World Cup: Group A Preview

France, Mexico, South Africa, Uruguay

Don’t be fooled. Technically South Africa hold the top seed by default for hosting the World Cup, but the other three teams in Group A could make some trouble in the latter rounds. The knee-jerk reaction says France are the favorites, but mixed results leading into South Africa could signify an early exit for Les Bleus. Mexico have quietly played well in recent months, but a young Uruguay team featuring rising Juventus star Martin Caceres are actually ranked ahead of Mexico in FIFA’s rankings, at No. 16. And don’t discount the home-field advantage for Bafana Bafana, looking to mirror South Korea’s stunning run to the semifinals in 2002.

FIFA Ranking: 9

Coach: Raymond Domenech (France)

World Cup Appearances: 12; won 1998 World Cup

Intro: Playing the World Cup without the French seems practically imaginable, but it nearly happened. Thierry Henry’s handball helped lift the team past Ireland in the most controversial playoff game in recent memory, and then the team scored perhaps the best group possible in last year’s draw. Most expect France to take this group with no other true heavyweight in site, but confounding recent exhibition results against China and Tunisia leave France’s security surprisingly up for debate. Here’s what is certain: no European nation has ever hoisted the trophy in a World Cup hosted outside of Europe.

WATCH: FRANCE: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH:FRANCE: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: Despite settling into in the twilight of his career and entering his fourth World Cup, Thierry Henry is still a tremendous draw worldwide. Midfielder Franck Ribery [WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE] is one of the craftiest—and most relentless—attackers in Europe and enters the Cup after helping fuel Bayern Munich’s run to the Champions League final. And the play of Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka could define the team’s success in group play and beyond.

MLS Connection: Henry is reportedly bound for Red Bull Area as soon as the World Cup ends, set to team with Juan Pablo Angel to lead the Red Bulls’ attack.

FIFA Ranking: 17

Coach: Javier Aguirre (Mexico)

World Cup Appearances: 13; lost in quarterfinals in 1986 and 1970

Intro:El Tri are perhaps one of the Cup’s most mysterious teams. They swapped out Sven-Goran Eriksson for Aguirre after some sour qualifying results, looking to their former boss from the 2002 World Cup to right the ship. He did just that, thanks to a resurgent Cuauhtémoc Blanco, who helped unite one of Mexico’s youngest and most promising teams in recent history. They certainly shouldn’t lack brotherhood by now—they’ve been working out together since early April—and a 2-1 tune-up win over Italy last week left fans wondering if perhaps Aguirre’s club could be the surprising favorite over France.

WATCH:MEXICO: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH: MEXICO: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

BUY: MEXICO JERSEY

Star Power: The world will be inevitably watching striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, the first Mexican player signed by Manchester United. They already know what they’ll get from the veteran warhorse Cuauhtémoc Blanco[WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE], who’s back in the World Cup after he was left off the 2006 roster in Germany. And Galtasaray's Giovani dos Santos is looking to shine after breaking through as a teenager in 2007 at the U-20 World Cup.

MLS Connection: Blanco hasn’t ruled out a return to the Chicago Fire after the Cup ends, and countryman and Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos would likely love to have him back in town.

FIFA Ranking: 83

Coach: Carlos Alberto Parreira (Brazil)

World Cup Appearances: 2; round 1 in 1998 and 2002

Intro: Bafana Bafana are the second lowest-ranked team in the tournament next to North Korea (No. 105), but who’s counting? Host nations are a historically tough out in the World Cup, and the fervor surrounding South Africa’s long-awaited chance to welcome the world could launch “The Boys” into the stratosphere. The results have been mixed in 2010: They topped Denmark 1-0 during their last tune up in early May, but lost to Norway and Iceland in January. While the world will cheer for South Africa to reach the knockout stages, most realists know it will be a tall order.

WATCH: SOUTH AFRICA: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH:SOUTH AFRICA: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: The race is officially on in England this summer to land Steven Pienaar [WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE], the star midfielder who bested US goalkeeper Tim Howard for the Player of the Season honor with Everton. Portsmouth defender Aaron Mokoena is the team’s captain and a stalwart presence on the back line, and spent 2005-2009 as a regular with Bolton. And FC Twente forward Bernard Parker is 24-year-old emerging star, with nine goals in 29 career matches with the national team.

MLS Connection: Three years after coaching Brazil to the World Cup title in 1994, Parreira spent one season in charge of MLS’ MetroStars. He finished with a 13-19 record and was gone that winter.

FIFA Ranking: 16

Coach: Oscar Tabarez (Uruguay)

World Cup Appearances: 10; won World Cup in 1930 and 1950

Intro: Brazil and Argentina predictably garner most of the attention in South America, but Los Charruas could be one of the most interesting teams at the World Cup. The smallest nation ever to win the World Cup is back on the biggest stage for the first time since flopping out of group play in 2002, and is the X-factor in Group A. Tabarez’s side is decidedly young, but the youth movement has led to the team’s highest world ranking in six years. A 3-1 win over Switzerland in March bodes well, but they need a solid result against France on the Cup’s opening day to gain some traction in the group.

WATCH: URUGUAY: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH:URUGUAY: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: A promising loan to Juventus was soured by injury in January for defender Martin Caceres, but he can play at either center back or left back if needed. The health of Atlético Madrid striker Diego Forlan[WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE] is paramount after an apparent foot injury sustained last week, especially after he scored seven goals during qualifying. And veteran forward Sebastien Abreu scored two goals in a 4-1 romp over Israel in late May, perhaps asserting that the former River Plate star heads into the Cup in form.

MLS Connection: Adrián Paz made history by becoming the first Uruguayan to crack the English Premier League in 1994 with Ipswich Town, but he earned his steadiest paycheck over 80 matches with the Columbus Crew and Colorado Rapids from 1996-1998.

Group Dynamics: Unlike some of the other draws in the World Cup, Group A has quietly shaped up to be one of the biggest question marks in South Africa. France has the swagger, Mexico the talent, Uruguay the mystery and South Africa the immeasurable benefit of a nation firmly in their corner.

The South Africa match is a trap for all three of the other teams, meaning there’s no guaranteed three points anywhere to be found. The France-Mexico match on June 17 will likely shape the final pecking order, if Mexico’s suddenly surging side can take it to a stagnant French group still talented enough to make a deep run. The Mexico-Uruguay match on June 22 could be the last stand for either team’s bid to reach the knockout stages, especially with France facing a South Africa team that could be eliminated by their group finale the same day.

Don’t Miss This Match: South Africa vs. Mexico, June 11

Sure, other matches might pack more punch. But the World Cup only debuts in Africa once in a lifetime, and this is the moment. It’s a daunting task for any team in the world to open in Johannesburg during South Africa’s proudest sporting moment, and Mexico drew the shortest straw in the tournament. But still—is there any place in the world a soccer fan would rather be?

Group Schedule (all times ET)

June 11: South Africa vs. Mexico (10 am), Uruguay vs. France (2:30 pm)

June 16: South Africa vs. Uruguay (2:30 pm)

June 17: France vs. Mexico (2:30 pm)

June 22: Mexico vs. Uruguay (10 am), France vs. South Africa (10 am)

MLSsoccer.com Prediction

1. France

2. Mexico

3. Uruguay

4. South Africa

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