Matthew Lawrence

Writings

The World Cup of Cute

One day in 2006 I decided to spend my entire day--the first really nice day of June, no less--sitting on the internet ogling pictures of soccer players. The result was this silly thing. Here's the World Cup Of Cute, twenty-three reasons why soccer is worth watching. [Insert silly ball-themed double entendre here.]

Overall I thought that Switzerland, Italy, Costa Rica, Ghana and the Czech Replublic have the cutest teams, while the Netherlands has the least attractive. Argentina has the worst hair. 

Below, my picks for the all-star cute team.

Click here, here, here, and here to read my predictions each matchup.

goalkeepers

Iker Casillas (ESP), Artur Boruc (POL), Andreas Isaksson (SWE)

defenders

Cicinho (BRA), Fabio Cannavaro (ITA), Pyo-Young Lee (KOR), Carlos Bocanegra (USA), Robert Kovac (CRO), Ahmed Al Bahri (KSA),

mid-fielders

Hidetoshi Nakata (JAP), Mendonca (ANG), Guy Demel (CIV), Jaouhar Mnari (TUN), Luis Perez (MEX), Steven Gerrard (ENG), Zinedine Zidane (FRA), Tranquillo Barnetta (SWI)

forwards

Pauleta (POR), Jan Koller (CZE), Andriy Shevchenko (CZE), John Aloisi (AUS), Kenwyne Jones (TRI), Vahid Hashemian (IRN)

runners-up

Pablo Aimar (mid-fielder, ARG), Alvaro Mesen (goal, CRC), Cristian Mora (goal, ECU), Jean Paul Abalo (defender, TOG), Jens Nowotny (mid-fielder, GER), Stephen Appiah (mid-fielder, GHA), Ruud van Nistelrooij (forward, NED), Justo Villar (goal, PAR),