Justin Block

Justin Block

Justin Block

Justin Block

2010 World Cup Preview

The stage is set and the world will be watching. The most popular sporting event in the world is about to begin, in under a month, on June 11, 2010. The World Cup is a once every four year event that is held in a host country, with multiple world class stadiums being used. This time the host nation is South Africa. It is the first time they have hosted the event due to many years of internal civil issues. There are thirty two teams that have qualified for the tournament and some have a better chance of winning then others. With that said, I will give my top four contenders for the World Cup Trophy and discuss Team USA, even though they are not on that list.

#4 Most Likely To Win-Ivory Coast

Before I begin many people may be wondering where the Ivory Coast exactly is? It is a country in the western part of Africa and their national language is French. The team itself is definitely the most underrated in the entire tournament. From start to finish they are filled with top level European players. “The Elephants” as they are known, are lead by captain Didier Drogba. Drogba has been a superstar for the English team Chelsea for a very long time. He scores goals as often as anyone in the world on both the club and international stages. Ivory Coast is in the “Group of Death” as it has been called by analysts all around the world. Because in the opening round they will be facing international powerhouses Brazil, Portugal and North Korea. Defeating North Korea should be a fairly simple task, but if they can beat, either Portugal, or Brazil they will definitely move into the knockout stage of the tournament.

#3 Most Likely To Win-Argentina

The Argentines are top class in terms of South American Soccer. For many years they have always been the dominant team in Latin America and more recently throughout the entire world. They go into the World Cup ranked seventh out of the top twenty five ranked teams. Argentina is very strong on the attacking end because of Manchester City star Carlos Tevez and Real Madrid rising sensation Gonzalo Higuain. At the defensive end, central defender Walter Samuel of Inter Milan keeps that side of the game fairly organized. The team’s defense worries me slightly in regards to winning the entire tournament, but with their unparalleled ability to score goals, they will surely advance deep into the World Cup.

#2 Most Likely To Win-Spain

The Spanish team comes into the tournament as the media’s favorite to win the World Cup. They are certainly capable as I will explain, but there is one team that I feel is slightly ahead of them. It all starts with goalkeeping for Spain because of their superstar goalie Iker Casillas. He is their captain and in my mind, currently the best goalkeeper in the world. The saves he makes on a regular basis for his club team Real Madrid are world class and made by no other goalie in any league. On the offensive side of the ball, “The Red Fury” as they are called, are lead by prime time scorers David Villa and Fernando Torres. These two men have major world experience, which certainly helps in terms of handling the pressure that is put on players in the World Cup. They also score highlight reel goals all of the time. On the defensive side, first vice captain, Carlos Puyol stops big time scorers by playing a physical style of play throughout every single game.

Most Likely To Win- Netherlands

The Dutch are my most likely team to win the World Cup. The have superstars at every position and they come in somewhat underrated so it takes a little bit of the pressure off them. The strikers include Robin van Persie of Arsenal, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel of Liverpool. These players are top level goal scorers and they should score goals in bunches throughout the tournament. The top midfielder is Wesley Sneijder. Wesley can actually “Bend it like Beckham” with his amazing free kick taking ability. He is an undersized player but his speed certainly makes up for it. The defense is led by Giovanni van Bronckhorst. He has played for many teams in his club career and is the captain of the Dutch team. At 35 years old this is probably his last event on the big stage. Giovanni has played for top teams including Barcelona and Arsenal but at this point in his career he is back in the Netherlands playing for his hometown team, Feyenoord. In goal is Maarten Stekelenburg who plays for Ajax in Amsterdam. He is a big goalie, who played in 2006 World Cup so he should be able to handle his nerves on such a world stage.

Team USA

Last but certainly not least is the United States National Team. Our team is not going to win the World Cup but we should definitely get out of the group stage with fairly decent play. The part of the team that worries me the most is the strikers up front. Jozy Altidore leads this bunch but his lack of experience and lack of overall skill makes me really wonder if he is going to score any goals. Don’t forget, during the 2006 World Cup he was a mere 16 year old playing for the New York Red Bulls and going to high school. The more likely difference maker on the offensive end will be Brian Ching who plays for the Houston Dynamo in the MLS. Ching is 31, but since he has played his entire career in Major League Soccer he is going to remember as he did in 2006, the international stage is much different then the MLS and for his sake, not in a good way. The strongest part of the team is the midfield which includes Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Most people have heard of Donovan, but Dempsey is actually a much better player. It is rumored that if he plays well during the World Cup, he may be signed by Manchester United. This will make him the first American to ever play for the New York Yankees of European soccer. The defense is led by Captain Carlos Bocanegra, who plays for the French Club Rennes and Oguchi Onyewu who plays for A.C. Milan in Italy. Overall the team is decent and we will be well represented in the World Cup, but do not expect a dominating performance from our national soccer squad.

Daniel Weberman

NYChalktalk.com

Justin Block

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Justin Block

NYchalktalk.com Is Back And Better Than Ever

NYchalktalk is once again back and this time for good. In the past I posted an article similar to the one I am writing at this time. When this occurred I brought the website back for a short period of time and then I stopped posting new content. This time around will be different as I am more committed than ever to sharing my views on sports with you, my readers.

NYchalktalk will be a little bit different this time with a plethora of new features and a new layout. These features include a pictures of the week section that will be posted every Sunday. This will be a collaboration of what I think is the best photography in the sports world during a given week. Also, a thirty minute blog talk radio show will be streamed live on blogtalkradio.com and a repeat of the episode will be on NYchalktalk.com immediately after that, so you can listen to it at your convenience.

Another thing is that Justin Block from JLBSportsTV has been posting videos during the time I have been gone but now that I am back his videos will once again be on my website. As always the quality writing you enjoyed in the past will return and I will make a conscientious effort to post new articles as often as possible. Once school ends this should be on a daily basis.

Thank you for your continued support of NYchalktalk.com and I sincerely hope you enjoy the wonderful things that my site will be providing you in the near future.

Yours Truly,

Daniel Weberman
NYchalktalk.com