BBC Looks At World Cup 2010, Download The Schedule

I’ve got the entire World Cup 2010 schedule now uploaded to my Soccer Calendar which you can find on my homepage’s right sidebar. You can now also add it to your calender, Google gives you a couple options when you click on the logo on the bottom right.

Thought I’d see what they were saying on the other side of the pond about the draw as well. Here’s the BBC’s take on the entire 32 team tournament.

BBC’s Guide to the teams at South Africa 2010

On 18 November the guest list for the biggest party in world football was finalised and set in stone.

Next summer, 32 national teams will head to South Africa to compete in the 19th World Cup finals each hoping, with varying degrees of realism, to write themselves into the illustrious history of football’s most coveted prize.

There are the usual suspects from Brazil, Italy, Spain and Germany the damaged but dangerous Argentina, France and Portugal, but also the dark-horses from the Ivory Coast and USA, those capable of a latter-stage surge like Australia and Cameroon and a differing collection of determined dreamers from across the globe.

You may also have heard about a certain team in white who have lately rejuvenated themselves under authoritative Italian guidance? Don’t worry if you haven’t yet, you will.

So with the draw now complete, squad announcements expected around mid-May and the tournament getting under way from 11 June, we take an early look at the teams.

I’ve taken the liberty of showing you the England and US commentary, follow the links for the rest.

GROUP C: ENGLAND
Manager: Fabio Capello
Key player: Wayne Rooney
Best: Winners (1966)
World ranking: 9

Rarely has a qualifying campaign gone so smoothly for England, who have found a new lease of life under the authoritative leadership of Italian coach Fabio Capello. They swept into the finals with a 5-1 rout of Croatia, their eighth victory in eight Group Six matches, ensuring their progress to the finals with two matches to spare and providing a fitting revenge for the 3-2 defeat to the same side that denied them participation at Euro 2008.

Disappointing quarter-final eliminations at both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup and the failure to reach Euro 2008 were huge under-achievements for a group of players widely considered something of an English “golden generation”. However, many of them, including David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and captain John Terry remain and appear to have found a coach capable of successfully utilising their combined talents. They lack proven quality beyond the first choice side and there are concerns in goal but if they play to potential and Wayne Rooney shines the inevitable hype may finally be justified.

GROUP C: UNITED STATES
Manager: Bob Bradley
Key player: Landon Donovan
Best: Third (1930)
World ranking: 14

The United States had to work hard to seal qualification with a 3-2 win over Honduras, but Bob Bradley’s side did enjoy the luxury of having a game to spare. The Americans gave a strong showing throughout qualifying, securing good wins over their principle rivals Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica to take top spot in the group.

The US have featured in each of the previous five World Cups and are now expected to make the knockout rounds. In making the Confederations Cup final, beating Euro 2008 winners Spain along the way and pushing eventual winners Brazil in the final, the Americans demonstrated enough to suggest a latter-stages push is within their reach in South Africa. Bradley’s team is well-organised with a good keeper in Everton’s Tim Howard, and goalscoring threats in the shape of Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey and Los Angeles Galaxy striker Landon Donovan. However, the coach used 43 players in qualification, suggesting consistency may be alluding them at present.