I’m not sure if there is something going on important tomorrow but it sure seems like soccer is getting a lot of attention in the sports world lately. Oh wait…maybe it’s because the greatest tournament in the world really begins to take shape in less than 24 hours. Just think, in a little over 24 hours you will have your first 14 World Cup brackets filled out,I know I will. Simply put, tomorrow is one of the greatest days in the beautiful game.

A lot is at stake tomorrow when the people at FIFA grab little balls from a larger rotating ball. We will probably be able to make an educated judgment on where teams will finish and begin to take a stab at potential upset picks. The USA, the team closest to my heart, will be one of the most affected by their draw. Possibilities range from Brazil, Ivory Coast and France to South Africa, Algeria, and Switzerland. Everyone is writing stories about how the draw could work out so let me look at a few different things. Here are a few of my thoughts looking at things before the draw.

Teams I don’t want to see lining up across the pitch:

It goes without saying that you would rather not be drawn in the same group as any of the teams in Pot 1 except for South Africa, but I would really not want to see three in particular. SPAIN has lost one match in three years – against the United States. What better a time to get revenge by defeating the US in the tournament that really counts. The co-favorite in my opinion with Spain, BRAZIL, is no match the Americans.Sure, we caught the Brazilians early and went up, but clearly the gap in talent was shown in the second half….and the first time they whopped us in the group too. They’re nasty good.  Finally is GERMANY. Not that they have the most talented team in the world but they just get it done. They were runners up in EURO 2008 and also in Japan/South Korea 2002 along with a third-place finish in Germany 2006. They just work hard and I know there was that abominable missed call in 2002 against the USA but these guys get the job done.

Teams that need a good draw to advance:

ITALY is an aging team and their old coach Marcello Lippi is back to bring in the veteran’s again. This team won it all in 2006 and will look to defend their title but I am not sure they will be so lucky this time. We saw the Azzurri struggle in the Confederation’s Cup, and while I think that experience could help them, I think ultimately they may not advance past the Round of 16 unless they get some help.Let’s lump ARGENTINA and PORTUGAL together here since both have been struggling. Do I expect them both to turn it around? Of course. But if they will is a whole other story. Neither of these sides should have struggled as mightily as they did and need to desperately get things sorted out to avoid embarrassment in Africa. The UNITED STATES’s whole tournament hinges on draw. If they are drawn into another Group of Death type of situation it is likely they will not finish as one of the two best from the group. Even a mixture of the two possibilities I mentioned above wouldn’t be bad. It just depends on the style of play our opponents employ. Lastly I will say CAMEROON and NIGERIA. Both of these teams are historical African powers but they don’t have enough to do the damage that Ghana or the Ivory Coast can do. A favorable draw against an Asian team, and a CONCACAF team could go far for the Indomitable Lions and the Super Eagles.

Sleepers:

There are three main sleeper teams for me at first glance.We’ve got AUSTRALIA, the team with the best record in the final round of Asian qualifying, featuring Mark Schwarzer in net with Lucas Neill and Tim Cahill in the defense and midfield respectively. Cahill is an influential player for Everton and in their first World Cup appearance since 1974 they advanced to the Round of 16. They also have a recent call-up named Danny Invincible. Need I say more? Give me IVORY COAST as my second sleeper and maybe my favorite of this threesome. There is no lack of talent for this team with Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou up top, Emmanuel Eboue, and the Toure brothers holding down the defensive side of things. Factor in that these guys are going to be playing in the first World Cup ever held on African soil and you have a good mixture.  Finally, I like SERBIA. And maybe this isn’t as much of a surprise pick after their 7-1-2 record in qualifying on their way to the top of the group, but I still think they will be overlooked by many. Any team that is throwing Nikola Zigic, Milos Krasic, and Dejan Stankovic at you in the attack and backing them up with Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Vidic has got a chance in this thing. This team is quietly solid all over and I feel they could really make a statement in South Africa.

Going forward I urge you to take a few things into consideration when looking at the groups once they are drawn.

1. Don’t just assume the bigs are going to all qualify. Let’s not forget France’s stunning exit in Round 1 of the 2002 edition as defending champs or Spain’s historical underachievement in the tournament.
2. The African teams could be tired. This may apply more to the next club season but the African Cup of Nations begins January 10^th and will take some players away from their club teams. Just think if Didier Drogba decides to play in this 21-day tournament and when Chelsea makes a long run in the Champions League. The final is played on May 22, 2010, just 20 days before the first kick-off in Johannesburg.
3. Really look before you value emerging World Cup stars. What better place to blow-up than at the World Cup right? The best example that quickly comes to mind is El-Hadji Diouf. He played well for Senegal during their run to the quarterfinals but really, what has he done since moving to the Premiership?Twenty-six goals in 212 games for a forward is pretty crappy. For every Diouf there is a Franck Ribery though so my advice is to make sure you have time to truly judge a player first.

Thanks to everyone for following our blog and hopefully we will get our ‘technical difficulties’ fixed and get back on the mic. Let me know what you think in the comments everyone!

And there has been a Zack sighting!!