Friday's draw brings World Cup coaches into the spotlight

COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil -- The World Cup promises friendly reunions and old scores to settle -- and that's just among the coaches.

Almost half the 32 World Cup nations are set to land in Brazil next June with a foreign coach. Experience suggests there will be hirings and firings in the months ahead, but today's draw could offer intriguing matchups, with coaches taking center stage from their players.

A United States vs. Germany match would surely be dominated by Jurgen Klinsmann, a talismanic World Cup-winning forward for West Germany in 1990 and an innovative coach who guided host Germany beyond most people's expectations to a semifinal exit in 2006.

Back then, Klinsmann was assisted by Joachim Loew as the national team kindled what amounted to a love-in for German soccer and society. Loew succeeded Klinsmann, remains in charge and is under greater pressure than ever to end a trophy drought stretching back to the 1996 European Championship team. Captained by Klinsmann, of course.

Today, Klinsmann's U.S. team figures as a tough option in the weakest pot, containing four CONCACAF and four Asian confederation teams. Even without the weight of Klinsmann's personal history, Germany might want to avoid the Americans.

Unlike Klinsmann vs. Germany, a match between Carlos Queiroz's Iran and Portugal would have a hint of score settling. Queiroz coached his home country through an underachieving 2010 World Cup despite a 7-0 rout of North Korea. He was fired once European Championship qualifiers began that September.

Three Colombians currently coach World Cup qualifiers, though not their own national team, which is led by an Argentine, Jose Pekerman. Two of the trio are with CONCACAF member countries and so can be drawn into seeded Colombia's group: Jorge Luis Pinto-coached Costa Rica and Luis Fernando Suarez's Honduras.

Suarez has already impressed on the big stage, guiding Honduras past Spain as it went unbeaten through its group at the 2012 London Olympics. Honduras even led star-studded Brazil in the quarterfinals before losing 3-2 with two players sent off.

Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni was an unusual choice to coach Japan after the 2010 World Cup. Then again, Japan seems to have a fondness for the letter 'Z' after Brazilian great Zico led the team at the 2006 World Cup. Still, after being fired by both Milan giants, Juventus and Torino, plus Lazio, few could blame Zaccheroni for heading to Asia for work instead of adding to his Serie A dismissals.

The move quickly paid off with a 2011 Asian Cup title, the honor of being the first country to qualify for the World Cup in June 2012.