Argentina and Uruguay Top in Group A and B WorldCup Soccer

While a lot of big-name nations from Europe have struggled, the finest from South America finest have already taken off at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.  Uruguay and Argentina emerged on top of Groups A and B respectively after finishing their assignments and the continent’s other three representatives are at the moment ahead of their groups too, with Brazil, five-time world champions who already booked their place in the Round of 16 with a game to go.

Now it is Paraguay and Chile that is being eyed if they can complete a clean sweep in their last first-phase games. At this time, the CONMEBOL countries got ten wins and two draws of their 12 games. They have taking 32 of the 36 available points up at stake. This means that Paraguay of Group F and Chile of Group H need only a point to assure qualification to top their respective sections.

This is a turnaround if you think about what happened in Germany 2006, where no South American nation was able to make it to the semi-final stage. Jorge Valdivia the Chile schemer said that it is great that the South American teams are bouncing back. Coach Gerardo Martino of Paraguay is not even surprised and said that all the five teams were in good shape at the start of the tournament. All of them have high hopes and the majority has shown good displays in the first round. With this said, it is quite clear that Brazil and Argentina are two different case to contend with. And it is very clear that South American teams have risen from the group.

On Group A, Uruguay won without giving up a goal and Argentina did not give up a point in Group B. While Paraguay held a draw with world champions Italy in their first and made an impressive 2-0 victory against Slovakia in their second, to top Group F. Brazil had back to back wins against Korea DPR and Côte d’Ivoire in Group G, and Chile collected six points to their credit to become the first team to over run Switzerland in 559 minutes in the FIFA World Cup tournament.

Enzo Francescoli the Uruguayan legend said, the punishing and intensely aggressive nature of South American Zone matches is one factor behind this quick start. For the teams of South America it is a real tough qualifying phase. They have a different football standard with different marking styles and tactical movements.

Poll: Who Will Advance From Group H in World Cup 2010

Football fans who are speaking Spanish will follow Group H since three of the teams are Spanish speaking. And obviously because Spain is ranked number one.

Spain had 35 unbeaten matches run shockingly ended by the USA in the semi-finals in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. They also earned the title of FIFA Team of the Year. They are the current European champions and the team has in depth talent in all positions.

Switzerland got their place by winning a competitive group. During 2009 they won four, lost only one and four draws. They have a striker who won FIFA World Player of the Year in 2008.

Honduras sealed their place by finishing third in Concacaf. They had a busy 2009 with 15 wins, eight losses and one draw. They have one of the best front lines. Their last appearance in the World Cup finals was 1982. Their team has great defense.

Chile had an impressive qualifying campaign. They finished second among the top 10 qualifying teams South American teams. They are just behind Brazil who is a five-time champion and ranked second in the world. They’re a dark horse that deserves respect and are expected to produce some surprises. With this information, you can approximately calculate Who Will Advance from Group H in World Cup 2010.

Chile vs Spain In FIFA World Cup 2010

World Cup 2010: Chile will play against Spain on 25/06 20:30 in Tshwane/Pretoria

An interview with Jorge Valdivia a Chilean international has always been successful. He has won his national league title in 2006 with Colo Colo club and Sao Paulo State Championship in 2008 then moved to Palmeiras the Brazilian giants.

With his star rising, experts expected him to follow the path to South America. But he made a big surprise when he signed up for the United Arab Emirates team Al Ain last August 2008. This 26-year-old midfield was instrumental in bringing the club three domestic trophies, namely the President’s Cup, the Federation Cup, UAE Supercup during his first season there.

Valdivia was also instrumental in Chile’s qualification in to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, and his dreams and hopes for this year’s event were part of the topics discussed in the interview with FIFA. Here is the interview.
Jorge, how significant is being a team captain? Being a captain is important to me. I played captain for Palmeiras and also led my country. It is a great pride but also needs lots of responsibility. Being captain means setting example for the team and for the youth players, a good role model.

Were you delighted being named 2009 Player of the Year in the Emirati league? It is a significant achievement, as it means the work was recognized. That award is a great incentive to achieve more goals and better play.

Do you want to play for a top European club? Of course, but now the priority is to play in the World Cup. My plan is to ensure to make it to the squad for South Africa. If I make it, I will fight to be a starter. I will do all I can to help my team go as far as possible. The outcome of how I play in the World Cup could be a factor in my European move.

Do you think the draw for Chile was a good one on the road to South Africa 2010? The tournament brings the best players of every continent so all the groups are hard. All groups have great teams with ambitions of winning. With regards to Chile’s group, that was the draw. It is impossible to assess if it is good or bad. After the tournament we will know if it is kind to us. The other three teams in the group are all worthy contenders and tough. Watch the World Cup 2010 Chile vs. Spain, it promises to be a tough one.

South American World cup qualifiers Fixtures

Fixtures

Date/Time Venue Home Team Vs Away Team

06/09/08 16:00 Buenos Aires Argentina vs Paraguay

06/09/08 16:10 Quito Ecuador vs Bolivia

06/09/08 18:20 Bogota Colombia vs Uruguay

06/09/08 20:30 Lima Peru vs Venezuela

07/09/08 20:00 Santiago De Chile Chile vs Brazil

09/09/08 20:00 Asuncion Paraguay vs Venezuela

10/09/08 17:40 Montevideo Uruguay vs Ecuador

10/09/08 18:40 Santiago De Chile Chile vs Colombia

10/09/08 21:30 Lima Peru vs Argentina

10/09/08 21:50 Rio De Janeiro Brazil vs Bolivia

11/10/08 TBA Bolivia vs Peru

11/10/08 20:10 Buenos Aires Argentina vs Uruguay

11/10/08 20:20 Bogota Colombia vs Paraguay

12/10/08 16:00 San Cristobal Venezuela vs Brazil

12/10/08 16:10 Quito Ecuador vs Chile

14/10/08 TBA Bolivia vs Uruguay

15/10/08 18:40 Asuncion Paraguay vs Peru

15/10/08 20:20 Puerto La Cruz Venezuela vs Ecuador

15/10/08 20:30 Santiago De Chile Chile vs Argentina

15/10/08 21:50 Rio De Janeiro Brazil vs Colombia