While much of the American sporting world is focusing on the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs or Major League Baseball, the rest of the world is quietly preparing for the world’s most-watched sporting event.
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The 2002 FIFA World Cup begins in a week, and for those less-than-knowledgeable, and those who don’t want to stay up until 2 a.m. watching soccer, here is a preview.
The World Cup is scheduled to run from May 31 through June 25 with two countries, Japan and South Korea, hosting for the first time.
The 2002 competition will feature 32 teams in eight groups of four, with round-robin play to determine the top two finishers who advance to the second round. From there, the 16 teams will be bracketed into a single-leg knockout tournament to determine soccer’s world champion.
Twenty-nine of the 32 participants made it to soccer’s biggest stage after tough continental qualifying. The other three spots were given to the hosts and defending champion France.
The United States enters the 2002 World Cup with the loftiest expectations ever placed on an American soccer team. After qualifying for their fourth consecutive World Cup, U.S. head coach Bruce Arena leads his squad into Group D, where they will be joined by Poland, Portugal and South Korea.
The United States opens play June 5 against group favorite Portugal in Suwon, Korea. The team then moves to Daegu, Korea, to take on the hosts on June 9, and finally faces Poland in Daejon, Korea, on June 14.
Arena’s boys go into Korea at less than full strength after stopper/defensive midfielder Chris Armas tore his ACL in a friendly match against Uruguay two weeks ago. Defender Greg Vanney and midfielder Ben Olsen have also been sidelined with various injuries.
Though losing Armas, the 2000 U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year, will undoubtedly hurt U.S. chances of advancing past the first round, the Americans have incredible midfield depth and will replace Armas with Ajax of Holland’s John O’Brien, who is hardly a step down in talent.
To advance, the Americans will need to find a goal-scoring source. After the U.S. netted just one goal in the 1998 World Cup, Arena dramatically altered the team’s attack when he took over after the 1998 competition. Clint Mathis, Sports Illustrated’s first soccer cover athlete in 18 years, has come into the lineup and is now the most potent goal-scorer in U.S. soccer history, with seven goals in 19 games. Mathis is a player with the ability to take players one-on-one with the ball, something rarely seen from an American player.
Though this is undoubtedly the most talented U.S. team to ever enter the World Cup, advancing to the second round is still in question. South Korea recently tied world power England 1-1 with a strongly played game. Portugal features the most talent of the group including current FIFA World Player of the Year Luis Figo. Poland ran roughshod through qualifying and was the first European team to qualify.
But there’s more to this World Cup than the American team. Argentina is the proclaimed favorite to take the title with a squad so deep that the common joke says their backups are the second-best team in the tournament. The Argentineans do have a tough road to win after being placed in Group F, the “”Group of Death,”” with England, Sweden and Nigeria.
Brazil is a perennial contender and this year is no different. Buoyed by the return of 1996 and 1997 FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo, the Brazilians will look to use “”the beautiful game”” to win their fifth title. Joining Ronaldo on what is always an exciting outfit, are Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldinho. Unlike the Argentineans, the Brazilians got the weakest draw of the tournament, joining first-timers Turkey and China along with Costa Rica in Group C.
France is the European favorite to win it all. With a potent attack and solid defense, the defending champs have a good chance to repeat. Zinedine Zidane, two-time world player of the year, will be the catalyst to the attack while Patrick Viera will look to hold the team together in the midfield. Clouding France’s prospects is a knee injury to striker Thierry Henry, one of France’s star forwards.
The final contender is Italy, which many experts predict will be the surprise winner of the tournament. Led by veteran Paolo Maldini, the Italians are in the same group as Croatia, Mexico and Ecuador. Italy features a potent attack force of Allesandro Del Piero, Christian Inzaghi and Francesco Totti. Grouped with Croatia, Ecuador and Mexico, the Azzuri may have some problems getting out of the first round, but if they do they are as tough as any team in the tournament.
Other outsiders for the title include Portugal, Spain and England.
Like the NCAA basketball tournament, the World Cup is often about the underdog who overachieves throughout the tournament. Who will be this year’s Cameroon of 1990? One option is China. Grouped with Brazil, the Chinese are definitely fighting for second place with Turkey and Costa Rica. China is coached by the eccentric Bora Mulitinovic, who has never failed to lead a team to the second round of the World Cup — Costa Rica in 1990, the United States in 1994 and Nigeria in 1998.
Reigning Olympic champion Cameroon may provide a Cinderella story. As the only African squad to reach a World Cup quarterfinal — a 1990 extra time loss to England — Cameroon has a history of making these runs when it counts. Veteran striker Patrick Mboma will be the key to this side and he is already garnering comparisons to the greatest African player of all time, Roger Milla.
The World Cup will undoubtedly provide incredible thrills and agonizing moments, though it is unlikely most Americans will see much of it. All 63 games will be aired on American television, with games starting at 11:30 p.m. and running until 7:30 a.m.
