Portugal: Best Shot for Title
Portugal will present a unique challenge to the United States because of the presence of Luis Figo, arguably the best right-sided midfielder in the world, and Rui Costa, one of Europe’s best playmakers.
How Bruce Arena comes up with a scheme to handle Rui Costa and Figo will be one of the key tactical decisions the U.S. coach will have to make over the next six months.
Portugal will be hosting the European Championship in 2004, but next year’s World Cup may be the best shot for Figo, Rui Costa and the rest of the Portuguese players who gained international prominence when Portugal won back-to-back World Youth Champions in 1989 and 1991.
By 2004, Figo, Rui Costa, Fernando Couto, Jorge Costa and Paulo Sousa will all be on the wrong side of 30.
The 2002 World Cup is a natural progression for the Torcida Verde after Euro ’96 (Portugal was the best team in the first round) and Euro 2000 (it fell to eventual champion France in the semifinals on a disputed penalty).
Since the return of Antonio Oliveira, who coached Portugal at Euro ’96, four players have broken into the starting lineup. Goalie Ricardo, right back Frechaut and defensive midfielder Petit all play for surprise 2001 Portuguese champion Boavista. Since joining Bordeaux last year, striker Pauleta has been the top scorer in the French First Division.
The rest of the four-man backline remains intact: Fernando Couto and Jorge Costa in the middle and Rui Jorge on the left side.
Portugal alternates between a 4-4-2 and a 4-5-1 formation. Sergio Conceicao or Nuno Capucho can play on the outside next to Rui Costa and Figo if Oliveira goes with three midfielders.
Pauleta, who led Portugal with eight goals in World Cup qualifying, and the veteran Joao Pinto are Oliveira’s first choices up front. Nuno Gomes lost his starting job after being suspended following the loss to France at Euro 2000 but remains in the picture. He had seven goals off the bench in the last three qualifiers.
South Korea: Work in Progress
South Korea is very much a work in progress.
Dutchman Guus Hiddink, who took charge of the World Cup co-hosts in January, reshaped the team once for the Confederations Cup last June and made wholesale changes a second time for a series of friendly matches this fall.
Still, Hiddink insists he’s pretty much settled on his starting lineup.
“You could say that 90 percent of the selection for the starting lineup has been completed,” he said. “Of course, there will be some slight changes.”
The key decision Hiddink must make is how much he will depend on his players abroad in Japan and Europe and how much he will risk on young players he’s recently brought in.
Song Chong Gug, 22, has played an increasingly important role on the Korean backline since captain Hong Myung Bo, South Korea’s all-time cap leader (122) and a veteran of three World Cups, has been injured.
In midfield, Hiddink has been looking at a pair of 20-year-olds, Lee Chun Soo and Choi Tae Uk. Park Ji Sung, also 20, started at the Confederations Cup in a supporting role behind the frontline, but Hiddink says he has made no decision on who will be his playmaker.
The Dutchman has tried various formations but is likely to stick with a 4-4-2 for the World Cup. He has lots of options up top.
Choi Yong Soo (JEF United) and Hwang Sun Hong (Kashiwa Reysol) had 21 and 10 goals, respectively, in the J-League this season.
Other candidates? Lee Dong Gook was once considered South Korea’s rising star but is now back home with Pohang Steelers after a short stint with German club Werder Bremen. Seol Ki Hyeon moved from Antwerp to Anderlecht in Belgium but is struggling to get playing time. Ditto for Ahn Jung Hwan, whose contract at Italian club Perugia is up at the end of the year.
A long shot is collegian Cha Doo Ri, the son of South Korea’s greatest player, Cha Bum Kun.
Poland: Back After 16 Years
Of the 15 European teams in the 2002 World Cup, none had gone a longer time without playing in the World Cup or European Championship finals than Poland.
The 1986 World Cup was Poland’s last appearance on the international stage, ending the golden era of Polish soccer during which the Poles finished third in the World Cup twice (1974 and 1982) and reached the finals four times in a row.
Polish soccer fell on hard times after the collapse of the Communist regime. A silver medal at the 1992 Olympics offered brief hope for Polish fans.
The architect of the Polish revival is 49-year-old coach Jerzy Engel.
He was 23 when he took up coaching and spent seven years in Cyprus before returning to take charge of Polonia Warsaw, which he led to the 2000 Polish First Division title. Shortly thereafter, Engel, who worked as a scout on the ’82 World Cup team, was named national team coach.
Engel’s big move was convincing Nigerian Emmanuel Olisadebe to take out Polish citizenship. Olisadebe had eight goals in qualifying, showing the touch in front of the goal that the Poles had lacked for more than a decade.
Poland, the first European team to clinch its qualifying group, will pose particular problems for the United States if the latter needs a win in its final Group D game.
The key to Poland’s offense is its counterattack. The Poles wrapped up qualifying so quickly because they won their first three games on the road against Ukraine (3-1), Norway (3-2) and Wales (1-0).
Olisadebe had five of his eight goals in the three wins.
Poland has an imposing defense, anchored by Jerzy Dudek, who recently took over as the starting keeper at English club Liverpool.
In front of Dudek in Poland’s 3-5-2 formation are the three Tomaszes from the Bundesliga – Klos (Kaiserslautern), Waldoch and Hajto (both Schalke 04).
Waldoch is one of three starters (along with midfielders Pietr Swierczewski and Marek Kozminski) who are holdovers from the 1992 Olympic team.
by Soccer America Managing Editor Paul Kennedy