Undefeated

European powerhouses like England, France and Italy have yet to win a single game and their chances of moving forward in the tournament are looking slim. Italy has the strongest possibility to move past the group rounds but look ready to go home.

Meanwhile, CONMEBOL teams from South America are undefeated in group play and perennial favorites Brazil and Argentina could have enough to meet in the finals. Each respective South American squad leads their group and their chances to reach the quarterfinals are promising. Paraguay and Uruguay have a solid defense and have shown to have the ability to score. Both of the “guay’ teams vastly improved in their second game and may finish first in groups they were not favored to.

South American teams have a rich world cup history and have won a total of 9 championships with Brazil leading the way. Yet 2010 seems like a revelation for the Latin Americans at the expense of European teams. Most of the players from South America are the stars of European leagues and their participation is on the rise. Take for example Champions League winner Inter Milan who did not have a single Italian starter on their squad.

It could be a fluke. European teams have won two of the last three cups. However, this has been the worst performances ever by UEFA teams and the best showing for South American teams so far. The ever growing influx of Latin players into Italy, England and France must and will have an impact. It is also significant that all the CONMEBOL squads play European style soccer and their playing the Euro style better than the original.

This South Africa World Cup was the first to be hosted by an African nation and apart from vuvuzelas, the story of this cup may be the success of South American teams…I am even inclined to predict we may see an all South American Semi Finals.