During the next month, HoustonDynamo.com will feature a series of weekly interviews with players and coaches regarding the 2006 World Cup. First up is Salvadorian international and Houston Dynamo forward Ronald Cerritos, who has more than 40 caps throughout his career.
HoustonDynamo.com: What are your thoughts regarding the World Cup, which starts next week?
Ronald Cerritos: It's going to be difficult for all teams involved. With every World Cup that goes by, teams get better, and the gap between the traditionally 'weak' and 'strong' teams gets smaller with time. I believe competition will be at its highest, especially with all the African teams that are playing. However, when the dust settles, I believe that Brazil will end up coming on top once again.
HoustonDynamo.com: Speaking of African teams, do any of them, or any of the supposed "weak" teams, catch your attention? Do you see any of them pulling off a surprise like Senegal did back in Japan?
R.C.: Of course. I believe Ivory Coast has great players, many of which play in England. Those players bring a lot of experience to their squad. Along with Ivory Coast, I believe Togo and Ghana can also pull off a surprise. You have to understand that those teams are extremely complicated, due to their strength and the relative ease with which they handle the ball. They are capable of delivering a surprise, nasty for any team, at any moment.
HoustonDynamo.com: The U.S. group features a difficult African team (Ghana), and two historically complicated squads, Italy and the Czech Republic. Do you think the U.S. has a good possibility of advancing to the second round?
R.C.: Tough to say. I think teams like Mexico were very fortunate to have accessible opponents (Iran, Angola, and Portugal), that will make it easier for them to advance to the second round. The U.S., on the other hand, will have to deal with Italy, which has one of the world's top leagues, and the Czech Republic, a team that has long been considered "complicated", and which is now one of the top teams in the world. We also can't dismiss Ghana, which, like all African teams, features players with great endurance and physical strength. Being fair, though, the U.S. also has a very capable squad, featuring players that are developing in Europe, who have international experience. Again, this is a difficult group, and if all teams play up to their potential, anything can happen. Personally, I would like to see Italy and the U.S. advance.
HoustonDynamo.com: Aside from Brazil, who do you consider has the best team to win the World Cup?
R.C.: I believe that Argentina has many great players, and a great talent pool. We also can't dismiss Germany, which has not won a World Cup since 1990, or England, which has a great team, and has not won it all since '66. Going back to Argentina, though, I think they have a big chip on their shoulder, given their disappointing performance in Japan. We'll just have to wait and see, and hope that the best team does win it all this time around.
Questions or suggestions are welcome at lgretsch@houstondynamo.com.
