The Associated Press England midfielder David Beckham has spent the last few weeks recovering from a broken foot and may struggle this year.

By Dylan Hernandez

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

dhernandez@media.ucla.edu The games will be played long before most of us wake up to brush our teeth and comb our hair. Most Americans will be tucked tightly in bed during much of the World Cup, their exposure being limited to 20-second highlight clips on the evening news. Bad for soccer in this country? Perhaps, but not as bad as you think. The United States, again, doesn’t have the kind of team that this country wants to see. It is unskilled. Its soccer IQ is very low. And, worst of all, it loses. Watching this team will only make a public that already hates soccer hate the sport even more. American soccer has improved a lot in the past decade. It’s not as if we’re sending the equivalent of a Saudi Arabian hockey squad to Korea, this year’s tournament co-host, which will be home to the U.S. during pool play. But a significant gap between the U.S. and the soccer-playing world still exists. Outside of the goalkeeping position – where the Americans have Kasey Keller and former Bruin Brad Friedel – the U.S. team lacks world-class players. The Americans, who have a 300-to-1 shot to win the Cup, don’t have any defensemen that can attack from the wings, which every top-notch team in the world seems to have.

The Associated Press Two-time FIFA Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane hopes for a repeat after the 1998 run in his home country, France.

The midfield isn’t much better. The U.S. press has tried to make a star out of Claudio Reyna, who, by world standards, is the quintessence of mediocrity. He is slow, tunnel-visioned and makes robotic (obvious) decisions. 20-year-old Landon Donovan, dubbed a wunderkind since he led the U.S. to a bronze medal in the 1999 Under-17 World Championships, can actually see the field, but his slight frame makes him too easy to bump off the ball. Four more years and 15 more pounds will do a lot for the youngster, who should star in the next World Cup. The U.S.’s best player may be DaMarcus Beasley, who is also 20. He has little skill, but at least has one redeeming trait: speed. According to the Boston Globe, Beasley will be coming off the bench, which is puzzling, because the player that will start in his place will probably be equally unskilled but slower. Up front, there is Sports Illustrated cover boy Clint Mathis, who is only a slight downgrade from the U.S.’s last true striker, Eric Wynalda. The Americans’ first-round group of Portugal, Poland and South Korea is intriguing. U.S. coach Bruce Arena will undoubtedly be stacking the back to prevent his team from getting blown out by offensive power Portugal, which is paced by reigning FIFA World Player of the Year Luis Figo. The Americans will be aiming to tie counterattacking Poland and beat feeble South Korea, which may be more difficult than one might expect, considering the game will be on the their opponents’ home turf – something which should incite biased refereeing in favor of the Koreans. Realistically, the U.S. has about a 50-50 chance to qualify for the next round, where it is sure to be eliminated. But, at this point, the results don’t matter. Soccer is a sport in which aesthetics often override results; winning coaches have been sacked for “playing ugly.” And the U.S., win or lose, will play ugly.

The Associated Press Landon Donovan will need to be nothing short of spectacular for the U.S. to have any sort of impact.

A Look at the Contenders • France: Much-improved offensively, the French now have strikers worthy of receiving two-time World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane’s passes. UCLA head coach Tom Fitzgerald, former coach of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew calls Zidane his favorite player, but adds, “He’s going to miss the first two games because of injury, and that will affect France. Any time you take a world class player away from a team, it changes the dynamics of a team.” True, but France is in a terrible group, so the absence of Zidane for a pair of matches should not affect the squad. That said, don’t expect the French to repeat. When they won in ’98, they won because of their defense. That defense is now old. • Argentina: They have a style that’s pleasing to the eye and depth at every position. Forward Ariel Ortega was the best player in the ’98 tournament, but he is four years older and a step slower. Midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron is the glue of the team, which is the tournament’s most talented. Argentina was also the best team in both the ’94 and ’98 World Cups, but did not win either. Their first-round group, which includes England, Nigeria and Sweden, won’t help them. • England: If David Beckham’s broken foot is healed, England can win it all. With speedy forward Michael Owen up front, the English can score at any moment. Defenseman Sol Campbell is a massive presence on the back line.

The Associated Press Brazil's Ronaldo is rumored to be back after multiple knee surgeries and looks to avenge a 3-0 loss to France in 1998.

• Italy: Widely regarded as the co-favorites alongside Argentina, Italy has the world’s best defense. Last time out, the Italians were too defensive-minded, but this year, they have Francesco Totti directing the attack. • Brazil: Don’t listen to the American press when it says how Brazil has abandoned its beautiful brand of football -- the Brazilians did that back in ’94 and still won, but the U.S. media was too ignorant to realize it. The problem is substance, not style. Brazil’s roster, top to bottom, is simply not that talented. And now, with Ronaldo being out of shape, Brazil has lost its most dangerous weapon. Flashy teammates Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos are overrated.

What Will Happen With the exception of Argentina in ’86, every World Cup champion since ’82 has been a defensive power. And the only reason Argentina got away with a mediocre back line in ’86 was because it had Diego Maradona, by far the greatest player the world has ever seen. There is no Maradona in this tournament, so, again, defense will be key. Another key factor will be injuries, which are becoming increasingly common because clubs require their players to take part in more matches than ever. The status of Beckham, Zidane, Figo and Ronaldo, who are all banged up in some capacity, will have a significant effect on the tournament’s outcome. “This has all happened in the last month or so, so coaches, I’m sure, are just pulling their hairs out trying to figure out who’s going to play and how they’re going to play,” Fitzgerald said. Argentina and Portugal are this corner’s sentimental favorites because they continue to play with style, but Italy is the safe pick.