32 teams will clash in Japan and South Korea for soccer's utlimate prize. Here's how we see the field -- and why the Italians will have reason to celebrate
By Grant Wahl
GROUP
A
DENMARK Midfielder Stig Inge Tofting rides a Harley with a group of bikers,
several of whom are now in jail. "They were my friends before they got in
trouble," he says, "so I don't see why I should stop being their
friend." When Tofting isn't Stig-matizing foes with his crunching tackles,
his teammates attack in
waves.
FRANCE Midfield wizard Zinedine Zidane will rank among the top five players in
history if the defending world and Euro champs hoist the Cup trophy. But an
overreliance on past-their-prime regulars Youri Djorkaeff, Christophe Dugarry
and Frank Leboeuf will keep that from happening.
SENEGAL Striker El Hadji Diouf, 21, the African player of the year, is a devotee
of Tupac Shakur. Considering his weak supporting cast, Diouf's theme song should
be the late rapper's Me Against the World.
URUGUAY Only Brazil, Germany and Italy have won more World Cups than
two-time champ Uruguay, but coach Victor Pua's boringly defensive (some would
say dirty) team won't survive this
group.
GROUP
B
PARAGUAY Irascible goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert can win matches
with his saves and his free kicks, but his one-game Cup suspension -- after he
spit in the face of Brazil's Roberto Carlos last year -- will keep Paraguay
from
advancing.
SLOVENIA What are the odds that striker Zlatko Zahovic will become the
second straight player with the initials ZZ (following Zinedine Zidane) to lord
over the World Cup? Better than you might think. Zahovic's buzz reached a fever
pitch after his three goals at Euro 2000. Look for him to lead the Cup's
smallest country (pop. 1.9 million) to the second
round.
SOUTH AFRICA "Results aren't that important to me," says coach
Jomo Sono. "We're building for the long term." Good thing, because the
short term doesn't look good for Bafana
Bafana.
SPAIN Why does mononymous striker Raúl become synonymous with choke
artist as soon as he dons the Spanish colors? Perhaps because he was
anonymous during Spain's first-round washout at World Cup '98, then missed a key
penalty kick in Euro 2000. "I haven't shown the best of me with the
national team," says Raúl. "I desperately want to change
that." Don't count on
it.
GROUP
C
BRAZIL He's a two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and the fifth-leading
scorer in his country's history despite missing nearly three full seasons with
injuries -- and he's only 25. If Ronaldo is back in form (and recent games
suggest he is), look for a rejuvenated Brazil to silence its howling critics
back
home.
CHINA God bless Bora Milutinovic, the gypsy coach who steered the Chinese
into their first World Cup. A great feat, yes, but the talent to advance just
isn't
there.
COSTA RICA The Ticos finished ahead of Mexico and the U.S. in qualifying,
but rampant injuries and reckless attacking -- Three strikers? What is this,
1950? -- will make their second Cup a short
one.
TURKEY After a 48-year absence, the Turks are back, and they're staying
awhile, thanks to a dozen players with playing experience in top European
leagues.
GROUP D
POLAND Nigerian-born striker Emmanuel Olisadebe, Poland's first black player,
had a rocky start in Eastern Europe (where racist fans showered him with bananas
during one game), but he won Poles over with eight goals during Cup qualifying.
Warning to the U.S. (a first-round foe on June 14): The best Pole position is
goalkeeper, with Liverpool's Jerzy
Dudek.
PORTUGAL Are the Portuguese, a trendy pick to win the Cup and the first
opponent for the U.S., overrated? Midfielder Luis Figo, the reigning world
player of the year, has been in mediocre form of late, and playmaker Rui Costa
was injured for most of the club season. After its electrifying semifinal run at
Euro 2000, though, Portugal has no shortage of confidence. Says coach Antonio
Oliveira, "We must stop being the best and come in first
instead."
SOUTH KOREA To succeed at the World Cup, the U.S. will have to make South
Korea the first host country to fail to advance to the second round. It won't be
easy. Though the South Koreans are 0-10-4 in five World Cups, they play well
at home and have gifted midfielders in Yoo Sang Chul and Ahn Jung Hwan (who
plies his trade for Serie A club Perugia). The U.S. and South Korea have
met twice in the past six months, with each team winning on home soil, but the
rubber match on June 10 is the only one that
matters.
USA Can the Americans' most complete player, midfielder Claudio Reyna, finally make
an impact on the world stage? Can the slow back line hold firm? Can Clint Mathis
become a genuine goal-scoring threat? This much we know: The Yanks have the
punch to beat South Korea and tie Poland, the likely requirements to reach the
second round. They must, however, avoid being blown out by group powerhouse
Portugal on June 5. A loss by two goals or more, and they will probably
have to win their next two matches to survive. Our prediction: Team USA will
advance.
GROUP
E
CAMEROON Eto'o, brute? No, striker Samuel Eto'o is actually one of several
stylish attackers for the reigning Olympic and African champions. The lout is
captain Rigobert Song, the only player ever to be ejected from games in two
World Cups. The last two Cups have had surprise semifinalists (Sweden in '94,
Croatia in '98), and Cameroon, explosive and organized, will become the first
African team to reach that lofty
round.
GERMANY In 1989 pundits said that reunification would create a 21st-century
soccer juggernaut. While the former East Germany has fueled the team with talent
(led by rising star Michael Ballack), its West German-born counterparts look
like a lost generation. "Our national team has no self-confidence, no
courage and no creativity," German legend Gunther Netzer moaned recently.
Other than that, things are
great.
IRELAND A former amateur boxer, Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane is
Ireland's lone superstar, an inspirational leader who can pass and tackle with
the world's elite. Unfortunately the Fighting Irishman tends to get his Irish
up -- and get sent off. If "the red mist descends," as Keane puts
it, look out. If he keeps his cool, and if his supporting players are as
consistent as they were during qualifying (when their side eliminated the
Dutch), Ireland will repeat its 1990 run to the
quarterfinals.
SAUDI ARABIA The Sons of the Desert are here mainly because Iran somehow lost to
Bahrain on the last day of Asian qualifying. Midfielder Nawaf Al-Temyat is the
best of a thin
bunch.
GROUP F
ARGENTINA
The federation owes bonus money to its players and coaches, but what are a few
IOUs when you're the tournament cofavorite? The Argentines lost only once in 18
qualifying matches, and they're so stacked that one of their splendid center
forwards, Gabriel Batistuta or Hernán Crespo, won't even start. The Group
of Death awaits, but so too does a debt-clearing $6.4 million payoff, which FIFA
gives to the federation of the tournament
runner-up.
ENGLAND The star (David Beckham) will be rusty, having just returned from a
broken left foot. Defender Gary Neville and midfielder Steven Gerrard will miss
the tournament with injuries. And if the English lose or tie their opener
against Sweden, they could face a scenario in which Argentina, having won twice
to clinch first place in the group, has no incentive against the Swedes in its
final first-round match. Talk about irony: the English relying on help from the
Argentines for
survival.
NIGERIA Political chaos, a revolving door of coaches and a terrible draw
don't augur well for the Super Eagles, despite the skills of attacking players
Jay Jay Okocha and Nwankwo
Kanu.
SWEDEN Worth watching for more than just the dyed-red stripe in his hair,
speedy winger Freddy Ljungberg could emerge as the surprise of the World Cup.
His team, the most lightly regarded side in the Group of Death, could be equally
surprising. "All three of our opponents think they will beat us
easily," says striker Markus Allback. "Good. It will make it that much
sweeter if we knock them
out."
GROUP G
CROATIA The Croats' firepower -- Alen Boksic, 32; Robert Prosinecki, 33; and
Davor Suker, 34 -- is older than the Dinaric Mountains. The loss of stopper
Igor Tudor to an ankle injury means their chances amount to a
molehill.
ECUADOR So fearful for his life was coach Hernán Darío
Gómez after being shot in the leg last year -- reportedly because he
didn't pick the son of Ecuador's former president for the youth national
team -- that he fled for the relative safety of ... Colombia. Adoring fans
coaxed Gómez back, and he led the Ecuadorans to their first World Cup
berth. Sí, se puede (Yes, it can be done) is their rallying cry.
We respond, citing their only healthy scoring threat, 33-year-old Alex Aguinaga:
No, it can't.
ITALY Once the second round starts, Italy's half of the bracket
(with possible foes Germany, Portugal and Spain) will be far easier than the
other half (Argentina, Brazil, England, France). In other words, punch the
Italians a ticket to the final. They have the planet's top goalkeeper, Gigi
Buffon, and top defense, led by the ageless Paolo Maldini, as well as sniper
Christian (Bobo) Vieri, perhaps the only Italian whose favorite athlete is a
cricketer (Sir Donald
Bradman).
MEXICO After losing a qualifier in Estadio Azteca for the first time (to
Costa Rica), Los Tricolores' trip to the Cup was in jeopardy, but under
fiery new coach Javier Aguirre, they made a successful charge. With striker
Cuauhtémoc Blanco fully healed from a torn right ACL, Mexico should reach
the second round for the third straight
time.
GROUP
H
BELGIUM Perhaps the world's foremost perpetrators of boring, defensive soccer,
the Belgians leave us asking: Why did you have to qualify instead of the
neighboring Dutch?
JAPAN Like Ichiro Suzuki, midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata is such a popular
export that travel agents in Japan do steady business selling "Nakata
tours" to Italy, where he plays for Parma. Thanks to a sweetheart draw,
vocal fan support and boundless energy, Nakata and mates (particularly talented
22-year-old midfielder Shinji Ono) will have what it takes to survive the first
round.
RUSSIA How did the Russians luck into a draw of Belgium, Japan and
Tunisia? "If we fail to qualify for the next round," says assistant
coach Mikhail Gershkovich, "we really have no
excuse."
TUNISIA If the Carthage Eagles don't finish last in their
group -- they've had five head coaches in the past 15 months -- it will be a
shock.
