Three matches are on the calendar Saturday for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, including Trinidad & Tobago's World Cup debut.
Two of the three matches are in Group B, which contains the Soca Warriors. Los Angeles Galaxy forward Cornell Glen and New England Revolution defender Avery John both stand a good chance of seeing time as the team from the tiny Caribbean twin-island republic tries to steal a win from heavily favored Sweden. The match kicks off at 12 p.m. ET in Dortmund and can be seen on ABC.
The Soca Warriors are, according to one online betting site, a 1,000-1 shot to win the World Cup, and they face a tall task in trying to contain Sweden's attack, which is led by Arsenal's Freddie Ljungberg, Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Juventus and Barcelona's Henrik Larsson. Getting past a rearguard headed by Aston Villa's Olof Mellberg won't be easy, either.
In the first match of the day, England, one of the competition's top contenders, faces Paraguay at 9 a.m. ET in Frankfurt (ABC). The English are without striker Wayne Rooney, who is still fighting to recover from a broken metatarsal, but 6-foot-7 striker Peter Crouch has been impressive in recent friendlies. Consistently one of the most highly rated World Cup sides, England have known only heartbreak since their lone triumph in 1966.
The South Americans have an injury doubt of their own, as striker Roque Santa Cruz may be unavailable for Saturday's match, as he is recovering from a knee injury. Paraguay has reached the round-of-16 in each of the last two World Cups, but has failed to advance any farther than that.
Group C play gets underway Saturday, as well, as Argentina battle World Cup debutants Ivory Coast in Hamburg at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Another of the tournament's favorites, Argentina shockingly failed to advance out of the group stage last time around, and in a tough group that also includes the Netherlands and Serbia and Montenegro, the danger is there for a repeat.
The Argentines face what is widely considered the most dangerous team to qualify from Africa. The Black Elephants are led by striker Didier Drogba of 2006 Sierra Mist All-Star Game participants Chelsea FC. Drogba scored nine goals in qualifying for Ivory Coast, and he'll have to carry the load again if he and his fellow upstarts are to outlast the established Argentine and Dutch squads.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
