Soccer: World Cup

11:33 PM CDT on Wednesday, June 7, 2006

By STEVE DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News

FIFA rank: 8

Looks good: The brilliant Thierry Henry.

Trouble spot: One step from geezer-dom.

Overview: The names still resonate: Zidane, Viera, Barthez and Thuram. They were all part of France's wonderfully unanticipated 1998 triumph. But think about that for a second. That was eight years ago. Les Bleus do have Henry, the underrated Claude Makelele and a mix of younger men – but are there enough of them?

FIFA rank: 35

Looks good: Huge faith in father-figure manager Jakob Kuhn.

Trouble spot: Goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuehler.

Overview: Switzerland was once a World Cup mainstay, qualifying seven times from 1934 to '94 before missing in '98 and '02. Through careful and systematic youth development, the nation is rising again, now with a skillful, uninhibited and tactically astute bunch. Led by top scorer Alexander Frei, Switzerland should be exciting, if still fairly young.

FIFA rank: 29

Looks good: Attack led by Manchester United's tireless Park Ji-sung.

Trouble spot: Wobbly, nervous defense.

Overview: Don't look for a repeat of that special occurrence four years back, when the co-hosts rode the wave of their home fans and the guile of manager Guus Hiddink to a shocking semifinal spot. This version barely escaped Asian qualifying. Then again, the South Koreans have qualified for five consecutive World Cups. And that's something, right?

FIFA rank: 61

Looks good: Huge pride in getting to Germany.

Trouble spot: Potential to be overwhelmed in midfield.

Overview: The shift in power in African soccer is immense. Togo joins Angola, Ivory Coast and Ghana as World Cup debutants. At 5.5 million, the population of Togo is roughly the same as the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Lanky, 6-3 Arsenal forward Sheyi Adebayor led African qualifying with 11 goals.

• France Zinedine Zidane retired after Euro 2004, but un-retired heroically when his country's qualification chase bogged down.

• France has gifted young wingers in Florent Malouda and Ludovic Giuly. But a system built to accommodate Zidane usually leaves them sidelined.

• South Korea knocked off Portugal, Italy and Spain – an impressive list – en route to the 2002 semis.

Thierry Henry, France: Yes, France’s attack is pitifully reliant on Zinedine Zidane, a playmaker in the winter of his career.

Yes, the formerly dominant Patrick Vieira lost something last season. Yes, France’s Les Bleus defense is brawny but suspiciously old. But any team with Thierry Henry lurking, usually somewhere just left of center, can still put a hurt on some teams.

At his best, Henry drifts into the danger areas by identifying defenders stranded in one-on-one situations. Then, with those long legs and with an efficiency of feints and fakes, he blows by the hapless victims. The man is an absolute whirlwind of pace and finesse.

Zidane, who plucked himself from international retirement, can still supply that killer pass that exploits Henry’s brain and burst of speed. So France does indeed have some holes. But Henry’s magnificence can mitigate a lot of them.

South Korea vs. France: You'll see age vs. beauty in this clash of styles in Leipzig. The Koreans will rely on their trademark fitness against stylish but slow-ish men in blue.

The draw was kind to the French, who should meet minor resistance in this group and then probably get past a second-round date with (our guess) Ukraine, before the age thing yanks the rug from beneath them.