Soccer: World Cup

09:04 PM CDT on Monday, June 5, 2006

By STEVE DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News

FIFA rank: 1

Looks good: With five titles, the clear favorite.

Trouble spot: Talk about pressure.

Overview: How's this for an embarrassment of riches? The reigning champs have, it seems, a better version than in 2002. They have the undisputed world top star in Ronaldinho. The rest of the roster, and the clubs that employ them, reads like a who's who of global soccer heavies. Question: How do they say "runner-up" in Brazil? Answer: Why would anybody ever know?

FIFA rank: 23

Looks good: A fine bunch of starters.

Trouble spot: Little depth behind the first 11.

Overview: This team of distinctive red-and-white checkerboard jerseys doesn't look as sharp as the Davor Suker-led bunch in 1998, which finished third overall. But several starters play for German clubs, and any edge in comfort could be huge in a wide-open race for second in the group. The Croats were undefeated (7-0-3) in qualifying.

FIFA rank: 18

Looks good: Midfielders who love to attack.

Trouble spot: Those same mids sometimes forget to retreat and defend.

Overview: Japan was the first qualifier for Germany 2006, booking passage at 5:35 p.m. (Dallas time) June 8, 2005. (Iran clinched five hours later.) Hidetoshi Nakata is a pop icon in his homeland, but it was emerging forward Mashashi Oguro who pestered the heavyweights with big goals in last year's Confederations Cup, a trial run mini-World Cup in Germany.

FIFA rank: 42

Looks good: A decent midfield.

Trouble spot: World Cup inexperience.

Overview: The Socceroos attached high drama to their World Cup qualification: a penalty kick shootout win over Uruguay in November with the 32nd and final berth at stake. A record 3.4 million Australians watched John Aloisi convert the final spot kick. In their corner: manager Guus Hiddink worked wonders with South Korea in 2002 and guided the Dutch to the 1998 semis.

• Brazil's projected starters at outside back, Roberto Carlos and Cafu, are a combined 69 years old.

• Robinho, 22, appears to be next in the endless procession of prodigious Brazilian attackers. So says Pele.

• Good omen: Australia hasn't been to a World Cup since 1974, which also was in Germany. Bad omen: the Socceroos failed to score a goal in their short stay.

• Nike's new, ubiquitous advertising campaign "Joga Bonita" is all about Brazil, which prefers to "Play Beautiful."

Ronaldinho, Brazil: All debate over the world's best player should begin and end at Ronaldinho. Period.

To even suggest others reside in his stratosphere is to risk exposure as a soccer ninny.

It's not just the jaw-dropping goals, the unexpected passes, the stunning free kicks or his blurring command of the dribble. It's how Brazil's extrovert attacker goes about it all, with utter joy. Watch how often the cameras catch Ronaldinho, 26, exposing that inconceivably toothy smile.

He was just so-so at the last World Cup but has expanded his amazing repertoire of flicks and tricks since. That growth has helped earn him two FIFA world player of the year awards. And he just steered Barcelona to the world's most coveted club crown in the Champions League.

For Brazil, he typically sets up behind the two strikers.

In the big picture, he's behind absolutely no one.

Croatia vs. Brazil: Croatia is no longer a grinding, dug-in, Maginot Line of a defense-minded team. The Croats like to attack. Which means the Group F opener in Berlin against Brazil could be a dandy. Brazil can attack a little, too, ya know?

C'mon. Don't even think about upsets. It's Brazil. Then it's a race for second – and Brazil's "B" team would finish second in the group, if they let that sort of thing happen.