Angola, France and Holland Name World Cup Squads

May 14th, 2006 | by: WC Bob | View Comments

It was a busy Sunday of roster naming as the World Cup coaches continue to release their squads ahead of Monday’s deadline. World Cup debutant Angola’s list of 23 includes few surprises other than uncapped keeper Mario being named to the team and injured Maurito left at home. The Palancas Negras are the team I am unabashedly supporting this year and I am excited to see the names of the guys who are going to kick serious butt in Germany. Jump on the bandwagon now before it gets too full.

France’s squad has much more experience than Angola’s, but Raymond Domenech has opted to go with a few less experienced players than one might have thought. Domenech also named Fabien Barthez as his number one keeper, which means Gregory Coupet is probably not feeling so good right about now.

Finally, there is Marco van Basten’s Netherlands squad, which has gone from 33 names to the final 23 today. Lots of good analysis and discussion to be found on Mike’s excellent Netherlands team blog.

Monday will be another big day of roster announcements. You’ll want to check in with the various team blogs frequently to get the latest news and opinions, as well as to chime in with your comments.

Anyone else getting a bit excited about this thing?