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Brazil, Argentina lead South American contenders in World Cup
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) -- Let the samba ring out on the Champs Elysees. Prepare the Carnival in the Latin Quarter. Ronaldo and an army of Brazilian fans will invade France this summer, in quest of a fifth World Cup title.And while Brazilians don't need a reason to party, they have a good one this year. Their rejuvenated and talent-heavy team is favored to win the tournament again, adding to a string of titles in 1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994.
Of course, eternal rival Argentina has other ideas. Even without Diego Maradona, once again beset by drug problems, the Argentines have a solid core of internationals and bona fide credentials for a third World Cup championship.
Dark horses Colombia, Paraguay and Chile round out the South American delegation to the 32-team World Cup.
Brazil is a cut above the rest. Champion of the Copa America, the team has been No. 1 in FIFA's world rankings for more than three years. And experts say the squad is even better now than in 1994, when Brazil beat Italy in the World Cup final in the Rose Bowl.
Much of the credit goes to coach Mario Zagallo, who replaced Carlos Alberto Parreira after the '94 Cup. Zagallo renewed the team, smoothly blending new talent with veterans while losing just one game, a 4-2 defeat to Norway in an exhibition match.
Just as important for Brazilian fans, Zagallo brought back "art soccer" -- the flashy, irreverent style that was missing on the workmanlike team of 1994.
The chief "artist" is Ronaldo, the 21-year old star of Italy's Internazionale. A reserve on the '94 Cup team, he blossomed to become FIFA's player of the year in 1996.
Ronaldo hopes to team with his buddy Romario, the hero of the 1994 Cup. But Zagallo also could pair him with Sonny Anderson or Giovanni, both of Spain's FC Barcelona, or Edmundo of Vasco da Gama.
Romario is among a handful of '94 champions expected to return. The likely list includes Taffarel, Cafu, Aldair, Dunga, Mauro Silva and Leonardo. Bebeto, at 33, has a slim chance.
But Brazil could be handicapped by not having to participate in qualifying. The team automatically reaches the tournament as defending champion, but a tough qualifying round can be a crucible that molds a winner.
At least, that's what Argentina hopes.
After a disastrous start in the qualifiers, culminating with a loss to modest Bolivia, Argentina seemed to teeter on the brink of elimination. Then the team jelled, winning its last seven games.
The team's marquee name will be missing. Maradona, hero of Argentina's 1986 world champion team, recently retired -- again -- after a comeback attempt ended when he failed a doping test. The same problem bounced him out of the '94 Cup -- and the memory still rankles.
The young Argentine squad is built around a nucleus of stars from the Spanish and Italian leagues: Juan Veron of Sampdoria, Ariel Ortega of Valencia, Gabriel Batistuta of Fiorentina and Hernan Crespo of Parma.
They agree that the scare of qualifying was a blessing in disguise.
"When all seems lost, we get something from within that others don't have," says Parma defender Roberto Sensini. "Brazilians are good. But when it gets cold, they start getting homesick."
Colombia, with its distinctive, cadenced style orchestrated by mop-haired midfielder Carlos Valderrama, gets a chance to erase the disappointment of its 1994 campaign.
Picked as a favorite by many experts -- including Pele -- Colombia played poorly, lost to the United States and went home early. The world was shocked by the killing of defender Andres Escobar, who had the misfortune of scoring an own-goal.
Paraguay returns to the World Cup after sitting out the last two. While short on individual talent, the Paraguayans boast a gritty defence and could surprise.
The team's star is flamboyant goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, considered among the best in the world. Chilavert is a deadly free-kicker and penalty shooter, with 28 goals in his career.
Chile has more modest hopes, which depend on the performance of strikers Ivan Zamorano of Italy's Inter Milan and Marcelo Salas of Argentina's River Plate. Coach Nelson Tapia admits the team's goal is simply to get past the first round.
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GROUP A: Brazil, Morocco, Norway, Scotland
GROUP B: Austria, Cameroon, Chile, Italy
GROUP C: Denmark, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa
GROUP D: Bulgaria, Nigeria, Paraguay, Spain
GROUP E: Belgium, Holland, Mexico, South Korea
GROUP F: Germany, Iran, United States, Yugoslavia
GROUP G: Colombia, England, Romania, Tunisia
GROUP H: Argentina, Croatia, Jamaica, Japan