Group C
England
United States
Algeria
Slovenia
Algeria
Nickname: Les Fennecs (The Desert Foxes)
Colors: White and Green
Current World Ranking: 27
Manager: Rabah Saadane
This is his fifth time coaching the national team including one of their earlier appearances in the World Cup in 1986.
History: Algeria is located in northern Africa with a population of more than 35 million. Their soccer history is brief but storied. They qualified for their first World Cup in 1982 where they shocked the shit out of reigning European Champions West Germany, 2-1, on the first day. They lost to Austria in the next game 2-0 before beating Chile 3-2. But in one of the most obvious cases of match fixing in all of sports, Germany and Austria played against one another in the final match of the Group after the Algerian/Chilean result was known, so Germany and Austria knew that if Germany won by 1 or 2 goals, they both would advance leaving Algeria out in the cold. Germany came out firing on all cylinders and scored within the first quarter hour then the two teams spent the rest of the match aimlessly kicking the ball around the pitch. It was so egregious that even German and Austrian fans were appalled. Algeria complained to FIFA but the result stood. It did however lead to a rule change that has been in place ever since – both of the final matches in each Group are now played at the same time so the result of one will not be known before the other.
Algeria qualified for the ’86 World Cup but again failed to advance out of the group stage. 2010 will be their first Cup since, though they’ve had an up and down couple of decades in the African Cup of Nations, finishing in the semis in the most recent competition.
They finished atop their group in the first round of qualification in Africa and appeared to be set to qualify with ease in the third and final round after beating archrivals Egypt, Zambia and Rwanda. But prior to the second and final match against Egypt the team bus was attacked by a group of hooligans, injuring several of the players and the team went on to lose the match. The incident caused such a stir that Algeria actually stopped exporting gas to Egypt for a while. The loss set up a final playoff game between Algeria and who else, Egypt, for the last qualification spot in Africa. Algeria won the match and qualified.
A few short months later though, Egypt got their revenge by beating Algeria in the African Cup of Nations.
Players: They’re a young, inexperienced team that are prone to inconsistent performances but you can’t sleep on any of the African nations in this Cup.
Karim Matmour – Striker
Born in France in 1985, Matmour enjoys dual citizenship and was first called up to the Algerian team in 2007. He’s scored two goals for his country and is currently a teammate of Michal Bradley’s for the German club Borussia Monchengladbach.
Maroud Meghini – Midfiled
Another Algerian with dual French citizenship, the 26-year-old has long been hailed as the next Zidane. He had a sterling international career with the French youth squads but injuries have rocked his professional career, consequently he’s never been able to get out from under the weight of the comparison to the greatest player ever. In 2009 he revived his international career but this time with the nation of his father by donning the Algerian colors. If he’s healthy he will no doubt have an impact in South Africa with his ability to control the ball and make plays out of nothing. He may not be compared to Zidane there, but he’ll likely be known as a major pain in the ass by the English and Americans.
Prediction: England and the US should easily qualify out of Group C but it would be positively foolish for either team to overlook Algeria. I was shocked to find out they’re currently ranked 27th in the world, which puts them in the perfect position to upset one of the two favorites. Still, Algeria’s hopes rely squarely in their first match against Slovenia. If they win that then don’t be surprised if they upset one of the big boys.
Slovenia
Nickname: Zmajceki (Dragons) – from the crest of the flag of the capital city
Colors: White and Green
Current World Ranking: 29
Manager: Matjaz Kek
He won multiple Slovenian League titles as a player and manager before becoming the national team manager in 2007.
History: Not to be confused with Slovakia, (as I did all my research on Slovakia before I realized I should have been researching Slovenia – stupid Eastern European nations…) the national soccer team formed for the first time in 1992 after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and have been playing the role of the underdog ever since. They finished behind Slovakia in their qualifying group and ahead of the Northern Ireland, San Marino and usual Euro middle-heavyweights Czech Republic, and Poland but needed to beat mighty Russia and the luckiest coach on the planet, Guus Hiddinck, in a two game playoff, which they did even after going down by 2 goals early in the first, to make it to the Cup, which is only their second after 2002.
Players: They boasted the strongest defense in European qualifying, which is the hallmark of their team, even though they lack a single recognizable name from any of the major European clubs.
Milivoje Novakovic – Striker
He’ll be 31 by the time the Cup kicks off and in the prime of his career, having scored 5 goals in qualifying and a total of 14 for his country. He currently plays in Germany for FC Koln.
Robert Koren – Midfield
The current captain of the national team, Koren has been capped 44 times scoring 8 goals in his international career. He’s played for English Championship club West Bromwich Albion since 2007.
Predictions: Just like Algeria, the US and England would be foolish to count these guys out. They have one distinct advantage over the US – they play against European teams all the time. Also just like Algeria, their World Cup hopes come down to the first game. If they win that, they’ll be primed for an upset. As a US or English fan you should be rooting for a draw in that match
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