World Cup 2010: Switzerland

World Cup 2010: SWITZERLAND

FIFA ranking: tied at 20

Overall World Cup record: 8-13-5

Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld

Best performance: Quarterfinals, 1934, 1938, 1954

Overview: A broken arm has sidelined Alexander Frei, the team’s all-time goal scoring leader, for two months, but Hitzfeld believes he will benefit from the rest. Frei has 40 goals in 73 games for Switzerland, which also features key players in forward Blaise Nkufo and midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta. In 2006, the Swiss were knocked out of the World Cup in Germany despite not conceding a single goal. Switzerland recorded four shutouts but lost on penalty kicks to Ukraine.

-- Grahame L. Jones