Wednesday, June 9, 2010

World Cup Breakdown: Group H


TeamOdds To Win Cup
1. Spain4-to-1
2. Switzerland200-to-1
3. Chile50-to-1
4. Honduras500-to-1

Group A Breakdown
Group B Breakdown
Group C Breakdown
Group D Breakdown
Group E Breakdown
Group F Breakdown
Group G Breakdown

What do you get for being the number one team in the world? How about the easiest group in the tournament? The team dubbed 'The World's Biggest Underachievers' will have to try pretty hard to screw it up this go-around. And considering they're loaded with more soccer stars than any Spanish team in history, anything short of the final will be a disappointment.

They boast a roster loaded with Spanish and English-league talent that is unrivaled. The focal points are the do-it-all FC Barcelona midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi. They can thread some pretty insane passes through the defense. Check it out.



They'll be feeding passes to two of the most prolific scorers in the world in David Villa and Fernando Torres. I have a feeling that with the shoddy competition Spain is facing in group play, my boy Villa is going to win the Golden Boot.

Opponents quiver in fear of La Furia Roja's backline, mostly because the wild-maned Carlos Puyol stands front and center back there. Seriously, who wouldn't run the opposite direction if they saw this coming at them?



Then you factor in Iker Casillas, who just may be the best goalie in the world despite his undersized frame (5-foot-11, 185 lbs.), and you've got a side that could challenge any team in the world -- club or national level.

The amiable championship route gets a big tougher for the Spaniards once they hit the knockout stage, but it's still doable. Once they roll past the initial round of high school competition, they'll likely face an overrated Portugal side that relies too heavily on one player in the round of 16. Win that and they'll probably get Italy, who, despite what "Rory" says, is a fraction of the team that won the Cup four years ago. Regardless of whether they're hard or not, if my team drew Italy in the quarterfinals, I would be fucking elated. Win that and they're probably looking at an intriguing juggernaut match-up with Argentina in the semifinal.

In recap, they will have successfully avoided Brazil, England, Germany and the Netherlands and probably even the U.S. (the only team that has beaten them in the last 47 matches)! Yup. I just used my first exclamation point ever on Too Damn Tan. Gay, I know. So yes, I expect Spain to roll. At least to the semis.

Who will finish second in this group? It depends on which Suazo scores more. Will it be Honduras' David Suazo, the former Inter striker whose golden age has since passed? Or will Chile's Humberto Suazo, fresh off a solid first season with Real Zaragoza (Spain), be the go-to Suazo in this group? With the recent quake, the sentimental favorite has to be Chile. But I can't knowingly pick a team that hasn't won a World Cup game since 1962. Meanwhile, Honduras is bad enough to not be competitive in the MLS. Wait, I have a third option? Oh good, I'll take the Swiss then.

1 comment:

Robagger said...

puyol is the ultimate warrior. also, where did you find that junk grab photo? prolly just sitting on your desktop.