Gianlugi Buffon could be kissing gold again in South Africa

Group F (current FIFA World Rankings)

1. Italy (5)

2. Paraguay (30)

3. New Zealand (78)

4. Slovakia (38)

View from a Dilettante: Unless you can trace your family lineage back to this boot shaped peninsula, it is hard to find much to like about the Italian national soccer team. Looking like Gambino family soldiers covered in jailhouse tattoos, slickly coiffed locks and a penchant for dirty play (my wife, a nice girl of Belgian descent, loves them—go figure) the Azzurri are a dramatic bunch who enter South Africa 2010 as the defending World Champions and among the favorites. Utilizing a style of play called catenaccio, meaning “door-bolt” (a highly organized and effective backline defense which is intended to prevent goals) once the Italians score a goal there is little to no chance of an equalizer. Similar to Germany, Italy brings a style to the pitch that can be maddeningly boring to watch but, as was the case in 2006, effective enough to lead to a world championship.

And if catenaccio fails, you can just send Marco Materazzi out to call the opposing team’s best player the “son of a terrorist whore.”

It begins and ends on the defensive end for Italy and the man in the goal—Gianluigi Buffon, winner of four of the last seven “goalkeeper of the year” awards, is about as close as impenetrable as they get. Fabio Cannavaro, another veteran stalwart defender who has been dogged by doping rumors, further solidifies the backline and has stated publicly that this would likely be his final international appearance.  And while the Azzurri are envied around the globe for their defensive prowess, names like Gattusso (a true tough guy), de Rossi and Pirlo anchor a phenomenal midfield while newcomer Antonio Di Natale (who has scored 28 goals in 34 Serie A matches this past year) is ready to step in for retired Luca Toni and Francesco Totti as the designated scorer.

Here in Los Estados Unidos this past year, the Paraguyan national team found itself in the news thanks to midfielder Salvador Cabanas being shot in the head while in a Mexico City nightclub bathroom (he lived. Note to assassin: buy a bigger gun if you want to be good at your work) but could be a team that finds its way into global headlines by making it into the second round in South Africa. This is a talented side that shut out both Brazil and Argentina during qualifying and have plenty of scoring power with Benefica’s Oscar Cardozo and Manchester City’s Roque Santa Cruz.

Yeah, Mr. Hamsik, your hair looks fine. Now score some goals . . .

Making its first appearance at the World Cup, Slovakia benefited from a Polish own goal to advance but, with the help of the young and creative Marek Hamsik, Slovakian Player of the Yearm, this is a team that could certainly make a little

noise.  The 22-year-old Hamsik currently leads his Serie A team (Napoli, a team that is contending for a Champions League spot) with 12 goals and is thus familiar with many of the Italians that he will be up against on June 24^th. As it is widely assumed that both Paraguay and Slovakia will get three points from a weak Kiwi squad, look to these two teams to fight it out for the second spot in Group F.

And that brings us to those loveable Kiwis. They sing and dance just fine but don’t look for too many goals from this side as they will be in contention for the old Wooden Spoon. Led by Blackburn’s Ryan Nelsen (the only member of the All Whites to play in a major futbol league) they will bring a physical style of play onto the pitch but will be one of the first teams on a plane out of South Africa.

Well he won't appear in four Cups, but his wife is hot, so he still kind of wins.

David Beckham’s recovery is taking longer than expected, and he does not expect to be ready to play until November.

The update by the England midfielder on Monday means he will be gone from Major League Soccer this season unless the Los Angeles Galaxy reach the playoffs. The next time he could play for England probably would be a 2012 European Championship qualifier against Wales on March 26, 2011.

Beckham underwent surgery in March after rupturing his Achilles tendon while on loan at AC Milan. He initially had been told he would be back by September.

“I won’t be running for another three months, so I will be playing again in, probably, November,” Beckham said in a video posted Monday on ABC’s website.

“My mentality is to kind of push it and get moving and running and soon as possible. But it’s an injury that has to take time to heal,” Beckham said in a separate TV interview. “It’s frustrating. It’s obviously disappointing because I’ve been working for the last two years to get into the English squad [for the World Cup].”

Despite the injury, Beckham is set to travel with England to the World Cup in South Africa. England opens against the United States on June 12.

Beckham had joined Milan on loan from the Galaxy to stay in shape during the MLS offseason. He was hoping to boost his chances of becoming England’s first player to appear at four World Cups.

Ankle, knee and now groin injuries have sidelined Wayne Rooney during the latter part of the Premier League season, causing deep concern about how fit the 24-year-old will be for the big kickoff in South Africa this June. But yesterday, Rooney had a message for his coach, Fabio Capello, and all of the U.K.: “Count me in.”

Capello needed an update on the latest injury set back that kept the Manchester United star out of Saturday’s Premier League game against Tottenham at Old Trafford and went to talk with team doctors and with Rooney directly to get the truth straight from the source. According to those with knowledge of the discussion, Rooney made it quite clear that he’ll be ready for the World Cup and that his latest injury, which will only require a few weeks of rehab, should only shelve the star forward for a couple of weeks.

The problem for England is not whether the 34-goal striker will be in South Africa, because he has now made it clear that he will be, but the condition in which he will arrive. The trick for Capello and his expert medical staff is to ensure Rooney can reach peak physical condition with a limited amount of preparation match to reach full sharpness. Rare is it that a player recovering from myriad leg and groin injuries can return to top form, especially without months of training and preparation.

One source, according to Soccernet’s report said, “The reason everyone is so concerned is easy to see, he is not only one of the best in the country and in Europe but one of the best in the world.”

In light of Lionel Messi’s 4-goal outburst during the Champions League quarterfinal this week, many soccer journos are praising him, calling this 22-year old Argentine wunderkind “the best to ever lace’em up.”  Is that premature?  Maybe.  If he leads his home country to the World Cup championship, hoisting that trophy over his head later this July, what then?

While we here at FSS anxiously await the June 11th start of World Cup action, here’s a video of the manboy making fools of most of his competition.  You’ll note two striking pieces of the video:  first, yes, that is Pearl Jam playing.  Second, the acceleration he gets and the torque on some of the kicks are unstoppable.  He’s going to be fun to watch in the Big One this summer, that’s for sure.

VIDEO: Lionel Messi Career Highlights