But first, a little background on the Confederations Cup contenders...
The 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup takes place in South Africa from 14 to 28 June 2009.
Played in the World Cup host country a year before football's premier event, Fifa's "Festival of Champions" has become a serious test of the host country's World Cup readiness - and a major sporting event in its own right, bringing together regional champions from all corners of the globe.
In 2009, the participating teams will include African champs Egypt, Asian champs Iraq, European champs Spain, Oceanian champs New Zealand, South American champs Brazil, Concacaf champs USA, 2006 World Cup winners Italy, and 2010 hosts South Africa.
The draw for the tournament took place on 22 November 2008, splitting the eight teams into two groups* and setting up some classic clashes.
(Copy source: SouthAfrica.info - original article: Brad Morgan. Creative Commons License)
*
| GROUP A |
GROUP B |
| South Africa |
USA |
| Iraq |
Italy |
| New Zealand |
Brazil |
| Spain |
Egypt |
Let's get the show on the road with the
Featured Confederations Cup Team for this week...
Our very own South African stars BAFANA BAFANA *crowd goes wild*
Background on the South African Team
Since winning the African Nations Cup in 1996, it seems that Bafana Bafana have been on a slow but steady downward spiral, apart from a few encouraging successes. Four wins in their four most recent outings, however, have fans of the side hoping that South Africa has turned the corner under coach Joel Santana.
Earlier this year, the team suffered a big setback when they failed to qualify for the 2010 African Nations Cup. However, Santana had been thrust into the middle of qualifying without an opportunity to learn about the players following the shock resignation of previous coach Carlos Alberto Parreira. Progress, although slow at first, appears to have been made.
Santana looks, for the most part, to have identified South Africa's best players, and the national team is playing a more rounded and effective game, with the long-time problem of lack of goal-scoring no longer dogging the side.
Blackburn Rovers' striker Benni McCarthy has helped, as has the emergence of Thanda Royal Zulu marksman Bernard Parker.
Bafana Bafana's emerging star, however, is midfielder Teko Modise. Not only is he capable of pulling the strings in the middle of the park, but he is also a goal scorer; his ability to score from distance, often with blistering shots, make him a man to keep an eye on. He has the talent to make a big mark on the game. What he needs to develop is consistency.
(Sourced from this article on SouthAfrica.Info.org by Brad Morgan - used under the Creative Commons License.)
And now - Portfolio's Pick for Confed Hottie from Bafana Bafana -
BERNARD PARKER
This 22-year old striker, who recently (January 09) signed up to play for Serbian side Red Star Belgrade, has had "probably the most prolific 2008/09 season so far of any South African striker the world over" (according to an article on IOL).
Many see him as a possible replacement for aging, often M.I.A (former) star Benni McCarthy.
We think he's kinda cute...
