by Phillip Deutsch

U.S.A -
The Squad

The Yanks come into the tournament with a lot of confidence from the
Confederations Cup and qualifying, and the attacking trio of Dempsey,
Donovan and Altidore looked more and more dangerous as the UEFA season wore on. Manager Bob Bradley has already proven himself as a schemer and motivator at the Confederations Cup, The back line looks rock solid and is lead by monstrous center back Oguchi "Guch" Onyewu. The problem for the U.S. seems to be health as unproductive Onyewu (knee) and Altidore ( ankle) could have Bradley scrambling to another formation other than the 4-4-2.

The Road

The drawing in '09 gave the U.S. a favorable group with lesser opponents Slovenia and Algeria and football giant England. Although most are saying the U.S. can concede an opening game loss and still advance as the Group C runner-up, they would be placed against group D favorite Germany and then probably a quarterfinal match against Argentina.

However, if the U.S. start off with a magical win against the stacked English squad, the road would be much smoother, and the U.S. have the talent and heart to slay giants in the knockout round. However, if the "Yanks" drop the opener and start with zero points, the feisty Slovenians who already slew Russia in qualifying could be the disappointing trap that sends the U.S. home early
again.

Cameroon

The Squad

Even though the Indomitable Lions made the quarterfinals in 1990, they are not considered to be one of the dominant African teams. However, led by star striker Samuel Eto'o, and a slew of solid tacklers, Cameroon is very dangerous. Alex Song, Jean Makoun, winger Achille Emana and Stephane Mbia make up a very formidable midfield. Keeper Carlos Kameni is usually very reliable, and Cameroon could easily mire down a stronger opponent by dropping down into a 4-5-1 formation.

The Road

Cameroon probably has the best chance to advance of any African team, being placed in Group E with Netherlands, Japan and Denmark. Expect Cameroon to gain confidence as the tournament goes on, especially with three points for the taking in the opening match against Japan. The decisive game will be against Denmark, which will be an intense battle for 2nd place. Once the round of 16 begins, the Lions will likely be riding high.

Uruguay

Squad
One of only 7 teams to win the Win World Cup (1930, 1950), Los Charruas have not had much recent luck, but a young, physical team lead by striker Diego Forlan will threaten in a wide-open Group A consisting of Mexico, France and South Africa. They just barely squeezed out of a tough South American qualifying by beating CONCAF Costa Rica in a playoff. Forlan is extremely talented and has lit up the back of the net for Atletico Madrid the past 3 years. Diego Lugano, team captain, will lead a gritty defensive squad. If Uruguay can avoid costly cards, they definitely could threaten for first place in Group A.

The Road

Uruguay could definitely catch an internally disrupted and uncharacteristically weak French team off guard in the first game. With a
tough 2nd match against Mexico as well, the two-time champs will likely
enter the last match against South Africa, knowing they need x amount of goals to advance. If Uruguay is able to siege Group A, they could be
quarterfinals bound as the would face a probably weaker opponent, which would be the runner-up of Group B.

Chile

Squad

The Chileans thrived in South American qualifying, finishing 2nd, just
behind Brazil. La Roja, the Reds, won ten games, including 2 wins against Argentina. Humberto, "Chupete", Suazo scored ten times in qualifying, and with the Chileans trying to push forward early and often, Suazo could be one of he tournament's deadliest spoilers. Matias Fernandez and Alexis Sanchez will also swarm the net, and the Chilean defense is by no means weak.

The Road

Chile, although not receiving much international attention, stands in good position to make noise at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They should be able to handle Switzerland and Honduras in Group H, likely finishing behind Spain. Then, they will have a third shot at Brazil, with a chance to make noise with an epic Round of 16 upset.