GROUP E
BELGIUM
* World Cup Record: Played 29, won nine, lost 16, tied four, goals for 37, goals against 53.
* Best Finish: Fourth place, 1986.
* 1994 Showing: Eliminated by Germany in the second round.
* Coach: Georges Leekens. Trying to make the jump from club coach to national coach in a hurry.
* Players to Watch: Luis Oliveira, Nico Van Kerckhoven, Luc Nilis, Enzo Scifo.
* In Brief: The Red Devils have accomplished no small feat by qualifying for the World Cup five consecutive times, but success in France will be difficult to achieve. They can’t get past their old nemesis, the Netherlands, and have to hope they can somehow grab second place in the group. There are no guarantees there, either.
* Quick Quote: “I’m not here to teach my players how to play football. . . . What I want to do is encourage them to enjoy playing together.”--Georges Leekens
* Forecast: Might have just enough fuel left to make it to the second round.
MEXICO
* World Cup Record: Played 33, won seven, tied eight, lost 18, goals for 31, goals against 68.
* Best Finish: Quarterfinalist, 1970 and 1986.
* 1994 Showing: Lost to Sweden in the third-place game.
* Coach: Manuel Lapuente. Balding, mild-mannered, favors a cloth cap, tactically astute, preaches patience but might have run out of time to get this team ready.
* Players to Watch: Jorge Campos, Ramon Ramirez, Alberto Garcia Aspe, Luis Hernandez, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Luis Garcia.
* In Brief: The team is ranked fourth in the world by FIFA for reasons that escape everyone. “If we were that good, everybody would want to play us, but they don’t,” Lapuente points out. The Mexicans have never won a World Cup game in Europe, let alone the two they will need to advance.
* Quick Quote: “We’re going to France to win, otherwise there’s no point in going.”--Manuel Lapuente
* Forecast: Three games and out.
NETHERLANDS
* World Cup Record: Played 25, won 11, lost eight, tied six, goals for 43, goals against 29.
* Best Finish: Second place, 1974, 1978.
* 1994 Showing: Eliminated by Brazil in the quarterfinals.
* Coach: Guus Hiddink. Former NASL coach has the team at the peak of its game right now, so perhaps this is the year for “clockwork orange” to triumph.
* Players to Watch: Edwin Van Der Sar, Frank De Boer, Clarence Seedorf, Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert.
* In Brief: Nonstop movement on and off the ball, constant interchanging of positions, fine passing, creative build-up and excellent finishing: These are hallmarks of the Dutch game. Bickering, squabbling, in-fighting: These are hallmarks of Dutch national teams.
* Quick Quote: “I expect the play to be fast and very demanding physically. Teams that can’t cope won’t stand a chance.”--Guus Hiddink.
* Forecast: The quarterfinals beckon; beyond that, who knows?
SOUTH KOREA
* World Cup Record: Played 11, won none, tied three, lost eight, goals for 9, goals against 34.
* Best Finish: Never past the first round.
* 1994 Showing: Eliminated in the first round.
* Coach: Cha Bum-Kun. Korea’s most famous player, with more than 300 games experience in Germany. Rapidly becoming it most famous coach too.
* Players to Watch: Ha Seok-Ju, Hong Myung-Bo, Choi Yong-Soo, Seo Jung-Won.
* In Brief: South Korea is technically superior to all other Asian teams and is playing in its fourth consecutive World Cup. The running is nonstop and the forwards like to shoot from any range. As far as commitment goes, few teams will be able to match the Koreans. But their defense is suspect.
* Quick Quote: “Our opponents will be better than us technically and physically.”--Cha Bum-Kun.
* Forecast: It’s unlikely, but a second-round berth is within reach.
