The World Cup, the greatest sporting event in the world, is upon us. The soccer celebration taking place in South Africa will be viewed by over a billion people when all is said and done.
As much as we’d like to be able to watch every single match, for many of us, it just won’t be possible. I thought I’d give you my take on three can’t-miss first round matches.
The first round has an interesting dynamic. With every team’s introductory matches they start on even footing, the motivations for all teams are the same—get off to the best possible start.
As we get deeper into the first round, the motivations and situations for teams can change. Teams may have little motivation in the third game after winning their first two, while others may already be knocked out after two games.
It’s very difficult to pin down three matches. You must find time on Friday morning to tune into the opener between host South Africa and Mexico. That being said, here are three can’t-miss introductory matches.
Argentina vs. Nigeria - Saturday, June 12
With Lionel Messi, who has a chance to cement his status as one of soccer’s greatest players ever, and a host of players playing in the most prestigious leagues in the word, Argentina could win it all. But their biggest weakness is their coach Diego Maradona.
Maradona himself is considered one of the greatest players of all time but his antics and poor coaching nearly cost Argentina their place in South Africa.
Still with Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, and Inter Milan’s Champions League hero Diego Milito, Argentina can seemingly score at will. Central defenders Martin Demichelis and Walter Samuel have plenty of big game experience to go with tough, no-nonsense play.
Nigeria has been one of Africa’s strongest teams for nearly two decades. Their strike partnership of Obafemi Martins and Aiyegbeni Yakubu is world class. Martins has the speed and Yakubu has the power. Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel has unfortunately been ruled out of the tournament due to inadequate time to recover from knee surgery. That will be a huge loss for Nigeria and as a result, Argentina should dominate the middle of the park.
As much as we’d like to be able to watch every single match, for many of us, it just won’t be possible. I thought I’d give you my take on three can’t-miss first round matches.
The first round has an interesting dynamic. With every team’s introductory matches they start on even footing, the motivations for all teams are the same—get off to the best possible start.
As we get deeper into the first round, the motivations and situations for teams can change. Teams may have little motivation in the third game after winning their first two, while others may already be knocked out after two games.
It’s very difficult to pin down three matches. You must find time on Friday morning to tune into the opener between host South Africa and Mexico. That being said, here are three can’t-miss introductory matches.
Argentina vs. Nigeria - Saturday, June 12
With Lionel Messi, who has a chance to cement his status as one of soccer’s greatest players ever, and a host of players playing in the most prestigious leagues in the word, Argentina could win it all. But their biggest weakness is their coach Diego Maradona.
Maradona himself is considered one of the greatest players of all time but his antics and poor coaching nearly cost Argentina their place in South Africa.
Still with Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, and Inter Milan’s Champions League hero Diego Milito, Argentina can seemingly score at will. Central defenders Martin Demichelis and Walter Samuel have plenty of big game experience to go with tough, no-nonsense play.
Nigeria has been one of Africa’s strongest teams for nearly two decades. Their strike partnership of Obafemi Martins and Aiyegbeni Yakubu is world class. Martins has the speed and Yakubu has the power. Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel has unfortunately been ruled out of the tournament due to inadequate time to recover from knee surgery. That will be a huge loss for Nigeria and as a result, Argentina should dominate the middle of the park.
These are the two teams favored to move on to the round of 16 from Group B. Both attacks are lethal, however Argentina is more complete and more experienced in midfield and defense.
The intangible aspects are Nigeria playing on its home continent and Maradona “coaching” Argentina.
England vs. United States - Saturday, June 12
Fabio Capello’s England is one of the heavy favorites for the World Cup. But the loss of captain Rio Ferdinand is a bitter blow to their chances.
England has not been firing on all cylinders in warm-up games although they qualified most impressively for the World Cup late last year.
This is a team with some of the most recognizable names in soccer such as Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, and newly appointed captain Steven Gerrard. But the whole is less than the sum of the parts and England has a serious weakness in goal.
The Americans defeated Australia 3–1 last Saturday in South Africa in their final preparatory match. With players like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, and Carlos Bocanegra, there will be plenty of familiarity with England’s squad.
The U.S. has the advantage in goal with Tim Howard. The midfield lacks some creative flair, which is where England has one advantage. Also, should Wayne Rooney play to his potential and not blow his top, he will be too much for the suspect U.S. defense. The 6-foot-7-inch Peter Crouch is also a dangerous weapon in England’s arsenal.
This should be a terrific match that the U.S. can win but should be satisfied with a scoring draw.
Netherlands vs. Denmark - Monday, June 14
Denmark reached the World Cup after navigating a very challenging group that included Portugal and Sweden. But against Netherlands, they face a team that is hitting top gear.
But are the Dutch setting us up for another disappointment on the world stage? If so, it wouldn’t be this early in the tournament—wait until the quarterfinal stage for that.
Denmark is a relatively experienced team. Their forwards offer a good balance of speed (Dennis Rommedahl) and size (Nickas Bendtner). Defense and goaltending is a strength for the Danes but their midfield is mediocre. They suffered a 1–0 loss to South Africa last Saturday.
Dutch star winger Arjen Robben has been ruled out of this opening game after picking up an injury. But the Dutch midfield is among the most exciting in the world with Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder and Real Madrid’s Rafael van der Vaart. Mark Van Bommel provides the steel in the center of the park.
Expect the Dutch to dominate the possession, trying to break down the Danish defense. Denmark can counter quickly and can be dangerous on set pieces with the tall Bendtner ready to head home.
Follow Rahul on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/RV_ETSports
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