Group A
Favorite: Mexico
It’s hard to believe Sven-Goran Eriksson used to be the coach and El Tri struggled in World Cup qualification. The troubles melted away thanks to Eriksson’s confident replacement, Javier Aguirre, who ably codified a group of talented stars both domestic and international, from midfield bull Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul) to forwards Giovani Dos Santos (Galatasaray, Turkey) and Carlos Vela (Arsenal, England). Poise and chemistry are the right mix for a deep run.
Contender: France
All those things Mexico has going for it, try the exact opposite for the karma surrounding Les Bleus, who got into the World Cup via Thierry Henry’s hand ball; who have a befuddling coach in Raymond Domenech; and whose most dynamic player, Franck Ribéry, is mired in an underage prostitution scandal and missed the UEFA Champions League final because of a red card. Still, on talent alone the French may win the group.
Dark horse: Uruguay
Despite owning two World Cup titles (1930, 1950), the Uruguayans have spent more time lately on the fringes thanks to the depth of South American soccer and the arduous marathon required to capture a World Cup berth. The rough and tumble squad has a pair of superb forwards in Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, but its midfield needs to accumulate more completed passes than yellow cards to earn passage to the knockout round.
Underdog: South Africa
Wouldn’t you know it: The host nation many expect to be the first to fail to advance out of the group stage has gone 12 straight matches without a defeat, the best of which was last week’s 1-0 win over Denmark. With domestic-based forward Katlego Mphela and Everton’s Steven Pienaar, the Bafana Bafana will have their nation urging them onward, but the talent in their group will be too much to overcome.
Player to watch:
Yoann Gourcuff, France, midfielder
Get this: The most important player on the French team actually plays in France. Gourcuff, 23, makes his home at Bordeaux, where he has racked up 18 goals and 18 assists in the last two seasons with the club. Les Bleus have talent to spare on the wings (Florent Malouda, Franck Ribéry) and at forward (Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka), but it will be Gourcuff’s job in the central midfield to get them the ball in dangerous spots.
Game to watch:
France vs. Uruguay, Friday, 2:30 p.m.
After getting sufficiently warmed up by the tournament opening ceremony and the first match Friday morning between South Africa and Mexico, the World Cup really will get into gear with this potential toss-up. La Celeste can set the tone for a wild tournament with an upset.
Group B
Favorite: Argentina
There’s no doubt Diego Maradona is the ultimate mad-man coach, given his cycling through more than three dozen players in World Cup qualifying and his unforgivable omission of key cogs in the Albiceleste setup like Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti from his final World Cup roster. But it won’t matter if the former ball wizard can work magic from the sideline with his bevy of attacking options, including Lionel Messi, Diego Milito and Gonzalo Higuaín.
Contender: Nigeria
The Super Eagles just barely found themselves leading the pack of three also-rans in this group, and that position will be even more tenuous with the loss of central midfielder John Obi Mikel — one in a seemingly endless line of Chelsea casualties. Forward Nwankwo Kanu, who could be with Portsmouth FC when it visits D.C. United in July, paces the front line of a group as capable of a multigoal thrashing as getting flattened by three or more.
Dark horse: South Korea
Aside from their conspiracy-aided run to the semifinals in 2002, the Koreans have never advanced out of the group stage despite qualifying for the World Cup seven consecutive times. They’ve gone backward in coaching, rehiring Huh Jung-Moo, who was cast aside in favor of Guus Hiddink in 2002, and it’s easy to forget that 29-year-old Park Ji-sung has been a fixture at Manchester United for five years. The future is now for young attackers Park Chu-young (age 24) and Lee Chung-yong (21).
Underdog: Greece
The 2004 European championship remains a blight in the annals of international soccer history after the Greeks won by stationing 11 men in the penalty box at all times. German Otto Rehhagel is still the coach, but the Greek slide has been steady since then. Before edging Ukraine for a place in South Africa, Greece’s previous two victories came against Latvia and Luxembourg. Veteran defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos anchors the defense, while Theofanis Gekas comes off a six-goal season at Hertha Berlin.
Player to watch:
Lionel Messi, Argentina, forward
Will World Cup opponents bottle him up the way Inter Milan did in the Champions League? It’s a pretty decent worry, but it’s totally unfair to the man who scored 47 goals for Barcelona this year and has no excuse but to fit into the Argentinian offense. By the time his 23rd birthday arrives June 24, Messi should be comfortably atop the World Cup scoring chart and anxious to play in the round of 16.
Game to watch:
Argentina vs. Nigeria, Saturday, 10 a.m.
Unless you have a rooting interest, it may be best to avoid the Greeks altogether. Instead, use this rematch from the 2002 World Cup — the opening game of the group, in which Argentina escaped 1-0 thanks to a Gabriel Batistuta penalty — as an appetizer ahead of the U.S.-England game that kicks off later in the day.
