Who will win? The 2010 World Cup seems particularly difficult to pick because so many high profile players have been hit with injuries. From Ballack and Robben to Drogba and Ferdinand, it seems that every team will be missing a potential starter. But when the smoke clears, I expect many of the same names to remain. I wanted to pick against Spain because I hate playing the favorite but then they went and demolished Poland 6-0. That's right, 6-0! If Robben gets healthy, I think Holland has a great shot and I wouldn't count Brazil out ever. Argentina has the wunderkid Messi but I'm still not sure Diego Maradona will be able to pull it together as a manager when the game gets tight. When it's all said and done, I see Spain and Brazil squaring off with Brazil claiming yet another world title. Why? Because they're Brazil, enough said.

How will the US do? As for the Americans, they absolutely should advance out of their group. England looks tough but Algeria and Slovenia are incredibly beatable. Many question marks loom for the Yanks, however. Are Onyewu and Altidore healthy? Will unproven strikers Findlay, Buddle, and Altidore muster goals? Can Michael Bradley harness his temper and avoid suspension? The United States has enough to advance but if they come in second place in their group, a date against Germany could loom. Beating the Germans isn't unthinkable, but the US will not advance past the quarterfinals.

Matt Ufford (Warming Glow, KSK)

Who will win? Brazil, unless Argentina can harness Diego Maradona's insanity for good.

How will the US do? Over the last two decades, the U.S. has alternated between disappointing and exceeding expectations in World Cups. They're due to exceed expectations this time around, but I think too many of our best players are banged up.

Rick Chandler (Out of Bounds - NBC Sports)

Who will win? Spain. Like its sea invasion of England in 1588, there is no way it can fail.

How will the US do? The U.S. will shock the world ... by losing to England by only 2 goals. They will not make it out of their group.

Weed Against Speed (Sportress of Blogitude)

Wow, somebody is asking me about the outcome of the World Cup? They must fancy me somewhat knowledgeable about sports and whatnot. As far as who will win, I'm going to have to go with Canada. Given their performance in hockey at the Winter Olympics, my guess is one should strike while the iron is hot and bet on the country that's rolling at the moment.

What's that? Canada isn't in the World Cup? Wasn't soccer invented in Luxembourg? You know, Luxembourg, the province next to Iceland? Hell, anyone can miss Canada, all tucked away down there.

Fine, fine. If Canada isn't in it, I'll have to go with Brazil. That Pele dude is awesome.

As far as the U.S. is concerned, I believe they will fare well in South Africa, given the latitudinal similarities between our country and theirs. It's all about geography, baby. My guess is they will sneak out of Group C with England and then all hell is going to break loose when the two countries battle over who is more talented individual of the British/American super-couple, Russell Brand or Katy Perry. I'm going with Miss Katy in this matchup (in more ways than one), so my guess is the United States will advance further than England. Plus, the vision of a constitutional monarchy is so...played.

Wait. What am I supposed to be answering here? Oh yeah. As far as the overall winner, I'm with Italy, as I am a self-loathing Irish-Italian and I am a degenerate gambler who enjoys pissing my money and reputation away. The U.S. will piggyback on their success at the 2009 Confederations Cup and go deeper and further than they ever have. Heh. Deeper and further.

Hextall454 (Melt Your Face Off)

Speaking for Hockey, no one picks on our kid brother Soccer. That is, unless they are bigger than us and have a lucrative national TV contract.

Who will win? Brazil will win. I don't care if this isn't the same squad that pwned Airport Security in a friendly many years ago, they're still going to win. Unless the host nation South Africa is secretly part of the European Union - if that's the case - then history dictates that Brazil can't repel firepower of that magnitude. It's a trap!

How will the US do? England gets payback for the whole "seceding from Her Majesty's Global Empire" with a 2-1 decision over the Yanks. But Edson Buddle scores a goal, and it's impossible to say his name without laughing. The US goes on to probably defeat one and tie one of the other two teams, and head to the Knockout Round with Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Getting Destroyed by Ghana.

Payback's a bitch, Mr. Jefferson.

Ryan Gallivan (The Gally Blog)

Who will win? For this World Cup, I'm going to have to go with Spain. I think they're way too talented to not take this bitch down. If I had a random poorly picked out, no idea where I'm going with this thing type of spoiler though, that would be Argentina.

How will the US do? As a Canadian, I could honestly not care who's left, so the fate of the American squad doesn't really concern me. I do think they'll make it out of the first round, but I don't think they'll advance past that. I've been wrong though once before. It could happen again.

Sculptor?!? (The Phoenix Pub)

Who will win? I’m not entirely certain yet who I think will win. I’m thinking it’ll be somewhat of a surprise, though, as opposed to a heavy favorite. I could easily see it being England or Germany, though I’ve got no real rationale or explanation for that statement.

How will the US do? I think they’ll make it out of group, in 2nd to England. Likely go down in the 16, but I’d be thrilled to see them make it to the octo. I just don’t have faith in Bradley, and I don’t feel the team is solid enough to make it past the 8.

Daniel Victor (ByDanielVictor.com, communty host for TBD, former Patriot-News reporter)

Thanks for including me, and for correctly assessing me to be the soccer expert that I truly am. It's almost a shame you waited this long to e-mail me. Here are my intelligent answers that will prove I know what I'm talking about and didn't just ask everyone on Twitter for their opinions:

Who will win? Everyone is a winner in the World Cup. When playing The Beautiful Game, Terra is united. Except for North Korea...they'll lose. Also, Holland will win more than everyone else.

How will the US do? They'll hang tight with but inevitably lose to England, then play down to Slovenia and Algeria while still squeaking out wins. Then they'll get slaughtered by Germany, and America will go back to not knowing that Slovenia and Algeria are countries.

This Guy (via The Phoenix Pub message board)

Who will win? Here’s one I haven’t heard picked yet: Argentina. I know they have coaching issues, but Maradona did rally them from the dead to qualify in the first place. They should go untested in an easy Group B, and then face a weaker squad in Mexico, undeserving France, or even host South Africa in the round of 16. Next up would likely be Germany, but at the final 8, all bets are off. Who’s to say Messi doesn’t catch fire. So let’s run with it. Argentina to take the Cup.

How will the US do? So you’re saying that finishing 2nd to the Brits and falling to the Germans isn’t an original idea. Ok, then how’s this. If the US doesn’t get at least a point out of the England game, they will miss out on the round of 16 altogether, and instead it will be Slovenia taking 2nd place. if the US does get a draw or win over the Limeys, however, the boost does put them through and then the Krauts outmaneuver them for 90 minutes en route to a 1-0 dismissal.

Josh Zerkle / PUNTE (With Leather, KSK)

Who will win? I'm going with the Netherlands. I like how they have a plural name, yet they're only one country.

How will the US do? I expect the US to drop a game against Slovenia and not advance out of group play.

Brandon Moskal (Ramblings of the Unmotivated, House of Punte KSK podcast)

I'd love to help, even though I couldn't possibly care less about soccer or the World Cup.

Who will win? The real winners will be the criminals, thugs, and drug dealers of South Africa (or as it's affectionately known, "The Rape Capital of the World"), with approximately 370,000 people showing up to have their pockets picked and try in vain to have the word "no" taken as an answer. Also, Brazil, for their soccer playing.

How will the US do? The US will make it out of their group but fail to advance past the first round of the tournament as Invictus star Morgan Freeman will show up as Nelson Mandela and the US team will be too busy asking him about Andy DuFresne and referring to him as "Red" to fully focus on their match

Andrew Bucholtz (Sporting Madness)

Who will win? The World Cup's always difficult to predict, but this edition might be particularly hard given all of the late injuries that have sprung up. There are plenty of teams that could win it all, but I'll go with Germany; even without Michael Ballack, they've got lots of young talent and should still be a force to be reckoned with.

How will the US do? I think the U.S. is in excellent shape to get out of their group, and they might even finish ahead of England. After that, a lot depends on the matchups. If they finish first, they'll get the second-place team from Group D in the Round of 16, and that should be a winnable game. They'd then be matched up against the winner of the Group A champion and Group B runner-up, which also should be winnable unless Argentina finishes second in Group B. Thus, I can see the U.S. going all the way to the semifinals if they're able to win their group; if they finish second, though, they'll probably fall to Germany in the Round of 16.

Sarah Sprague aka The Starter Wife (Black and Gold Tchotchkes)

Who will win? My head says Brazil, my instinct says Spain, but my heart says England, even though my nationalistic pride says England will be so deflated after a loss to the US they barely make it out of group play. Since I can only go with one winner I am picking Brazil, but only because their aggressive style of play annoys the Europeans.

How will the US do? Can I be part of the 50% of Americans who thinks the US can win the World Cup? No? Well, I think Sam's Army has a good enough team to at least repeat their 2002 showing and make it to the quarterfinals.

The Notorious MOB (The Phoenix Pub)

Who will win? I don’t like to go conventional with my picks, you won’t see me picking Brazil or Spain, just seems too easy. Instead I say The Netherlands will play either Germany or Argentina in the finals. And will avenge either their 74 or 78 losses when they had the better team but the unfortunate luck of playing their opponents on their home turf. Plus Spain sucks historically in the World Cup anyway. History has a way of repeating itself.

How will the US do? I’m gonna say the same thing everyone else is here at the Phoenix Pub. Make it out of group play, but in second place to England. Lose to Germany in the round of 16.

Justin Kunkel (Spotobe)

Who will win? For the longest time, I was convinced that Brazil would be taking home the hardware once again, but I've changed my mind for two reasons. First of all, the Argentines have the best player in the world in Leo Messi. When it's all said and done, he could be challenging for even loftier ground, but not without winning a World Cup. He'll likely never have a better chance than this. Secondly, Argentina's road to the finals is simply far easier than the other contenders the way I see things shaking out. Yes, they are managed by a crazy person with a Christ complex, but that crazy man with a Christ complex won a World Cup in remarkably similar circumstances. Diego Maradonna will either ruin Leo Messi or watch as he ascends to a level that Maradona is one of the few men to ever reach. Fascinating. To me, the story of the tournament will be the struggles of the European teams. Many of the old guard are vulnerable, and remember; no European team has ever won a World Cup contested outside the European continent.

How will the US do? The stereotype about the Americans seems to be that they will be solid in the defense and not offer a lot going forward. I don't buy it. Our defense is held together with duct tape and our two best players are attackers Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan. This is an interesting tournament for the Americans for a number of reasons. There are a number of players that have a chance to completely alter their destinies as players, not least of all the two already mentioned. A huge tournament for either could have some major, major clubs sniffing around. The first round group is pillow soft, even if playing the English first is a stroke of bad luck. I don't think a draw is outside the realm of possibility, but even a close loss should suffice. Make no mistake, not taking full points off of Slovenia and Algeria would be a disaster. Algeria is an abomination and could be the worst team in the field. I think the U.S. will finish second in the group, slip past Serbia and their American center half Nevin Subotic and then be rendered helpless by Messi's brilliance. So, I think they'll lose in the quarter finals.

Jay Busbee (Devil Ball Golf, From the Marbles)

Who will win? I have no idea who will win the World Cup. I mean, none. Brazil's good, right? And Spain? My connection with soccer culture stops at the point where you don't get juice boxes and orange slices after games. But hey, we're all soccer fans now, aren't we? So I'll say Brazil, since I assume Kentucky and Duke aren't playing in this tournament.

How will the US do? As long as we beat England, everything else is gravy. Brown, flavorless, British-style gravy. Would love to see America advance, of course, so we need to bring in every motivational speaker of the last century to get the guys fired up. Here, play this on a loop: U-S-A! U-S-A!

Dan Levy (The Sporting Blog, On the DL Podcast) from The Sporting Blog’s World Cup preview

Who will win? My final four: U.S., Netherlands, Argentina, Spain. Winner: Netherlands over Spain. The bracket is terrible for Group G (Portugal/Ivory Coast/Brazil) where the winner could get the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and the second place team will see Spain in the second round. Totally imbalanced bracket and totally not fair to some teams, namely Portugal. And yes, I've completely let our flag cloud my judgment.

How will the US do? Call me nuts, but the way the bracket sets up, I see a possibility that the U.S. can make a run to the semis before losing to the winner of Brazil vs. the Netherlands. I also have the USMNT beating England, so I'm an optimist.

Jason Bristol (CBS 21 WHP Sports Director)

Who will win? I will go with Brazil. I know Spain is favored, but I'm going with Brazil, despite the rough road it will take to reach the final.

How will the US do? Put me down for 7th place finish.

2 Yellows (Avoiding the Drop)

Who will win? Brazil to hoist the trophy

How will the US do? US finishes second to England in Group and loses to Serbia in the Round of 16.

Jerod Morris (Midwest Sports Fans)

Who will win? Not the U.S. And probably not Argentina either because Diego Maradona is crazy. Brazil is usually a pretty safe bet, so I'll just say them.

How will the US do? I think we'll make it out of our pool but then get blasted by a country that actually cares about soccer. And I'll laugh every time I see Landon Donovan referred to as "Landy Cakes."

Amanda Rykoff (The OCD Chick)

I'm not a soccer fan. It's not that I don't like the sport or have anything against it, it's just that I'm not a fan. I don't really understand it, what with its confusing rules and penalty time and other things that make it hard for a casual observer to comprehend. And no this isn't about the lack of scoring. I can appreciate a good pitchers' duel in baseball. I think there's just something about not really understanding what you're watching that makes it harder to watch. Sure I played AYSO soccer as a kid growing up in Santa Monica, but I'm fairly certain we played by different rules. I just remember running around and being excited when we scored. And during halftime and after the game, we got orange slices.

So when the good folks at Daddy's Sugar Ball asked me prepare some predictions about the 2010 World Cup, I was a bit hesitant. I wanted to contribute to the conversation, but I could not provide hard core analysis. In fact, the only thing I really know about the teams are their nicknames. And the awesome promotional murals that ESPN commissioned for the event. I love them so much I took photos of all of them while they were on display here in New York City.

But I am looking forward to this year's World Cup. If I'm not a fan, how is this possible? Because what other event can literally capture the world's attention for an entire one month time span? This is fascinating. Don't talk to me about the Olympics, which have become a made for TV commercialized mess (at least in the U.S., thanks to NBC's horrendous coverage. I wrote a very popular diatribe railing against NBC's coverage of this year's Winter Olympics). Every World Cup game will be broadcast live in every country in every time zone around the world. This is tremendous. It's how every sporting event should be treated. When you show games live, people will watch, wherever they are, at whatever time. So even though I don't know much about the sport itself, the World Cup is the ultimate sporting event. And I don't want to miss it.

I'm also looking forward to watching the games with my friends on Twitter. For those of you who are just meeting me for the first time (hi, nice to meet you), I'm a Twitter fiend. I tweet early, I tweet often. You can find me @amandarykoff. And there's nothing I enjoy more than following live tweets with fellow sports fans, whether it's my Yankees, the NBA playoffs, NFL football on Sundays or the Stanley Cup Finals. Assuming Twitter's servers can hold the volume (and unfortunately, I'm not sure that they can), I expect the viewing experience of this year's World Cup will be greatly enhanced by the Twitter community and by social media in general. It's got the possibility of being a truly unifying experience. Well, except for the bitter rivalries of course, which should be highly entertaining.

Now on to the requisite predictions:

Who will win? I pick Spain.

How will the U.S. do? They'll make it out of group play but will lose in the first round of the elimination round to Germany.

Will either of these happen? I have no idea. But it will be fun to watch. And as far as I'm concerned, that's what the 2010 World Cup is all about.

James Brown (The Phoenix Pub)

Who will win? I think England or Germany

How will the US do? Bradley lost Davies and made some really shitty calls for the winning eleven. I think they’ll make it to the 16 and that’s it.

JibbleScribbits (JibbleScribbits)

Who will win? Only 4 team (well outside Uruguay) to win multiple Cups, and outside their home soil: Italy, Germany, Argentina, Brazil.

Only teams to win outside their own continent: Argentina (1986-Mexico) & Brazil (1958-Sweden, 1970-Mexico, 1994-USA, 2002-Korea/Japan)

As much as I hate to say it, I’m gonna have to go with Brazil.

Ryan Ballengee (Waggle Room)

Who will win? I'll go with Argentina since they seem so deep at forward that they can't make a roster.

How will the US do? I'll say the US makes the first elimination round of the bracket, but then lose that first match.

Martin (via The Phoenix Pub message board)

Who will win? My real thought is that Brazil and Spain will make the Final, but I think France has as good a shot as any other team to get there right now, so I’m going with them.

How will the US do? I think that the US finishes tied with England, but takes second based on goals. They then lose to Germany on two terrible corner kicks that are headed in for a 2-1 loss. I’m going to go with France as my pick. I don’t think that they will have will have to contend with Brazil, as I have a sneaking that the Netherlands will beat them. I think France will prevail over England, who’s pressure will increase exponentially as the rounds go on, and by the quarters, the team may spontaneously explode.

Bearcat (Daddy's Sugar Ball)

Who will win? It is really hard for me not to pick the Brazilians. With Kaka, Maicon, Lucio and Fabiano part of me wants to say, "Don’t try to look too smart just be right and pick them to win it all." But they have lacked the prowess that would make them the obvious choice. I pick them to take the third place game. I just don’t think they are dominating enough to win it all for the sixth time.

The Spanish are sending the same team that won Euro 2008 and are the top of many lists for taking home the Cup… But European teams tend to fall short away from home in the World Cup and I think this team will get caught in the knockout round. The Spanish have never made it beyond the final four and have a history of disappointing Cup appearances. This one will be no different.

I am therefore going to pick Argentina. Yes, their coach (Diego Maradona) is a coked up, over weight, egomaniac who is best buddies with Hugo Chavez. But they have Lionel Messi who, like Maradona in 1986, could single handedly win the World Cup. (pun intended) Messi will win the golden boot and will deliver Argentina its third World Cup trophy.

How will the US do? As I have said before on this blog the USMNT has done nothing but disappoint. I have bought the hype so many times that I have started to become immune. While the draw is favorable for advancement to the second round it would be insane to guarantee advancement let alone an extended run. With a record of 3-12-3 since returning to the World Cup stage in Italia ‘90 the Yanks are starting to wear the motto "Don’t Tread On Me" thin. Landon Donovan said after the disappointing loss to Brazil (3-2 defeat after leading 2-0 at the half) last summer during the Confederations Cup that the team was no longer looking for respect but wins. The 6-2-2 qualification run this year was more of the same from a team that had learned how to win CONCACAF but still is not feared on the world stage.

That is why the USMNT opener against England is so vital. The British are, on paper, arguably better at nine of the eleven positions. The British have more experience and have the best player on the field (Wayne Rooney). If the American team can tie the Brits it will be an upset. Soccer analysts that are predicting a win by the Yanks are selling the game. Americans will not tune in to see a loser. Can we win? Yes. Will we win? I would not bet on it. So much of this team's fortunes will ride on how this game turns out. If they are beaten badly (think 3-nil) the Americans could spiral in to a disaster analogous to Germany ’06 when they were sent home with three losses from the Group of Death. Get the tie (or improbably a win) on Saturday against the English and this team could win the stage and revisit the Quarterfinals.

Following a strong outing in the Philadelphia send off and the 3-1 win against Australia last week I am riding high on this team. (I root for this team with my heart, not my head.) I am going to predict a successful Cup for the USMNT and a trip the Quarterfinals. Potential second round opponents of Ghana and Germany (hobbled with injuries) make advancement very possible. That would be a successful World Cup for the Yanks.

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