Group F

For me Group F is the "group of fun," a nice alternative to the group of death. Not that it won't be competitive. On the contrary I think it is perhaps the most balanced group. All four teams are very confident and bring personality and drive to the tournament. I called it the fun group because there are many side stories in this group and in my opinion it is the most intriguing. However, when I say Group F is balanced I'm not including Brazil in that equation, only the other three teams. Brazil are quite simply head and shoulders above not only their group, but the rest of the world as well.

BRAZIL

Brazil is the best footballing nation in the world and has been so for a very long time. They have the best players and they play the most exciting style. They've been at every World Cup ever played, have won a whopping five times, and are the only country to win the tournament outside of their own continent. They also happen to be defending World Champions and have been to the last 3 finals. Such is their amazing reservoir of footballing talent that they could field a second-string team and still be among the favorites. Such perennial success usually breeds contempt from opposing fans, as is the case(or was) with entities like Manchester United and the New York Yankees. Brazil, however, are universally beloved. Nobody hates them for the simple reason that they are the best by virtue of their sublime skills. They don't sit on leads like Italy. They don't feign injury like Argentina. They don't heave the ball into the box like England. They play the game the way it was meant to be played, beautifully. They are the reason soccer is called "the beautiful game." I apologize for sounding like a Nike commercial but there is just no other way to put it. Brazil are on another level. When I was a kid in Dublin I had a friend named David Beano who was obsessed with Brazil. That was in the mid 80s and I didn't know anything about international soccer. In those years(hard as it is to believe now) Brazil weren't winning World Cups. They actually had a 24 year drought, from 1970 to 1994. It was only through watching the 94 cup that I understood my old friend's passion for Brazil. I found myself glued to the TV whenever they played. It was must-see TV and Brazil took home the trophy. I'll never forget Romario in that tournament. Everyone talked about Italy's Roberto Baggio beforehand(and I lived in a heavily Italian-American neighborhood God help me) but Romario was on a different planet, and I finally understood Brazilian football's universal allure.

Believe it or not, some people consider the current Brazil team their greatest ever. Ridiculous you say, Mr. Beano? Let's have a look.

World Cup Pedigree: The Best. Won in 58, 62, 70, 94, 02. Twice runners up. Never failed to qualify.

Cultural Significance: Football

Star Player: Ronaldinho. Is he a midfielder or a forward? He's anything he wants to be. The world's best and most recognizable player has already done it all: World Cup trophy, La Liga championship, Champions League trophy, 2 times Fifa World Player of the Year Award. And he's only 26.

Strengths: Every defender's nightmare. The physically imposing Ronaldo and Adriano up front, sublime dribblers Kaka and Ronaldinho in support, fullbacks Roberto Carlos and Cafu coming all the way from the backline to attack. Robinho on the bench, where he wouldn't be for any other country in the world.

Weaknesses: Some of their stars are not on form. Ronaldo is a fat heap and persona non grata at Madrid, Adriano had a gold drought not so long ago, and Cafu/Roberto Carlos are both quite old and not their former selves. Goalkeeper Dida is not a favorite with the fans. Yet they're still the favorites.

Entertainment Value: 10. Don't miss the show.

Fun Fact: Let me give you another Brazil anecdote. In 2002 I went to Japan to watch the World Cup. Brazil were set to play England in the quarterfinals. England had allowed one goal in four games, beat heavily favored Argentina, and slammed Denmark 3-0. Brazil cleaned up in a weak group and looked shaky at the back in knocking out Belgium. My friend Dan and I got into a heated argument over a bowl of delicious udon noodles. I insisted England would win. They had to. All the cards were in place. He vociferously disagreed. Forward to matchday: England played a perfect first half and were leading 1-0 thanks to a Brazilian defensive blunder. Just as I predicted. Told you so. Then Ronaldinho takes the ball at midfield just before the half, makes a beeline for goal, draws the entire England defense, lays off to Rivaldo: 1-1. Second half, Ronaldinho sails an impossible free kick over England keeper David Seaman's head: 2-1. Game over. That's Brazil in a nutshell. You can have all your Xs and Os down, but you can't account for moments of individual genius that come out of nowhere.

Expectations: Everybody expects the Hexa, their sixth World title.

The Prognosis: Their coach is Parreira, the same man who coached the 94 champions. On paper, the 31 other countries shouldn't bother to show up. But as Mike Myers' SNL character reminds us of Scotland's soccer team, it's possible to be "great on paper, crap on grass." That won't be the case with these guys obviously, but it won't be a walk in the park either. Not even in the group stages.

JAPAN

Japan are relative newcomers to the World Cup, but they co-hosted a fine tournament in 2002 where they qualified for the second round. They are also reigning Asian champions. The country's sporting confidence has no doubt been boosted by their recent triumph in the World Baseball Classic. In one of the Group F side stories I mentioned earlier, Japan's coach is Zico, the Brazilian legend who is a God in his home country.

World Cup Pedigree: Not very distinguished, but they have qualified for the last 3 tournaments, though 02 was by virtue of their host status.

Cultural Contributions: Street Fighter 2, Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition, Street Fighter 2 Turbo Hyper-Fighting, Super Street Fighter 2, Ramen noodles(the Brazil of hangover cures). Without Japan my childhood would have been less fulfilling.

Star Player: A few candidates. Midfielder Nakata, pictured far left, has been their talisman for quite some time and recently criticized them for having no heart.

Strengths: Along with Nakata, current Celtic favorite Shunsuke Nakamura and Shinji Ono ensure that Japan's midfield is a real strength. Defender Miyamoto is quite strong in the middle. Zico has brought a Brazilian-style flair to a previously tactically-minded team.

Weaknesses: The strikers don't inspire confidence. Struggled for goals in qualifying against such sides as Bahrain and North Korea.

Expectations: Japan are cautiously optimistic of finishing second in the group, though a Japanese correspondent(the aforementioned Dan) has informed me that there is a level of overconfidence on the part of the press.

Entertainment Value: 7. Sort of a Brazil-lite. They move the ball around quite a bit.

Fun Fact: At the 98 World Cup in France stadium authorities reported that the Japanese fans were the only ones who left the seating areas cleaner than they had previously been.

The Prognosis: Realistically, Japan will be vying with Australia and Croatia for second place behind Brazil and they are in with a good shot. They've beaten Australia 4 out of 5 times in the last decade, which bodes well. However, the current Australia side is the best ever and led by wonder coach Guus Hiddink. Tough to call.

CROATIA

This is Croatia's third Cup. They would love a repeat of their 1998 debut.

World Cup Pedigree: Short. Finished a shocking 3rd in 98, first round exit in 2002.

Star Player: Midfielder Niko Kranjcar is the team's playmaker, is only 21, and also happens to be the coach's son. Forward Dado Prso is their most consistent scorer.

Strengths: A very strong defense achieved six clean sheets in qualifying.

Weaknesses: Not the most creative side. Certainly don't have anything approaching the quality of the 98 side.

Entertainment Value: 5. They employ four defensive midfielders. Joy.

Fun Fact: In another Group F side story, the Croatian and Australian teams are very closely linked. Australia has a large Croat community, from which Mark Viduka hails. Croatia's sub goalie Didulica and defender Josip Simunic were born in Australia.

Expectations: Croatia are sure they will advance to the second round.

The Prognosis: In a three-way heat with Australia and Croatia for a second round berth. My money's on Australia for one major reason.

AUSTRALIA

Hiddink. He's Australia's Dutch coach and the reason I believe they will advance to the second round ahead of Japan and Croatia. The man is a coaching genius who took South Korea all the way to the semi-finals in 2002.

World Cup Pedigree: Shite. Qualified for Germany 74 and went out without scoring a goal. Always mercilessly whipped opponents in the Oceania qualifiers only to get their comeuppance against the fifth-place South American team in a playoff. This time they beat Uruguay and the country is ecstatic.

Historical Contributions: Vegimite and my junior year of college.

Star Player: Liverpool's Harry Kewell is an outstanding attacking midfielder, one of the world's most exciting players when healthy. Problem is, he's rarely healthy.

Strengths: Hiddink scrapped the old 4-4-2 for a more versatile 3-5-2. Have quality going forward with Kewell, Mark Viduka, and Parma's Marco Bresciano. Very physical squad.

Weaknesses: The three man defense is suspect and have lately resorted to kicking the shit out of opponents as the decimated Dutch found out in a recent "friendly." While this could unsettle the finesse of Brazil and Japan, it also has the potential to get players red carded and sent home.

Fun Fact: Australia recently won a transfer to the Asian Football zone, which they hope will lead to more frequent World Cup qualification. In another Group F side story, the Japan-Australia match will be a battle for supremacy in the region, the brash newcomers versus the champions.

Entertainment Value: 7. Only if they don't start playing rugby style.

Expectations: Australia is euphoric over qualification and in typical Australian fashion think they'll qualify for the second round.

The Prognosis: It's been a long wait for the country and the players will be hungry. Backed by the genius of Hiddink they seem a likely candidate for the knockout stages. Much depends on how physical the referees will let them play. Ronaldinho has already warned the refs about opponents trying to kick Brazil out of the cup. My prediction is that the refs won't tolerate it against Brazil but will let it fly against Japan and Croatia, which means things could get ugly. Japan were formerly physical minnows but overcompensated by playing a very physical brand of football against Belgium and Russia in 02 that bordered on ugly. I think the Japan-Australia game will be pivotal and is the game I am most looking forward to watching in the tournament.