Community writer, LucianoJ is back with another FIFA piece. This time he breaks down seven sleeper teams in FIFA 09. Do you have any sleeper teams of our own? Share your thoughts with us in our forums.
If you are looking to ambush unsuspecting opponents, or just break up the monotony of online opponents who choose Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid or the two Milanese sides, check this list of seven underdogs. These clubs are a good source of talent if you are in a manager mode looking for players to transfer in. Give these teams a look if you want to win trophies in some of the domestic leagues beyond England, Spain, Italy, and Germany.
Boca Juniors and River Plate are the greatest rivals in South America. The majority of the Argentine National Squad has played for either Boca or River. Both clubs have the reputation for signing young players, coaching them up, then selling off the best to European clubs. Players like Tevez (ex-Boca, now Man U), Mascherano (River/Liverpool), Lucho Gonzalez (River/Porto), and Cavenaghi (River/Bordeaux) have gone from Argentina to Europe. This week, Guillermo Barros Schelotto (ex-Boca) was named MLS MVP for 2008, beating out bigger names such as L.A.’s David Beckham and Chicago’s Cuauhtémoc Blanco.
This year’s Boca squad has a couple of veterans from the Spanish league. Juan Roman Riquelme is one of the world’s best midfielders. He is known for free kick and playmaking skills. Martin Palermo is a striker who benefits from Riquelme’s accurate passing. Injuries and age have robbed Palermo of his speed. He’s more of a “slow striker,” along the same lines as Ruud Van Nistlerooy or Luca Toni. Rodrigo Palacio is his speedy strike partner.
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River Plate is having a down year in the real Argentine league, so this year may be the last season you can get a good result from “Los Millonarios.” Colombian striker Falcao will score most of the goals. Only nineteen years old, Diego Buonanotte is a rising star on the right wing, and defenders Facundo Quiroga, Paulo Ferrari and Eduardo Tuzzio are decent.
FC Porto won the Champions League in 2004, while coached by the enigmatic Jose Mourniho. Some talent still remains with the Portuguese perennial contender. Argentine international Lucho Gonzalez is one of the world’s most versatile midfielders. His countryman Lisandro Lopez is a fast, agile striker. Other top players for Porto are Brazilian goalkeeper Helton, Uruguayan left winger Cristian Rodriguez, and Portuguese center back Bruno Alves.
Benfica, the other great Portuguese club, has a solid Argentine central midfielder as well. Pablo Aimar joined Benfica after several seasons in La Liga, most notably with Valencia. He is rated to play on the wings or as a forward, as well. Honduran striker David Suazo is one of the most talented players from our hemisphere currently playing in Europe. He poured in goals for Serie A club Cagliari, then transferred to Inter Milan. Suazo is on loan to Benfica this season. Oscar Cardozo is his strike partner, and veteran Portuguese forward Nuno Gomes provides scoring punch off the bench. Reyes plays left wing, and Greek Konstantinos Katsouranis is the thief in the central defensive midfield. Quim is one of Portugal’s top goalkeepers, supported by center back Luisao.
Have you ever wonder whatever happened to Damarcus Beasley? He’s gone from the Chicago Fire to Glasgow Rangers. One half of the Old Firm rivalry (Celtic being the other half), Rangers has top Scottish players such as central midfielder Barry Ferguson, goalkeeper Allan McGregor, and strikers Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller (formerly of Wolverhampton).
Ajax is the most famous Dutch club, and PSV Eindhoven is highly ranked as well, but my sleeper pick from the Netherlands is Feyenoord. Roy Makaay has been a prolific goal scorer with Bayern Munich and Deportivo La Coruna. He still has a respectable rating in FIFA 09. His strike partner is Jon Dahl Tomasson, who has played for AC Milan, Stuttgart and Villareal. Another big name on Feyenoord is Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, formerly of Barcelona and Arsenal.
Galatasaray is a top Turkish club that has become a refuge for former EPL stars. Socceroo left winger Harry Kewell will feed through balls to Czech striker Milan Baros. Shabani Nonda is a capable goal scorer up front. Midfielder Lincoln is solid, having been one of the best in the German Bundesliga. Italian Morgan DeSanctis is an aggressive goalkeeper. Servit Cetin and Fernando Meira are two good center backs.
Picking any of these seven clubs is sure to generate some puzzled looks from your opponents. Knowledgeable soccer fans are aware of these clubs and some of their players. Any noob can win with Rooney and Ronaldo. The true challenge is to take an underrated side to victory.
