Ballack Out of the World Cup

Michael Ballack suffered ligament damage to his right ankle after this weekend after a vicious tackle from Kevin-Prince Boateng. Germany's captain will be out at least two months after an MRI confirmed that there was a tear in his MCL. More can be read here.

World Cup Preview: Slovakia

In Group F with Paraguay, New Zealand, and Italy

Appearances: This will be their first appearance

Current FIFA Ranking (As of April 28): 38

Captain: Marek Hamsik (Midfielder)

Leading Scorer in Qualifying:  Stanislav Sestak (Striker/Winger) - 6 goals


Key Injuries:

Martin Skrtel (Center back): Broken right foot - Should return in time for the World Cup.
Flilip Holosko (Striker): Broken leg - Should return in time for the World Cup.
Robert Vittek (Striker): Knee injury - Should return in time for the World Cup.

Key retirements since 2006:

No significant retirements to note.

Team Overview:

Slovakia makes history this year with their first World Cup appearance as an independent country. The team is short on star players but made up for it in qualifying with solid team play. They shocked everyone by qualifying first in a group that included Poland, Slovenia and a perennial soccer power in the Czech Republic. They are in a group where they could easily get second place so Slovakia could be able to make a small run this year.

Slovakia is a young and inexperienced squad and they had trouble on the defensive side of the ball during qualifying. They managed to make it through due to their efficiency on offense.

Starting in goal is Jan Mucha, an inexperienced player who will soon sign with Everton, where he will back up United States goalie Tim Howard. He struggled some during qualifying and may not be used to the ability of the players that he may see in the World Cup. He spent the last five years playing in the Polish League.

The backline is a solid group that is led by Martin Skrtel. However, Skrtel is currently recovering from a broken foot and has not played since February so his fitness may come into question. If he is not up to par, Slovakia will be in a lot of trouble.

Slovakia's best player and captain roams the midfield. Marek Hamsik is one of the best players in the world that no one knows about. Despite being only 22-years-old, he is the captain of his national team and is easily the most important player on the team. Another player to watch is winger Miroslav Stoch, a diminutive 5'6" speedster who has a great ability to cross the ball. 3 of the starters in midfield are 22-years-old or younger. The one who is not is the oldest player on the team, 33-year-old Zdeno Strba.



The forwards for Slovakia are an unproven group. How much of an impact can they actually make during the games. Stanislav Sestak is probably the one where most of the scoring duties will fall, however, he may find difficulty getting through difficult defenses like Italy and Paraguay. He will need to count on the midfield to get him the ball in order for him and his fellow forwards to succeed.

Player to Watch: Marek Hamsik

There's no question that the only player that defenses are seriously worried about is Hamsik. In two seasons with his club team, Napoli, he has been their leading scorer. He is a strong player that is tough to work off the ball and has the ability to pick and choose his passes. Slovakia's flow of play will go through Hamsik. He is the two time winner of the Slovakian Player of the Year award. However, he is still quite young so the big stage and pressure could be overwhelming for him. He also struggles mightily on the defensive side of the ball so the opposition can exploit that weakness.



Prediction: Second round loss to Netherlands.

The final squad will not be announced until June 10 but the provisional World Cup squad can be found here.

Match Schedule

World Cup Preview: Italy

In Group F with Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia

Appearances: 16 appearances. Last appearance in 2006. Champions in 1934, '38, '82 and 2006.

Current FIFA Ranking (As of April 28): 5

Captain: Fabio Cannavaro (Center back)

Leading Scorer in Qualifying: Alberto Gilardino (Striker) - 4 goals scored.

Key Injuries: No significant injuries to note.

Key retirements since 2006: 

Alessandro Del Piero (Striker)
Alessandro Nesta (Center Back)
Filippo Inzaghi (Striker)
Marco Materazzi (Center Back)


Team Overview:

What can you say about the Azzurri except for the fact that they are historically one of the best soccer teams of all time. As the defending champions, the Italians will have a large target on their backs. 2006 World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi returns as the head coach after Roberto Donadoni failed in his two years as the coach.

There will be changes in this squad however, as Lippi decided to pick players for his provisional squad that are healthy and played in the qualifying matches. That means Luca Toni and Francesco Totti will not be in South Africa this year as part of the squad.

In goal is Gianluigi Buffon, who is possibly the number one goalkeeper in the world right now. The Italian legend has been named the top goalkeeper in Serie A (The Italian soccer league) a record nine times and has spectacular reflexes. Expect a lot low scoring games when going up against Italy. Buffon has over 100 caps for the national squad and sits behind only Cannavaro, Paolo Maldini and Dino Zoff on the all-time list.

Cannavaro will probably get most of the headlines among the defenders, but little known Giorgio Chiellini is the best in the group. During the 2008 EuroCup, he filled in for the injured Cannavaro and shut down Spaniards Fernando Torres and David Villa. He's a tough defender and has some ability in the air but has been known to be a dirty player. In a friendly game against Netherlands, he broke Robin van Persie's leg with a vicious tackle. He'll pair with Cannavaro to form a solid central defense. The sidebacks for the team are the very experienced Gianluca Zambrotta and 2006 World Cup hero Fabio Grosso.

The midfield for the Azzurri is one one of the top groups in the world. Each starter has his own specialty. Gennaro Gattuso is one of the hardest working players in the game. He will hound the opposition and work to keep the ball for his squad. Andrea Pirlo is the team's facilitator and much of the game will be played through him. He is also the dead ball specialist on the team and will take every free kick and corner kick.



The other two players that will see a lot of time in midfield are Mauro Camoranesi and Daniele De Rossi. De Rossi is the attacking midfielder and will be expected to provide lots of support for the fowards.

The forwards for Italy will most likely stay a 3 or 4 man rotation. With the absence of Luca Toni on this year's team, the starters will be Gilardino and Vincenzo Iaquinta. Both are similar players that scavenge around the net to pick up goals. They are not prolific goalscorers but they get the job done.



Player to Watch: Gianluigi Buffon

I think that the fortunes for the Azzurri rests in the hands of Buffon. Not only is he one of the best keepers in the world, he is also one of the best leaders. When his club squad, Juventus, was in trouble due to the match fixing scandal, he decided to stay loyal to the team and not try to demand a trade like many of his teammates. He stayed with them despite the fact that they were being relegated to a inferior league.



He has amazing reflexes and his height (6'3") helps him a lot in reaching the ball when it is fired toward him. 




Prediction: Quarterfinal loss to Spain

The final squad will not be announced until June 10 but the provisional World Cup squad can be found here.

Match Schedule

Updates and Squad Exclusions

England suffered another major blow today when they learned that John Terry has suffered a foot injury that could keep him out of the World Cup. More information can be read here.

UPDATE: Team doctors are saying Terry has minor ligament damage in his foot and he should be alright. More can be read here.

Serbia will be missing one of their defenders after Ivica Dragutinovic tore his Achilles tendon. More can be read here.

Also, preliminary World Cup rosters were released for all of the countries in the past couple of days. Here are some of the big name players that will not be playing in the World Cup this year because they were not included in the preliminary roster.

France - Karim Benzema (Possibly as a result of his sex scandal) and Patrick Viera.

Spain - Bojan Krkic, Sergio Canales and Raul.

Argentina - Javier Zanetti, Fernando Gago, Gabriel Milito and Esteban Cambiasso.

Netherlands - Ruud van Nistelrooy and Clarence Seedorf.

Italy - Francesco Totti and Luca Toni.

Germany - Thomas Hitzlsperger

Brazil - Roaldinho, Adriano, Neymar, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.

United States - Charlie Davies

Uruguay - Cristian Rodriguez

World Cup Preview: Denmark

In Group E with Netherlands, Japan, and Cameroon

Appearances: 3 appearances (Last appearance in 2002)

Current FIFA Ranking (As of April 28): 35

Captain:  Jon Dahl Tomasson (Striker)

Leading Scorer in Qualifying: Soren Larson (Striker) - 5 goals

Key Injuries: Thomas Sorenson (Goalkeeper) - Dislocated elbow,    
                                                     expected to be back for the World Cup

Key retirements since 2006: 

Thomas Helveg (Defender)
Martin Laursen (Defender)
Niclas Jensen (Left back)

Team Overview:

Denmark surprised many people by placing first place in their qualifying group, beating the likes of Sweden and Portugal. Under the watchful eye of head coach Morten Olsen, Denmark has experienced its most successful run of soccer in its history. They've reached two of the last three World Cups and with this appearance, makes it three out of four. However, they face a tough task trying to qualify in one of the toughest groups in the World Cup so don't be surprised if they don't make it very far.

Thomas Sorenson, the goalkeeper, recently dislocated his elbow in a game against Chelsea. Doctors determined that no surgery was needed so he should be back in time to play during the World Cup. He is one of the most experienced players on the team and has an amazing ability to make big saves during penalty shootouts.

Helping out Sorenson will be a rough and tough group of players that includes English based players Daniel Agger and Lars Jacobson. The two play, respectively, for Liverpool and Blackburn and are both very physical players. However, the defensive are not an offensive threat so don't look for them to do a lot, if any, overlapping.

Roaming the midfield is a bulldog of a player, Christian Poulsen. The defensive midfielder is one of the most aggravating players in the game. He has been known to absolutely piss off his opponents, leading to fist fights and illegal tackles. During the 2004 Euro Cup, his actions led to Francesco Totti spitting on him. He once kicked Kaka while Kaka while down on the ground and the refs weren't looking and he punched a Swedish player during 2008 Euro Cup qualifying. This consequently led a fan to charge the field, the game being called off and Denmark disqualified with a 3-0 loss.



Around Poulsen are a couple of offensively talented midfielders, Martin Jorgensen and Dennis Rommedahl. Both are in the twilight of their careers and and this will most likely be their last World Cup. Both are threats to score and will be counted on to facilitate the scoring opportunities for the team.

The forwards for the team are the captain, Jon Dahl Tomasson, and talented youngster Nicklas Bendtner while super-sub Soren Larson will be a major player off of the bench. All three are efficient goalscorers, with Tomasson as one of the greatest in Danish history. With Netherlands and Cameroon in their group, the forwards will have to score early and often if Denmark hopes to make it to the second round.

Player to Watch: Nicklas Bendtner

The 6'3" Bendtner will be one of the most important players for the Danish squad. His height poses the perfect compliment to Tomasson's craftiness and instincts. Bendtner is a strong player who can hold the ball and is the best aerial player on the team. However, he has really struggled to finish off goals during high profile games, as his recent showing in the Champions League can attest. He will need to shake off the jitters early or he'll find his way to the bench.



Prediction: Knocked out in the group stages.

The final squad will not be announced until June 10 but here is a small list of players in the running to make the team.

Match Schedule

World Cup Update: Germany

News came out this past week that starting goalkeeper Rene Adler will undergo surgery on a fractured rib and will miss the World Cup. Midfielder Simon Rolfes also confirmed that he will miss the World Cup due to knee injuries.

Germany's goalkeeper position is now up for grabs with Hans-Jorg Butt, Tim Wiese and Manuel Neuer all in contention. Butt is the current favorite to take over the position.

World Cup Preview: Japan

In Group E with Netherlands, Denmark, and Cameroon

Appearances: 3 appearances (Last appearance in 2006)

Current FIFA Ranking (As of April 28): 45

Captain: Yuji Nakazawa (Center back)

Leading Scorer in Qualifying: 4 players tied with 3 goals.
Yuji Nakazawa
Yasuhito Endo (Defensive midfielder)
                                                Shunsuke Nakamura (Midfielder/Winger)
                                                Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Sweeper)

Key Injuries: No significant injuries to note.

Key retirements since 2006: 
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (Center back)
Hidetoshi Nakata (Midfielder)
Naohiro Takahara (Striker)
Alex (Midfielder)
Akira Kaji (Right back)
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Goalkeeper)

Team Overview:

Samurai Blue have had a recent run of success in getting to the World Cup. After failing to qualify for the first 15 tournaments, Japan has now qualified to participate in four straight World Cups and enters this year with lofty hopes of reaching the semifinals.

In goal will be Seigo Narazaki, the new keeper now that Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi has retired. The 34-year-old is very experienced, as he played in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups as well.

The defense for Samurai Blue is a very versatile group. The anchor is captain Yuji Nakazawa, a tough defender who is an excellent aerial player. He is one of three players in Japanese history to reach 100 caps and scored 17 goals from his center back position. He has found a solid partner in Marcus Tulio Tanaka, a Brazilian born player who moved to Japan when he was 15 years old. Tanaka plays the sweeper position, which is a center back who brings the ball up often. The position was developed and played most famously by Franz Beckenbauer. The two will be flanked by Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida.

The midfield for Japan is the most steady section of their team. Leading the group is national hero Shunsuke Nakamura, one of their best attackers on the team. He is also the best free kick taker on the team and expect him to be the main distributor when Samurai Blue takes the field. An up-and-comer in the group Kengo Nakamura (unrelated to Shunsuke). His style of play is similar to Shunsuke with the passing ability but he has a more powerful shot. The two Nakamuras have the ability to make or break the fortunes for Japan.






Rounding out the foursome is Makoto Hasebe and defensive midfielder Yasuhito Endo. Endo is a box-to-box player and is the reigning Asian Footballer of the Year. Another player that can make a huge difference for the team will be Keisuke Honda. The 23-year-old is having an excellent year with CSKA Moscow and will be an integral part of the team, whether he starts or comes off the bench.

The forwards for Japan have been an erratic group for the past four years and will be so once again this year. Over the past two years, coach Takeshi Okada has started over 21 strikers in an attempt to find the right combination, but he may have finally found his man. He could use one or two strikers like Yoshito Okubo and Sota Hirayama but there is probably only one that he can count on. That would be youngster Shinji Ozaki.


Player to Watch: Shinji Ozaki

Ozaki is definitely the player to watch in for Japan. In his 24 international games, he has already become one of the most prolific scorers in Japanese history with his 16 goals. 15 of those international goals were scored in 2009 and he was named the World's Top Goalscorer for that year by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. He's always around the ball when there is a goalscoring opportunity and has a powerful shot.



Prediction: Knocked out in the group stages.

The final squad will not be announced until June 10 but here is a small list of players in the running to make the team.

Match Schedule