World Cup Cheat-Sheet: Ladies Edition (Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England & Italia)

Welcome back! And thank you so much for your support, feedback & ideas (please keep them coming!). I started this blog with the hopes of making the world cup experience (and the world) smaller, so I hope these cheat-sheets are helping you ladies scout great talent via my favorite sport, fútbol!

As requested, in future posts, I'll discuss rules of the game, fun & quirky facts, obstacles facing some of the teams as well as a special spotlight on great players

So let's keep the party going by taking a look at the first 'Group of Death' or as I like to call them, the group of dead-gorgeous. Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England & Italia:

FYI: Every week I'll give you WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW which is a mash-up of 1) the team's playing style, 2) my opinion on their chances of moving forward at the World Cup, 3) some team stats, 4) top plays, 5) names of vital players, 6) stories from the frontline, and most importantly, I'll showcase each team's most "valuable" player(s). Please feel free to add to the conversation in the comments section

Uruguay :
A land of just over 3 million people who are known for their open mindedness & social equality, Uruguay was the first Latin country to legalize same-sex marriage, marijuana and offer laptops to all schoolchildren. All this from the 2nd smallest Latin country where cows outnumber people 3:1. But their best export (besides beef & wine) is futbol! They won the first world cup in 1930 & have been a mainstay of international futbol competitions ever since.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Team nickname: In Latin America not only does the team have a nickname but the players & the coach have their own as well. Uruguay is known as Los Charrúas (an extinct indigenous group) or La Celeste/celestial; an homage to the shirt color worn during a local match win & their first victory over Argentina in 1910
- Playing style: Lethal. Great defense, dangerous marking & counter-attacks
- Players to watch: Edison "El Matador", Egidio 'El Cacha', Luis Suarez 'El Pistolero' & Diego Lugano 'Tota' in his last hoorah
- How far can they go: One thing UY does not lack is 'garra' or fighting spirit nor are they lacking in front to back talent (pun intended!) but Suarez's injury + Lugano's aging (but glorious!) body is leaving Group D a bit more open than expected. Hopefully one of Coach Tabarez aka El Maestro's lucky ties will help them advance to the Semis once more
- Lastly, here are a few of Uruguay's most 'valuable' players for reference purposes ;)

Dueling Diego's: Captain Diego 'Tota' Lugano (1 & 2) & Diego 'Cachavacha' Forlan (3). Who wins in your book?

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Costa Rica :
PURA VIDA! is Costa Rica's catch phrase and it's what they'll need to get to the R16 again.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The team's nickname: Ticos
- Playing style: Very defensive
- Players to watch: Captain Bryan "La Comadreja" Ruiz & Celso Borges
- How far can they go: The Ticos are known for their defense but with Bryan Oviedo's injury keeping him out of the WC, CR's chances have just gotten tougher. Their goal is the R16 but it'll be almost impossible to make it out of the group stage against Italy, England & Uruguay
- Lastly, here's one of Costa Rica's most 'valuable' players for reference purposes ;)

Someone left Bryan Ruiz & his abs, out in the rain

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England :
London calling!! England! Land of royal intrigue, fatastic 80's music & footie! Oi!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The team's nickname: The Three Lions (or Engerlund!)
- Playing style: Defensive, physical with long passes but with so many Liverpool players on this squad we might see a new style emerge.
- Players to watch: Raheem, Ross & Rooney
- How far can they go: Eternal optimists, every four years since their 1966 win, England always speaks of their amazing chances at winning every world cup only to be sent home during the R16 or QF but this year they've got great young, ambitious talent. The 2nd youngest squad at the WC definitely have the hunger but will they have the steel nerves needed to get passed Italy & Uruguay? PS: they've never won against UR in a WC & Andrea Pirlo's Italy knocked them out of Euro'12. If they can get out of this group, the R16 will be a tough go against Colombia, on LatAm soil
- Lastly, here is the England squad, at YOUR service ;)

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Italia:
4 time WC champions, they are the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup behind Brazil. They are 1 of the oldest squads yet they play like 25 year olds which causes me to affectionately call them the sexy vampires because these guys NEVER seem to grow old!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- The team's nickname: Gli Azzurri/ The Blues, in hommage to the Savoy blue hue, a color traditionally linked to the royal house that unified Italy in 1861
- Playing style: Some call it "fantasia & furbizia" (imagination & cleverness) or "fantasisti" but I call it "Pescecani" Shark style. A 'let's wait & see where they make an error and then successfully exploit it to our advantage', making it quite a sight to see.
- Players to watch: Andrea Pirlo! he might be going through a highly publicized divorce but he's l'Architetto! (the architect) & he's a professional so I'm sure we'll see his matrix moves at play against England. Mario "red card" Balotelli
- How far can they go: They have a very solid record against UR/ENG & with Suarez injured, the sharks will be circling their prey in hopes of an easy kill/road to the final but I think they'll be stopped by Brazil or Spain in the Semis
- Lastly, here are a few of Italy's most 'valuable' players for reference purposes ;)

The naughty & nice sides of Italy's bad boy, Dani Osvaldo. Ciro Immobile calming the crowd. Claudio Marchisio, Domenico Criscito... heck, the entire Italian team obviously doesn't like to wear pants!
Grazie Italia!