It’s been six glorious days of World Cup soccer marked by some brilliant performances.
The following is MLSsoccer.com’s Best XI of Matchday 1.
Goalkeeper:
Tim Howard, USA – The American played through the pain of bruised ribs and came up large when his team needed him to seal the draw against England.
Defense:
Maicon, BRA – The flying right back scored a memorable goal to unlock North Korea’s defense and lead the Seleçao to a 2-1 over their group rivals.
Winston Reid, NZL – The center back made a key defensive play in the game, then scored the late equalizer against Slovakia to give New Zealand their first-ever World Cup point.
Diego GodÃn, URU – The center back was impressive in keeping the French attackers at bay in a scoreless match dominated by defenses.
Gabriel Heinze, ARG – In a team full of powerful attackers, it was the left back who scored the only goal in Argentina’s 1-0 win against Nigeria.
Midfielders:
Thomas Múller, GER – The right midfielder had a resilient performance against Australia, scoring a goal and adding an assist in Germany’s 4-0 victory.
Park Ji-Sung, KOR – Park fueled South Korea’s surprising 2-0 victory against Greece, adding a goal and walking away with Man-of-the-Match honors.
Anthony Annan, GHA – He dominated the center of the pitch and cut off Serbia’s attack time and time again as they went on to win 1-0.
Mesut Özil, GER – The young attacking midfielder was spectacular against Australia. He drove the defense crazy with his cutting runs and, though he didn’t score, he added an assist.
Forwards:
Robinho, BRA – The attacker split the defense with a perfect pass to teammate Elano, who slotted the ball home for Brazil’s second goal.
Lionel Messi, ARG – Messi finally broke out of his shell with his national team and put on an impressive performance.
