Coach
Bob Bradley
03.03.58
Coach since December 2006
Took over the national team from his mentor, Bruce Arena, after the USA’s first-round exit from World Cup 2006 has changed little – the USA is still a team of robust athletes with a sprinkling of impressive soccer skills a formula that works well in the Concacaf region but is only patchily successful against stronger European
The USA’s defensive strength goes straight down the spine of the team, with an exceptional goalkeeper in Howard, two rugged centre-back in DeMerit and Onyewu, plus Bradley and Clark in midfield as hard-tackling, dominating players. However, the side looks neither comfortable or convincing when playing a defensive game and it is at its best moving the ball forward.
This creative side
Coach
Oscar Washington Tabarez 3-03-47
Coach since 2006
The man called Maestro, not because he is a master at his craft, which he may be, but because he is a former school master, is going to his second World Cup after steering Uruguay to a second round meeting with the host nation at Italia 90. Has also coached big club sides like Boca
Never-say-die fighting spirit remains a strong part of Uruguay’s armoury plus a good quota of individual technique. Tabarez’s efforts to mould a team with these ingredients have met with mixed results and he has often had to thank the veteran element in his side for their successes, like striker Sebastian Abreu scoring the vital goal against Costa Rica in Montevideo
Coach
Ottmar Hitzfeld
12.01.49
Switzerland coach since 2008
One of only two coaches to win the European Cup/Champions League with two clubs (Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and Bayern Munich in 2001). Although German, he was born near the Swiss border and speaks in the Swiss dialect used in the region.
Goalkeepers
Diego Benaglio
VfL Wolfsburg
8.9.83
Caps: 25. Goals 0.
Third-choice at the 2006 World Cup, Benaglio was promoted just
Hitzfeld has not strayed from his favoured 4-4-2 formation since he took over following Euro 2008. Switzerland are a determined, disciplined team but lack any real flair.
Diego Benaglio is the automatic choice for goalkeeper, his saves having helped Switzerland qualify despite some ropey performances. Philippe Senderos is the commanding figure in defence and Hitzfeld is expected to keep
Coach
Vicente del Bosque
23.12.50
Spain coach since July 2008
Former international defender who was capped 18 times and appeared at Euro 80, he replaced Luis Aragones as coach of the national team following their victory at Euro 2008. Has also been coach of Real Madrid and Besiktas in Turkey.
Goalkeepers
Iker CASILLAS
20 May 1981
Real Madrid
102 / 0
The man they have dubbed ‘Saint Iker’ because of
After Spain beat France at the Stade de France in March, Thierry Henry exclaimed: “It’s lovely to watch Spain on the television, but when you play against them you simply can’t get the ball off them.” And that, in a nutshell, defines the Spanish approach. The key is possession, what is known in Spain as tiki-taka – a nonsensical phrase
Coach
HUH Jung-moo
13.01.55
South Korea coach since 2007
Played in the 1996 World Cup and scored against Italy. Now in his third stint in charge of the national team, he was voted Asian coach of the year in 2009 after leading his side to the World Cup finals and a run of 27 games without loss.
Goalkeepers
Jung Sung-ryong
04/01/85
Seongnam Ilhwa
13 caps (0 goals)
At 25 years
Following a prolonged Dutch influence on the South Korean team in the wake of Guus Hiddink’s success at the 2002 World Cup, Huh Jung-moo became the first home grown coach to lead the team on a full-time basis since his own sacking to make way for Hiddink’s arrival at the end of 2000.
But the former Chunnam Dragons coach has continued
