The Moment You've All Been Waiting For!

Well, may be just me.

I've been waiting for June 11th for such a long time. I have enjoyed the regular soccer season, but the World Cup is the grand daddy of all sporting events. It's the grand daddy of all events in general. Now, I've been putting off putting my thoughts on blog for a long time now. I like to work on deadlines and the night before seemed like a good time to start.

What are my predictions, what are my thoughts?

I don't know. I think there are three legitimate contenders for the Cup. They are the Netherlands, Brazil, and Spain. It's a shame that two of these teams could play in the second round or quarterfinals. Of these three, my favorite is the Dutch. They have four players who are just in great form right now. Form is how a player is playing. How well he's playing. Three of their players, Van Bommel, Robben, and Sneijder all played in the Champions League final. Robben and Sneijder were major influences offensively for their Bayern and Inter respectively while Van Bommel was a great leader for Bayern. Additionally, they have Robin Van Persie and Rafael Van Der Vaart who are also brilliant players in their own right. Van Persie is a technical master, who unfortunately missed most of the season with Arsenal due to an ankle injury. Van Der Vaart was once thought to be on the outs at Real Madrid established himself as a key player in Los Blancos. Additionally, with the work rate of Kuyt and the depth added by Elia and Afellay, they are an offensive juggernaut.

Spain are arguably the most talented team in the tournament. My favorite player is Spanish, Cesc Fabregas. However, I have some biases against them due to Barcelona's tapping of him from my favorite team, Arsenal. There is a large contingent of Barcelona players and I am sick of hearing about them wanting Cesc on their side. My other problem was the omission of Marco Senna. I know he was injured and I wasn't sure of his condition, but the man was pivotal in their Euro 2008 run. He brought size and experience to the midfield as a holding player. I am wary of what Spain has to offer. All around though, Spain has a great formula for success. They have many players who have won for both country and club. There's depth everywhere. The defense has been outstanding. The strikers are great. The midfielders pass like no one else in the world. The question is whether or not Spain will repeat their history of failure. They are the deserved favorites in the tournament though.

Brazil is the co-favorites and despite not having Ronaldo or Ronaldinho, they deserve to be. I'm sort of upset that Brazil has lost some of the flair that they traditionally have with those players, but Kaka and Robinho should provide plenty of entertainment. I think Dunga has built a team to win. What I don't like is that they seem very defensive. Dunga starts with two defensive midfielders in Melo and Gilberto. They rely on a strong defense and efficiency particularly off free kicks. There is still that traditional quick pacing with technical voracity, but the richness of it isn't there. While Kaka is a former world player of the year, Robinho really is the player to watch. He has been great for Brazil despite his problems with his club games. Daniel Alves could be a huge contributer too if he's let off his leash. Brazil's defensive nature is a real turn off though.

So who else has a chance? Obviously, there are teams worth keeping an eye on, but I don't really like any of the other teams. Italy is the defending champion. They won last time on defense, defense, and more defense. They got timely goals, but their success started from the back. Not much has changed for better or for worse, but I think their offense has gotten worse. They are going to need to be air tight and I don't know if they can accomplish that this time. Having to face Spain in the quarterfinal could prove to be quite a challenge. The two played a great match two years ago which ended in penalties. Cesc Fabregas put in the fifth to give Spain the nod. I think Spain have improved since Euros because they know how to win a major tournament. Italy's lack of scoring could really hurt them against a Spanish team that can at times score for fun.

France just isn't the same without Zidane. Zidane was a generational player. He is probably the greatest player I will ever see, with all respect to Messi and Cristiano. He was so smooth, silky, and calm. His runs were fast, but in control. France isn't the same without him. Thierry Henry isn't the same either. Once the most feared striker in the game, the former Arsenal player has lost a stride and the explosiveness. With Henry and Zidane, France were nearly unbeatable. Now they are a shell of their former self. I do not have them making it out of their group stage because I think they have too many internal problems. William Gallas is not happy with the manager. Anelka just isn't fitting. Henry is out of form. Everything looks bad for France and there's no Zidane to ride in on his shining white horse.

England is being talked about as a legitimate contender, but I just don't see it. Yeah they have good players and a great manager, but I just don't see it. Wayne Rooney is in the form of his life, but it takes more than one. I just don't see it. There are injury concerns. The keeping is mediocre. They keep winning games, but they aren't playing well. I just don't see it. It's the same with Argentina. I just don't see it. I think Maradona is an idiot. His selection really bothered me. Leaving out Zanetti and Cambiasso was a huge mistake. These are two players who give it their all. Also, I think the fact that he's not utilizing Messi in the best way possible is a huge mistake. They stumbled through qualifications and I don't know if they'll do much better in the Cup. I have them losing in the quarterfinals to one of my dark horses (get to that in a minute). I don't trust Maradona to make the right decisions. Never trust a drug addict.

In terms of other teams, I think Serbia, the US, and Mexico can all surprise. Mexico has played particularly well, probably deserving to beat England before getting outshone by Van Persie in Holland. They have some talented players like Carlos Vela who should shine. The US is constantly being ridiculed, but they have some very good players. I gained a lot of respect for Landon Donovan when he made a big impact on Everton when he played their on loan. Clint Dempsey had a solid year at Fulham. These two players will be asked to lead the squad. I genuinely think that the quarterfinals aren't too much to ask for. Serbia has an extremely talented side. What's important is that they have a strong defense. They also have very good midfielders and forwards. I think they can surprise some people. I have them beating Argentina in the Quarters before losing to Spain in the Semis. Germany will struggle without Ballack, but should still make it out of the group stage. Schweinsteiger has to take up leadership. The only other team that interests me is Denmark. I think Bendtner plays really well with the national team and they have some other talented players. They're unknown so they can fly under the radar. That might be good for them

To sum up, I have Netherlands beating Spain in the finals. We will have a new champion. Robin Van Persie will win the golden boot. It will be a fantastic tournament. I already have the DVR set to tape the first two games tomorrow.