[an error occurred while processing this directive] World Cup preview

05/26/2002

By STEVE DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News

Here's what you need to know about the greatest soccer show on earth:



HOW THE TOURNAMENT WORKS

Each team plays three first-round games (referred to as "group play").

The top two finishers from each group advance to the Round of 16, where the tournament's single-elimination format begins. Teams that finish first (theoretically) draw an easier second-round foe, a second-place finisher.

In elimination matches, games that remain tied are decided by sudden death – or the "golden goal," in the FIFA vernacular. If no one scores in the 30-minute overtime, the teams decide matters in a penalty kick tiebreaker.

THE BEST PLAYER IN THE WORLD

France's remarkable playmaker, Zinedine Zidane, was the best player at World Cup 1998 and remains world soccer's be-all, end-all. France has a fine team without him – but is elevated to another level with its midfielder of infinite skill. Here's what makes Zidane so special – and why France is a co-favorite, along with Argentina, to prevail at World Cup 2002.

IMAGINATION
Zidane's improvisational skills make him truly special. Time and again in the tiniest of spaces, with defenders closing fast, Zidane escapes traffic through inventive twists, fakes, turns and soft touches on the ball.

VISION
Zidane dodges trouble that most players would never see coming. Then, once he has created a little time and space for himself, he sees the entire field – and sees it quickly.

DEMEANOR
The introverted son of Algerian immigrants, Zidane remains painfully shy. He's generally muted on and off the field.

RIGHT FOOT
A truly great player is effective with either foot. Zidane prefers his left but is quite useful with his right. Significance: The extra second it takes other players to switch the ball to a preferred foot can mean lost opportunities for the killer pass.

VERSATILITY
Zidane generally wows with his feet. But he scored twice against Brazil in the 1998 World Cup final – both times with his noggin. "To score twice in a World Cup final," he said afterward, humbly, "and with my head, of all things ..."

SIZE
Zidane isn't as small as some great playmakers past – such as Diego Maradona and Roberto Baggio. Zidane is big enough that he can't be knocked off the ball easily.

AGILITY
Without great athleticism, Zidane couldn't make all those fabulous moves – such as the ability to quickly turn his hips, fluidly shifting his weight to change directions and turn away from defenders.

HEART
His burning desire drives France. And the man nicknamed "Zizou," though quiet, has a scrappy side, too. He missed two games in France '98, suspended for stomping on a fallen foe.

STRENGTH
Zidane owns the power, stamina and muscle capacity to cover ground adequately on defense and work hard to get available on offense for 90 minutes.

WALLET
He's certainly paid well. Zidane moved from Italy's Juventus to Spain's Real Madrid last year for a world-record transfer fee of $65 million. His salary has been reported to be $5.4 million after taxes.

ACHIEVEMENTS
At 29, he's already holding two world FIFA Player of the Year awards (1998, 2000), a World Cup (1998), a European Cup (2000), and a Champions League title (2002).

SKILLS
Simply put, his dribbling skills, passing and acceleration are among the game's best. And he's got a cracking shot, too. His game-winning goal in the recent Champions League final, a 20-yard twisting volley, would make anyone's highlight reel.

OTHERS TO WATCH

Juan Sebastian Veron, Argentina: The leader and focal point of his fine squad, Veron is a better player than he showed this year at Manchester United, where a restrictive system fails to summon the midfielder's creative ability.

Michael Owen, England: Four years of seasoning have made England's premier sharpshooter even better than the 18-year-old who debuted so successfully on the world stage at France '98.

Roberto Carlos, Brazil: He defined the position of attacking outside fullback through the late 1990s. His dribbling and booming left foot have been among the consistent instruments on bizarrely ineffective Brazilian team of late.

Luis Figo, Portugal: FIFA's Player of the Year in 2001 struggled in the spring with ankle woes. But he has three weeks off in late May to get healthy, so fans may once again gaze upon one of the world's dandiest combinations of shooting, crossing, subtle passing and change of pace.

FIVE TEAMS TO WATCH

FRANCE
The globe's finest assemblage of talent now has two dependable strikers – Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet – to go with the dynamic midfield and determined defense that drove France to the 1998 crown.

ARGENTINA
An evocative combination of skill, combativeness and experience make Argentina a serious threat to capture a third World Cup. Coach Marcelo Bielsa's team lost just once in 18 South American qualifiers. Whoa!

PORTUGAL
If Luis Figo gets healthy and fellow midfield maestro Rui Costa can locate the form he lost this year in the Italian League, Portugal has all the technical ingredients. Leadership and heart? We'll see.

BRAZIL
Yes, Brazil finished third in South American qualifying. But count out Brazil? C'mon. Brazil, as always, has talent to spare, although cobbling together worthy combinations has been problematic lately.

ITALY
The Azzurri squads of late have lacked zip. But the ever-present lock-down defense, as ubiquitous as pasta in Italy, remains steady.

THREE TO SURPRISE

ENGLAND
David Beckham's foot injury may strip one of two difference makers from a team of otherwise ordinarily talented players. So – strange as it sounds – it would be a surprise to hear "God Save the Queen" before any late-round match.

CROATIA
The wildly successful debutantes of France '98 (third place in its first World Cup) topped Belgium and Scotland in their Euro qualifying group. They won't sneak up on anybody this time around, however.

NIGERIA
When will an African nation start converting potential into prizes? The Super Eagles, relying on the core that won 1996 Olympic gold, bring the highest hopes among the continent's five representatives.

BEST FIRST-ROUND GAMES

June 7, England vs. Argentina: A replay of the teams' famous second-round match at St. Etienne in 1998, when David Beckham's dismissal for petulance left England a man down. Though England held firm through overtime, Argentina won the ensuing penalty kick shootout. And, lest anyone forget, these nations waged war over the Falklands 20 years back.

June 5, Ireland vs. Germany: The surprising and popular Irish, appearing in only their third World Cup, against the three-time world champions, who appear in decline. Germany's emerging Michael Ballack against Ireland's inspirational veteran captain Roy Keane is a worthy midfield battle.

June 10, United States vs. South Korea: The United States would surely be happy to tie Portugal in the opener (or lose and limit the damage in case tie-breaking goal difference comes into play). That means the second game for Bruce Arena's boys could be make-or-break.

June 13, Italy vs. Mexico: Mexico needed at least a tie against the powerful Dutch in its first-round finale at France '98 – and got it, rallying for a 2-2 draw to squeeze into the elimination rounds. Don't be surprised to see coach Javier Aguirre's squad in similar straits as Group G play concludes.

June 14, Poland vs. United States: A sad-sack U.S. effort was over, the team already eliminated, by the Americans' third game at France '98. Maybe this time, Claudio Reyna and his mates will have something to play for against the Poles in Daejeon, two hours south of Seoul.

WORLD CUP THROW-INS

This is the first World Cup hosted by two nations. The Americans play all three first-round games in South Korea, in cities just outside Seoul. In fact, the way the schedule breaks down, the United States would visit Japan only if it gets to the final. The United States will base out of Seoul, where the team arrived earlier this week.

Qualifying began in March 2000 and concluded with the last of 32 teams making the field last November.

Group F, by a long way, with England, Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden. Two words: Poor Sweden. (But must we call it the Group of Death? How about Group of Dread?)

Remember Bora Milutinovic, the Serbian-born tactician who coached the United States to a second-round appearance at USA '94? He's also directed Costa Rica, Nigeria and Mexico, and now brings China to Japan-Korea. He has never failed to reach the second round in four tries.

The tournament features 64 matches over 31 days.

England captain David Beckham, holder of the sport's highest profile, is currently out with a broken bone in his left foot. But he is making satisfactory progress and hopes to play in Japan-Korea.

Security, of course, is a major issue at World Cup 2002. Plans reportedly include the deployment of surface-to-air missiles at Cup venues, plus state-of-the-art airborne warning and control system (AWACS) planes and F-15 fighters on stand-by.

ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will televise 58 of the 64 games live, with most kicking off at 1:30 a.m., 4 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Spanish-language TV will show every match live.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]