Top 5 WC10 Outsiders To Watch

This is both self-explanatory and hard as hell to get right.

There's so much extrapolation required here, I'd feel like a real winner just for getting four from the list in the World Cup 2014 finals field and maybe a couple reaching the knockouts.

Honorable mentions: Costa Rica, Croatia, Hungary, Morocco, Senegal, Sweden

#5 - Austria

There is a ton of exciting young talent in this player pool, which includes several players from their fourth place finish at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup (where they ousted the U.S. in the quarters). That game starred forward Ruben Okotie and defender Sebastian Prödl, but they have much more in the stall. They will also have the promising likes of Marko Arnautović, Erwin Hoffer and Marc Janko in attack, Zlatko Junuzović and Ümit Korkmaz in midfield, and free kick demon Christian Fuchs and György Garics in defense... and if the manager has any brains, playmaker Andreas Ivanschitz, who is currently banished from the side.

#4 - Colombia

Here's the deal: Los Cafeteros missed out on South Africa by two points with the third best defense in CONMEBOL qualifying. They notched just 14 goals in 10 games, and that was that. Four years from now, they will have ace traffic directors Abel Aguilar and Freddy Guarín in their prime. They will be able to get the ball forward for a developing attack stable that includes Falcao, Victor Ibarbo, Jackson Martinez, Fredy Montero, Adrián Ramos, Watson Renteria and Hugo Rodallega. Even if only half of them fulfill promise, the offense should be much scarier in 2014. The defense does need some players, led by Serie A young'uns Cristián Zapata and Juan Zúñiga, to continue developing well.

#3 - Russia

Guus Hiddink may be gone, but they've stayed Dutch with Dick Advocaat. Expect a comeback of the Euro 2008 style, led by keeper Igor Akinfeev, midfield engine Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, winger Alan Dzagoev and striker Aleksandr Bukharov. As for the defense, some very familiar names will all be just on the other side of 30 - a great age for backliners - come World Cup 2014. Akinfeev may be a wizard, but with Aleksandr Anyukov, Aleksei Berezutskiy, Vasili Berezutskiy, Denis Kolodin and Yuri Zhirkov around, he won't as often need to be.


#2 - Turkey

There is young talent from front to back on this depth chart. Mevlüt Erdinç is the breakaway forward, Volkan Şen and Arda Turan the unstoppable industry, Nuri Şahin the outlet man, Mehmet Topal the midfield muscle and Gökhan Gönül the dashing wingback. The Turks will be able to choose from experienced keeper Volkan Demirel and youngster Sinan Bolat, plus current veterans like Hakan Balta, Servet Çetin and Semih Şentürk should still be quite serviceable. Even if that rundown doesn't have you excited, please do remember: Mr. Hiddink is the new sheriff 'round these parts.


#1 - Belgium

This choice should be no surprise to you all, as I've talked them up regularly since NSC started. The list of Belgian guys in big competitions to be aged 23-29 come 2014 is staggering, so let's start in goal and work forward. Logan Bailly and Silvio Proto each look to be able international keepers, if not necessarily world-beaters. Of course, with a skilled backline stable that should involve Toby Alderweireld, Ritchie De Laet, Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Lombaerts, Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen, they don't need to be top shelf. Former Standard teammates Steven Defour and Marouane Fellaini will control the middle, perhaps with help from Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe. Eden Hazard, Jonathan Legear and Axel Witsel will be on hand to run the flanks with abandon. And if Christian Benteke, Moussa Dembélé and Kevin Mirallas aren't enough to get you excited about the goal-getters, there is also 17-year old wonderboy Romelu Lukaku. One may wonder if coach Georges Leekens has what it takes to mold this explosively talented group of players, but do note that he only has a contract through 2012 at this point.


- Greg Seltzer