South America's Schedule for 2006 World Cup Germany

The official start is almost here!

After the qualifying matches, the friendly games, the media publicity, the speculations and the promotions, the 2006 World Cup Germany gets down to business on June 9, 2006.

Of the South American soccer/futbol teams hoping to play in the matches, only Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay made it this far.

Check out the schedule for these four teams and keep up with their results.

Valley a Fertile Soccer Site (LA Times) gives us some background on the Chota Valley, near Quito, Ecuador, where soccer is seen as "the only road to success in life."

Argentina, Brazil ready to face world (globeandmail.com) : "By the time Brazil kicks off in Berlin, 26 of the 32 World Cup teams will already have played. So Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and company can watch the others before showing the world how the game should be played.

Argentina is another lineup teeming with talent, and coach Jose Pekerman's difficulty is choosing the right names.Argentina is in the toughest group with the Netherlands, Serbia and Montenegro and probably the strongest African country, Ivory Coast. If Pekerman makes the wrong choices, Argentina could go out in the first round for the second successive World Cup."

Huge Blow for Paraguay (sportnetwork.net)" Paraguay’s all-time top goalscorer Jose Saturnino Cardozo has been ruled out of the World Cup with a fibre tear."

Do you have a favorite team playing in this championship?