Ask the average person what they know about Slovakia and you'll most likely get some varied responses. Some would no doubt confuse it with Slovenia.

Many would correctly identify it as one of the two nations that emerged from the amicable breakup of the former Czechoslovakia.

Few would call Slovakia a sports superpower.

But based on the past few months, that's exactly what's been going down in the landlocked, pastoral country of five and a half million people.

So all aboard! The Slovak bandwagon leaves in 10 minutes.

OK. Maybe I'm getting carried away. As much as I want to believe in miracles, I can't exactly see this overachieving football team beating the Netherlands in the round of 16.

Those of you who've been out of the loop - perhaps on a bird-watching tour of Heard and McDonald Islands - may have missed the Slovaks' stunning 3-2 win over Italy in one of the best World Cup games in years.

That's put the underdogs - try $126 at TAB Sportsbet - on the world footballing map.

So let's take a closer look at Slovakia.

It's essentially the less attractive little sister of the Czech Republic. And that's not being harsh on Slovakia. Just imagine having Penelope Cruz or Miranda Kerr as your older sibling. It would be tough to compete no matter what you looked like.

The Czech Republic is twice as big, with much more of an international presence. The magnificent Czech capital, Prague, is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Czech beer is award winning and considered among the best brews in the world. And the Czechs have been outstanding at both soccer and ice hockey.

But 2010 is becoming a breakout year for Slovakia.

Remember the Winter Olympics? The men's ice hockey competition was supposed to be a five team race between the US, Canada, Russia, Finland and the Czech Republic.

Enter unfancied Slovakia. Not only did they upset the Russians and Swedes, but they nearly beat Canada in the semi-finals. A loss to the Finns in the bronze medal game meant the Slovaks went home empty handed, but it was still a phenomenal effort.

And oh yeah, the Czechs were nowhere to be seen.

Now don't get me wrong, the Slovaks have some serious talent when it comes to hockey. Zdeno Chara is one of the NHL's elite defensemen. Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik are among the league's highest-paid and most talented scorers. And goalie Jaroslav Halak had perhaps the best year of any Slovak sportsman, minding the net in the Olympics, as well as leading the Montreal Canadiens to playoff upsets of top seeded Washington and second seeded Pittsburgh.

Then came the soccer team. They qualified by winning UEFA Group 3, with the Czechs finishing third. Still only hardcore fans of international football would be familiar with more than two or three of Slovakia's players.

Liverpool's Martin Skrtel is probably the best known, while Marek Hamsik is a young star playing at Napoli and goalie Jan Mucha is headed to Everton next season. Not exactly household names.

Robert Vittek, who scored twice against Italy has played for Slovan Bratislava, Nuremberg, Lille and now Ankaragucu in Turkey. Those are certainly legitimate credentials, but they aren't getting him a spot in the next Nike Write The Future commercial.

So despite drawing with New Zealand and getting shut out by Paraguay, this team is in the round of sixteen. They've seen off a strong Italian squad and now get ready for the firepower of the Netherlands. I'm not expecting much, but hey, neither did the Italians.