billsportsmaps.com

April 30, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Mexico (CONCACAF), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Mexico, with 6 other player-options listed).

Filed under: Mexico: Fútbol — admin @ 4:39 pm




Mexico national team. CONCACAF (North America & Caribbean). Nickname: El Tricolor. Home jersey: deep green with red and white trim.
-Mexico is in Group A (with Brazil, Cameroon, and Croatia), ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Group A‘ (en.wikipedia.org).

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 2014 is Mexico’s 15th qualification out of a 20 possible qualification attempts.
Mexico has qualified for the World Cup in: 1930, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1978, 1986, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 (1934: did not qualify; 1938: withdrew during qualifying stage; 1974: did not qualify; 1982: did not qualify; 1990: banned).
Previous WC: 2010, Round of 16 / 1-1-2.
Highest WC finish: 1970 & 1986, Quarterfinals.

Population of Mexico: 118.3 million {2013 estimate}. Capital and largest city: Mexico City, metro area pop. 21.2 million {2012 figure}.
The map below shows the 9 largest metro areas in Mexico (by population size: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Puebla, Toluca, Tijuana, León, Juárez, Torreón), ‘List of metropolitan areas in Mexico by population‘ (en.wikipedia.org).

Mexico Coach, Miguel Herrera. Miguel Herrera.
Mexico squad captain, Rafael Márquez (DF, Club León). Rafael Márquez.

From 18 Feb. 2014, ‘Call for Mexican National Team Players Involved in Europe‘ (femexfut.org.mx).

Below: Theoretical Best XI for Mexico (with 6 other player-options listed further below) -
mexico_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_alternate-options_u.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Mexico on globe, map by Addicted04 at ‘File:MEX orthographic.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Mexico map by Sémhur at ‘File:Mexico States blank map.svg‘ (commons.wikimedia.org).
Mexico 2014 home jersey, photo from articulo.mercadolibre.com.mx.
Coach,
Miguel Herrera, photo from enelareachica.com.
Goalkeeper,
Moisés Muñoz (Club América), photo from reporteindigo.com/deportes.
Defenders,
Rafael Márquez (Club León), photo by Mexsport via deportes.terra.com.mx/futbol/liga-mx.
Juan Carlos Valenzuela (Club América), photo from m.mediotiempo.com.
Francisco Javier Rodríguez (Club América), photo by sports.terra.com/soccer/mexiGerardo Flores/Gco/america-rallies-to-stun-cruz-azul-in-pks-win-title-photos [Gallery].
Paul Aguilar (Club América), photo by Francisco Estrada/Jam Media/LatinContent/Getty Images via espnfc.com/blog.
Midfielders,
Miguel Layún (Club América), photo by Gerardo Flores/Getty Images via espnfc.com/blog.
Carlos Alberto Peña (Club León), photo from forumscp.com/index.php?topic=570800.
Juan Carlos Medina (Club América), photo by Mexsport via espndeportes.espn.go.com/news
Attacking MFs/Forwards,
Javier Hernández (Manchester United), photo by David Ramos/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Luis Montes (Club León), photo from mmdeportes.telediario.mx.
Oribe Peralta (Santos Laguna), photo from rankings.com.mx/deportes.
Other player-options,
Guillermo Ochoa GK (Ajaccio), photo by Getty Images via goal.com/es-mx.
Giovani dos Santos FW/W (Villarreal CF), photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images via sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news.
Raúl Jiménez FW/LW (Club América), photo by
Andrés Guardado LB/LMF/LW (Valencia/on loan to Bayer Leverkusen), photo by Herbert Bucco via express.de/bayer-04-leverkusen.
Isaác Brizuela AMF/RMF (Toluca), photo by Imago 7 via sports.terra.com/soccer/mexico.
Aldo de Nigris FW (Chivas de Guadalajara), photo by Imago 7 via deportes.terra.com.mx/futbol/liga-mx.

___
Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Mexico national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, for recent squad line-ups (with positions-on-the-field graphics), at http://us.soccerway.com/international/nc-america/wc-qualifying-concacaf/2014-brazil/4th-round/r15679/;
& at http://us.soccerway.com/international/world/wc-qualifying-intercontinental-play-offs/2014-brazil/s6223/final-stages/?ICID=SN_04_85
.

April 26, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Japan (AFC), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Japan, with 3 other player-options listed).

Filed under: Japan,Japan nat'l team (soccer) — admin @ 6:40 pm




Japan national team. AFC (Asia). Nickname: サッカー日本代 (Soccer Nippon Daihyo). Home jersey: dark blue with red trim.

-Japan is in Group C (with Colombia, Greece, and Ivory Coast), ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Group C‘ (en.wikipedia.org).

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 2014 is Japan’s 5th qualification [5th consecutive] out of a 15 possible qualification attempts (1930 & 1934: did not enter; 1938: withdrew; 1950: banned [as a result of sanctions following World War II]; 1954: did not qualify; 1958: did not enter; 1962: did not qualify; 1966: did not enter; 1970 to 1994: did not qualify; 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014: qualified).

Previous WC: 2010, Round of 16 / 2-1-1. Highest WC finish: 2002 & 2010, Round of 16 / 2-1-1.

Population of Japan: 126.6 million {2012 estimate}.
Capital and largest city: Tokyo, pop. 35.6 million (metro area) [city population, aka Tokyo Metropolis, pop. 13.1 million] {2011 figures}.

Japan national team coach, Alberto Zaccheroni. Alberto Zaccheroni.
Japan squad captain, Nürnburg DMF Makoto Hasebe. Makoto Hasebe.

[Note: players below reflect final 2014 WC squad selections.]
Below: Theoretical Best XI for Japan (with 3 other player-options further below) -
japan_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_alternate-options_r_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Japan on globe map, by Connormah at ‘File:Japan (orthographic projection).svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Japan map, from Demis Web Map Server/Gallery at www2.demis.nl/worldmap/mapper.asp.
Japan 2014 WC jersey, photo from store.fifa.com.
Coach,
Alberto Zaccheroni, photo unattributed at theovallog.wordpress.com.
Goalkeeper,
Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liège), photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Defenders,
Atsuto Uchida (Schalke 04), photo by AP via english.ahram.org.eg.
Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), photo from gamba-osaka.net/club/player15.
Maya Yoshida (Southampton), photo photo unattributed at football2channel.blog.fc2.com.
Yuto Nagatomo (Internazionale), photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Midfielders,
Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), photo by Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images AsiaPac via zimbio.com
Makoto Hasebe (Nürnberg), photo unattributed at sportinglife.com/football/live/match-report.
Yasuhito Endō (Gamba Osaka), photo from gamba-osaka.net/club/player07.
Attacking MFs/Forwards,
Shinji Okazaki (Mainz), photo by Fredrik von Erichsen via rhein-zeitung.de/sport/fussball.
Keisuke Honda (Milan) photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
Shinji Kagawa (Manchester Utd), photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Other player-options,
Hiroki Sakai DF/RB/RMF (Hannover 96), photo by Bongarts/Getty Images via focus.de.
Hiroshi Kiyotake AMF/W (Nürnberg), photo unattributed at ballball.com/ja-jp/team/1-fc-nurnberg.
Yoshito Ōkubo (Kawasaki Frontale), photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
___
Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Japan national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, int.soccerway.com/international/asia/wc-qualifying-asia/2014-brazil/4th-round/group-a/

April 23, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Ivory Coast [Côte d'Ivoire] (CAF), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Ivory Coast, with four other player-options listed).

Filed under: Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) — admin @ 7:34 pm




Ivory Coast national team. AFC (Africa). Nickname: Les Éléphants (the Elephants). Home jersey: orange, with white and green trim.
-Ivory Coast is in Group C (with Colombia, Greece, and Japan), ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Group C‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 2014 is Ivory Coast’s 3rd qualification out of 11 tries (1930-1970, did not enter; 1974 to 2002, did not qualify).
Ivory Coast has qualified for the World Cup in: 2006, 2010, 2014.
Previous WC Q: 2010, Group Stage / 1-1-1. Highest WC finish: 2010.

Population of Ivory Coast: 22.4 million {2013 estimate}. Capital: Yamoussoukro, pop. 200,000 {2005 figure}. Largest city and metro area in Ivory Coast: Abidjan, metro area pop. 7. 1 million {2012 estimate}.

-Ivory Coast coach, Sabri Lamouchi. Sabri Lamouchi.
-Ivory Coast squad captain, Galatasaray FW Didier Drogba. Didier Drogba.

Below: Theoretical Best XI for Ivory Coast (with 4 other player-options further below) -
ivory-coast_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_alternate-options_v_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Ivory Coast on globe, map by Martin 23230 at ‘File:Côte d’Ivoire (orthographic projection).svg‘ (commons.wikimedia.org).
Ivory Coast map by Uwe Dedering at ‘File:Côte d’Ivoire location map.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Ivory Coast home jersey, photo from plutosport.nl/shop/Voetbalshirts_Clubs_Landen/Puma_Ivoorkust.
Coach,
Sabri Lamouchi, photo from imatin.net/cote-d-ivoire/article/sport.
Goalkeeper,
Boubacar Barry (Lokeren [Belgium]), photo by BELGA via sudinfo.be/article/sports/foot-belge/2012-12-27/can-2013-copa-boubacar-lokeren-dans-la-selection-ivoirienne.
Defenders,
Jean-Jacques Gosso (Gençlerbirliği), photo from haberturk.com.
Sol Bamba (Trabzonspor), photo by AA via tr.eurosport.com/futbol.
Kolo Touré (Liverpool), photo from liverpoolroom.com.
Serge Aurier (Toulouse), photo from goal.com/fr.
Midfielders,
Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor), photo from uefa.com/uefachampionsleague.
Yaya Touré (Manchester City), photo from vietnamplus.vn.
Romaric (SC Bastia), photo from le10sport.com/football/ligue1/sc-bastia.
Forwards,
Gervinho (AS Roma), photo from pix123.com/footballtips
Didier Drogba (Galatasaray), photo from football365.com.
Salomon Kalou (Lille), photo from shoot.co.uk.
Other player-options,
Cheick Tioté (Newcastle United), photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Lacina Traoré (Everton), photo by PA via dailystar.co.uk/sport/football.
Wilfried Bony (Swansea City), photo from sportsmole.co.uk/football/swansea-city.
Arthur Boka (Stuttgart), photo by bundesliga.com/[Gallery of African stars in Bundesliga].
___
Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Ivory Coast national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, for recent squad line-ups, at int.soccerway.com/international/africa/wc-qualifying-africa.

April 18, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Italy (UEFA), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Italy, with 11 other player-options listed).

Filed under: Italy — admin @ 11:56 am




Italy national team. UEFA (Europe). Gli Azzurri (the Blues). Home jersey: House of Savoy Blue, with red-white-green trim. {‘Coat of arms of the House of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuelle II‘ (pbase.com)}.
Question: why does Italy play in blue?. Answer (from BBC.co.uk): ‘Italy play in blue shirts rather than the colours of their national flag in a custom dating back to the country’s pre-republican days. Blue was the official colour of the Royal House of Savoy and the Azzurri tribute to the Italian monarchy survives today.’ (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/worldcup2002/specials/html/linekers_verdict/italy.stm).

-Italy is in 2014 FIFA World Cup Group D (with Costa Rica, England, and Uruguay), ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Group D‘ (en.wikipedia.org).

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 2014 is Italy’s 18th qualification out of 19 tries (1930: did not enter; 1958: did not qualify).
Italy has qualified for the World Cup in: 1934, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014.
Previous WC finish: 2010, Group Stage (0-2-1).
Highest WC finish:
1934, Champions (4-1-0).
1938: Champions (4-0-0).
1982: Champions (4-3-0).
2006: Champions (5-2-0).

Italy have won the FIFA World Cup 4 times, which is second only to Brazil’s 5 World Cup titles {en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_FIFA_World_Cup_finals#Results_by_nation}.

Population of Italy: 59.9 million {2013 estimate}. Capital & largest city: Rome, city pop. 2.6 million {2013 estimate}; metro area pop. 4.3 million {2012 estimate}. Largest metro area: Milan, city pop.1.3 million {2013 estimate}; metro area pop. 7.6 million {2012 estimate}.

Italy’s 8 largest metro areas can be seen in the following link, ‘Metropolitan cities of Italy/Sizing, Economic Performance‘ (en.wikipedia.org). (The largest 8 metro areas in Italy are also shown on the map below.)

-Italy coach, Cesare Prandelli. Cesare Prandelli. -Italy squad captain, GK Gianluigi ‘Gigi’ Buffon (Juventus). Gianluigi Buffon.

[Note: the chart below is updated to reflect final roster selection for 2014 WC/ 'Italy national football team/Current Squad' (en.wikipedia.org).]
Below: Theoretical Best XI for Italy (with 11 other player-options further below) -
italy_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_alternate-options_c-prandelli_z4_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Italy 2013-14 home jersey, photo from footballkitnews.com/talia-home-kit-2013-2014.
Italy/EU map, by NuclearVacuum at ‘File:EU-Italy.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Italy map by Eric Gaba & NordNordWest at ‘File:Italy relief location map-blank.jpg‘ (commons.wikipedia.org).
Coach,
Cesare Prandelli, photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images via sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news.
Goalkeeper,
Gigi Buffon (Juventus), photo unattributed at funscrape.com/gianluigi+buffon.
Defenders,
Ignazio Abate (Milan), photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), photo by Nigel French/EMPICS via london24.com/sport.
Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), photo unattributed at juventusfans.forumcommunity.net.
Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), photo unattributed at zastavki.com.
Midfielders,
Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), photo unattributed at forzaitalianfootball.com.
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus), photo unattributed at planetf1.com.
Riccardo Montolivo (Milan), photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Daniele De Rossi (Roma), photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Forwards,
Mario Balotelli (Milan), photo unattributed at 1.skysports.com/football.
Antonio Cassano (Parma), photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Other player-options,
Thiago Motta MF/CMF/DMF (PSG), photo by L’Equipe at lequipe.fr/Football.
Alberto Aquilani CM (Fiorentina), photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Alessio Cerci (Torino), photo unattributed at futura.unito.it/blog.
Lorenzo Insigne AMF/LW (Napoli), photo unattributed at calciomalato.blogosfere.it.
Mattia De Sciglio DF/RB (Milan), photo by Dino Panato/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Antonio Candreva RW/RM/AM (Lazio), photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Gabriel Paletta CB (Parma), photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Marco Verratti CM (PSG), photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Matteo Darmian RB/CB (Torino), photo from media2.ftbpro.com.
Salvatore Sirigu GK (PSG), photo from uefa.com.
Ciro Immobile FW (Torino), photo from m.goal.com/jp.
___

Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Italy national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, for recent squad line-ups (with positions-on-the-field graphics), at int.soccerway.com/international/europe/wc-qualifying-europe/2014-brazil/1st-round/r15653/.

April 14, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Iran (AFC), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Iran, with 2 other player-options listed).

Filed under: Iran — admin @ 6:20 pm




Iran national team. AFC (Asia). Nickname: Persian: تیم ملی (Team Melli [the National Team]). Home jersey: white, with red and green trim.
-Iran is in Group F (with Argentina, Bosnia, and Nigeria), ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Group F‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 4th qualification out of 11 tries (Iran did not enter the qualifying for the first 9 World Cups [1930-1970]; 1986, disqualified). Iran has qualified for the World Cup in: 1978, 1998, 2006, 2014.
Previous WC: 2006, Group Stage / 0-1-2.

Population of Iran: 77.1 million {2013 estimate}. Capital and largest city: Tehran, pop. 13.8 million (metro-area pop.) {2012 figure}.

Iran coach, Carlos Queiroz. Carlos Queiroz.
Iran squad captain, MF Javad Nekounam (of Kuwait SC). Javad Nekounam.

From The Guardian, from 6 Feb. 2014, by John Duerden, ‘World Cup preparation problems frustrate Iran manager Carlos Queiroz‘ (theguardian.com/football).
From MLSsoccer.com, from Dec. 13 2013, by Andrew Weibe, ‘World Cup 2014: Iran national team guide‘ (m.mlssoccer.com).

Below: Theoretical Best XI for Iran, with 2 other player-options further below -
iran_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_r_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Iran on globe map, by P30Carl at ‘File:Iran (orthographic projection).svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Iran relief map, by Uwe Dedering at ‘File:Iran relief location map.jpg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Iran jersey, photo from football-england.com/iran_football_shirts.Coach,
Coach,
Carlos Queiroz, photo by AFP via fifa.com/worldcup.
Goalkeeper,
Rahman Ahmadi (Sepahan), photo from sporcle.com/games/fifa-world-cup-2014-teams-by-goalkeepers.
Defenders,
Pejman Montazeri (Umm-Salal [Qatar]), photo from teammelli.com/2014/01/04/pejman-montazeri-signs-for-qatari-club-umm-salal.
Jalal Hosseini (Perseopolis), photo from varzesh11.com/fa/soccer_photos/gallery.
Amir Hossein Sadeghi (Esteghlal), photo from jamphoto.jamnews.ir.
Hashem Beikzadeh (Esteghlal), photo from fromssiha.blogfa.com.
Midfielders,
Masoud Shojaei (UD Las Palmas), photo from udlaspalmas.net.
Andranik Teymourian (Esteghlal), photo from eiliayeabi.blogfa.com.
Javad Nekounam (Kuwait SC), photo from the-afc.com.
Ehsan Hajsafi (Perseopolis), photo from pressline.ir.
Forward/Attacking MF,
Reza Ghoochannejhad (Charlton Athletic), photo from newsshopper.co.uk.
Mojtaba Jabbari (Esteghlal/Al-Ahli), photo from anglechronicle.com.
Other player-options,
Daniel Davari GK (Eintracht Braunschweig), photo by Michael Kienzler/Bongarts/Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
Ashkan Dejagah RM/RW/FW (Fulham), photo from metro.co.uk
___
Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Iran national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, int.soccerway.com/international/asia/wc-qualifying-asia/2014-brazil/4th-round/group-a/

April 11, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Honduras (CONCACAF), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Honduras).

Filed under: Honduras — admin @ 5:44 pm




Honduras national team. CONCACAF (North America & Caribbean). Los Catrachos (the Hondurans). Home jersey: white with deep-sky-blue trim.
-Honduras is in Group E, (with Ecuador, France, and Switzerland), ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Group E‘ (en.wikipedia.org)
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 3rd qualification out of a 14 possible qualification attempts (did not seek World Cup qualification before the 1962 WC qualifiers). Honduras has qualified for the World Cup in: 1982, 2010, 2014.

Previous WC: 2010, Group Stage / 0-1-2. Highest WC finish: 1982, Group Stage / 0-2-1.

Population of Honduras: 8.2 million {2010 estimate}. Capital and largest city: Tegucigalpa, pop. 1.3 million (metro area) {2010 estimate}.

Honduras coach, Luis Fernando Suárez. Luis Fernando Suárez.
Honduras squad captain, GK Noel Valladares. Noel Valladares.

Below: Theoretical Best XI for Honduras -

honduras_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_t_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Honduras on globe, map by Addicted04 at ‘File:Honduras (orthographic projection).svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Honduras map by Bemoeial2 / CIA at, ‘File:Honduras-map-blank.png’ (commons.wikimedia.org).
Honduras home jersey, photo from shop.bigsoccer.com/ [Honduras 12/13 home jersey].
Coach,
Luis Fernando Suárez, photo from US Presswire via spokeo.com.
Goalkeeper,
Noel Valladares (CD Olimpia), photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com.
Defenders,
Brayan Beckeles (CD Olimpia), photo by Getty Imagesgettyimages.com
Víctor Bernárdez (San Jose Earthquakes), photo by USA Today via mlssoccer.com.
Maynor Figueroa (Hull City), photo by Richard Sellers/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com
Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic), photo by Getty Images/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Midfielders,
Óscar Boniek García (Houston Dynamo), photo by Jesse Maldonado at trumbotx.com.
Luis Garrido (CD Olimpia), photo from sportingkc.com/blog.
Wilson Palacios (Stoke City), photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com.
Roger Espinoza (Wigan Athletic), photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Forwards,
Carlo Costly (Real España), photo from hondurasfutbol.com/tag/carlo-costly.
Jerry Bengtson FW (New England Revolution), photo from revolutionsoccer.net/news.
___

Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Honduras national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.

Thanks to Soccerway.com/CONCACAF 2014 WC qualification, int.soccerway.com/international/nc-america/wc-qualifying-concacaf/2014-brazil/4th-round.

April 7, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams, #17 of 32: Greece (UEFA), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Greece, with 3 other player-options listed).

Filed under: Greece — admin @ 6:28 pm




Greece national team. UEFA (Europe). Nickname: Εθνική (‘Ethniki’ [National]). Home jersey: white, with blue trim.
-Greece is in Group C (with Colombia, Ivory Coast, and Japan) ‘2014 FIFA World Cup Group C‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 3rd qualification out of 18 possible tries (1930, did not enter ; 1950, did not enter). Greece has qualified for the World Cup in: 1994, 2010, 2014.
Previous WC: 2010, Group Stage / 1-0-2.

Population of Greece: 10.8 million {2011 census}. Capital and largest city: Athens, pop. 3.7 million (metro-area pop.) {2011 census}.

-Greece coach, Fernando Santos. Fernando Santos.
-Greece squad captain, Giorgos Karagounis. Giorgos Karagounis.

Below: Theoretical Best XI for Greece (with 3 other player-options further below) -
greece_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_alternate-options_i_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Greece home jersey badge, photo from
Greece 2012-14 home jersey, photo from pjwapparel.com/2012-2014-Greece-Home-Jersey.
Greece/EU map, by NuclearVacuum at ‘File:EU-Greece.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Greece map by Lencer at ‘File:Greece location map.svg‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Coach,
Fernando Santos, photo unattributed at standard.co.uk/sport/football/secret-of-greek-success—–smoking.
Goalkeeper,
Orestis Karnezis (Udinese/Granada), photo by Vladimir Rys/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Defenders,
Vasilis Torosidis (Roma), photo by Warrenfish at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vasilis_Torosidis_MLS_AllStar_2013.jpg.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund), photo by Reuters via sports.terra.com.
Dimitris Siovas (Olympiacos), photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
José Holebas (Olympiacos), photo by AFP/Getty Images via uefa.com.
Midfielders,
Giannis Maniatis (Olympiacos), photo unattributed at redarchivesblog.blogspot.com.
Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham), photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Alexandros Tziolis (PAOK/Kayserispor), photo by kayserispor.org.tr.
Forwards, attacking MFs,
Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK), photo from gazzetta.gr/sites/default.
Konstantinos Mitroglou (Fulham), photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Georgios Samaras (Celtic), photo by Getty Images/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Other player-options,
Loukas Vyntra DF/CB/RB (Levante), photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Andreas Samaris MF/CM (Olympiacos), photo unattributed at greekbulldog.blogspot.com.
Lazaros Christodoulopoulos LW/AMF/RW (Bologna), photo by Getty Images via goal.com/it/news/2/serie-a.
___
Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Greece national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, for recent squad line-ups (with positions-on-the-field graphics), at int.soccerway.com/international/europe/wc-qualifying-europe/2014-brazil/1st-round/r15653/.

April 2, 2014

2014 FIFA World Cup teams: Ghana (CAF), prominent players in 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying (theoretical best XI for Ghana, with 6 other player-options listed).

Filed under: Ghana — admin @ 3:29 pm




Ghana national team. AFC (Africa). Nickname: The Black Stars (Akan: Nsoroma Tuntum). Home jersey: white, with black, red, gold, and green trim.
-Ghana is in Group G (with Germany, Portugal, and the United States). ‘2014 FIFA World Cup/Group G‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification: 3rd qualification out of 14 tries [since 1962]. Ghana has now qualified for 3 straight World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014).
Previous WC Q: 2010, Quarterfinals / 2-2-1.
Highest WC finish: 2010.

Population of Ghana: 24.2 million {2010 estimate}. Capital and largest city: Accra, pop. 2.29 million. Largest metro area in Ghana: Kumasi, metro area pop. 3.56 million {2013 census}.
-Largest settlements in Ghana, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_Settlements_in_Ghana_(by_population)#Top_ten_largest_metropolitan_areas. On the map below all the Regions of Ghana which have players featured in the squad list are shown. Also shown are Ghana’s 4 largest metro areas, in order {2013 census figures}: Kumasi (metro pop. 3.5 million), Accra (metro pop. 2,2 million), Tamale (metro pop. 562 K), Sekondi-Takoradi (metro pop. 445 K).
-Ghana national team coach, James Kwesi ‘Akwasi’ Appiah. Kwesi Appiah.
-Ghana squad captain, FW Asamoah Gyan. Asamoah Gyan.

Below: Theoretical Best XI for Ghana (with 6 other player-options further below) -
[Note: players shown below reflect 2014 WC final roster selection, 'Ghana national football team/currnet squad' (en.wikipedia.org).]
ghana_2014-fifa-world-cup_squad_best-xi_alternate-options_j-k-appiah_z9_.gif
Photo and Image credits above -
Ghana 2014 home jersey, photo from worldsoccershop.com.
Ghana on globe map by Marcos Elias de Oliveira Júnior at commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ghana_(orthographic_projection).svg.
Ghana map by Bemoeial2 / CIA at ‘commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ghana-map-blank.png‘.
Coach,
Akwasi Appiah, photo from graphic.com.gh.
Goalkeeper,
Adam Larsen Kwarasey (Strømsgodset), photo from ghanasoccernet.com.
Defenders,
Samuel Inkoom (Dnipro/Platanias [Greece]), photo from Samuel Inkoom’s Facebook page, facebook.com/inkoomsamuel.
Jonathan Mensah DF/RB (Evian TG), photo from football365.fr/france.
John Boye (Rennes), photo from ghanasoccernet.com.
Daniel Opare (Standard Liège), photo from the Daniel Opare twitter page, https://twitter.com/OPARE4.
Midfielders,
Christian Atsu (Vitesse), photo by VI Images at gettyimages.co.uk.
Michael Essien (Milan), photo by Press Association via dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/Follow-news-Sportsmails-live-rolling-service.
Sulley Muntari (Milan), photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Forwards/Wings,
Majeed Waris (Spartak Moscow/Valenciennes), photo by gettyimages.com.
Asamoah Gyan (Al-Ain [UAE]), photo from v1.sport360.com/football.
André Ayew (Marseille), photo by Clément Bucco-Lechat at commons.wikimedia.org.
Other player-options,
Rashid Sumaila (Mamelodi Sundowns), photo from kickoff.com/news/psl-match-report-mamelodi-sundowns-vs-moroka-swallows.
Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu MF/CM/DM (Udinse), photo from viasat1.com.gh.
Wakaso Mubarak LW/RW (Rubin Kazan), photo from ghanasoccernet.com.
Kwadwo Asamoah LW/AM (Juventus), photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images Europe via zimbio.com.
Kevin-Prince Boateng CM/AM (Schalke), photo from ghanasoccernet.com/kevin-prince-boateng-makes-winning-debut-schalke.
Mohammed Rabiu CM (Kuban Krasnodar), photo from ghanasoccernet.com/2014-world-cup-ghana-midfielder-rabiu-mohammed-eyes-goals-grabbing-first-kuban-krasnodar.
___
Thanks to the contributors at ‘2014 FIFA World Cup qualification‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to the contributors at ‘Ghana national football team‘ (en.wikipedia.org).
Thanks to http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/, for player-position details.
Thanks to Soccerway.com, for recent squad line-ups, at int.soccerway.com/international/africa/wc-qualifying-africa.

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