2010 FIFA World Cup: Group F Preview

Charles Klein

Even after a rather unconvincing performance from the Azzurri this afternoon, Group F is still their's to win (or lose). Football is a bloody unpredictable sport and teams like Paraguay on their day can be equals with a defending world champion. This is another group that is quite off-kilter. Only one team here is really even worth the time writing about (Italy) and the other three are also-rans or lucky-to-be-here types.

More questions will certainly be asked of the Azzurri in the aftermath of their draw with Paraguay. Does manager Marcello Lippi have the right group of players to defend their title? Are the Italians too old in key areas to challenge the best sides in the competition?

Today's match was one that ought to give even greater momentum to the theory that Italy are just too old to seriously challenge this year. Although Lippi's starting XI today only featured three players who were a part of the 2006 world championship, the new blood brought in to freshen up a side that looked well beyond their best days in Euro 2008 did very little to change the perception of this team. Italy are, however, a great tournament team, they always have been and probably always will be. Their style of play is not as easy on the eyes as some of the other teams in this tournament, but it has served them very well in the past.

I still expect them to top this group because of the right combination of experience and superior skill. Daniele De Rossi is an outstanding central midfield player and Gianluigi Buffon remains one of the best keepers in world football. However, the loss of Andrea Pirlo at least for the immediate future appears to be a blow to Italian hopes. There is no other player like him on the 23 man roster. Italy need his creativity and attacking nous in the middle of the park if they are to play well against the Brazil's, Spains and Germanys of this competition. Still, even though Buffon's hamstring injury is a worry, Lippi is talented enough as a manager to find a way to win. It's just what the Italians do.

In spite of the match already played today, I still stand by my pick of Slovakia to advance to the next round behind Italy. An underrated bunch from a country better known for its hockey than its football, Slovakia might sneak up on a few people this year. They do have a few star players including Napoli's Marek Hamsik and Liverpool's Martin Skrtel. Slovakia are certainly an unpopular pick (with many going with Paraguay to advance) but one I feel comfortable with. Regardless of who advances second out of this group, they will almost certainly not advance beyond the second round.

Paraguay were rather unlucky to concede against Italy today. Having gone ahead six minutes before the end of the first half, they were really one better decision by a goalkeeper away from taking all three points from an underwhelming Azzuri. The big question marks remain for Paraguay, the biggest one, not only in terms of import but also in size is the fitness of Roque Santa Cruz. La Albirroja need him to be fit for them to advance out of this group. On the evidence so far, there is not much cause for encouragement.

Finally there is New Zealand. And they, perhaps almost more than any other team in the cup, should be the happiest to have qualified for South Africa. Like the geek invited to the frat party, New Zealand will have no idea what to do when they actually play their first match. Beneficiaries of Australia's move to Asia for world cup qualifying, the All Whites had a very easy time of it indeed. Their inclusion in this tournament ought to be a cause for wonder when other sides like Croatia, Turkey, Ireland and Russia all remain out. That being said, it will be a great three days for New Zealand because unlike the other happy-to-be-there side in this tournament (North Korea) they do not have to play Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal.

Predicted XI's

Italia

GK: Gianluigi Buffon

DEF: Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Cannavaro (C), Giorgio Chiellni, Fabio Grosso

MF: Mauro Camoranesi, Daniele De Rossi, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo (when healthy)

ST: Antonio Di Natale (when healthy), Alberto Gilardino

Slovakia

GK: Jan Mucha

DEF: Peter Pekarik, Martin Skrtel, Jan Durica, Radoslav Zabavnik

MF: Vladimir Weiss, Miroslav Karhan, Marek Hamsik, Miroslav Stoch

ST: Robert Vittek, Stanislav Sestak

Paraguay

GK: Justo Villar

DEF: Dario Veron, Julio Cesar Caceres, Paulo Da Silva, Aureliano Torres (C)

MF: Jonathan Santana, Edgar Barreto, Christian Rivieros,

ST: Roque Santa Cruz (when healthy), Nelson Haedo

New Zealand

GK: Mark Paston

DEF: Ben Sigmund, Ivan Vicelich, Ryan Nelson (C), Tony Lochhead

MF: Tim Brown, Simon Elliott, Leo Bertos, Shane Smeltz

ST: Chris Killen, Rory Fallon


Players To Watch: Daniele De Rossi (Italia), Andrea Pirlo (Italia), Gianluigi Buffon (Italia), Fabio Cannavaro (Italia), Marek Hamsik (Slovakia), Stanislav Sestak (Slovakia), Roque Santa Cruz (Paraguay), Julio Cesar Caceres (Paraguay), Chris Killen (New Zealand), Shane Smeltz (New Zealand).

1. Italy
2. Slovakia
3. Paraguay
4. New Zealand

2010 FIFA World Cup: Group E Preview

Charles Klein

The nations in Group E get to finally play their first game in South Africa tomorrow, with the Netherlands and Denmark set to kickoff at 7 A.M eastern time. This group is comprised of the really good (Netherlands) the average (Denmark), the inconsistent (Cameroon) and the damned lucky (Japan). The Dutch ought to be the clear winners of this group, but like many of the others in this tournament, the real battle will be for second place.

The Netherlands enter this World Cup on the back of a brilliant qualifying campaign, one in which they registered a 100% record and surrendered the fewest goals (surprise, surprise). As usual, the Oranje are loaded with attacking options that any nation in the world wished suited up for them. The attacking quartet of Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van Der Vaart and Robin Van Persie are talented enough to give any defense nightmares. Even the vaunted Catenaccio style of Italy was no match for the Total Football of the Netherlands in Euro 2008.

But there are more than a few questions for the fourth best team in the world (according to the FIFA rankings). Who will step up on the left side of the Oranje attack in the absence of Robben? Will Robben play any part in this world cup? Can the Dutch keep the other team from scoring?

The one place the Dutch could afford to lose a key man is in the final third. The Dutch are blessed with an absolute dearth of attacking talent that goes beyond the big four. HSV's Eljero Elia's pace has inspired its own NASA investigation. By the end of this tournament, more than just the football nuts will know that name. Aside from Elia, Dutch manager Bert Van Marwijk, has other options, which include Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt and PSV's Ibrahim Afellay. And from all of the reports I have been reading, it appears as though Robben will be able to recover from his hamstring injury in time for the last group match, if not sooner.

After the Netherlands, there is a major drop off in terms of talent and skill. It has been nearly two decades since Denmark were relevant on the world stage. The Danes are strong down the middle, with steady goalkeeper Thomas Sorenson (Stoke City), defenders Simon Kjaer (Palermo) and Daniel Agger (Liverpool), midfielder Christian Poulsen (Juventus) and striker Niklas Bendtner (Arsenal). Their wingers are both on the wrong side of 30 and width will be a real problem for the Scadinavians. But they could pose a few problems for the rest of the teams in their group with their stout defense and height in the final third.

Cameroon are a decent side as well, if they could maintain a run of consistent good form they could be the African team that progresses furthest in this competition. Samuel Eto'o will have to play the games of his life if Cameroon are to advance as far as they did on that magical run in Italy in 1990 (quaterfinals). The Indomitable Lions will need their midfield to match their name and sirs Alex Song (Arsenal) and Jean Makoun (Olympique Lyonnaise) will need to provide the steel in the middle of the park. Cameroon's defense has been shaky, especially during qualification, and goalkeeper Idriss Kameni will need to step up for the Lions to progress.

Japan, quite frankly, should be happy to just be in the field of 32. They had a relatively easy path to qualification (due to the lack of class in Asia) but lack the talent necessary to make any kind of waves in this group. Japan does have some skilled players in Shunsuke Nakamura (Espanyol) and Yasuhito Endo. Takeshi Okada also has Keisuke Honda, a talented young midfielder with plenty of potential. The biggest problem for Japan is too few of their players have proven themselves in foreign leagues of any consequence. Big numbers in the J-League prove little on the international level and Japan will have to attempt to punch well above their weight in this group. And I expect them to get knocked out cold.

Predicted Starting XI's

Netherlands

GK: Maarten Stekelenburg

DEF: Gregory Van Der Wiel, John Heintinga, Joris Mathijsen, Gio Van Bronckhorst (C)

MF: Rafael Van Der Vaart (LAM) Nigel De Jong (LDM), Wesley Sneijder (CAM), Mark Van Bommel (RDM),  Dirk Kuyt (RAM)

ST: Robin Van Persie

Cameroon

GK: Idriss Kameni

DEF: Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Sebastien Bassong, Rigobert Song, Geremi

MF: Eyong Enoh, Alex Song, Jean Makoun, Aurelien Chedjou

ST: Samuel Eto'o, Pierre Webo

Denmark

GK: Thomas Sorenson

DEF: Per Kroldrup, Daniel Agger, Simon Kjaer, Lars Jacobsen

MF: Dennis Rommedahl, Christian Poulsen, Jakob Poulsen, Martin Jorgensen, Jesper Gronkjaer

ST: Nicklas Bendtner

Japan

GK: Eiji Kawashima

DEF: Yuji Nakazawa, Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Yasuyuki Konno, Yuto Nagatomo

MF: Yasuhito Endo, Yuki Abe, Makoto Hasebe, Keisuke Honda

ST: Yoshito Okubo, Shinji Okazaki

Players To Watch: Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Rafael Van Der Vaart (Netherlands), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Eljero Elia (Netherlands), Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark), Simon Kjaer (Denmark), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Alex Song (Cameroon), Idriss Kameni (Cameroon), Keisuke Honda (Japan).

Predicted Group Standings

1. Netherlands
2. Cameroon
3. Denmark
4. Japan

2010 FIFA World Cup: Group D Preview

Charles Klein

I have to say, the D in the headline has to be short for death. All four of these teams are in the top 25 in the FIFA rankings and each team has a host of players on big club teams in Europe. Germany becomes the group winner almost by default, considering their history of success in this competition. In spite of the fact that there remains a bit of uncertainty between the sticks and who will step up in the absence of captain Michael Ballack, they are still Germany the most well-oiled winning machine in world football. Questions remain about who will lead the line, but I expect manager Joachim Low to find the right combination by the time the knockout stages roll around. Will this be the year that Mario Gomez finally finds his international scoring boots? And can Miroslav Klose keep up his scoring rate for the national team?

Even in the absence of Ballack, the German midfield maintains its strength and skill. When this tournament is all over, everyone the world over will know who Mesut Ozil is, and every club will want the lad's signature. He really is that good. The Werder Bremen attacking midfield player has tremendous skill and at 21, has bags of potential. Bastian Schweinsteiger comes into this competition off of his best season with Bayern Munich and has the experience necessary to run the German midfield.

The most difficult to divine is which team finishes behind them.

I think that Serbia are that team. As a Manchester United supporter, I have come to admire the passion and play of Nemanja Vidic. His physical abilities in the air will be important for Serbia in the defensive and offensive thirds of the pitch. His likely partner in central defense, Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea is no slouch either. Serbia are incredibly strong in the middle of their defense. The biggest key for them will be the effectiveness of their wingers, Milos Krasic and Milan Jovanovic respectively. Both have shown an eye for goal, with Jovanovich leading Serbia in goals scored in the qualifying round. The two center forwards will be expected to hold up play more than score goals, but I am sure Serbia would not mind if they put in a few as well.

For me Ghana and Australia are pretty similar. I do not expect much out of either, but it would not surprise me if either one goes on a run and advances in this tournament. The Ghanaian cause suffered a major setback when their talismanic all-everything midfielder Michael Essien was ruled out of the tournament with an injury. And their play versus Holland in a friendly did not exactly build confidence in the side's defensive capabilities. Ghana is still a talented squad and could be boosted by playing on their home continent, but I do not think they will shock as many in this year's World Cup as they did in 2006.

Australia has made it into the tournament without any significant injuries. I still doubt the talent on their roster. Mark Schwarzer had an excellent season with Fulham and I have been continually impressed by the play of midfielder Tim Cahill, but the rest of the roster leaves a bit to be desired.

Predicted XI's

Germany

GK: Manuel Neuer

DEF: Phillip Lahm, Per Mertesacker, Serdar Tasci, Jerome Boateng

MF: Bastian Schweinsteiger (C), Lukas Podolski, Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller

ST: Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez

Serbia

GK: Vladimir Stojkovic

DEF: Aleksandar Lukovic, Nemanja Vidic, Branislav Ivanovic, Ivan Obradovic

MF: Milan Jovanovich, Nenad Milijas, Dejan Stankovic (C), Milos Krasic

ST: Marko Pantelic, Nikola Zigic

Ghana

GK: Richard Kingson

DEF: Samuel Inkoom, John Pantsil, Isaac Vorsah, Lee Addy

MF: Anthony Annan, Sulley Muntari, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Stephen Appiah

ST: Kwado Asamoah, Asamoah Gyan

Australia

GK: Mark Schwarzer

DEF: Luke Wilkshire, Lucas Neill (C), Craig Moore, Scott Chipperfield

MF: Tim Cahill, Brett Emerton, Jason Culina, Vince Grella, Mark Bresciano

ST: Harry Kewell

Players To Watch: Nemanja Vidic (Serbia), Milos Krasic (Serbia), Milan Jovanovich (Serbia) Mesut Ozil (Germany), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Tim Cahill (Australia).

Predicted Group Standings

1. Germany
2. Serbia
3. Ghana
4. Australia

Africa's cup?

Nuwan Peiris

If you say it enough, does it make it true? African football fans will certainly hope so, as Shakira's World Cup anthem "Waka Waka (this time for Africa)" rings around South Africa's stadiums before the matches. South Africa's winning bid to host the World Cup is already a massive victory, not just for the Rainbow Nation, but for the African continent as a whole. This is Africa's biggest sporting showpiece to date, at least to my knowledge, and hopefully the first of many.

However is this really Africa's time? With a record six nations representing CAF this tournament, fans would certainly hope so.

So let's look at the chances of the African nations.

South Africa

What better place to start than with this year's hosts? All the pressure is certainly on Bafana Bafana. No host nation has ever failed to move on from the group stages. 19 hosts in the group stages (18 World Cups, 19 hosts. 1000 points if you figure that one out without Google), 19 hosts who progressed to the knockout stages. This year's hosts certainly don't want the dubious honour of the nation that breaks that trend, but they are widely considered as the weakest of the nations representing Africa, largely owing to the fact that they didn't have to earn their spot through qualifying.
South Africa however have shown some excellent form coming into the tournament, going unbeaten for their last 12 matches, stretching back to October of last year when they lost by a single goal away to Iceland.
Furthermore they face a group of good, but not great teams, in the shape of France (probable group winners), Uruguay and Mexico. This is by no means easy passage for the hosts, but it is also no group of death and they can be hopeful of progressing.
This combined with the boisterous, Vuvuzela-toting crowds, could see the hosts through allowing them to avoid an embarrassing place in football's history books.

Likely 2nd round match up: Argentina

Verdict: It will definitely go down to the wire in this evenly matched group, and I think the potential for embarrassment and the home town support will go a long way in helping the hosts progress behind France. They won't go any further than the 2nd round.

Nigeria

The Super Eagles are in a group with potential cup winners Argentina, so they'll be vying for 2nd place against South Korea and the defensive minded Greeks. Unless Nigeria bring back their heroics of the 1996 Olympic games when they beat Argentina to win the gold medal, they'll have to rely on results against the other group foes to progress. The loss of John Obi Mikel certainly hurts their chances, but don't be surprised to see Nigeria progress from this group.

Likely 2nd round match up: France

Verdict: As long as the Super Eagles progress from their group, which I think they will, they won't be too disappointed with playing France in the 2nd round. Don't get me wrong, the French are a good side, but it's hardly the worst match up the Nigerians could get. I'm still leaning towards Nigeria being knocked out at this stage.

Algeria

Les Fennecs give South Africa a challenge for worst African nation in the tournament and will struggle to make it out of their group. The North Africans did well to keep African champions Egypt out of the tournament, but they wouldn't have been thrilled to have drawn contenders England in their group, nor the United States. Slovenia complete the group of opponents for the Algerians, and may provide the likeliest source of points. I wouldn't totally rule them out, playmaker Ziani could cause problems for other teams, as long as the other ten men on the pitch can get him the ball.

Likely 2nd round match up: Germany

Verdict: Algeria won't be good enough to get out of this group, they'll do well to get a point.

Ghana

While the Black Stars gave Africa their best showing in the last World Cup, it will be tough to pull together a similar string of inspired performances again. Their chances took a big blow with the loss of their masterful midfielder, Michael Essien. As far as opponents go, Ghana face a fairly formidable trio. Germany are perennial over-achievers in the World Cup, and this year should be no different. Serbia provide as solid a defense as any in the tournament, Ghana will be looking to catch them off guard in the first group game. They then go on to play the Socceroos, who will be their best chance at gaining points. Hopefully for their sake they would have racked up enough points by June 23rd, or they'll have to pull off a surprise against the Germans.

Likely 2nd round match up: England

Verdict: Close call between Ghana and Serbia to clinch 2nd place, and I don't think the Ghanaians will make it.

Cameroon

Africa's most experienced team (in terms of appearances in the World Cup) had to wait till the final day of qualification to book their spot in the tournament. They recovered from a poor start in qualification, to make it through, and will look to continue their good form in the group stages. They're up against the Oranje (Holland), Denmark and Japan. None of these will be easy games for the Indomitable Lions, but they'll look to striker Samuel Eto'o to take a leaf out of Cameroonian legend Roger Milla's book, and lead them deep into the tournament.
The Dutch obviously pose the toughest challenge in this group, and if Cameroon can sneak a point against them it will go a long way to helping them progress. Like Ghana, they'll look to get two good results against weaker foes (Denmark and Japan) before they face the Dutch in their final group game. Cameroonian fans will fancy their chances to follow the Dutch through to the 2nd round.

Likely 2nd round match up: Italy

Verdict: Cameroon will make it out of their group, and I don't think the defending champions are as powerful as they were when they lifted the trophy four years ago. I am incredibly biased, as to me they were undeserving winners anyway, but that's another blog entry. Cameroon and Senegal are the only African teams to have progressed as far as the quarter finals in the World Cup, and if I'm seeing a shock in the 2nd round for any African teams, it's with Cameroon toppling Italy to repeat their glory of 1990.

Cote d'Ivoire

Didier Drogba, the man on whom this nation's hopes hung, will be lucky to see a game in this tournament. They still have a few very capable players, and can't totally be ruled out in Drogba's absence. Still, a few weeks ago they would have been my top pick for African success in this tournament, and have fallen far since Drogba's injury. The prolific striker would have caused serious trouble for group opponents North Korea, Portugal and perhaps even Brazil. The Ivorians face the two tougher opponents first, and if they can steal a win against Portugal, they can certainly feel good going into their final game against North Korea. I really think the race for 2nd place in this group hinges on that first game between Portugal and Cote d'Ivoire.

Likely 2nd round match up: Spain

Verdict: Injured superstar + first round group opponents Brazil and Portugal + a likely match up against Spain if they progress = a tough outlook for the West Africans. I think they will make it out of their group, but not past Spain.

So that's my predictions for African hopefuls over the next month. Algeria to fall early along with Ghana. South Africa, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire and Cameroon will all make it through to the 2nd round, but will all face tough opponents there. Cameroon will have the best chance of getting any further.

Hardly looking like Africa's time, which is a shame given high hopes after qualification. Having said that, hopefully there will be a great amount of solidarity among traveling African fans, hopefully enough to inspire a big upset or two. That would make this tournament a memorable one for the host continent. 

A Special Favor

c

Charles Klein

Just a quick request ladies and gentlemen. If you enjoy the content on this blog, please click on my ads. I have already done this, but there is only so much one man can do. By clicking on my ads, you will be making a small contribution to a blog that hopefully entertains and informs you. And since I am currently unemployed, it would help me a bit to get some extra cash. Also, if your business would like to advertise on this blog, please send an e-mail to charles.h.klein@gmail.com.

Stephen Strasburg's Debut: As Good As It Gets?

Charles Klein

Last night with my buddy, we were sitting on his basement couch looking at each other in amazement. I said to him "FOURTEEN STRIKE OUTS! FOURTEEN STRIKE OUTS!?!? But, HOW!?!" Neither of us had any idea. That refrain repeated in my head all night, I simply could not process it. It certainly helped me forget the o-fer by Ray Allen.

Stephen Strasburg's line from last night: 7 innings-pitched, 4 hits, 14 strikeouts, 2 earned runs, zero walks.

In his first game!?! Really!?!?!

Honestly I cannot even contain my surprise at just how well he pitched. I was able to catch the first few innings and was blown away. Strasburg pitches as quickly as Cliff Lee, throws as hard as Randy Johnson and locates his breaking ball like Maddux. Certainly his debut looks better because he faced the worst hitting team in the Majors, the team Colin Cowherd refers to as a Triple-A team. And yes, the Pirates really are a dreadful team, but I don't care who you face, 14 strikeouts is impressive.

Just watching the movement of his pitches last night had me all dither. Seriously, the way his fastball rises, the drop on the breaking ball and the effectiveness of his changeup was a delight to watch. I don't think I've seen a pitcher like him in my life.

Now this is only one start, and at 21 years-old, Strasburg has much more to do to truly cement his status as the best pitcher in the game. And at that age, he will, at some point, pitch like a 21 year-old. Last night he looked nothing like a guy who was making his debut in front of a sold out crowd who was only there to see him pitch.

I understand all of the comparisons to Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, but I do not think that the same fate awaits Strasburg. The Nationals are going to baby Strasburg and prevent him from throwing too many innings, something which the Cubs failed to do with both Wood and Prior. Additionally, Strasburg has already reached deity status in Washington and the media there will never get on him in the manner in which the Chicago media roasted Prior and Wood. And both Wood and Prior came up with the Cubs when the team was expected to contend and was in the World Series winner discussion. While the future of the Nationals rests on Strasburg's shoulders, no one expects the team to go to the World Series any time soon (aside from maybe Rob Dibble).

And for anyone who missed the highlights click here.

Washington D.C. already has Alexander Ovechkin, appears to be getting John Wall and now has Stephen Strasburg. The city may become more than just the nation's capital, it could also become the home of the best players in the nation.

The Golden Generation?

Charles Klein

Over the past few seasons, baseball fans have witnessed seismic changes to the game they grew up watching. Whether those changes are more stringent drug testing, instant replay for homeruns, or a more pitching-friendly game than has been seen for quite some time, the game has aged well and remained relevant.

As the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new. Having successfully discarded many of the steroid-taking stars from the game, a bit of a void has been created, waiting for a new crop of superstar players to take the game to heights heretofore unseen. And, you may ask, who are these players?

The Washington Nationals' Stephen Strasburg, the Florida Marlins' Michael Stanton, the San Francisco Giant' Buster Posey and the Atlanta Braves' Jason Heyward. And those are just the guys coming up this year. This quartet of young prospects appear on the cusp of taking over the game much in the same way that LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh have in the NBA.

While Strasburg, Stanton, Posey and Heyward were not all drafted in the same year, they have or will all make their MLB debuts in the same season. Stephen Strasburg, without queston, has become MLB's version of LeBron James. It is rare that a baseball prospect gets this much buzz and hype before he has thrown a single big league pitch. Strasburg is the first prospect to be brought up in the age of the 24-hour news cycle with Twitter and blogs covering his every move. LeBron James received just as much hype during his last year of high school, with ESPN broadcasting the games on national television.

Jason Heyward is the Dwyane Wade of this group. During Wade's rookie season he average 16.2 points per game with 4.5 assists per game. Overshadowed by LeBron, Wade still had a fantastic season. Similarly while we have all watched Heyward sparkle for the Atlanta Braves, the collective focus of baseball has been trained on Strasburg. Heyward, appears to be a lock for NL Rookie of the Year, hitting .266 with ten home runs and 39 RBIs.

Buster Posey is the Carmelo Anthony of this cadre of young talent. Like Carmelo, he will never get enough credit for what he does and due to his home city will not get as much attention as players on the east coast for his talents. Posey was called up last week from the minor leagues after the Giants concluded that there was no excuse anymore for keeping him down. Both Posey and Anthony play for franchises whose glories were long ago and who appear to be a few pieces away from challenging for a championship. In Posey's nine big league games, he is hitting at a .454 clip with four RBIs. While his average will not be near that by season's end, Posey appears destined for greatness based on everything that I have heard from people who know a thing or two about the game.

And finally Michael Stanton is Chris Bosh. While the Raptors and Marlins are pretty dissimilar as franchises (with one having won two titles and the other having won zero), Stanton and Bosh are pretty comparable. Bosh was not an instant producer during his rookie season, only averaging around 11 points per game. But he certainly grew into the league, developing into a five-time All-Star. Stanton appears more than ready for the Major Leagues, having already hit 20 home runs and driven in 52 runs this year in the minor leagues. But like Bosh, he has not gotten nearly the hype of Strasburg or Heyward. I expect Stanton to combine the sublime with the frustrating this season, as there will be more than a few games in which he goes 1-4 with a home run and three strike outs. Young power hitters like him usually take a bit of time before they adjust to the professional game, much in the same way that big men take longer to develop in the NBA.

Major League Baseball certainly has its fair share of young stars already in the game before this crop of rookies make their mark this season. Felix Hernandez, Justin Upton, David Price, and Matt Kemp all come to mind. But baseball has yet to see a class of rookies with this much talent all in the same season in quite some time. And this quartet could be the torch-bearers for the new MLB, a league cleansed of the stain of steroids and one that is ready to charge into the next decade as one of the best leagues in sports.

2010 FIFA World Cup: Group C Preview

Charles Klein

This is one of the simplest groups to predict in the World Cup (outside of Group H). We have one global footballing superpower in England and a team on the rise in the United States. The bottom two teams in this group both pulled off shock upsets in order to qualify for this year's tournament, with Algeria beating African Cup Of Nations winner Egypt and Slovenia knocking out Russia.

What could make this group more interesting is England's capacity to stutter out of the gates. As usual, there is a colossus of pressure on this year's England squad to bring home the trophy for the first time since 1966. And there is perhaps no more voracious media than the English when it comes to football. England have lost their captain Rio Ferdinand to a knee injury their star man picked up in training. While Ledley King may be able to deputize to extraordinary effect, Ferdinand's absence adds just one more question to whether or not this generation of English footballers are good enough to bring home the trophy.

All of that being said, England ought to have a pretty easy time of it in Group C. Their only potential trip up being the United States, who they play first on June 12th. England still have Wayne Rooney, quite possibly the best center forward in world football for the past year. Rooney has been in spectacular form with his club side Manchester United and England are counting on him to duplicate it in South Africa. Rooney is the odds-on favorite for me anyway to take home the Golden Boot (the award the highest goal scorer in the competition). Whether he brings home another trophy is entirely dependent upon how well England mesh together in the midfield and if the center of defense can remain stout in the absence of Ferdinand. I fully expect them to at least provide the answers to those questions in the first round.

The United States enters this tournament with a bit of guarded optimism. Certainly the run they made in the Confederations Cup last summer in South Africa has done nothing but boost expectations in the States of what this team is capable of doing. That being said, the United States has more than just a few unanswered questions. Will Oguchi Onyewu be fit enough to play the important role he has to play for this team in order for them to advance beyond the group? Can Jozy Altidore take the big step towards international stardom? Who will partner Altidore in the absence of Charlie Davies? And does the United States have enough talent to beat the top teams in this year's tournament?

Given that this group is a bit of a "softie" as compared to the others in this tournament, I do not expect those questions to really be asked very much during the first three games of Team USA's involvement in this tournament. Their opener agaisnt England will likely determine who wins this group and is therefore the most crucial match of the campaign. And yet I expect manager Bob Bradley wishes that the England match came at the end of the group stage when perhaps his team may be more prepared.

Both Algeria and Slovenia have some decent players on their squads, but I do not know all that much about them and I do not expect them to really do anything in this tournament. I could be completely wrong though. Both have players who play for well-known clubs (Rangers, Portsmouth, Wolfsburg, Siena, Chievo, Udinese), but judging by the number of Portsmouth players that play for Algeria, they could be in for some problems in this World Cup.

Predicted XI's

England

4-2-3-1

GK: Robert Green

DEF: John Terry, Ledley King, Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole

MF: Gareth Barry (CDM), Michael Carrick (CDM), Frank Lampard (RAM), Aaron Lennon (LAM), Steven Gerrard (CAM) (C)

ST: Wayne Rooney

United States

4-4-2

GK: Tim Howard

DEF: Oguchi Onyewu (CB), Carlos Bocanegra (CB) (C), Jonathan Spector (RB), Jonathan Bornstein (LB)

MF: Clint Dempsey (RM) Michael Bradley (RCM) Ricardo Clark (LCM) Landon Donovan (LM)

ST: Jozy Altidore and Edson Buddle

Algeria

4-5-1

GK: Lounes Gaouaoui

DEF: Rafik Halliche, Madjid Bougherra (C), Antar Yahia, Nadir Belhadj

MF: Djamel Abdoun, Yazid Mansouri, Hassan Yebda, Karim Matmour, Karim Ziani

ST: Abdelkader Ghezzal

Slovenia

4-3-3

GK: Samir Handanovic

DEF: Miso Brecko, Marco Suler, Bostjan Cesar, Bojan Jokic

MF: Aleksandar Radosavljevic, Robert Koren (C), Andraz Kirm

ST: Zlatko Dedic, Valter Birsa, Milivoje Novakovic

Players To Watch: Wayne Rooney (England), Frank Lampard (England, Steven Gerrard (England), Landon Donovan (USA), Clint Dempsey (USA), Tim Howard (USA), Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria), Karim Ziani (Algeria), Robert Koren (Slovenia) and Milijove Novakovic (Slovenia).

Predicted Group Standings

1. England
2. United States
3. Algeria
4. Slovenia