World Cup Preview: Group F
*This post comes from Austinist Special World Cup Correspondent Ben Gardner, Co-Host of KOOP’s SoccerMad, who will be traveling to Germany for this year’s Cup.*
You sip your caipirinha as the warm breeze brings you the sound of samba. The drums beat and you are numbed by waves and beautiful bodies that move in perfect rhythm. Your eyes close and visions of green and gold appear. First it’s Zico, then Socrates, now Romario. Your heart begins to race as the drums beat faster. Finally the great wave appears and Pele has crushed you.
Some say that a country’s history and way of life are mirrored by the style of their national soccer team. Nowhere is this more true than in the tropical paradise of Brazil. Five time world cup champions, they are, without question, the greatest soccer nation in the world. Joining the defending champions in Group F are Croatia, Japan, and Australia.
The Brazilians not only beat you, they play more beautifully than you, and then they dance with your women. If it seems unfair, it’s only because it is. The Brazilian style is based around individual ball control and brilliant team passing. With those two keys, Brazil lulls the opposition to sleep and then slice them open. They don’t care too much for defense, but what legend really does? The Brazil team that enters this world cup is perhaps as talented a group as their 1970 team, led by the king, Pele. They are driven by their attacking foursome of Ronaldo, Adriano, Ronaldinho, and Kaka. If you’ve never seen Ronaldinho play, get ready to lose your mind (video highlights). The two-time reigning world player of the year is ridiculous. Everyone cheers for him, regardless of their loyalties. It's as much for his talent, as it is for his style and love of the game. Win or lose, he carries a smile. As he dances around the field displaying his skills, your mind may flash to the brilliant brushstrokes of Van Gogh or Rembrandt. Ronaldinho seems less concerned with results, and more with creating what some Brazilians may call, futbol arte.
Your only memory of Croatian sports stars may be when you cried as Goran Ivanisevic lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2001 (video). With a population just over 4 million, Croatia produces a surprising number of fantastic athletes in many different sports, and soccer is no exception. Croatia will be playing in their third consecutive world cup, reaching the semifinals in 1998. They booked their place in Germany by finishing top of the their qualifying group, undefeated, with seven wins in ten matches. Against top level opponents, their record is fantastic. During qualifying they defeated Sweden twice. In recent friendly matches, they defeated Argentina and earned a draw with Brazil. Even if they lose, their jerseys are sweet.
A thrilling penalty shootout victory over Uruguay catapulted Australia to their first world cup since 1974. In that World Cup, also held in Germany, Australia crashed out miserably, failing to score a single goal. The current team is comprised mostly of English based players, led by their captain, veteran striker, Mark Viduka. Their key to success, however, may lie with their magical coach, Dutchman Guus Hiddink. He led Holland to the 1998 semifinal, before leading host nation South Korea to a semifinal place in 2002. After leading the Socceroos this far, he is already hailed as a hero down under.
Poster boy Hidetoshi Nakata is an Asian footballing legend. Twice the Asian footballer of the year, Nakata is Japan’s greatest player of all time (video). He will lead a powerful midfield trio, joined by stars Shunsuke Nakamura and Shinji Ono. Along with South Korea, Japan represents the strongest hope of Asian success in Germany. Japan reached the second round in 2002, and have had some more recent success as well, playing to a 2-2 draw against Brazil in the 2005 Confederations Cup. If they get on roll, don’t call it sushi. That would just be stupid.
*Programming Note: Soccer Mad moves to Mondays on KOOP.*
If you love soccer, or would like to learn more about it, check out Ben Gardner and Chris Gaffney on Soccer Mad, every Monday at 2:30 pm on 91.7 fm KOOP or online.
