#29-South Korea

#29-South Korea
Nickname-Taegeuk Warriors
Asian Football Confederation
FIFA Ranking-#61 (February 2014)
Group H (Belgium, Russia, Algeria, South Korea)
Projected Results...
Loss to Belgium
Loss to Russia
Tie to Algeria
Manager-Hong Myung-Bo
Qualified through second place finish in AFC FIFA WC Qualification Group A
9th World Cup Appearance (1954, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010)
Projected Finish-Fourth in Group H

South Korea seems to always put forth a great effort in the World Cup, but they find themselves in a group with emerging powerhouse Belgium, a strong side in Russia, and young Algerian side with a lot of quality.  South Korea struggled through qualification, finishing behind Iran.  For anyone reading the blog weekly, you would see that I ranked Iran 32nd, which means that South Korea performed so poorly in qualifying that they finished behind them in the group.  However, South Korea always plays a structured style and is always very organized in their defending and can counter attack well.  Last World Cup, South Korea was able to escape the group stages before losing to Japan in penalty kicks.  This group seems to be Belgium's, and Russia and Algeria will compete closely for the 3rd position.  However, I am not fully convinced by Russia, which struggled at the end of qualified, and I definitely have some doubts about Algeria due to their youth up front.  South Korea could surprise, but I think it's unlikely.  Here are three players to look out for if South Korea can advance:

Park Chu-Young-On loan at Watford from Arsenal, this 28 year old possesses some quality up front for Korea, where they definitely miss former Manchester United forward Park Ji-Sung (retired from international football.)  Chu-Young is going to need to be in form going into the tournament, but I'm not sure he will be given the lack of appearances he has gotten with Watford so far this season.

Koo Ja-Cheol-Playing for Mainz in the Bundesliga, the 24 year old midfielder is going to be very fun to watch in the World Cup.  He has 34 appearances for the national team, and 12 goals.  He is great at cutting through defenses, and is going to be a top scorer for Korea if they play through the group stage.  I'm excited to watch how he matches up with Belgium and Russia.  I wouldn't be surprised if he transferred to a bigger club in the near future.

Son Heung-Min-Another player in the Bundesliga, he plays for Bayer Leverkusen as a 21 year old in the midfield.  He is going to be so important for Korea in making key passes to set up opportunities to score.  He has big game experience, being that his team is currently in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.  He will be so massive to this team, and he has 22 appearances for Korea, netting 5 goals during that span.

South Korea has a hefty challenge, but they traditionally have a very calm and collected group.  Though I find it will be difficult for them to advance, they could entertain and put a scare into the rest of Group H.

#30-Australia

#30-Australia
Nickname-Socceroos
Asian Football Confederation
FIFA Ranking-#56 (February 2014)
Group B (Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia)
Projected Results...
Loss to Spain
Loss to Netherlands
Loss to Chile
Manager-Ange Postecoglou
Qualified through second place finish in AFC FIFA WC Qualification Group B
4th World Cup Appearance (1974, 2006, 2010)
Projected Finish-Fourth in Group B

Australia...sucks for them but they have probably less than a 1% chance of making it through the group stage.  This group is essentially the group of death-the most difficult group in a major tournament.  Spain are the defending World Cup champions from 2010, and won the Euro in 2012.  Netherlands?  Spain's opponents in the 2010 World Cup Final, and a team that qualified very easily.  Chile is also a very strong team and in the top 10 of FIFA for most of the qualifying period.  Plain and simply-Australia will not have a good tournament, and largely due to their bad luck in the World Cup draw.  If Australia had a better draw, I would think they could possibly finish 2nd in a group and then be out in the knockout stages.  However, signs are good for the progress of Australia's national team.  This is their third straight World Cup that they qualified for, and club soccer in Australia is improving more and more each year.  Australia has some quality in their team, and though they recently lost to Brazil and France each 6-0, they beat Costa Rica (another World Cup team) 2-1 and tied Japan 1-1 in 2013.  Australia are ranked 30th for me because of their chances to qualify for the group stages, but they are better than some of the teams that will have a lower number ranking in my blog. Ok, we know Australia is extremely likely to be knocked out in the group stage, but who will be key players to watch if they are going to get a win or a draw somewhere in here?


Tim Cahill-Timmy used to be a fantastic attacking player for Everton in the EPL, and in 2012 he signed with the local MLS team the New York Red Bulls.  This guy is everything you want in your captain and star player.  He's the smallest guy on the pitch but his heart and soul are bigger than anyone else's on the pitch.  He plays injured, he wins headers in the air even if he's half a foot shorter than the player he is challenging, and he scores clutch and timely goals.  Cahill is the consummate professional, and I can't type enough good things about the guy.  His stats for the Socceroos are 66 appearances, with 29 goals.

Mile Jedinak-A midfielder who plays for Crystal Palace in the EPL.  Really plays more of a distributive role, not a great scorer, but Australia will benefit having a player who plays in the biggest league in the world.  He will be important if Australia are going to get a result in the group.

Lucas Neill-The most experienced defender on the Socceroos.  He has played for some big clubs in England in his past, including Millwall, Everton, Blackburn, and West Ham.  He also played for Galatasaray from the top flight in Turkey.  Neill has almost 100 appearances for the national team, and though he is past his prime at age 34, he will need to play his best to give the team a chance to win a game, or at least tie one.The Socceroos won't have much success at this tournament because of the teams they were drawn with, but Australia is trending upward, and provides optimism for the growth of the sport in Australia for the years to come.

#31-Honduras

#31-Honduras
Nickname-Los Catrachos
CONCACAF
FIFA Ranking-#42
Group E (Argentina, Switzerland, Ecuador, Honduras)
Projected Results...
Loss to France
Loss to Switzerland
Tie to Ecuador
Manager-Luis Fernando Suarez
Qualified through third place in CONCACAF Hexagonal
3rd World Cup Appearance (1982, 2010)
Projected Finish-Fourth in Group E

Honduras is an up and coming national team that has qualified for their second straight World Cup, a big step for the status of the team.  Honduras qualified mainly through taking advantage of Mexico's futility.  There are not many players on the squad that play in big leagues in Europe, but the team can surprise with its ability to counter attack and score timely goals.  Honduras has a group where they can surprise if they can get a tie against France or Switzerland and beat Ecuador.  I think a tie against Ecuador is doable, but a win will be difficult and this team doesn't have the firepower that will be needed to progress past the group stage.  However, even though ranked at #31, they are definitely an improving team and could surprise at the tournament.

Players to Watch

Carlo Costly-Playing club football for Real Espana, he has 30 goals in 68 performances for the national team.  His strike rate is far better than anyone else's for Honduras, and he will be counted on to make the best of his opportunities.  Look for Andy Najar to possibly provide some offense off of the bench.

Roger Espinoza-Playing for Wigan Athletic (recently relegated from the English Premier League) this guy is a deadly attacking midfielder.  His ball distribution is way better than anyone else's in the squad, and he can be a difference maker.  If his distribution is on point on the counterattack to Costly, Honduras could do some serious damage.

Maynor Figueroa-He will be the anchor of the defense. He plays his club football in the English Premier League for Hull City, and has 101 appearances for the national team.  He provides a lot of quality for a team that lacks some big league experience.

Honduras will need these three to be at their very best to advance past the group stage.  I would be surprised if they advanced but they are in a group that could suit them well.