World Cup: Friday-July 11
Get a leg up
FAU men's soccer coach Kos Donev and women's coach Brian Dooley break down the World Cup soccer tournament, which begins Friday.
Originally published on
6/10/2010
by
FAUOwlAccess Staff Report
It’s the biggest sports tournament on the planet – the World Cup. We want FAU fans to be prepared. FAUOwlAccess.com turned to Owls’ men’s soccer coach Kos Donev and women’s coach Brian Dooley to break down the seedings and give their thoughts on what to expect over the coming weeks from the beautiful game.
Which team will come out of nowhere to go deeper than anyone expects?
DONEV: Serbia - They have for sure been affected by the civil war and finally they have had the time to develop their game to the international level. They may be the next Croatian team that surprised many teams a few cups ago
DOOLEY: Ivory Coast will make the miraculous run only to fall short.
Who will be the MVP?
DONEV: I would hope it would be (Lionel) Messi, not only they way he plays but also the way he leads by example and work ethic. But for Messi to be MVP, Argentina has to advance which I do not believe they will. I believe it will be the turn of an unsung hero such Xavie from Spain.
DOOLEY: Brazil, (Luis) Fabiano
Which player who most of us have never heard of will become a household name?
DONEV: Milos Krasic from Serbia or perhaps unknown young player from any of the African countries.
DOOLEY: Could be Wesley Sneijder from Netherlands. Would love to see our local star Altidore make an impact.
What does the United States have to do to make a deep run in the tournament?
DONEV: They need to play an attacking oriented game with ball possession. When they go ahead on a lead, they need to show their confidence by positive ball circulation and not just go into a defensive posture.
DOOLEY: For the US to go deep in the tournament, they will need to play much better defensively. They have shown the ability to score against Spain and Brazil, but Brazil destroyed the defense for a comeback victory. Your best defender cannot be Howard in goal. He needs the players in front of him to play compact and deny penetration. When we get the ball, we need to keep it and circulate the ball effectively. Look to attack quickly when it’s on, but keep it when the numbers are back on defense.
What percent chance do you give the U.S. of claiming the World Cup and why?
DONEV: It is difficult to answer with a percentage. I feel that it is not very high. Although the USA has improved dramatically over the years and has proven on more the just few occasions that they are capable of competing against the best, but not (have not performed) consistently and they have only done this in non-World Cup environments such as the Confederation Cup and during qualification in the CONCACAF.
DOOLEY: 15-20% chance for the US to win. Very young team with developing talent. Lack of depth in defense will be our undoing. Not an easy path after group play - will most likely have to beat three former champions to make it to the Final outside of group play. The experience of their opponents will be a disadvantage for the US.
What will become the big side story this year?
DONEV: The fact that the WC is in Africa for the first time and from all of the African nations, it is South Africa. So the side story will be seeing perhaps, the unity of the African Nations or maybe Maradona making a fool of himself and his country as he has done during the pre-World Cup qualifications.
DOOLEY: The story outside of the Cup will be the suspension of players for card accumulation based on poor referee decisions and players taking dives. I would love to see Ivory Coast or another African nation go deep into the tournament.
Which teams do you see advancing from the first round?
Group A
DONEV: Mexico and France
DOOLEY: Mexico and France
Group B
DONEV: Argentina and Nigeria
DOOLEY: Argentina and Nigeria
Group C
DONEV: England and USA
DOOLEY: USA and England
Groups D
DONEV: Serbia and Germany
DOOLEY: Germany and Ghana
Group E
DONEV: Netherlands and Cameron
DOOLEY: Netherlands and Denmark
Groups F
DONEV: Italy and Slovakia
DOOLEY: Italy and Paraguay
Group G
DONEV: Brazil and Portugal
DOOLEY: Brazil and Ivory Coast
Groups H
DONEV: Spain and Switzerland
DOOLEY: Spain and Chile
Which teams will reach the semifinals?
DONEV: Spain, Serbia, Brazil and Nigeria
DOOLEY: England, Brazil, Argentina and Ivory Coast
Which team will hoist the trophy and why?
DONEV: Spain - They have a complete team, winning the 2008 Euro and have majority of the same players who all play in a very similar way. Their midfield is the motor with Xavi (Hernandez) being the architect. Spain has a humble team but with the world class qualities such as (Andres) Iniesta, Xavi, (Carles) Poyul, (Xabi) Alonso just to name few.
DOOLEY: Brazil - Much has been said about Brazil and how Dunga is changing the way they play. I think he is adding to how they play. The skill Brazil has always shown will bring them the title along with the discipline and strong defending that Dunga brings to the team.