World Cup: Group H Preview

Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

For anybody who’s been paying attention for the last couple of years, Spain are widely considered the best team in the world and are expected to breeze through the competition in Group D. So confident is the Iberian nation, in fact, that members of La Furia Roja can only begin collecting performance bonuses from the second round on. However, the Spanish are notorious underachievers and shouldn’t take anything for granted, especially against a dangerous Chile side that was the talk of South American qualifying or the notoriously defensive Swiss, who are more than capable of shutting down opposing forwards. The odd team out, then, is Honduras, although Los Catrachos aren’t about to go down without a fight.

FIFA Ranking: 2

Coach: Vicente del Bosque (Spain)

World Cup Appearances: 12 (Best finish: 4th – 1950)

Intro: Spain cemented their status as the hands-down favorite to win the World Cup after a dazzling run in Euro 2008. Then managed by Luis Aragonés, La Furia Roja wowed fans and brought opponents to their knees with a brilliant display of soccer that won them their first continental title in more than 40 years. After taking over coaching duties, del Bosque led the team through a perfect World Cup qualifying campaign, thanks in no small part to the greatest generation of players in the country’s history. However, as the US proved at last year’s Confederation’s Cup, the Spanish are beatable. In addition, they haven’t been overpowering in recent tune-up matches.

WATCH: SPAIN: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH:SPAIN: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: A genius with the ball at his feet, Barcelona’s Xavi [WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE] plays in the shadow of Lionel Messi but has quietly established himself as the best passer in the world. Another Blaugrana who weaves magic in the midfield is Andrés Iniesta, a truly gifted playmaker who constantly leaves defenders scratching their heads. Completing the Barcelona triumvirate is Gerard Piqué, who appears destined to become one of the game’s greatest defenders of his time.

MLS Connection: One of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal 2009 season for the New York Red Bulls, Albert Celades played for Spain in the 1998 World Cup.

FIFA Ranking: 24

Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld (Germany)

World Cup Appearances: 8 (Best finish: quarterfinals - 1934, 1938, 1954)

Intro: The best offense is a good defense for Switzerland, a highly organized team that didn’t concede a single goal during the first round in Germany 2006 and had the stingiest defense in Group 2 of UEFA qualifying for the latest World Cup. However, the land of chocolate and watches doesn’t produce the most talented soccer players, as the Swiss prefer to hand the initiative to their opponents, withstand pressure in their own half and use the counterattack as their main offensive weapon. While not exciting, this philosophy has worked incredibly well for Hitzfeld’s men, who, true to form, battled out a tough 1-1 draw against equally defensive Italy in their final warm-up match.

WATCH: SWITZERLAND: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH:SWITZERLAND: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: Switzerland’s all-time leading scorer, Alexander Frei [WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE],will look to add to his 40 international goals in South Africa. Towering at 6’3”, Everton defender Phillipe Senderos is an imposing figure in the Swiss backline that will need to be in top form. Meanwhile, Diego Benaglio established himself as a first-rate ’keeper after helping Wolfsburg win their first Bundesliga title during the 2008-09 season.

MLS Connection: Immediately following his country’s participation in the World Cup, forward Blaise Nkufo, who led Switzerland in scoring during qualifying, will join the Seattle Sounders.

FIFA Ranking: 38

Coach: Reinaldo Rueda (Colombia)

World Cup Appearances: 1 (Best finish: 1st round – 1982)

Intro:La Bicolor earned a direct ticket to South Africa thanks to a Jonathan Bornstein header that sealed a 2-2 tie between the US and Costa Rica in the final day of CONCACAF qualifying. In addition to the Chivas USA defender, the Central American country has embraced Colombian coach Rueda as a national hero, going so far as to offer him Honduran citizenship. After many failed attempts by his predecessors, Rueda succeeded in leading los Catrachos to their second World Cup. Whether they will succeed there is anybody’s guess, especially after a mediocre preparatory campaign that yielded no victories, an injury to star midfielder Wilson Palacios, and an embarrassing 3-0 loss against Romania this past weekend.

WATCH:HONDURAS: PLAYER PROFILE

WATCH:HONDURAS: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: Genoa striker David Suazo’s stock has fallen considerably in recent years, but he has a chance to prove that he can still compete at the elite level. His partner up front is the ageless Carlos Pavón, who at 36 will be playing in his first World Cup after a long and fruitful career that led to stints in his native country, Mexico, Italy and Spain. Captain Amado Guevara is the playmaker of a team that will need some El Lobo magic if it is to get any results against stronger competition.

MLS Connection: Kansas City Wizards’ midfielder Roger Espinoza was a surprise addition to Rueda’s 23-man roster. Not so surprising was the inclusion of MLS veterans Guevara, Pavón and Ramón Núñez.

FIFA Ranking: 18

Coach: Marcelo Bielsa (Argentina)

World Cup Appearances: 7 (Best finish: 3rd – 1962)

Intro: It had to be foreigner, someone like Bielsa, to change things. In three short years, the Argentine-born manager has ushered in a new era in Chilean soccer, a new mentality based on aggressive, attacking-minded play, regardless of opponent or location. During World Cup qualifying, La Roja competed on equal terms with everyone in the region, even powerhouses Brazil and Argentina. Their ambition paid off, as the Andean nation finished second in the CONMEBOL standings and earned international respect as one of the most dynamic, offensive sides around.

WATCH:CHILE: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH:CHILE: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: If a slight hamstring tear forces Humberto Suazo to sit out his country’s first matches in South Africa, Chile will miss CONMEBOL’s top scorer (10 goals) during World Cup qualifying. Despite the occasional showboating, winger Alexis Sánchez has some awe-inspiring moves that provide the creative spark in La Roja’s attack. Less flashy but equally important, Matías Fernández is the team’s offensive motor, although his workmanlike attitude is what sets him apart.

MLS Connection: Before returning to MLS two years ago, Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy helped Municipal Iquique return to the Chilean First Division in 2007.

Group Dynamic: Even if they play on autopilot, Spain should finish ahead of the pack. The rest of Group D’s participants will fight tooth and nail for the right to advance to the second round, and probably draw the unenviable task of facing the winner of Group G, the “Group of Death.”

Based on their qualifying campaigns and recent friendly performances, Chile hold an edge over the remaining competition. In addition, la Roja (besides the aforementioned Suazo) has managed to avoid the injury bug that has plagued Switzerland (Valon Behrami and Marco Streller) and Honduras (Palacios and Carlo Costly) in the days leading up to the World Cup.

Don’t Miss This Match: Chile vs. Switzerland, 6/21, 10 am ET

In addition to pitting two markedly different strategies against each other (Bielsa’s attacking versus Hitzfeld’s defending), the Chile-Switzerland match will most likely determine who joins Spain in the next phase of the tournament. If they can keep the Chilean attack at bay and take advantage of the inevitable defensive holes their opponent will leave, the Swiss could earn three vital points. If not, La Roja should cruise to an easy victory.

Full Schedule (all times ET)

June 16th: Honduras vs. Chile (7:30 am); Spain vs. Switzerland (10 am)

June 21st: Chile vs. Switzerland (10 am); Honduras vs. Spain (2:30 pm)

June 25th: Chile vs. Spain (2:30 pm); Honduras vs. Switzerland (2:30 pm)

MLSsoccer.com Prediction:

1. Spain

2. Chile

3. Switzerland

4. Honduras