| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Andriy Pyatov | Goalkeeper | Vorskla Poltava |
| Oleksander Shovkovsky | Goalkeeper | Dynamo Kiev |
| Bogdan Shust | Goalkeeper | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Dmytro Chigrinsky | Defender | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Olexander Yatsenko | Defender | FK Kharkiv |
| Andriy Nesmachny | Defender | Dynamo Kiev |
| Andriy Rusol | Defender | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk |
| Vyacheslav Svidersky | Defender | Arsenal Kiev |
| Vladyslav Vashchyuk | Defender | Dynamo Kiev |
| Volodymyr Yesersky | Defender | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk |
| Oleg Gusiev | Midfielder | Dynamo Kiev |
| Andriy Husin | Midfielder | Krylya Sovetov Samara (Russia) |
| Maxim Kalinichenko | Midfielder | Spartak Moscow (Russia) |
| Serhiy Nazarenko | Midfielder | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk |
| Ruslan Rotan | Midfielder | Dynamo Kiev |
| Oleg Shelayev | Midfielder | Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk |
| Anatoly Tymoshchyuk | Midfielder | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Andriy Vorobei | Midfielder | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Olexiy Belik | Forward | Shakhtar Donetsk |
| Artyom Milevsky | Forward | Dynamo Kiev |
| Serhiy Rebrov | Forward | Dynamo Kiev |
| Andriy Shevchenko | Forward | AC Milan (Italy) |
| Andriy Voronin | Forward | Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) |
| Head Coach: | Oleg Blokhin | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Oleg Blokhin preaches conservative and disciplined soccer. To that end, he uses a traditional 4-4-2 formation. Ukraine is the classic counterattacking team, pouncing on a giveaway or error in midfield and quickly capitalizing on it. When they are in possession, they move the ball around the full width of the field, making their opponents constantly chase the ball before landing a quick sucker punch with a defence splitting pass for the team's main striker, Andriy Shevchenko. The AC Milan forward plays up front as the target man while his partner, usually Andriy Voronin, plays further back and makes deep runs from midfield while drawing defenders out, opening up spaces for Shevchenko to exploit. Defensive midfielder Andriy Husin protects the back four as a shield while partner Anatoly Tymoshchyuk usually starts the attack from the middle. Ruslan Rotan will line up on the left side of midfield, but often presses forward just behind the second forward, giving Ukraine another attacking option up front.
Probable starting formation (4-4-2): (GK) Oleksander Shovkovsky - (D) Volodymyr Yesersky, Vladyslav Vashchyuk, Andriy Rusol, Andriy Nesmachny - (M) Anatoly Tymoshchyuk, Andriy Husin, Ruslan Rotan, Oleg Gusiev - (F) Andriy Shevchenko, Andriy Voronin
Strengths:
Attacking options - AC Milan forward Andriy Shevchenko is one of the best
players on the planet and gives Ukraine a world-class goal-scoring threat
up front. Shevchenko will be partnered with Andriy Voronin, a star striker
in the German Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen. Veteran forward Serhiy Rebrov
is dangerous coming off the bench, and Ruslan Rotan offers scoring punch from
midfield.
Killer counterattack - Few teams launch a counterattack better than
Ukraine. The key is their speed, and they have that in strikers Andriy Shevchenko
and Andriy Voronin. Both use their pace to run onto balls played behind the
defence from midfield. Anatoly Tymoshchyuk usually starts things out with
his aggressive tackling in central midfield. Once he wins the ball, he quickly
bombs forward and quickly releases the forwards on their way before opposing
defenders have time to react.
A weak draw - The gods smiled upon Ukraine at the World Cup draw last
December. After surviving a difficult qualifying group that included Turkey,
Greece and Denmark, Ukraine was drawn into a relatively easy group that includes
lightweights Saudi Arabia and Tunisia, two countries it should have little
trouble beating. Spain will be tough, but Ukraine gave the Spaniards all it
could handle in the qualifiers for Euro 2004.
Weaknesses:
History - This will be Ukraine's first time at the World Cup. Ukraine
players made up the backbone of successful Soviet squads for decades, but
success did not come when Ukraine earned independence in the 1990s. Even though
it boasted one of the best players in the world in Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine
stumbled at the last stage, the playoffs, as it attempted to qualify for the
1998 and 2002 World Cup. Qualification for Euro 2004 never materialized, as
well.
Midfield - Ruslan Rotan is an effective midfielder that drives the
attack, but the rest of Ukraine's midfield is pretty pedestrian. Oleg Gusiev
and Andriy Vorobei offer very little, while defensive midfielder Andriy Husin
lacks speed. The other defensive midfielder, Anatoly Tymoshchyuk, is dangerous
when going forward in attack, but often stays back to cover for Husin.
Injuries - Ukraine is a pretty banged up team, especially in some key
areas on the field. Starting goalkeeper Oleksander Shovkovsky broke his collarbone
in January and just recently returned to action. Defensive lynchpin Serhiy
Fyodorov had to withdraw from the team because of a bad hip, and star striker
Andriy Shevchenko in a major question mark after picking up a knee injury
last month.
Players to watch:
Andriy Shevchenko - All eyes will be on Shevchenko in Germany when the
AC Milan star makes his debut on soccer's greatest stage. Alongside Thierry
Henry, the Ukrainian is regarded as the world's best striker. The 2004 European
player of the year and Ukraine's all-time leading scorer with 28 goals, Shevchenko
tears apart defences with his well-time runs and cool finishing touch. A classy
and dangerous player, and definitely one to watch in Germany.
Ruslan Rotan - An important attacking midfielder who slots in just
behind the strikers and provides them service with his deadly accurate passes.
Possess a real goal-scorer's touch which he used to great effect in the qualifiers,
scoring important goals for the Ukraine. Hard working and positive in his
play, Rotan is the heartbeat of the Ukrainian midfield.
Anatoly Tymoshchyuk - A no-nonsense and tireless worker in midfield.
Tymoshchyuk is a solid defensive midfielder, but is also dangerous when going
forward, launching Ukraine's attack with his simple distribution of the ball
from the centre of the field. Physical and relentless in the tackle, Tymoshchyuk
is a real midfield dynamo.
Injuries/omissions: The big question for Ukraine is whether or not Andriy Shevchenko will be fully fit to play. The star striker has been sidelined with minor knee ligament damage for about a month and there are some doubts as to whether he will recuperate in time for Ukraine's opening game of the tournament. The Ukraine suffered a big blow when central defender Serhiy Fyodorov, originally named to the team, had to withdraw because of a hip injury. Olexander Yatsenko was called up as his replacement. Starting goalkeeper Oleksander Shovkovsky recently returned to action after being sidelined for several months with a broken collarbone. Striker Sergei Rebrov is revering from a thigh injury.
Prognosis: After coming so close to qualifying in 2002, Ukraine will finally make its World Cup debut in Germany. It will be gratifying to see them take their rightful place on soccer's greatest stage, particularly as AC Milan forward Andriy Shevchenko will get to properly showcase his brilliant talent to the entire world. Shevchenko is the only real star of the Ukrainian team, but it's a well-organized side that came through a difficult qualifying group (Greece, Turkey and Denmark) and lived to tell about it. Beating Saudi Arabia and Tunisia should be no problem for the Ukrainians, so second place in Group H is a lock. And don't be surprised if they finish in first, especially in light of Spain's notorious reputation as underachievers at the World Cup. A quarter-final appearance could be in the cards if they finish first in the group (by doing so they would avoid a potential matchup with France in the second round) but that's where their World Cup journey will end.
Road to the World Cup
Current FIFA Ranking: #45
1st round matches:
June 14 vs. Spain in Leipzig
June 19 vs. Saudi Arabia in Hamburg
June 23 vs. Tunisia in Berlin
2006 qualification route: Finished first in Europe's Group 2 (25 points)
ahead of Turkey (23 points).
Qualifying record: 12 games played, 7 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss
Goals for: 18 Goals against: 7
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Andriy Shevchenko (6)
Qualifying results: (home team listed first)
Sept. 4, 2004 - Denmark 1, Ukraine 1
Sept. 8, 2004 - Kazakhstan 1, Ukraine 2
Oct. 9, 2004 - Ukraine 1, Greece 1
Oct. 13, 2004 - Ukraine 2, Georgia 0
Nov. 17, 2004 - Turkey 0, Ukraine 3
Feb. 9, 2005 - Albania 0, Ukraine 2
March 30, 2005 - Ukraine 1, Denmark 0
June 4, 2005 - Ukraine 2, Kazakhstan 0
June 8, 2005 Greece 0, Ukraine 1
Sept. 3, 2005 - Georgia 1, Ukraine 1
Sept. 7, 2005 - Ukraine 0, Turkey 1
Oct. 8, 2005 - Ukraine 2, Albania 2
World Cup History
FIFA member since: 1992
Team nickname: Zbirna
All-time caps leader: Serhiy Rebrov (68)
All-time leading scorer: Andriy Shevchenko (28)
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: none
World Cup History:
1930 to 1994 Ukraine competed as part of the USSR
1998 - Did not qualify
2002 - Did not qualify
Hosted the World Cup: Never
Other Achievements:
Under-17 European Championship (third place): 1994
Greatest Players:
Oleg Blokhin: Prior to gaining independence following the Soviet Union's
collapse in 1991, Ukraine's best players represented USSR in international
soccer. One of those players was Blokhin, Ukraine's current coach. A former
striker with Dynamo Kiev, he scored 211 goals during his amazing career in
the old Soviet league and was named European player of the year in 1975.
Valeri Lobanovsky: A legendary Ukrainian coach, regarded as one of the most respected managers in soccer history. Lobanovsky is most famous for his time in charge of Dynamo Kiev (the club won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1975) and the Ukrainian and Soviet Union national teams. Renowned for his scientific approach to coaching the game.