Get to Know Group A

With the World Cup just days away, I figured it was a good time to start cranking out some group previews. Expect at least one of these a day until all of the groups are covered:

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South Africa

Population: ~49 million (11th out of 32)
Nickname: Bafana Bafana
Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira
Roster: The 23 man squad can be seen here, with Benni McCarthy failing to make the cut due to weight and form issues.

Qualification and recent form: Though they automatically qualified for the tournament as the host nation, South Africa still took part in the African qualification process, which doubled as qualifying for the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations.  They struggled mightily in their second round group, losing twice to World Cup qualifiers Nigeria and dropping five of six points to Sierra Leone.  Bafana Bafana failed to progress, missing out on the Africa Cup of Nations and another round of valuable World Cup tune-ups.  They did, however, have the 2009 Confederations Cup as additional preparation, during which they managed just four goals in five games.  Nevertheless, they turned in impressive performances against Spain and Brazil (both late one goal losses) and defeated fellow World Cup participants New Zealand.

After a rough patch and the subsequent dismissal of Joel Santana, Carlos Alberto Parreira signed on as South Africa's head coach, a year and a half after he himself stepped down from the position.  Since he has taken the reigns, South Africa have not lost, putting together an 11-match unbeaten run that dates back to last November.  Though Bafana Bafana are riding perhaps their best run of form this cycle, they still will have their work cut out for them in a talented group.

Prediction: South Africa will become the first host nation to fail to advance out of the group stage.

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France

Population: ~65.5 million (7th out of 32)
Nickname: Les Bleus
Coach: Raymond Domenech
Roster: Click here.

Qualification and recent form: France's road to South Africa was bumpy one, not without it's fair share of controversy.  They fell one point short of automatic qualification, as Serbia put together a strong campaign in UEFA's Group 7, forcing them into a playoff against Ireland.  Though they advanced, it was hardly done in impressive fashion, like much of their qualification run, raising a number of questions and criticisms aimed at, among others, Raymond Domenech.

Their World Cup tune-ups have also been a bit rocky, with a 2-0 loss to Spain in March followed up by a late win against Costa Rica and an unimpressive draw against Tunisia this month.  Despite severely out-shooting their opponents in both of their May friendlies, Les Bleus struggled to find the back of the net.  They will take on China in their final tune-up, meaning their last batch of friendlies will not feature a single World Cup qualifier.  Failing to really "wow" in these matches has only turned up the pressure on the 2006 finalists.

Prediction: I usually hate the "they're too talented not to advance" line of reasoning, but that's what I'm going to cop out with.  I expect France to put everything together enough to at least advance out of Group A.

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Mexico

Population: ~108 million (5th out of 32)
Nickname: El Tri
Coach: Javier Aguirre
Roster: Click here.  Aguirre's last cut was Jonathan Dos Santos, brother of starlet Giovani Dos Santos.  This decision has led to speculation (from their father, for what it's worth) that Giovani might quit the World Cup team to be with his brother.

Qualification and recent form: After a slow start under Sven Goran Erikkson, Mexico shook things up and brought Javier Aguirre, who coached the team from 2001-2002.  El Tri's fortunes quickly turned around, as they won a key home game against the United States and picked up an impressive road win at Costa Rica.  They held serve at home and managed to secure an automatic berth to their fifth consecutive World Cup.

Mexico have opted for a pretty extensive pre-World Cup schedule, with twelve matches in 2010 before their opener against South Africa.  In their recent matches against England and the Netherlands, Aguirre's men have shown good skill and possession going forward, but they have also been exposed at the back and on set pieces.  In each of the last four World Cup tournaments, Mexico has advanced to the knockout stages (where they have last in the Round of 16 all four times); they will need to sure things up at the back to ensure that that streak continues.

Prediction: Mexico make it five straight World Cup appearances in the Round of 16.

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Uruguay

Population: ~3.1 million (31st out of 32)
Nickname: La Celeste
Coach: Oscar Tabarez
Roster: Click here.

Qualification and recent form: Uruguay had a middle-of-the-pack, quasi-Satanic 6-6-6 record in CONMEBOL qualifying, falling to Argentina on the final match day to fall into fifth place and a playoff against Costa Rica.  They managed to advance thanks to a fortuitous offside call in the second leg to preserve their aggregate lead, sending them back to the World Cup after missing out on Germany 2006.

La Celeste defeated fellow World Cup qualifiers Switzerland by a score of 3-1 back in March and comfortably defeated Israel last week in their send-off match in Montevideo.  The match against Israel was the only tune-up for Tabarez and company, who will open up against France on June 11th. 

Prediction: Uruguay have not advanced to the knockout stages since 1990, a streak that I do not think will be snapped this time around.

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Stay tuned for the Group B preview tomorrow, and let me know if there's anything else you'd like me to add to these.