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Hola, contenders (cont.)
Posted: Thursday June 15, 2006 1:57AM; Updated: Friday June 16, 2006 8:29AM
World Cup Power Rankings Rank LW Country 11 19 
SwitzerlandAnyone starting to think the Swiss own the French? That's three straight matches between the two that have resulted in a draw. Most important for Switzerland is that it escapes its toughest group opponent with a point.12 24 
EcuadorSo far, the Ecuadorians get my vote for Best Team That Actually Plays Like a Team. These guys have fabulous chemistry and are perhaps the surprise package of the tournament so far.13 6 
FranceOnce again, Thierry Henry isn't translating his domination at Arsenal to the international game. He looked just awful in France's limp draw against the Swiss. In fact, the only facet of his club game that does seem to work at the World Cup is complaining about the officiating.14 18 
AustraliaWhat a match in Kaiserslautern! The Socceroos pulled off the comeback of the tournament with three late goals to beat Japan. They looked horrible and lost for the first 83 minutes, however. Which team will show up against Brazil on Saturday? Oh, who are we kidding? It doesn't matter.15 22 
South KoreaBe the Reds! My ears are still ringing from Tuesday night. I walked through Frankfurt's Römerberg historical medieval core, which was a sea of red from the thousands of Koreans whooping it up with drums and whistles after their Tigers' thrilling comeback over Togo.16 28 
Trinidad & TobagoThe Soca Warriors' historic draw with Sweden pumps them up 12 spots because no matter what, they?ll be going home with a point. And that?s historic back home. But don?t expect their ride to last much longer.17 17 
GhanaYes, the Black Stars got robbed a little by the refs in their opener against the Italians. But Ghana played very well. If the Czechs' injuries catch up with them, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Ghanaians sneak through into the second round.18 13 
Ivory CoastWe haven't heard the last of the Elephants. With a few lucky bounces, their loss to Argentina could easily have been turned around. The Netherlands may believe they're just warming up -- but I'll bet Ivory Coast is thinking the very same thing.19 14 
ParaguaySat next to Chris Courtney of SoccerTimes.com at the England-Paraguay match, who kept a diligent tally of the Carlos Paredes Flop Count. Final total: four. Paraguay has still shown its trademark stingy defense, but that newly heralded offense hasn't appeared yet.20 20 
CroatiaLook out, the Croats are for real. They played a very solid game against Brazil, the best sign of which was a complete lack of intimidation for soccer's equivalent of Murderer's Row. You have to figure the fans played a big part: Germany was awash in red-and-white gingham-clad fans on Tuesday.
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