With the FIFA World Cup in less than a week, we at NextGenSports felt obliged to give you all some profiles on who will be the breakout young stars in this tournament. These footballers are all under the age of 23 and may be unknown to the casual soccer fan, but could all dictate how far their respective countries go.
Jozy Altidore (USA)
The blazing fast 20 year old striker from New Jersey will perhaps determine if the United States is able to right their ship of recent World Cup failure. He has proven more than adept at the international level, scoring 9 goals with the team through qualifying rounds, the Confederation Cup, and friendly matches. His success on the club level with Hull City (English Premier League) was non- existent, probably attributed to the very little playing time he saw. The one advantage of playing overseas for Altidore was his gaining of familiarity to many opponents he will have to play against in the World Cup, like England's defenders John Terry and Ashley Cole, each from Chelsea. One of the issues for the United States that makes Altidore all the more important is their lack of depth at forward. Charles Davies did not recover fast enough from his October car accident, and that means the second striker spot will be up in the air between Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley, and Hercules Gomez. Watch out for veteran Clint Dempsey, probably the most polished scorer on the roster, to step in and play some striker on occasion.
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez (MEXICO)
Hernandez, the forward at 22 years of age, was the first Mexican footballer ever to join Manchester United, a feat not to be taken lightly. He had great success at such a young age in Mexico's "Primero Division", finishing in the top 3 in scoring while playing for Chivas. Hernandez has really burst onto the scene for both his club and his country, and could be a key at the point of attack for a very potent Mexico offense featuring scoring middies Giovanni Dos Santos and Andres Guardado. As long as Hernandez does not cave under the enormous expectations of his country, a place where football is religion, then he should have no trouble slashing through the weak defenses of Uruguay and South Africa in Group A. If Mexico is able to keep it together on the back end while playing their wing-focused, aggressive offense, keep an eye on a possible upset of an overrated France squad.
Gervinho (Ivory Coast)
With the injury to Didier Drogba, and his availability for Cup play now up in the air, 23 year old Gervihno's talent now means more than ever to Ivory Coast. This skilled young winger scored 13 goals for Le Mans in Ligue 1, and his stock is rising quickly for the national team. Yaya Toure, Solomon Kalou, and Drogba (if he plays) will draw most attention from opposing defenses, perhaps leaving Gervihno open space to make teams pay, whether it be by scoring or creating opportunities for his teammates. On Ivory Coast, perhaps the best African squad ever assembled, look for Gervinho to find great success because of his potent supporting cast.
-JS
I share a similiar view on this subject, I agree that he has a nice arm and wrist, but his ankles and toe bones are not that strong.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the first comment posted by this obnoxious guy, but i would be less concerned with the toe strength, and more concerned with the obvious sternum problems, this being said I would assume that at least three goals will be scored, and a possibility of more, I want to let the previous commenter know that africa is not a team represented in the World Cup because it is a continent(know crap), I myself will be rooting for Antarctica, led by my main man Happy Feet. Lets go PENGUINS!!!
ReplyDeletethanks skeet yay africa
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