This guest post was written by Adrian Bacariza
Continuing in my world cup 2010 preview, I figured I would take a look at some of the teams that have a legitimate shot at winning the cup and are not explicitly favorites. These are the teams that you need to keep your eye on.

Teams to watch:

Holland:

In my opinion this is team is flying under the radar but should be considered one of the favorites. The dutch are very deep and have one of the best mid-fields in the cup. If you give this team too much possession they will pick you apart. Arjen Robben is one of the best wingers in the world right now, the major issue with him is he is made of glass and is prone to muscular injuries but a short tournament like the world cup is perfect for a player like him. However the Dutch have Dirk Kuyt who can fill his spot perfectly if he does go down. People also need to keep an eye out for Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van der Vaart both very creative central mids that can finish very well both in the area as well as from long range. The defense is a question they have some talented players but haven’t really been tested. Should be interesting to see how they do against teams that control the ball more and have more possession than there recent competition. All this being said this is a team that can score in bunches and should be fun to watch.

Argentina:

This team should be one of, if not the favorite to win this world cup but they struggled mightily to qualify. They had to win the last game of qualification to make it and placed fourth in the South American bracket. This team has five of the best forwards in the world right now as well as the one of, if not the best player in the world in Leo Messi. Their attack consisting of Messi, Higuain, Kun Aguero and Carlos Tevez just to name a few should be the most prolific scoring team in the cup. However their lack of coaching and leadership is a major concern. The other concern i have with them is there mid-field play, they don’t have a creating mid that can get there ball to the front line attackers. All this being said they are still a great team due to there attacking ability. There true test will be when they play against teams that have a strong mid-field. We will have to what and see how Maradona handles a this. The breakout player for them is going to be there left wing Angel De Maria who plays in Portugal and is linked to a summer transfer to some big name clubs. He has great past and his crossing ability and wing play should be fun to watch. He is not a very well know player but i believe he could be the big stand out on this team.

This guest post was written by Adrian Bacariza

As the world cup draw near I thought i would give a run down on the teams, favorites and players to watch.

Lets start with the favorites:

The two media favorites coming into this world are Brazil and Spain. Both teams qualified with out problems.

Brazil:

This is not your typical Brazil team, this is a much better defensive team than you are used to seeing from them. Dunga is the most defensive player and coach Brazil has ever had. They still have some of the typical Brazilian flair but its not as abundant as it has in the past. Most of that flair comes from two key players Kaka and Robinho. Both players had rough years last year for there respecting club teams. Kaka had trouble adjusting to the Spanish league giant Real Madrid. Robinho has not played well since he left Spain to go to Manchester City, so much so that they sent him back to Brazil to see if he could pick up his game. That being said I believe both these guys are going to have break out world cups.

There are three other players that i believe people need to watch out for. First is Maicon in my opinion he is the best right back in the world right now. He is very good going forward and is extremely good on the defensive side as well. The next one is Dani Alves his natural position is also right back but i believe Dunga will use him in the right mid just to have his incredible speed and attacking presence on the field. And last is Luis Fabiano anyone that has watched Seville play in La Liga knows that if you give this great finisher space you will end up pick the ball out of the back of the net. He is not as flashy as some of Brazil’s previous strikers such as Ronaldo but he is a pure finisher and can hurt you if you give him space.

Spain:
This is the deepest team in the cup. They are the current European champs and have only lost one game in the last 35 dating back to before the start of Euro 2008. They have several key players among them Iker Casillas who is one of, if not the best keeper in the world. Xavi and Inesta are the creative force behind Barcelona’s success in resent years and Xavi is arguable the best midfielder in the world right now. He has the ability to pick teams apart and squeeze the ball into spaces that seem impossible. Spain’s attacking duo of Torres and Villa is one of the best behind only the attacking force that Argentina has, the big difference between these two sides is the creativity and ball movement that Spain’s midfield has. Spain also has one of the best defenses in the cup Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique are the core of that D. They are with out question three of the most talented defenders in the world right now.

The break out player for this team in my opinion is going to be Jesus Navas the Sevilla right mid is new to this squad and people that haven’t watched La Liga will be surprised at his abilities. He is ridiculously fast and his crossing ability and scoring from the right side make him extremely dangers. He has the ability to take over games and control the pass through the wings. Spain has under achieved in previous world cups and they have a reputation for choking in the past. This team how ever is the most experienced and talented in Spanish history.

So to continue our discussion of best soccer / football / futbol players ever or best lineup possible, we’re making one with only currently active players.

Here is our list of the current most dangerous lineup one could compile (assuming money had no bearing on anything).
Think you can compile a better list? post the position and the person in the comments.

• Casillas Goalie
• Puyol Center back
• John Terry center back
• Sergio Ramos center back
• Xavi center mid
• Andres Iniesta center mid
• Messi Right wing
• Kaka CAM
• Franck Ribery Left wing
• Cristiano Ronaldo Forward
• Eto’o Forward

	Samuel Eto’o	Forward	Cameroon
	Why: Just won La Liga, copa del rey and champions as well as scoring 30 goal in a season. His speed and ability to finish make him one of the most dangerous players in the world.

	Cristiano Ronaldo	Forward	Portugal
	Why: 08 fifa player of the year Ballon d’Or: 2008, just became the most expensive player in history and at 24 years old the sky is the limit. His speed and attacking ability make him one of the worlds most dangerous players

	Franck Ribéry	Left Wing	France
	Why: French Player of the Year: 2007, 2008 German Footballer of the Year: 2008. lead Bayern Munich to 08 league title with his speed and ball control make him the worlds best left winger.

	Kaká	Center Attacking Mid	Brazil
	Why: 07 fifa player of the year the creating master mind behind Brazilian national team and one of the best playmakers in the world.

	Lionel Messi	Right Wing	Argentina
	Why: UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 2008-2009. He will with out question win the 09 fifa player of the year award. scored 38 goals and 18 assist in 09 season and is with out question the worlds best player at the moment.

	Andres Iniesta	Center Mid	Spain
	Why: With out question the playmaking master mind behind Barcas triple crown, as well as the Spanish national team. His ability to play anywhere in mid field as well as his vision make him one of the worlds best center midfielders.

	Xavi	Center Mid	Spain
	Why: Was 5th in Ballon d’OR rankings and the second part of the Barca midfield that won the triple crown. His ability to play on both ends of the pitch make him one of the most well rounded mids in the world.

	Sergio Ramos	Center Back	Spain
	Why: FIFA.com Team of the Year: 2008, UEFA Team of the Year: 2008. a staple in the real madrid D his speed and crossing ability make him very dangerous attacking from the back. his tackling ability also make him one of the best defendors in the world.

	John Terry	Center Back	England
	Why: UEFA Club Football Awards Best Defender: 2005, 2008 english national team captain and only defendor on the list for FIFA player of the year

	Carles Puyol	Center Back	Spain
	Why: Barcelona team captain just lead his team to la liga title, copa del rey title and champions league all in the same year(first time in history). As well as spains euro08 title

	Iker Casillas	Goalie	Spain
	Why: Only goalie among finalist for FIFA 08 player of the year award where he ended 4th, first ever goalie to captain a national team to a Euro championship win. The world best one v one goalie and named 3rd best goalie of all time by IFFHS

Continuing our list of top players/ultimate fantasy soccer teams. @Bacariza and I compiled this list of the top team from the last 20 years. This list is sure to spark some controversy, but hey, that’s why its up here.

If you’re wondering why this is a spanish heavy team, well @Bacariza is from spain, and I’m American, and none of my countrymen made it on the list…

• Buffon    golie
• Roberto Carlos    left back
• Nesta    center back
• hierro    center back
• maldini    right back
• zidane    left mid
• Figo    right mid
• Ruud Gullit    def mid
• Rivaldo    Attacking mid
• Raul    forward
• hugo sanchez    forward

Feel free to list your lineup in the comments.

	Hugo Sanchez	Forward	Mexico
	Why: 5 Pichichis (1985, 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1990 2nd leading score in la liga history. scored single season goal record for la liga 38goals.

	Raul (Raul Gonzalez)	Forward	Spain
	Why: Real Madrid all time leading scorer. Champions league & UEFA all time leading scorer, all time leading scorer for Spanish national team

	Rivaldo	Attacking Midfielder	Brazil
	Why: FIFA World Player of the Year: 1999 European Footballer of the Year: 1999 World Soccer Player of the Year: 1999. 2002 World Cup

	Zinedine Zidane	Left Mid	France
	Why: FIFA World Player of the Year – 1998, 2000, 2003. World cup title in 1998 & UEFA Euro 2000

	Ruud Gullit	Defensive Midfielder	Netherlands
	Why: European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989

	Luis Figo	Right Midfielder	Portugal
	Why: 2000 European Footballer of the Year, the 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year,

	Fernando Hierro	Center Back	Spain
	Why: UEFA Best Defender: 1997-98 second most caps for on-field player for spain 3rd all time leading scorer for spain

	Alessandro Nesta	Center Back	Italy
	Why: four-time member of the annual UEFA Team of the Year. Serie A Defender of the Year: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003. World Cup 2006

	Paolo Maldini	Right Back	Italy
	Why: 25 years at AC Milan 126 caps 8 years as captain. Played 647 Games for Milan.

	Roberto Carlos	Left Back	Brazil
	Why: UEFA Team of the Year: 2002, 2003. Three UEFA Champions League trophies . 2002 World Cup Champ.

	Gianluigi Buffon	Goalie	Italy
	Why: Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008. European Footballer of the Year (Silver Ball): 2006. World Cup 2006

Think you can make a better list? Let’s see it.

So @Bacariza and I have many times discussed who the greatest players of all time are, but each time it ends up being a bunch of forwards or offensive players, no love is given to the rest of the team. With that in mind, we compiled our list of the ultimate fantasy TEAM that we think would destroy any other team.  Country affiliations didn’t matter, personal attitudes of the players were ignored, just sheer skill and on field talent.

This list took a while to compile, so we ended up making 3 lineups: all time (last 100 years basically), last 20 years, and current active players.

The first is the all time list.

• Alfredo di Stéfano            Forward
• Ferenc Puskás             Forward
• Pele            Forward
• Zinedine Zidane            Right wing
• Lothar Matthäus            Defensive Midfielder
• Johan Cruyff            Left wing
• Franco Baresi            Center back
• Franz Beckenbauer            Center back
• Paolo Maldini            rightback
• Roberto Carlos            Left back
• Lev Yashin            Goalie

You might be wondering why we picked these players, so here is a player by player breakdown.

	Alfredo Di Stefano	Forward	Argentina
	Why: Scored 377 goals in 521 games and won 5 champions league titles in a row.

	Ferenc Puskás	Forward	Hungary
	Why: Scored 509 goals in 523 games. World Soccer Player and European Player of the Year: 1953

	Pelé	Forward	Brazil
	Why: Scored 643 goals 656 official games. FIFA Player of the Century : 2000. 3 World cup titles.

	Zinedine Zidane	Right Wing	France
	Why: FIFA World Player of the Year – 1998, 2000, 2003. World cup title in 1998 & UEFA Euro 2000

	Lothar Matthäus	Defensive Midfielder	Germany
	Why: FIFA World Player of the Year: 1991. 595 career games played in 5 world cups. 1990 World Cup Champion

	Johan Cruyff	Left Wing	Netherlands
	Why: European Footballer of the Year: 1971, 1973, 1974 voted European Player of the Century

	Franco Baresi	Center Back	Italy
	Why: Played 532 games with AC Milan. Named Italian League Player of the Year. Named in FIFA 100. 1982 World Cup.

	Franz Beckenbauer	Center Back	Germany
	Why: Twice selected the European Footballer of the Year, voted second place in the European player of the Century. 1974 World Cup champ.

	Paolo Maldini	Right Back	Italy
	Why: 25 years at AC Milan 126 caps 8 years as captain. Played 647 Games for Milan.

	Roberto Carlos	Left Back	Brazil
	Why: UEFA Team of the Year: 2002, 2003. Three UEFA Champions League trophies . 2002 World Cup Champ.

	Lev Yashin	Goalie	Russia
	Why: He was voted the best goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS 480 career clean sheets. Only goalkeeper ever to win the European Footballer of the Year Award (1963)

Who do you think we missed? Who do you think should have been on here instead? Feel free to suggest someone but make sure you tell us what position they would be slotted into/who they would replace. Later this week we’ll publish the current/active player fantasy team, and the last 20 years team.

See @enzobalc‘s response here