By Krystina Lucido

United States soccer fans have never been so excited heading into a World Cup – even more so following the Yanks' 1-1 tie against England to kick off their tournament. The tie with England coupled with a surprising run by the Americans in last year's Confederations Cup, including an upset against Spain, 2-0, have given U.S. fans more confidence than ever that their national team can compete with the world's elite.

Clint Dempsey

Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore were the point-scorers in the United States' run against Spain, and they return to the national team to hopefully contribute just as much in the Yanks' return to South Africa. There is some question over where Dempsey will start, and a likely start will be a move to forward due to his goal-scoring abilities as displayed in South Africa in 2009 as well as in the '06 World Cup in Germany. Dempsey will have a nice sidekick in Altidore, but the power forward has been shaky with an ankle injury so keeping him healthy is a must.

The U.S. squad is a mix of youth and experience. Veteran forward Landon Donovan is a vital asset, especially in the free kicks arena. He can be a strong finisher with an impending draw. The return of Oguchi Onyewu will strengthen a weak defensive side.

The strongest weapon in the American's arsenal is goalkeeper Tim Howard. A basketball player in his youth, even drafted by the Harlem Globetrotters, Howard has great hand skills and the hand-eye coordination making him a huge asset in the U.S. goal.

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Italy, the defending champion, return with a similar team -- and they are aging. In fact, a few of the typical powerhouse teams lack youth, which could prove a liability in this Cup. Regardless, Italy will be shooting to become the first team to win back-to-back titles twice. (Their first was 1934 and 1938.)

Africa has six chances to lift the trophy for its host country. Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and South Africa are in the field of 32, and three have a legitimate chance of making it out of their group.

And once the teams get to the single-elimination rounds, anything can happen.

Group A
SOUTH AFRICA, MEXICO, URUGUAY, FRANCE

South Africa has home field advantage, and that's about it. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre returned to bring hope to his squad by convincing star veteran Bianco to come out of retirement.

Uruguay has a balanced blend of youth and experience. While Uruguay has won the title twice, it was 50 and 80 years ago, and the first World Cup champion has only qualified twice since 1990. France's results will be entirely based in character as France comes off a controversial showing in 2006 with Zinedine Zidane's head-butt, labeling the French a rough-and-tumble faceoff headed by an unpopular coach in Raymond Domenech.

Lionel Messi

Group B
ARGENTINA, NIGERIA, SOUTH KOREA, GREECE

Argentina, coached by legendary player Diego Maradona, has found Maradona's replacement for this generation in Lionel Messi, arguably the best player in the world. Argentina steamrolled Nigeria in 2008 for Olympic gold, but the African team did not lose any games in qualifying. Nigeria's biggest question mark is its coaching situation as Lars Lagerback was a late addition. South Korea qualified for its seventh-straight World Cup with zero losses but has given up-and-down performances over the years, so it is up in the air as far as what to expect. Greece boasts a strong defense but will be no match for teams in this group that are strong on both sides of the ball.

Group C
UNITED STATES, ENGLAND, ALGERIA, SLOVENIA

It's hard to argue against the United States and England advancing out of the group. The controversial bed-hoppings of John Terry with his teammate's wife has added locker-room tensions that could break rank for England. The Brits also need to count on a healthy defense and midfield if they expect to go far. The United States is not far off from that, either needing a strong defense to back up star keeper Howard. Algeria has had some strong moments historically but are wildly inconsistent this season and could lose confidence early against this group's tough teams. Slovenia is disciplined team with a tough mindset. It has a competent keeper but not enough front runners to be considered a true contender.

Group D
GERMANY, SERBIA, GHANA, AUSTRALIA

Germany has reached the finals a record seven times, winning three, but it has no big-name stars on this year's roster. Australia was "this close" to beating Italy in '06. Serbia has some key players from respected franchises around the globe but is competing as an independent nation for the first time. Ghana's U20 team beat Brazil in competition and the national team's average age is 24, so the Ghanians may be legit contenders, especially with A-plus star midfielder Michael Essian.

Group E
NETHERLANDS, CAMEROON, JAPAN, DENMARK

Not a whole lot of competition in this group for a solid Netherlands team, except Cameroon, a traditional African power in soccer, which boasts arguably the best striker in the world in Samuel Eto'o. Japan is an overall quick team that has slowly built itself up as a contender over the years. Denmark is nearly guaranteed to finish last here, qualifying with an off-and-on performance.

Group F
ITALY, PARAGUAY, SLOVAKIA, NEW ZEALAND

This group boasts defending champs Italy, but the Azzurri are aging. Coach Marcello Lippi refuses to move down the generational line. Italy would settle for draws if it meant keeping its line healthy for later play, so its relies on defense to hold opposition in order to advance. Edgar Barreto for Paraguay reigns from Italy's Serie A so his knowledge of the nation proves a threat for Italy. Slovakia has star players at all ends of the field, including Marek Hamsik. They faced formidable opponents in the qualifiers unlike New Zealand who had an easy ride getting in, competing against countries with unrecognizable names.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Group G
BRAZIL, IVORY COAST, PORTUGAL, NORTH KOREA

Group G is a smorgasbord of star players on every team. Brazil can all but write their ticket to the finals with fantastic one-name players such as Kaka, Robinho, Lucio and Maicon. But its greatest asset is depth which means any key players could be injured and no shortage of talent is available to jump in. Ivory Coast was a close second in this group, but with Chelsea striker Didier Drogba out due to an elbow injury, it is not looking good. Portugal boasts Cristiano Ronaldo with a strong supporting cast around him, but the Portuguese are not good finishers. North Korea is making its first appearance since 1966, using secrecy as its weapon. Though it stands to reason Brazil would surely rather face a shroud of secrecy as opposed to a wall of defenders.

Group H
SPAIN, SWITZERLAND, HONDURAS, CHILE

Overall, this group has solid, experienced coaching. Spain's Xavi comes off a mild injury and Fernando Torres is a solid starter among a team with youth and depth. Though Spain has a shaky D-line, its goalie is among the best and can hopefully recover any mistakes made up front. Switzerland has had some success but also some surprising losses, so this up-and-down team is difficult to predict.

Honduras sneaked through the qualifiers to earn a spot. While it may have a strong frontline, its keeper is tentative. Chile cleaned house after a controversial trip to Copa Americana three years ago so its staff is young.

Issue 150: June 2010