#25-Japan

#25-Japan
Nickname-Samurai Blue
Asian Football Confederation
FIFA Ranking-#48 (March 2014)
Group C (Colombia, Greece, Cote D'Ivoire, Japan)
Projected Results...
Loss to Colombia
Loss to Cote D'Ivoire
Tie to Greece
Manager-Alberto Zaccheroni
Qualified through first place finish in AFC FIFA WC Qualification Group B
5th World Cup Appearance (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010)
Projected Finish-Fourth in Group C

The Japanese have made their 5th straight World Cup, and that in itself is an accomplishment for a team that never participated in the tournament until 1998.  The Japanese team is one with experience and a lot of firepower upfront, but not great in the back end on defense.  In 2010, this team surprised by advancing to the group stages, and then beating Paraguay to advance to the quarterfinals.  That being said, this is not an easy group for the Japanese.  I really fancy Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Colombia to advance, and Greece are no slouches either, having qualified through first place in their qualification group.  Honestly, I don't have confidence in Japan in this particular group because of how strong the attacking players are on the other teams, but I would not be surprised to see any of these teams advance out of the groups.  Here are three players that will be vital to Japan's success, and all are high quality attacking players.

Key Players
Shinji Kagawa- 25 year old player for Manchester United, he will be vital to attacking build-up and netting goals. He has done well at Man United, but will need to be in form for this World Cup for his country to have a chance to advance.  He is very dangerous if he's in form.  IF is the key word here.

Keisuke Honda-Plays club for AC Milan in the Serie A in Italy.  He possesses great quality, and is a great playmaker who can score magnificent goals.  A lot of club teams wanted to sign him, and here is why:

Shinji Okazaki-Best goalscorer for Japan, with 38 goals in 73 appearances.  He will need to play great and will need to net goals to keep up with other teams' strikeforces in the group.  Plays in the Bundesliga for Mainz 05, so he plays against some top competition.

This Japanese team could be a dark horse to advance, but I just don't see them defending well enough to advance.  They could entertain, though.  This team continues to improve, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them do well in World Cups to come.

#26-Costa Rica

#26-Costa Rica
Nickname-Ticos
CONCACAF
FIFA Ranking-#34
Group G (Uruguay, Costa Rica, Italy, England)
Projected Results...
Loss to Uruguay
Loss to Italy
Loss to England
Manager- Jorge Luis Pinto
Qualified through 2nd place in CONCACAF Hexagonal
4th World Cup Appearance (1990, 2002, 2006)

After missing out in 2010, the Ticos are back for another stab at making noise in this World Cup.  This team could have been dangerous to make it through the group stages, but they were drawn into what I consider to be the "group of death" (hardest group in the tournament).  This team has a lot of experience in the team, but Uruguay, Italy, and England could be argued by many as three of the top ten teams in the world.  Costa Rica finished at an impressive 2nd place in their federation's qualifying campaign, but are victimized by this difficult group.  I don't see them even getting a draw against any of these teams (maybe England?), but they will not be blown out of the water.  Here will be some important players if the Ticos are to make some noise-

Key Players

Bryan Ruiz-Will play up front for the Ticos, and is the captain of the team.  Plays club for PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands, which is a very respectable resume to have when you're the captain.  He will need to cause havoc with his speed and skill, and will need to set up his teammates, and of course, score.

Joel Campbell-At only age 21, this guy is going to be very dangerous for the other teams in the group. Campbell is going to need to score some goals and help the Costa Ricans in keeping possession of the ball to give his defenders a break from running all over.  He plays for Olympiacos (on loan from Arsenal) in the Greek league, and showed why he's so dangerous here against Manchester United last month.

Junior Diaz-He will anchor the defense of the Costa Rican team.  The defense is the weak spot of this team, and he will need to be massive at the back end.  Diaz plays for Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga, so he has experience in one of the best leagues in the world.  At age 30, he has plenty experience.

The Ticos will be fun to watch this summer, but they won't advance out of this "group of death". Their forwards possess the quality of the other teams in the group, but the rest of the side is lacking. They'll excite, though.

#27-Ghana

#27-Ghana
Nickname-Black Stars
CAF (Confederation of African Football)
FIFA Ranking-#37
Group G (Germany, Portugal, United States, Ghana)
Projected Results...
Loss to Germany
Loss to Portugal
Tie to United States
Manager- Akwasi Appiah
Qualified through 1st place in CAF Group D, which qualified them for a playoff vs. Egypt. Won two legged playoff 8-2 on aggregate
3rd World Cup Appearance (2006, 2010)


Ghana had a very successful World Cup in 2010, barely missing out on the semi-finals of the tournament after a heartbreaking loss to Uruguay in penalty kicks.  Ghana cruised through CAF qualifying, and continued their success in their playoff against Egypt.  However, Ghana is in a very difficult group, with top 5 teams in the world Germany and Portugal in their group.  Ghana usually performs well against the United States, but the United States has really improved since last World Cup.  Ghana has some players that play in top class leagues around the world, especially in their midfield and up front at forward.  However, I am not at all convinced by their defense and goalkeeping.  Attacking and possession is key to Ghana's success, as pressure in their defensive third of the field is going to be extremely dangerous.  I don't see Ghana doing well in this World Cup, but it is a great achievement for this country to feature for the third consecutive World Cup.


Key Players
Asamoah Gyan- American fans probably remember this guy from last World Cup, when he scored a goal in extra time that eliminated the United States and kept Ghana alive.  He has great attacking prowess and instinct, and has played in the English Premier League as well as the Serie A in Italy.  He is a dangerous player, now playing for Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates.  Gyan has been magnificent in his career for Ghana, scoring 39 goals in 76 career appearances.  Watch out.

Sulley Muntari- Ghana's key midfielding player.  He has a knack for scoring goals, as well as creating the buildup for Ghana's attack.  Good at distributing the ball, and shows his quality at the club level for AC Milan.  81 appearances, and he has 20 career goals.  Another dangerous player.

Michael Essien- Another AC Milan player, who will be key to Ghana's success.  He is 31, so time is not on his side.  He needs to find his form from his days at Chelsea and Real Madrid in order for Ghana to have success.  He and Muntari need to control the midfield and possess the ball well.  In 56 appearances, he's scored 9 times.

Defense is going to be Ghana's downfall, but they will certainly entertain.  I see them finishing 4th in the group, but there are definitely teams worse than Ghana in this World Cup.  Ghana suffers from a difficult group, which is why they will finish 4th.

#28-Mexico

#28-Mexico
Nickname-El Tri
CONCACAF
FIFA Ranking-#20
Group E (Brazil, Croatia, Cameroon, Mexico)
Projected Results...
Loss to Brazil
Loss to Croatia
Tie to Cameroon
Manager-Miguel Herrera
Qualified through fourth place in CONCACAF Hexagonal, which qualified them for a playoff vs. New Zealand. Won playoff 9-3 on aggregate
15th World Cup Appearance (1930, 1950, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010)

Most people see Mexico and view them as a team that can make it out of the group stages, and that could very well be the case again this World Cup.  Their group is not particularly strong, but Brazil is a lock to finish first in the group.  Their FIFA ranking is #20.  So why do I have them ranked #28?  Reason-Their recent form.  Mexico was absolutely dreadful during qualifying.  They played like total garbage and didn't seem to care at all.  They backed in to the playoff against New Zealand, needing the United States to bail them out by winning their game against Panama because Mexico had lost to Costa Rica.  It was embarrassing for the country.  Mexican commentators were saying ridiculous things that didn't even make sense ("The coach should take his pants off."  What?!)  The team nonetheless thrashed New Zealand in the playoff, which was expected given the differing skill levels.  The team needs to meet their expectations and play to their talent level if they are going to finish above 4th in their group.  Miguel Herrera is a fairly new voice in the dressing room, having taken over as manager in October.  So which players will need to have an impact in order for Mexico to make it out of the group stages?

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez-Chicharito is going to need to score timely goals for this Mexican team, as he possesses the most quality and scoring prowess of any player in the squad.  He plays for one of the world's most famous teams in Manchester United, and will need to prove to the world and his country why he is on such a prestigious club team.


























 







Rafa Marquez-Defender for the Mexican team for over a decade, he has been a constant in the Mexican National team.  He's far from the player he was when he played with Barcelona in the mid 2000s, but he still possesses the composure and leadership that this team needs.  Rafa is still a steady defender, who plays for Club Leon, and will be the team's captain.

Guillermo Ochoa-Ochoa is the team's goaltender, who will be massive in keeping the defense organized and composed.  He is a high quality keeper who plays club for Ajaccio in the French Ligue 1.  He's been on the team for just under a decade, and I expect him to be dependable and vital in keeping balls out of the Mexican net if they are to advance.



Mexico has all of the quality to finish second about Cameroon and Croatia, but I don't see it happening because of the disaster of a qualifying campaign they had.  There's a lot of volatility in the dressing room and in the media, and I just don't see their qualifying campaign going well.  They remind me a bit of France from the last World Cup.  I see them finishing 4th in the group.