

Posted by

David Monsalve ,

June 11, 2014 Email

David Monsalve

On Twitter:

@davidamonsalve

Even with some of the top players in the world expected to miss the World Cup in Brazil due to injury, the sheer amount of talent and world class ability that will be on display is certain to be incredible.



While for many people this tournament is all about goalscorers like Lionel Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez, as a goalkeeper myself, I will be keeping a particular eye on all the players between the sticks who will have to contend with all of the incredible attacking talent that will be on display from teams like Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, just to name a few.



With that in mind, here are the five keepers that I will be keeping a particular eye on as the tournament kicks off and progresses through the next several weeks.



Asmir Begovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina – If he starts, it will be nice to watch him, mainly because as a keeper myself, it’s nice to know Canada had a helping hand in his development as a goalkeeper. Motivating and inspiring. Furthermore, at the club level there have been plenty of stories in England about him possibly moving from Stoke City to one of the really big EPL sides. With a good showing at this World Cup, Begovic could earn himself a big move at the club level.



Iker Casillas, Spain – He has had success in every major tournament the sport has to offer and that will certainly be reflected in his performances. Spain head into the World Cup as holders and they will be aiming to make history by winning yet another major trophy.



Thibaut Courtois, Belgium – If conceding just a single goal in six qualifying matches, along with his experience playing on big stages in the last few years (Champions League, Europa League, La Liga championship race) is any indication of how Brazil 2014 will go for him, he will have a very good World Cup indeed. Courtois is one of the best young goalkeepers in the world playing on an up and coming Belgium side.



Julio Cesar, Brazil – It’ll be interesting to see how he performs after his months playing in MLS. Doing well in the tournament will reflect well on the coaching staff at TFC and the quality of play in Major League Soccer. If you are a true MLS supporter, you should be rooting for Julio Cesar to well in this World Cup.



Tim Howard, United States – If the Americans are to stand a chance of advancing out of a very difficult group, Tim Howard will have to be on his game. Given the level of opposition he will face right off the bat, this could be a great tournament for him or an absolute shocker. Expect a lot of attacking momentum from Ghana, Germany and even Portugal and hopefully a lot of saves from Howard.



My World Cup Dark Horses



With Brazil kicking off the tournament on Thursday with their opening match against Croatia, many people will be looking at the game as the beginning of a long run for a home team that are considered the favourite to win it all by many pundits.



While Brazil are undoubtedly one of the top contenders to win the competition, there are two sides in particular that I will be watching with interest and expecting to make significant noise in the tournament.



Colombia - Even without Falcao, Colombia has the quality within their squad to score goals and move the ball very well, which can play to their advantage as the climate might be a factor for most teams.



Belgium - They're a talented team that has proven they can finish with 11 goals in 6 qualifying matches. However, climate might play a factor and, like Colombia, they're young as a team and are inexperienced on the big stage.



Toronto-born David Monsalve is a professional goalkeeper with Finnish football club AC Oulu. In addition to representing Canada at the U17, U18, U20, U23 and Senior Men’s levels, he has also played for Canadian clubs Toronto FC and FC Edmonton. When he isn’t training and playing professional matches, David also coaches in the Toronto area and is up for discussing anything and everything football-related via his Twitter account, @davidamonsalve.