High levels of ozones in Houston aside, the FIFA World Cup is starting this Friday in Munich with Germany against Costa Rica, followed Poland vs. Ecuador in Gelsenkirche. This is one of the rare moment where I am remotely interested in sports. (The other ones being the NBA Play-Offs, Wimbledon and the Rugby Cup of the Nations) This is the one game where everything goes (see South Korea, Japan, the United States, Turkey going to the quarterfinals last World Cup). There aren't any teams that is really superior to the other (with the exception of Brazil ang Germany).

This is also one of the rare moments where I can root for a country without feeling guilty (of course I am rooting for France, it's Zizou's last season!)

Juan (coffee shop buddy and med school student) and I are already making prognosis on the outcome of the group games.

Here are my group picks:

Group A
1st: Germany
2nd: Ecuador

Group B
This one is a little tougher. England, Sweden and Paraguay all have good teams, but England has had a series of injuries lately.
1st: England
2nd: Paraguay

Group C
Another tough group. Argentina is a well-known team, as are the Netherlands. But the Ivory Coast is the wildcard. But I choose the following:
1st: Argentina
2nd: the Netherlands

Group D
1st: Mexico
2nd: Portugal (even though they have Figo)

Group E
Okay, the United States is the team to look at. They have more or less the same roster as the last World Cup, with the same coach. They fared really well last time, but they are still underestimated. But it's also a tough group, due to the presence of Italy and the Czech Republic.
1st: United States (yeah, I know)
2nd: Italy

Group F
There's no way Brazil is not going to the group of 16, but Japan has a pretty good team (although a different coach) and so does Croatia.
1st: Brazil
2nd: Japan

Group G
This one is easy. South Korea has the same roster as the last World Cup and France has Zinedine Zidane, the world's best player.
1st: France
2nd: South Korea

Group H
1st: Spain
2nd: Tunisia

For the Group of 16:
Germany vs. Paraguay -> Germany wins
Argentina vs. Portugal -> Tough one, but I say Argentina wins
England vs. Ecuador -> Tough one, I say Ecuador (just to be a contrarian)
Mexico vs. the Netherlands -> Ugh ... Mexico
USA vs. Japan -> Hum ... Japan has a very good defense, but the US are more balanced, so USA
France vs. Tunisia -> France
Brazil vs. Italy -> Brazil
Spain vs. South Korea -> Another tough one, but I say South Korea (they beat Portugal last World Cup, no reason they can't beat Spain)

Quarterfinals
Germany vs. Argentina -> Germany
Ecuador vs Mexico -> Mexico
USA vs. France -> This game should be interesting to watch here. Of course, I say France. We have the best player in the world (Zidane), not to mention Cissé, Henry, Thuram, Trézéguet, Vieira ... You get the picture.
Brazil vs. South Korea -> Brazil

Semifinals
Germany vs. Mexico -> Germany
France vs. Brazil -> France (we beat them once, no reason we can't do it again)

Finals
Germany vs. France -> Hum ... Really tough one, but I say France, just because it's Zidane's last season as a pro.

3rd Place Game
Mexico vs. Brazil -> Brazil