team, because upsets at this stage of the cup are few and far between. Brazil hands Spain another dose of heartache.

Score: Brazil 3-2

BOTTOM HALF – SEMIFINALS

Holland v. Brazil – The gauntlet is out for Brazil. Their road to the final is treacherous to say the least. They have another tough test here against Holland. This should be a great match of ball movement and skill. Holland will need to muster up more scoring than usual to overcome Brazil. That is where Brazil has the edge and will capitalize. This would also give Brazil its 13th straight victory, which is absolutely absurd.

Score: Brazil 2-0

That leaves us with Argentina v. Brazil for the title. It’s only fair for it to end with these two. They are clearly the top 2 teams here.

I almost forgot. There is also that third place game. I don’t really believe this game should exist since the teams in it are probably not interested and certainly less than enthusiastic about playing in it. It will be Holland and Italy, and Holland will finish 3rd.

Score: Does it matter?

WORLD CUP FINAL

Argentina v. Brazil – It is the dream match-up of this world cup. And unlike in most leagues, where this just about never happens, it does occur on soccer’s biggest stage. This is one to just sit back and enjoy. I have already called off work. Argentina will look to dethrone the champs and become the 2nd South American team to win on European soil. I think Argentina is the better soccer team in this match and will show it in the final 20 minutes. It should be tied up until then. Then the great play of the Argentinean defense will set up a couple of beautiful plays which should surface into a game winning goal. I think Argentina will want it more and find a way to get it done. After knocking off Brazil they should be heavily praised and handsomely rewarded financially by their country…oh wait, Argentina’s bankrupt again. Oh well, I guess bragging rights as the champion of the sport of the globe have to count for something. That’s what truly matters.

Score: Argentina 2-1

Hopefully the world cup shines once again and provides for many thrilling and memorable moments. And let’s hope the refs don’t make it their quest to be one of them. Because lets face it: their dreadful officiating has been the headline so far.