World Cup Capsules: Saturday
Group B
Greece vs. South Korea, Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Time: 4:30 a.m. PDT
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision. Radio: Sirius/XM.
Greece will not be taking South Korea lightly, at least not if Coach Otto Rehhagel has anything to say about it. Rehhagel, a German who led the Greeks to their Euro 2004 title, said Asian teams have “caught up massively” since he first took teams the region in the 1960s. “They have wonderful ways to move and we really can’t imitate that as Europeans,” he said in a comment sure to draw negative reaction. “They run like panthers — they’re like big cats. They’re clever when it comes to tactics; they know what football is all about.” Greece, which relies on defense, is 0-for-3 in tournament play and has yet to score a goal in the World Cup. South Korea has won only one World Cup game outside of its own country.
Group B
Argentina vs. Nigeria, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Time: 7 a.m. PDT
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision Radio: Sirius/XM
This is a rematch of the 2008 Olympic final, won by Argentina. But a lot has changed since then. The Albiceleste have a new coach in Diego Maradona, for example, while Nigeria, playing on its home continent, figures to have much of the crowd behind it. But the one constant is Lionel Messi, who possesses the power to change any game at any time for Argentina. Although Nigeria kept the world’s best player from scoring in the Beijing final, he was active in that game and he’ll have to be marked closely again if the Africans are to have a chance — particularly since they’ll be missing their star playmaker, John Obi Mikel, who is sidelined with knee trouble.
— Kevin Baxter
Group C
U.S. vs. England, Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Time: 11:30 a.m. PDT
TV: ABC, ESPN Deportes, Univision. Radio: Sirius/XM.
Four years ago in Germany, the U.S. was knocked out in the first round and England was knocked out on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals. That, in a nutshell, points to the gulf in class between the teams. But that was 2006 and this is 2010, and if there was ever time for the Americans to pull off an upset, this is it. Bob Bradley, the U.S. coach, revealed Friday that forward Jozy Altidore would start, but declined to identify his other 10 starters. The only real question mark, however, was whether Oguchi Onyewu or Clarence Goodson would start in central defense, or whether Bradley would move Carlos Bocanegra into the middle and replace him at left back with Jonathan Bornstein. England Coach Fabio Capello was mum about his lineup, but surprises are unlikely. The U.S. will have roughly 8,000 fans in the 44,000-seat stadium; England will have about 6,000, a FIFA spokesman said.
— Grahame L. Jones
