{"id":554,"date":"2010-06-24T08:11:17","date_gmt":"2010-06-24T13:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=554"},"modified":"2010-07-11T16:06:59","modified_gmt":"2010-07-11T21:06:59","slug":"following-the-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=554","title":{"rendered":"Following the World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, what we’re going to do here is have a recurring post on the World Cup matches played and upcoming matches.\u00a0 Again, don’t expect any big “soccer” analysis, but more of a sports fan’s take on the world’s greatest sporting event, of which I will be trying to watch every minute.\u00a0 We’ll post in reverse order, so the most recent post will be at the top.\u00a0 Also, since my goal is to watch every minute of this World Cup, most of it will be on DVR, so the updates won’t be immediate, but they will be as soon as I finish watching.\u00a0 In this world of “life in a fish bowl,” you will always know where I am on my DVR by seeing what I’ve updated on the blog, but I will try and throw the “previews” out there before the games actually start.<\/p>\n

7\/11,\u00a05:02 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0\u00a0Spain 1 – Netherlands 0,\u00a0Extra Time
\n<\/strong>A red card for Heitinga in the 109th minute forced Netherlands to hold on for 11 minutes down a man.\u00a0 They did it for 10 minutes, but Iniesta\u00a0scored in the 119th minute to win his country the World Cup.\u00a0 Absolutely fascinating game, though everyone seems to hate it.\u00a0 I loved it.<\/p>\n

7\/11,\u00a04:42 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0,\u00a0End of First Extra Period
\n<\/strong>Still scoreless–and it’s becoming more and more unbelievable that no one has broken through.\u00a0 The first period absolutely belonged to the Spanish.\u00a0 They had two different one-on-ones, they had\u00a0possible penalty box fouls, they had countless corners, but nothing fell.\u00a0 The\u00a0Dutch defense was very good and up to the task.\u00a0 This\u00a0has been a phenomenal final.\u00a0 And,\u00a0just to make things more interesting, Fernando\u00a0Torres has entered the game for\u00a0Spain, replacing David Villa.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/11,\u00a04:20 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0,\u00a0End of Regular Time
\n<\/strong>Well, here we go, extra time.\u00a0 Both teams probably think that they\u00a0could have scored and broken this tie, but both also probably\u00a0feel a\u00a0bit lucky that they didn’t concede the game-winner, particularly Spain, as there\u00a0were two glorious chances for Arjen Robben to win this thing.\u00a0\u00a0Again, it should be real interesting to see if either team opens it up.\u00a0 Torres is still on the bench for Spain; Van der Veert still sits for Holland.\u00a0 A\u00a0bunch of players are tired and playing with\u00a0yellows, so who knows how this is going to take its final twist.\u00a0 Quick editorial note:\u00a0\u00a0of all the sports that I know of in this world, I cannot think of one single sport that is better <\/em>suited for a sudden death overtime than soccer, so why have they\u00a0gone away from it?\u00a0\u00a0It baffles me.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/11,\u00a04:12 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0,\u00a085th minute
\n<\/strong>Unbelievable!\u00a0 Arjen Robben completely outran the Spanish defense, got fouled, but didn’t go down, and then Casillas made a great save.\u00a0 He went SCREAMING after the ref to complain, and got a yellow for his compaints.\u00a0 The announcers both said that if he went down, it would have been a red card, but he stayed on his feet because he wanted to be the hero and score the goal.\u00a0 I’m not sure completely how I feel about that, but either way, we are still <\/em>0-0, and this is GREAT!<\/p>\n

7\/11,\u00a04:07 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0,\u00a080th minute
\n<\/strong>Well, it’s getting interesting now, so we’ll go every 5 minutes.\u00a0\u00a0Here\u00a0Spain should have had a goal, as Sergio Ramos had a\u00a0free header off a corner.\u00a0 It’s\u00a0looking more and more like the Spain wins in the Round of 16 and the quarters and even the semis, but we’re stil 0-0.\u00a0<\/p>\n

7\/11,\u00a04:02 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0,\u00a075th minute
\n<\/strong>Well, mere seconds after I hit “save” on the sentence about Spain playing with fire, Wesley Sneijder made a beautiful pass to\u00a0a streaking Arjen Robben, who was all alone against Casillas, but the Spanish keeper was up to the task and made a fantastic save keeping the game 0-0.\u00a0 About ten minutes later, David Villa had another incredible chance, but a phenomenal play by Heitinga (who has had a great <\/em>game), kept that from being a possible death sentence for the Dutch.\u00a0 The game is getting more and more tense now, as we’re entering a possible golden goal situation here, as the next goal should win it.\u00a0 There was a substitution of note, as the Dutch took out Dirk Kuyt, who had a terrific World Cup and brought on a\u00a0real speedster in Elia.\u00a0 Watch for him and the Spanish sub on the other end to work against the tired defenders and create some real chances.<\/p>\n

7\/11, 3:47 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0,\u00a060th minute
\n<\/strong>The Spanish started the second half with a flurry, getting a couple\u00a0nice chances, including one that David Villa probably should have\u00a0finished.\u00a0 But, the\u00a0last 10 minutes have\u00a0been slow and very chippy between the two teams.\u00a0 Another couple of yellow cards and some questionable challenges.\u00a0 This might be right where Spain wants the game (they have\u00a0won a bunch of games just like this in this tournament), but they are playing with fire,\u00a0as one goal could end the dream right now.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/11, 3:17 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0, Halftime
\n<\/strong>Well, the first half comes to\u00a0a close.\u00a0 It was, as befits this tournament, a rather cagey, defensive, strategic\u00a0first half\u00a0that was relatively devoid of “action.”\u00a0 I, obviously, loved it.\u00a0 These final 15 minutes was more of the same from the Dutch, as they have completely held their own in this first half, after\u00a0not getting any possession for the first 15.\u00a0 All the good chances in these last 15 were for Holland, as they had a nice chance at a corner, but whiffed on two\u00a0shots around the 34th minute, and then, in stoppage time, they had a really good shot from Robben that was saved by Casillas.\u00a0 Right now, you have to say that the Dutch probably\u00a0have the slight edge\u00a0as far as quality in that first half.\u00a0 The Spanish were not able to get into their usual passing midfield routine, while the Dutch got some chances.\u00a0 It should be interesting to see which team starts to push the action in the second half, as it will open them up to a potentially fatal\u00a0counter-attack.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/11, 3:00 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0, 30th minute
\n<\/strong>A pretty good 15 minutes for the Dutch here, as they showed some movement forward and got a lot of the possession back that they didn’t have in the first 15.\u00a0 However, there were a\u00a0bunch\u00a0<\/em>of yellow cards–4 in these 15 minutes, including Mark Van Bommel, who is one to watch because he’s a goon and could get his second.\u00a0 Puyol and Sergio Ramos got them for Spain.\u00a0 And, right at the 28th minute mark, the Dutch actually got really lucky,\u00a0as De Jong made a ridiculous challenge that\u00a0easily could have been a straight red, as he kicked Xabi Alonso\u00a0right in the chest.\u00a0\u00a0Spain thought it was a red, and frankly, the Dutch were pretty lucky that it wasn’t.<\/p>\n

7\/11, 2:45 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0 Netherlands 0 – Spain 0, 15th minute
\n<\/strong>I’m going to try and give 15-minute updates on the final.\u00a0 The first 15 minutes clearly belonged to the Spanish.\u00a0 They are considerably better in the midfield, and they are showing it.\u00a0 They have had a couple good chances, including one phenomenal free kick from Xavi and a GREAT save from Stecklenberg.\u00a0 Robin Van Persie already has a yellow card, which is something to watch.\u00a0 David Villa has made a couple of runs, but was called offsides.\u00a0 If he gets his timing down, expect one in the back of the net for the golden boot for him.<\/p>\n

7\/11, 2:30 pm, CHAMPIONSHIP:\u00a0\u00a0Netherlands vs. Spain
\n<\/strong>I hate it when people say things about championship games like “both of these teams are\u00a0going for history.”\u00a0 Uh, ya, good point.\u00a0 When does a team ever win a championship and not “make history?”\u00a0 But, that phrase actually\u00a0holds some water here in\u00a0this one.\u00a0\u00a0These are, by far, the two most storied\u00a0soccer countries to have never won a World Cup, so one of them will get their first ever.\u00a0 Plus, there is\u00a0more.\u00a0 Spain is trying to defend their Euro title with a World Cup title (I’m not sure how often that has happened, but I’m guessing not that\u00a0often), while the Netherlands is trying to become only the second team to ever\u00a0win every match they’ve played in World Cup qualifying and in the World Cup final tournament.\u00a0 Unbeated, undrawn–that is what Holland\u00a0is playing for today.\u00a0 As far as the matchup, it should be a fascinating contest of contrasting styles.\u00a0 Spain loves to possess the ball and almost never plays the ball in the air.\u00a0 They look to carve through the defense with smart, calculated passes and strategic runs.\u00a0 Holland, on the other hand, likes to make things happen with strong strikes from distance.\u00a0 They have some midfielders with a knack for strong, placed shots from distance.\u00a0\u00a0BSB picked the Netherlands at the beginning of this to beat\u00a0Spain in the finals.\u00a0\u00a0If given a chance to change our pick with Holland vs. Brazil, we\u00a0would have declined and stuck with the underdog.\u00a0 If given the chance to change our pick with Spain vs. Germany, we would have declined and stuck with the less impressive team.\u00a0 But, now, if you were to give us a chance to pick Spain instead of Holland, I think we would do that.\u00a0 The Spanish just look too good in the midfield to lose this game.\u00a0 Iniesta, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, and Bruschets have been utterly dominant with possession (even in the loss to Switzerland), and we see no reason that this will change.\u00a0 As good as Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben have been, they might be a bit overmatched in this one.\u00a0 Plus, Paul the Clairvoyant Octupus (the only creature with a better record than BSB) has picked Spain to win this one.\u00a0 Either way, this should be a phenomenal final to a pretty great overall tournament.<\/p>\n

7\/10, 5:30 pm, THIRD PLACE GAME:\u00a0 Germany 3 – Uruguay 2
\n<\/strong>BSB is now 14-1 in predicting the knockout\u00a0rounds games, as Germany knocks off Uruguay in the Third Place Game.\u00a0 This is the second straight\u00a0third place for ‘ze Germans.\u00a0\u00a0As expected, it was a wide-open\u00a0game with lots of excitement, lots of goal-poaching, and not a lot of organized defense.\u00a0 Now, I can’t claim AT ALL to be a soccer-purist because, well, I only watch the World Cup, but I have to say that, as exciting as this was, I\u00a0kind of prefer the cagey, defensive matchups that are more akin to last night’s Phillies game (1-0 in 11 innings).\u00a0\u00a0But, this did have moments of major excitement, as both teams held leads at some point, and there were many, many chances.\u00a0 All in all, we got to see one of the favorites for Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup and the brightest surprise of this year’s World Cup battle it out for pride.<\/p>\n

7\/10,\u00a02:30 pm, THIRD PLACE GAME:\u00a0 Germany vs. Uruguay
\n<\/strong>In the game that no one claims to want to play in, but, in reality, is a pretty\u00a0nice accomplishment, the Germans (probably more disappointed than their opponents\u00a0in failing to make the finals) will take on the most successful South American team of the tournament, Uruguay.\u00a0\u00a0As far as\u00a0quality of play goes, the Germans are\u00a0certainly superior to this tiny country\u00a0resting between Argentina and Brazil, but as far as heart goes, I don’t think any team has shown more\u00a0over this past month than Diego Forlan and his countrymen.\u00a0 Germany, who\u00a0beat Portugal in\u00a0the 2006 Third Place Game, should come out with an exciting, attacking style, which\u00a0could lead to one of the more entertaining matches of the tournament,\u00a0particularly with the pressure of winning it all having evaporated for these teams in their last defeats.\u00a0 Expect a high-scoring game that could go either way and might come down to\u00a0just how healthy Forlan is.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/7, 5:00 pm:\u00a0 Spain 1 – Germany 0
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0recipe\u00a0for Spain is brilliantly simple:\u00a0 (1) chasing the ball on defense requires a lot more energy, physically and mentally, than possessing the ball on offense, and (2) you can’t score if you don’t have the ball.\u00a0 Spain has now played this game to perfection\u00a0in three straight win-or-go-home games at the World Cup.\u00a0 They won all\u00a0three of them 1-0.\u00a0 Today’s performance, though, was the most\u00a0masterful of all.\u00a0\u00a0I don’t care what the official “possession” stats say, Germany didn’t have the ball for more than 20% of that game–if that.\u00a0\u00a0The Spanish midfield was so dominant, passing the ball around–always with a purpose–that the German defense was utterly exhausted, leading to a mental breakdown on a\u00a0corner kick and, poof, they’re playing in the third-place game again.\u00a0 One goal is enough when you always have the ball, and that is what Spain did.\u00a0 They looked\u00a0perfectly in sync and incredibly confident.\u00a0 In the rare occasions that their defense did have to make plays, they always did.\u00a0 Puyol and Pique were superb in the back line.\u00a0 David Villa was always\u00a0on the minds of the German defenders.\u00a0 But, the guys who won this game (and have been doing it all tournament) were Iniesta, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, and Busquets.\u00a0\u00a0Now, we are set up for an epic final between two\u00a0divergent styles with\u00a0two ultra-proud\u00a0footballing nations who have never won the World Cup.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/7, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Germany vs. Spain
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Clash of the Titans.\u00a0\u00a0Goliath vs. Goliath.\u00a0\u00a0A rematch of\u00a0the Euro 2008 final (won by Spain 1-0).\u00a0 A war for the right to\u00a0take on the Netherlands in the World Cup final.\u00a0\u00a0While both are immensely talented teams who each survived group stage losses to teams that didn’t even qualify for the knockout stage, their plights are awfully different.\u00a0 Germany has won three World Cups and has been to the\u00a0semifinals of every World Cup this century.\u00a0 Spain,\u00a0despite its\u00a0storied history in club football,\u00a0had never\u00a0even made the semifinals of a World Cup\u00a0until this year.\u00a0 But, coming into this tournament, Spain was the odds-on favorite to\u00a0win the whole thing, while\u00a0there were\u00a0questions about Germany’s ability to go far because\u00a0a rash of injuries have forced them to rush their young stars to the spotlight earlier than anticipated.\u00a0 The German questions were, seemingly, answered right off the bat with a 4-1 thrashing of Australia in their first game.\u00a0 Whereas Spain, the favorite, lost their first match to a mediocre Switzerland team, before beating Honduras and\u00a0Chile, unconvincingly, to win Group\u00a0H.\u00a0\u00a0Those same questions came\u00a0back to the Germans, who\u00a0followed up their domination of the Aussies with two lackluster performances, including a loss to Serbia, and then an ugly 2-1 win over Ghana to survive group play as the group winner.\u00a0 But, now the Germans have seemed to regain their form, scoring 8 goals in two games against two of the world’s elite, England and Argentina.\u00a0 Now, they are running on all cylinders as they go to the semis.\u00a0 Spain, on the other hand, has not seemed to kick it up a gear in the knockout stage, as they needed one second-half goal in each of their games against Portugal and Paraguay to squeek by into these semis.\u00a0 So, with all the momentum on the side of ‘ze Germans, we enter this matchup.\u00a0 When the knockout brackets were finalized, BSB picked Spain to go through to the finals to take on the Netherlands.\u00a0 Even if we could go back and change that pick right now, we wouldn’t.\u00a0 I still like Spain to win this game, setting up an epic final between two very proud footballing nations who have never won a World Cup.\u00a0 While the absence of the German attacking midfielder Thomas Muller is a pretty big deal, I think that this game might come down to experience and goalkeeping.\u00a0 I trust the Spanish keeper and the experience Spanish players more than I trust the German keeper and the young German squad, who have to be the early favorites to challenge Brazil on their home soil in 2014.\u00a0 Give me Spain in, what should be, the best match of the tournament.<\/p>\n

7\/6, 5:00 pm:\u00a0 Netherlands 3 –\u00a0Uruguay 2
\n<\/strong>BSB continues to roll on, as we are now 11-1 in our\u00a0knockout stage “bracket.”\u00a0\u00a0And, of less significance, the Dutch continue to roll on, as well, making the World Cup finals for the first time since 1978.\u00a0 They\u00a0are the\u00a0subject of the\u00a0old cliche “best\u00a0that\u00a0has never won a championship,” so this is a special time for this\u00a0small nation.\u00a0 As much as I love the Dutch (and being right in predictions), I found myself rooting for Uruguay.\u00a0 Just the way they play is fantastic to watch.\u00a0 They are the feisty, team-oriented underdog, with\u00a0a couple good players and one really great player, to whom the rest of the team defers not just because he’s so good, but because he knows when they need\u00a0him to rise above and\u00a0he also knows when they need him to pull them up with him.\u00a0 It has been a joy to watch this team all tournament, but in the end, they just didn’t have the depth of talent to survive the loss of their star scorer, Suarez, and their best defender, Fucile, in this game.\u00a0 The Dutch, on the other hand, have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent, as they can bring a guy like\u00a0Van der Veert (who plays for Real Madrid) off the bench.\u00a0 So, Holland moves on, ensuring an all-European final.\u00a0 I did pick them to win this thing, but they\u00a0have shown a\u00a0decent amount of vulnerability in this tournament, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see them enter the final as a bit of an underdog against either Spain or Germany.\u00a0 As for Uruguay,\u00a0expect them to shock the loser of the Spain-Germany semifinal\u00a0in the third place game on Saturday.\u00a0\u00a0Third place in the World Cup is not a bad result for a team that qualified fifth in South America.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

7\/6, 2:00\u00a0pm:\u00a0 Netherlands vs. Uruguay
\n<\/strong>Well, he we go.\u00a0\u00a028 teams have been eliminated and the hopes of just four nations remain.\u00a0 One of those nations is the Netherlands–BSB’s pick to\u00a0win the whole thing, and they\u00a0take on Uruguay today in the first semifinal\u00a0of the 2010 World Cup.\u00a0 The Dutch have been\u00a0very <\/em>impressive thus far, and they are in a\u00a0great position here to possibly bring home their first ever World Cup.\u00a0 Uruguay, the underdog of the final four, has actually won two World Cups–way back in the first half of the 20th century–but\u00a0may be playing on borrowed time at the moment, as they really should have been eliminated by Ghana in the quarters.\u00a0 There is a lot of controversy about the handball by Suarez, but personally, I think it was an amazing play.\u00a0\u00a0The problem for Uruguay is that, though it\u00a0kept them alive and allowed them to miraculously make it to the semis, they\u00a0are going to have to play without Suarez in this one after his red card.\u00a0 He is\u00a0their best goal-scorer and will be missed.\u00a0 However, Diego Forlan\u00a0may have been the best player in the tournament up to this point and the Uruguayans\u00a0have played spectacular defense, so maybe\u00a0they have enough to take out the high-flying Dutch.\u00a0 I wouldn’t bet on it, but maybe.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/3, 5:30 pm:\u00a0 Spain 1 –\u00a0Paraguay 0
\n<\/strong>After an incredibly boring first half that saw one shot on goal, it got really interesting about 15 minutes into the second half.\u00a0\u00a0Spain was called for a penalty in the box, giving\u00a0Paraguay a penalty kick to try and go up 1-0.\u00a0 With the way that Paraguay has defended all tournament (maybe the best of anyone), a 1-0 lead with 30 minutes left\u00a0would be incredibly <\/em>daunting, even for the pre-tournament favorites and reigning Euro champions, Spain.\u00a0 But, their keeper\u00a0made a great save, preserving the 0-0 score.\u00a0 But, not 90 seconds later,\u00a0Paraguay was then called for a penalty in the box, giving Spain a\u00a0PK to take their own 1-0 lead.\u00a0 Xabi Alonso scored on the PK, but the ref called Spain for encroachment and made him kick it again.\u00a0 This time, it was saved, there was\u00a0a flurry for the rebound (another penalty ABSOLUTELY should have been called), and Spain\u00a0came away with nothing.\u00a0\u00a0In the span of\u00a0less than 2 minutes, we saw a\u00a0PK saved by the Spanish keeper, a PK goal for Spain reversed, a PK saved by the Paraguayan keeper, and another\u00a0penalty not called.\u00a0 All of this in\u00a0the second-half of a 0-0\u00a0World Cup quarterfinal.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 Spain kept attacking,\u00a0though, and finally broke through in the 83rd minute on yet another <\/em>goal\u00a0by Mr. David Villa.\u00a0 The Spanish defense held up (barely,\u00a0as Paraguay had a phenomenal chance to equalize in the 93rd minute), and now they move on to face Germany in the semis on Wednesday.\u00a0\u00a0It’s hard to believe, but this is the first time in history that Spain has reached the semifinals of the World Cup.\u00a0 That’s really incredible.\u00a0 Paraguay\u00a0put on a nice defensive show all tournament, but, in the end, they\u00a0just didn’t have the scoring prowess to\u00a0go any further.\u00a0 A sweep on this day for Europe means that, despite all the talk about a South American-dominated World Cup, three of the four semifinalists are European, and the one South American team is the one team that has really long odds to win the whole thing.\u00a0 It looks very much like it’s going to be another European champion this year.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/3, 2:30 pm:\u00a0 Paraguay vs. Spain
\n<\/strong>And, the one quarterfinal that gives us a serious underdog.\u00a0\u00a0Spain is a big favorite in this game and should roll into the semis against either Germany or\u00a0Argentina.\u00a0 But,\u00a0the Paraguayans\u00a0have been real stingy this tournament.\u00a0 Expect Spain to win the game, but\u00a0it might\u00a0not be as easy as it may seem.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/3, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Germany 4 – Argentina 0
\n<\/strong>Just when I was\u00a0starting to get excited for\u00a0Maradona’s nude prance through Buenos Aires, it\u00a0all goes astray, as Germany\u00a0obliterates Argentina in the quarters.\u00a0 This was one of the most dominating performances of the tournament, as\u00a0‘ze Germans ran all over\u00a0Maradona’s guys, and Miroslav Klose passed some guy named Pele\u00a0for all-time World Cup goals.\u00a0 The\u00a0lone\u00a0note of concern for\u00a0Germany from this game is the completely phanton yellow card given to Thomas Muller (who has probably been their best player in the tournament), which means\u00a0he will have to sit out the semifinal–in what might be a Euro 2008\u00a0title game rematch against Spain.\u00a0 This is a big loss, but the Germans have played–BY FAR–the best “team” soccer of the tournament, so they might be able to overcome this more than\u00a0most other squads.\u00a0 Either way, they looked very, very <\/em>good on today.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/3, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Argentina vs. Germany
\n<\/strong>After South America took a hit yesterday, their best chance at winning this Cup takes the field today against a\u00a0tough, gritty German team that has been running on all cylinders.\u00a0 Both teams have proven that they can score, and both teams have struggled to defend, so this game might be 5-4.\u00a0 But, no matter what happens, the winner of this game is going to the semis as one of the teams that has a real chance to win the whole thing.\u00a0 In a tournament that has been devoid of goals, we might get a ton today.\u00a0 And, who is going to win?\u00a0 This one is really <\/em>tough to call.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

7\/2, 5:30 pm:\u00a0 Uruguay 1 (4 PKs) – Ghana 1 (2 PKs)
\n<\/strong>Absolutely unbelievable!\u00a0 This sport is cruel, cruel, cruel.\u00a0 Ghana,\u00a0bolstered by the\u00a0continent’s faithful, had this game won, until their best player, Amamoah Gyan, hit the crossbar on a PK that was the\u00a0final play\u00a0of the game.\u00a0\u00a0This was the absolute match of the tournament here, beginning to end, regardless of the dramatic fashion by which it ended.\u00a0 The game was wide-open, up and down, and phenomenally exciting.\u00a0 Gyan dominated for Ghana, while Forlan (my pick for the best player of this tournament so far) did the same for Uruguay.\u00a0 Ghana struck first with a\u00a0goal\u00a0in the first half, but Forlan struck back in the second half with the\u00a0equalizer.\u00a0 Then they played 30 minutes of extra time and in stoppage time of that, Ghana had one last shot to avoid PKs.\u00a0 They played a perfect ball into the box, and would have scored a goal if not for a phenomenal <\/em>play by Suarez, making a save with his hand.\u00a0 This gave Suarez a red card and Ghana a PK on the last play of the game.\u00a0 The kick was off the crossbar, Suarez (who was crushed by it all) was the hero, and the game went on to the dreaded penalty kick shootout.\u00a0 Gyan stepped up and drilled the first for Ghana, but a couple of saves for the Uruguay keeper and South America pulled out a split of the two quarterfinal games today.\u00a0 They will be without Suarez in the semifinal against Holland–a big loss–but if not for Suarez’s AMAZING play, they would have been going home.\u00a0 In an overall devastating tournament for the host continent, this had to be the most crushing way it could have ended for the Africans.\u00a0 But, all in all, you have to say that Ghana played like champions all tournament, and they are the youngest team in the field, so expect big things from this team going forward.\u00a0 It’s just a shame that it couldn’t happen on home soil.<\/p>\n

7\/2, 2:30 pm:\u00a0 Uruguay vs. Ghana
\n<\/strong>In the second game of the day, we\u00a0have the under-the-radar Uruguayans against the last remaining home team in Ghana.\u00a0 One of these two teams is going to be an almost shocking semifinalist to most of the world, but it’s not like they won’t have\u00a0deserved it.\u00a0 In fact, it shouldn’t be a shock\u00a0to anyone coming in that these two teams are making such\u00a0deep runs.\u00a0 Ghana WON the under-21 world championship–beating Brazil–last year, and brought a lot of those guys up to the national club for this tournament.\u00a0 They are the youngest team in the tournament and maybe the fastest.\u00a0 Uruguay has two elite<\/em> strikers and a very solid defense.\u00a0 Whichever of these teams does make\u00a0it to the semis will be a decided underdog against either\u00a0Brazil or Holland, but don’t count them out.\u00a0 I think it’s safe to say\u00a0that, with the probably exception of Paraguay, any team remaining\u00a0in the tournament has a shot to win the whole thing–even these two relative unknowns in international soccer.\u00a0 And remember, Uruguay\u00a0is one of only 5 nations to ever win the\u00a0Cup.\u00a0 They won it twice–in 1930 and 1938–so they know what it takes to win.\u00a0 Well, at least there might be someone still alive<\/em> that watched those matches…maybe.<\/p>\n

7\/2, 1:00 pm:\u00a0\u00a0Netherlands\u00a02 – Brazil 1
\n<\/strong>And, just like that…poof…they’re gone.\u00a0 The #1 team in the world is out–as predicted RIGHT HERE on BSB.\u00a0 The\u00a0Netherlands are moving on and may have just become the favorite to win the whole thing.\u00a0 In fact, we now\u00a0are guaranteed three\u00a0semifinalists that have never won a World Cup,\u00a0as only the Germany-Argentina winner will be\u00a0in the\u00a0semis that\u00a0has hoisted the Cup.\u00a0\u00a0In the beginning of this game, it looked like the Brazilians were just a LOT better than the Dutch.\u00a0\u00a0They\u00a0almost scored in the\u00a03rd minute and did score in the 10th.\u00a0 Then, Kaka had a great shot to make it 2-0, but a fantastic save by the Dutch keeper, Stecklenberg, kept it 1-0.\u00a0 The Dutch came out in the second half with some inspired soccer.\u00a0 They equalized on another great play by the great Wesley Sneijder, and took the lead on yet another Sneidjer goal.\u00a0 Felipe Melo was sent off on a stupid, stupid play for a red card, and Brazil had to play the final 20 minutes a man down.\u00a0 They actually had three straight corners around the 80th minute, but couldn’t get anything to fall and is now going home empty-handed.\u00a0 BSB is now an astonishing 9-0 in knockout round predictions!!!<\/p>\n

7\/2, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Brazil vs. Netherlands
\n<\/strong>This might be the best matchup\u00a0until the finals.\u00a0 I honestly believe that the team that wins this game is the odds-on favorite to win the Cup.\u00a0 I am incredibly\u00a0excited to see what happens.\u00a0 Both teams are immensely talented, but haven’t really turned it on during the tournament.\u00a0 Then again, they are a combined 7-0-1, so it’s not like they’ve been struggling.\u00a0 The Netherlands have a potent attack of\u00a0Sneider and Van Percy, and they’ve added Arjen Robben back into the mix, who’s a creative playmaker that has been on the biggest of world stages before.\u00a0 If Robben is in peak shape, this is as good of a team as there is in the\u00a0world.\u00a0 The question is will they be able to defend the always\u00a0spectacular Brazilians.\u00a0 Brazil has been, much to the dismay of their “flare-craving” fans, much more traditional this tournament.\u00a0\u00a0They have defended strongly and scored on set-pieces,\u00a0which is\u00a0not the Brazil that everyone is used to.\u00a0 In the past, they have been so adept at passing and creating offense, that they didn’t need to score on set-pieces, and they almost didn’t need to defend.\u00a0 But, now, they are built around size and strength with Maicon and Juan.\u00a0\u00a0But, they do have some flare with Rubinho and Fabiano.\u00a0 The main strength, in my mind, of the Brazilians is that they might\u00a0have the best goalkeeper in the world.\u00a0 Not only does he look like\u00a0a Brazilian Phil Mickelson, but he is aptly named Julius Caesar (Julio Cesar).\u00a0 He is dopey-looking and a bit aloof at times, but he\u00a0has complete control of that back line and\u00a0is always in position.\u00a0 This match should be fantastically interesting.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Quick Note on the Quarterfinals:
\n<\/strong>The tournament has been dominated by the\u00a0South Americans, and now they can go for the gusto.\u00a0 They have four of the eight teams remaining, and none of them face off against each other, so there is at least a possibility that the final four is all South America.\u00a0 It is incredibly unlikely that that will happen, considering Paraguay is such a large underdog against Spain, but in the other three games, you have to say that none of the South American teams are\u00a0underdogs, and all three might actually be the\u00a0favorites going in.\u00a0 I said at the very beginning that this tournament would be dominated by South America and Africa–I got\u00a0it half right.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/29,\u00a05:30 pm:\u00a0\u00a0Spain 1 – Portugal 0
\n<\/strong>How annoying is Portugal?\u00a0 Their trip here at the Cup is\u00a0finished having only allowed one goal the entire tournament.\u00a0 They scored 7, but all were against North Korea.\u00a0 They played two 0-0 draws, in which they didn’t even attempt to score a goal.\u00a0 Then, they came\u00a0out here against Spain and just tried to defend the entire game, hoping for\u00a0one counter-attacking goal and a 1-0 win.\u00a0 I can’t say that I blame them because it seems like a somewhat sound strategy if you think you’re overmatched, but it makes for a pretty listless match.\u00a0 And, it didn’t work because Spain is just too good.\u00a0 David Villa scored–yet again–and Spain is moving on.\u00a0 Their side of the draw is\u00a0pretty open to the semis now, as they have Paraguay next.\u00a0 Their semifinal matchup (if they get by Paraguay) against\u00a0Germany or Argentina should be excellent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

6\/29, 2:30 pm:\u00a0\u00a0H1-Spain vs. G2-Portugal
\n<\/strong>Both teams\u00a0got to the\u00a0knockout stage in quite different fashions.\u00a0\u00a0Portugal played two pencil-in-the-eyes boring 0-0 draws and one 7-0 merciless shellacking of North Korea to\u00a0get through.\u00a0 Spain came out in the first match and\u00a0dominated Switzerland, but\u00a0couldn’t put a goal in, gave one up and had to scramble to get\u00a0back into the tournament.\u00a0 They did that, won two games, and\u00a0recovered to win Group\u00a0H.\u00a0 Now, these two teams get to throw it down for real.\u00a0 It’s\u00a0pretty obvious that these two teams have a\u00a0heated rivalry, considering their\u00a0geographical locations.\u00a0 This matchup, pitting FIFA #2 versus FIFA #3 is, by far, the most intriguing matchup of the whole Round of 16 and\u00a0might\u00a0show us which one of these teams is\u00a0going to\u00a0have something to say about the\u00a02010 World Cup champions.\u00a0 The winner of this game will be a pretty large favorite to go through to the semis, as they will play the winner of Paraguay-Japan.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/29, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Paraguay 0 (5 PKs) – Japan 0 (3 PKs)
\n<\/strong>120 minutes of listless offense?\u00a0 Maybe.\u00a0 120 minutes of fantastic defense?\u00a0 Definitely.\u00a0\u00a0Both teams defended\u00a0about as well as I’ve seen the game defended\u00a0all tournament,\u00a0especially the Japanese (maybe because they actually had to face some attacking, unlike the Paraguayans).\u00a0 Neither team really went hard\u00a0on the attack, but there were\u00a0still chances to be had in 120 minutes of gameplay, and both defenses were up to the task.\u00a0 Paraguay looked the\u00a0slightly better side, so I guess it’s fitting that\u00a0they won the shootout.\u00a0 The\u00a0Japs lost\u00a0because a defender (why he was taking the kick at\u00a0all, I don’t understand) hit the crossbar, and Paraguay made all five of theirs.\u00a0 So, Paraguay moves on as the third South American side to reach the quarters.\u00a0 They will be heavy underdogs against either Spain or Portugal, but at least they’ve made the quarters for the first time ever.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/29, 10:00 am:\u00a0 F1-Paraguay vs. E2-Japan
\n<\/strong>In\u00a0the Round of 16 game with the least international appeal, two surprising group stage teams take the pitch\u00a0with a shot at a quarterfinal berth.\u00a0 Paraguay played\u00a0pretty well in winning a rather weak Group F <\/strong>and has to be considered the odds-on favorite to win this game and give South America one-half of the final eight.\u00a0 Japan, who beat Denmark 3-1 in a de facto playoff game to get here, now plays the role of the underdog for as long as they survive in this tournament.\u00a0 But, it is not like Paraguay is Goliath.\u00a0 Regardless of what happens in either game played today, the winner of this game will be a decided underdog in the quarterfinals against one of the Iberian teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

6\/28, 5:30 pm:\u00a0 Brazil 3 – Chile 0
\n<\/strong>Brazil absolutely owns their South American counterparts, as they\u00a0beat Chile for the\u00a08th consecutive time (outscoring them 29-3 over those 8 games).\u00a0\u00a0Chile looked feisty at the start, but Brazil was\u00a0just far too good for the upstart Chileans.\u00a0\u00a0It was scoreless through the first half-hour, but\u00a0Brazil struck on a corner-kick in the 34th minute and then added another one just\u00a05 minutes later.\u00a0\u00a02-0 at the half and it was pretty much over from there.\u00a0 As much as we like the Dutch here at BSB (and we do–and we’re\u00a0non-enthusiastically sticking with them), we must say that Brazil looked awfully good against a very good Chile team.\u00a0 It’s getting harder and harder to imagine anyone (even the mighty Dutch) beating them in a knockout game.\u00a0 But, that is the beauty of a single-elimination tournament in\u00a0such a volatile sport.\u00a0 Anything can happen.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/28, 2:30 pm:\u00a0 G1-Brazil vs. H2-Chile
\n<\/strong>Here we\u00a0go, a big game for the world’s #1, as they take on BSB’s new\u00a0favorite team, Chile.\u00a0 Brazil was not incredibly impressive in\u00a0group play, but it’s hard to quibble with a team that won the “Group of Death,” including a 3-0 win over a very good Cote d’Ivoire team.\u00a0 Chile\u00a0was pretty impressive in getting two wins in Group\u00a0H, but are somewhat lucky to even\u00a0be here, as they\u00a0lost to Spain\u00a0in the final group match and would have been eliminated if Switzerland could have scored twice against Honduras.\u00a0 But, the Swiss were shut out, and Chile advanced.\u00a0 Now, they get to show their attacking style to a team that\u00a0will not be intimidated by anyone, let alone\u00a0the upstart Chileans.\u00a0 As much as we love the Chilean attacking style\u00a0and, specifically Alexis\u00a0Sanchez,\u00a0the Brazilians are probably too much for Chile today.\u00a0 Expect\u00a0Brazil to advance, setting up an epic matchup with Holland.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/28, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Netherlands 2 – Slovakia 1
\n<\/strong>Now we see why BSB has gone out on the limb and picked the Dutch to win this thing.\u00a0 Not only\u00a0did they go 3-0 in group play,\u00a0but they did it without their best player, Arjen Robben.\u00a0 Robben returned, briefly,\u00a0at the end of the Cameroon game,\u00a0but he started his first World Cup game this year today against Slovakia.\u00a0 And, he showed what he can do,\u00a0as he rounds out the Dutch attack perfectly, scoring their first goal and pretty much dominating the first half of this game.\u00a0 Another solid scorer, Wesley Sneider\u00a0added one, as Holland was never really threatened\u00a0in this one.\u00a0 Slovakia added a PK goal\u00a0in the final minute of play, but they\u00a0were outclassed in this one.\u00a0\u00a0But, it\u00a0is only going to get harder for the Dutch now, as they will probably\u00a0face Brazil in the quarters.\u00a0 They also need to be careful, as they have a slew of players (including their excellent keeper) with yellow cards.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/28, 10:00 am:\u00a0 E1-Netherlands vs. F2-Slovakia
\n<\/strong>A lot of the “experts”\u00a0will say that the Netherlands has been relatively unimpressive in this tournament.\u00a0 I will say that they were 10-0 in qualifying and now 3-0 in the World Cup, so what do you want\u00a0from them?\u00a0 A lot of the “experts” will say that they just don’t have the horses to compete with\u00a0the\u00a0world’s elite.\u00a0 I will say that, in our knockout round predictions, BSB picked\u00a0Netherlands to beat all\u00a0<\/em>of the big boys and win the whole thing.\u00a0 They start their campaign to make us look smart today against probably the most surprising knockout round qualifier, Slovakia, fresh off of their win over Italy.\u00a0 Obviously, soccer is a game where\u00a0anything can happen in one game, but let’s just say that if Slovakia pulls off another upset here today, it will be monumental.\u00a0 Look for the Dutch to win convincingly and move on to the\u00a0quarters to\u00a0face\u00a0either\u00a0Brazil or Chile.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/27, 5:30 pm:\u00a0 Argentina 3 – Mexico 1
\n<\/strong>More refereeing controversy.\u00a0 Argentina\u00a0opened the scoring with a goal that should not have counted, as their man was clearly <\/em>offsides.\u00a0 Honestly, I’m not going to pile on the officiating here because I\u00a0find it a little tacky, but\u00a0I will say this:\u00a0\u00a0what was the guy really looking at?\u00a0\u00a0The assistant referee’s only job at that point is to look for offsides, and the Argentinian player was approximately a mile offsides.\u00a0 But, again, as I always say, officiating\u00a0almost NEVER\u00a0actually\u00a0costs a\u00a0team the game.\u00a0 Argentina scored again a little later, and Mexico was in a big hole heading to the halftime locker room.\u00a0 They came out with some fire in the second half, but their attacking style opened up the back to a third Argentine goal, pretty much ending all hope.\u00a0 They tacked on one for good measure, but this was a pretty dominant performance\u00a0for one of the most impressive teams in this tournament thus far.\u00a0 Argentina will move\u00a0on to take on Germany is what should be a fantastic <\/em>quarterfinal.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/27, 2:30 pm:\u00a0\u00a0B1-Argentina vs. A2-Mexico
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Mexicans always seem to get through group play and here they are again, playing the second round of a World Cup.\u00a0\u00a0Their second-place finish\u00a0<\/strong>in Group A, however, leaves them the unenviable task of dealing with Lionel Messi and, quite possibly, the most impressive team in group play, Argentina.\u00a0 The Argentines looked cohesive, focused, and just flat-out better than everyone else in Group B.\u00a0 Now, they get a Mexican team that is flying rather below the radar here this year, but have a really solid squad.\u00a0 This game has a lot more of potential for an upset than many might believe, however, you have to consider Argentina the favorites to get through here to take on Germany in the quarters.<\/p>\n

6\/27, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Germany 4 – England 1
\n<\/strong>And, it’s all over for the mighty British.\u00a0 They fall at the\u00a0hands of\u00a0‘ze Germans, 4-1.\u00a0 Germany came out firing, like they certainly can do, scoring two pretty quick goals to take a 2-0 lead and\u00a0seemingly crush the English hopes.\u00a0 But, the Brits fought back to get one and then another–seemingly.\u00a0\u00a0But, the second goal (the\u00a0would-be\u00a0equalizer) was\u00a0blown by the referee.\u00a0\u00a0More controversy (like the British tabloids need more to write\u00a0about?) to stir the pot, as the ball was clearly <\/em>over the\u00a0goal line, but the linesperson flat-out missed it.\u00a0 Pretty remarkable.\u00a0 Now, granted Germany tacked on two more goals, so it’s not like that call definitely changed the match, but it is\u00a0clear that English were\u00a0overextended, trying to\u00a0level the score, on both the German tack-on goals.\u00a0 Would they have happened otherwise?\u00a0 Would England have\u00a0held the Germans and\u00a0scored again?\u00a0 No one knows, but the\u00a0fact of the matter is this:\u00a0 Germany is in the quarters; England is going home.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/27, 10:00 am:\u00a0 D1-Germany vs. C2-England
\n<\/strong>This\u00a0could be a fantastic knockout game.\u00a0 Both teams are probably a bit disappointed by their\u00a0performance in group play, but Germany\u00a0won\u00a0their group, so how upset can they be?\u00a0 England struggled, but got through, thanks in part to a relatively weak group.\u00a0 Now, the slate is wiped clean, and both teams are\u00a0each just one of 16 teams in the exact same position–win\u00a04 games and\u00a0fulfill\u00a0a dream.\u00a0 England probably could have used that Wayne Rooney goal late against Slovenia to get them to the C1 spot and avoid the might Germans, but they didn’t and now this is their fate.\u00a0 England is not nearly as bad as you may be led to believe in the press, and the Germans may not be as good as they are perceived.\u00a0 However, Germany is still probably the better side here and should win the game.<\/p>\n

6\/26, 5:30 pm:\u00a0 Ghana 2 – United States 1 (ET)
\n<\/strong>It happened again.\u00a0 The USA gave up a goal very early in the match and had to spend all their energy chasing that goal.\u00a0 But…it happened again.\u00a0 They got the goal they needed.\u00a0 They got a penalty kick from Mr. Landon Donovan to even the match midway through the second half.\u00a0 They also had chance after chance after chance to take the lead, but they couldn’t get one to fall, and then…it happened again.\u00a0 They went into the extended time, came out, and gave up a goal not even three minutes in to Ghanaian star Gyan.\u00a0 They then battled and battled, but could not get the equalizer, and Ghana moves on to face Uruguay in the quarterfinals.\u00a0 Africa lives on, and Ghana makes it farther than they ever have before.<\/p>\n

6\/26,\u00a02:30 pm:\u00a0 C1-United States vs. D2-Ghana
\n<\/strong>U-S-A!\u00a0 U-S-A!\u00a0 U-S-A!\u00a0\u00a0How excited were\u00a0the execs at ABC with that Landon Donovan goal against Algeria.\u00a0 Now, they get the USA through to the knockout round, and they get it scheduled right smack dab in the middle of a Saturday afternoon.\u00a0\u00a0As great of an accomplishment as it was for the Americans to\u00a0win Group C (their first group win since the\u00a0very first World\u00a0Cup in 1930), the level of intensity and level of competition has ratcheded up a couple notches here.\u00a0 Yes, they avoided Germany, but they did not avoid Ghana.\u00a0\u00a0And, Ghana is\u00a0not <\/em>Algeria.\u00a0 The Ghanaians might be the next great\u00a0world soccer power.\u00a0 They have the youngest team in the World Cup, and they WON the under-20 world championship last year, beating Brazil in the finals.\u00a0\u00a0The Ghanaians are just getting going with their potential in this sport, and this is the next step–reaching the quarterfinals or beyond.\u00a0 Both teams are pretty\u00a0happy with their draws because they are in a segment with Uruguay and South Korea, so all four of these teams are\u00a0looking at a path to the semis without having to face a single top-10 team.\u00a0\u00a0I am very proud to be an American, but\u00a0Ghana, with basically a home-field advantage is probably the slight favorite to win this game and move on to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

6\/26, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Uruguay 2 – South Korea 1
\n<\/strong>Uruguay jumped on an early goal by\u00a0Suarez, to take a 1-0 lead.\u00a0 They\u00a0kept that lead into halftime and looked very much in\u00a0control.\u00a0 But, South Korea came out with a flurry in the second half, including knocking in\u00a0the equalizer–the first goal scored against Uruguay all tournament.\u00a0 But, they fought back and took the lead again on another spectacular goal by Suarez.\u00a0\u00a0The South Americans held on to win and\u00a0now await the winner of USA-Ghana in the quarters.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/26, 10:00 am:\u00a0\u00a0A1-Uruguay vs. B2-South Korea
\n<\/strong>Everyone ready for the one-and-done excitement of\u00a0the knockout\u00a0phase?\u00a0 I know I am.\u00a0 We kick it off with the Group A champ, Uruguay, taking on one\u00a0of the two Asian teams to get through group\u00a0play (a pretty nice World Cup for the Far East, actually).\u00a0 Uruguay looked rather impressive winning a somewhat weak Group A.\u00a0 They play fantastic defense and have two excellent strikers to score.\u00a0 South Korea\u00a0also looked impressive in finishing second to Argentina in Group B.\u00a0 But, the only\u00a0South American team that South Korea faced beat them 4-1.\u00a0 As good as the Koreans have played this tournament, Uruguay is probably the better side and should get through to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

Group H, Final Standings
\nH1-Spain
\nH2-Chile
\nx-Switzerland
\nx-Honduras
\n<\/strong>The Spaniards lost their first game and still won the group, which is big in avoiding Brazil.\u00a0 They will now face their co-tenants of the Iberian Penninsula.\u00a0 Chile played very well throughout group play and got rewarded by taking the H2 spot.\u00a0 Switzerland and Honduras combined for one goal scored all tournament and are going home.\u00a0 The Swiss are probably pretty disappointed with this result, considering they beat Spain in the first game of the tournament.\u00a0 Honduras at least got to have a little impact in this tournament, as their draw with Switzerland eliminated the Swiss and sent Chile to the knockout phase.<\/p>\n

6<\/strong>\/25, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Spain 2 – Chile 1
\n6\/25, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Switzerland\u00a00 – Honduras 0
\n<\/strong>Chile put in an inspired performance after going down 2-0 and having a man sent off, as they scored and held off the Spaniards to only lose by a goal–which may have proved very <\/em>important.\u00a0 However, it didn’t matter because the Swiss just simply can’t score.\u00a0 Going into a game against an overmatched, already eliminated Honduras team, Switzerland knew that a 2-goal victory would clinch them a spot in the knockout round.\u00a0 But, they were listless and bland on offense, ending their World Cup with a 0-0 draw.\u00a0\u00a0 Honduras actually had some decent shots to take three points from this game, but settled for their only point of the Cup.<\/p>\n

6\/25, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Chile (6) vs. Spain (3)
\n6\/25, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Switzerland (3) vs. Honduras (0)
\n<\/strong>The Switzerland upset of Spain, which is now almost two weeks old, has added some intrigue to this final day.\u00a0 What should have happened is for Spain and Chile to be playing to avoid Brazil, and Switzerland and Honduras to be playing for pride.\u00a0 But, no, we’ve got much more serious implications on the line here today in the final group.\u00a0 Chile, who has been rather dominant through the first two games of this group is probably wishing that they banged in a couple more goals during that dominance.\u00a0 They might be on the outside looking in here if they can’t come through with a result against the world’s #2-ranked team.\u00a0 That is because they’ve only scored two goals in two 1-0 wins (albeit dominant 1-0 wins).\u00a0\u00a0And, now, Switzerland gets to play an overmatched Honduras team knowing that they have to put up goals.\u00a0 Chile played them in their first match, where they were just trying to preserve a victory.\u00a0 Expect the Swiss\u00a0to open up and try and score, so that, if it ends up with three teams with 6 points, they are able to move through.\u00a0 Also, Switzerland will try and win in case of\u00a0a draw or a\u00a0Chile win in the other game, so that they assure themselves of that second spot.\u00a0 The Spain-Chile match should be fantastic<\/em>!\u00a0 This might be the\u00a0one I am most looking forward to in this set of matches.\u00a0 Anyone who has read anything I’ve said about Chile in this blog knows that I have become a huge fan of their play, and how can you not root for yet another European power to go down today?\u00a0 It’s gonna be tough, and it will be a real shame if the Chileans lose out of the knockout phase after their performance so far, but we shall see.<\/p>\n

Group G, Final Standings
\nG1-Brazil
\nG2-Portugal
\nx-Cote d’Ivoire
\nx-North Korea
\n<\/strong>The #1 team in the world is the #1 team in Group G.\u00a0 Brazil made the “Group of Death” look fairly easy, doing just enough to get that G1 spot.\u00a0 Portugal, who basically played 180 minutes of boring defense against the two big teams and 45 minutes of offense against the one bad team, has walked right through to the knockout round.\u00a0 North Korea is clearly the worst team in the tournament, being outscored 12-1 in three games.\u00a0 And, Cote d’Ivoire is leaving this tournament in disappointing fashion.<\/p>\n

6<\/strong>\/25, 12:30 pm:\u00a0 Brazil\u00a00 – Portugal 0
\n6\/25, 12:30 pm:\u00a0 Cote d’Ivoire 3 – North Korea 0
\n<\/strong>Another snooze-fest given to us by the Portugese.\u00a0 They have outscored their opponents 7-0 in this World Cup and have only\u00a0won one game.\u00a0\u00a0That is because they played two incredibly <\/em>dull 0-0 draws and have advanced.\u00a0 Brazil, not surprisingly, just\u00a0rolled over, took the point, and won the group.\u00a0 Portugal took the draw and the qualification status.\u00a0 Cote d’Ivoire, who knew that they had to pile on goals, was on the attack all game, and got a nice World Cup win on African soil–it just wasn’t enough.\u00a0 The North Koreans\u00a0finished off a World Cup where they were clearly the worst team in the draw.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/25, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Brazil (6) vs. Portugal (4)
\n6\/25, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Cote d’Ivoire (1) vs. North Korea (0)
\n<\/strong>And, it\u00a0is the proverbial “group of death” that is the one with\u00a0just about no drama left for the coincidental matches on the final day of group play.\u00a0 Portugal’s 7-0 win over North Korea pretty much took all the intrigue out of what could\u00a0have been a pretty exciting day.\u00a0\u00a0Now, for Cote d’Ivoire to qualify, they will have to make up NINE goals on the Portugese\u00a0between the two games–pretty unlikely.\u00a0 I guess there is a little drama left in\u00a0who will win this group.\u00a0 A\u00a0win or draw for Brazil wins the group for the world’s #1, while a Portugal win will give the Portugese the group win.\u00a0 This doesn’t even have that much drama because of what is going on in Group H.\u00a0 Spain is the one team that\u00a0everyone would want to avoid, but it is still very much up in the air as to where Spain is going to finish over there, so the G2 spot might\u00a0actually be better than the G1 spot.\u00a0 So,\u00a0there is very little interest to even generate here,\u00a0despite\u00a0a former colony playing its colonial masters, and the best African team\u00a0probably playing its last World Cup game on African soil for many years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group E, Final\u00a0Standings
\nE1-Netherlands
\nE2-Japan
\nx-Denmark
\nx-Cameroon
\n<\/strong>Well, the Dutch were the class of the group coming in, and they are certainly the class of the group going out.\u00a0 I’m not saying that they are the favorites to win this thing, but what I am saying is that is going to take a hell of a performance to knock them out.\u00a0 They won this group going away and are just revving up.\u00a0 Japan might be one of the more surprising knockout round qualifiers at this year’s Cup, but they definitely did earn it.\u00a0 It’s hard to believe that they really have what it takes to make noise in the knockout phase, but they did get through group play for the first time outside of their home country.\u00a0<\/strong> Denmark was just sort of okay here this year.\u00a0 They had a shot to get through, but in the end, they just weren’t good enough.\u00a0 And, Cameroon had one of the most disappointing World Cups of anyone.\u00a0 On their home continent, with a team capable of making a deep run, they went out with three straight losses in group play.\u00a0 Really disappointing for the “previously” Indomitable Lions.<\/p>\n

6\/24, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Netherlands 2 – Cameroon 1
\n6\/24, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Japan 3 – Denmark 1
\n<\/strong>Okay, I’ll be honest, since the games were simultaneous and the Japan-Denmark match was basically a one-game playoff, I didn’t watch one minute live\u00a0of the Netherlands-Cameroon match.\u00a0 But, let me tell you, this Dutch team is good.\u00a0 What I did do is watch Japan score on two fantastic free kicks in the first half and ride a 2-0 lead to a 3-1 win and qualification in the knockout phase.\u00a0 Denmark was rather lack-luster in a pretty disappointing performance, while Japan, who had only scored 1 goal all tournament, looked very solid.<\/p>\n

6\/24, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Netherlands (6) vs. Cameroon (0)
\n6\/24, 2:00 pm:\u00a0\u00a0Denmark (3) vs. Japan (3)
\n<\/strong>In\u00a0maybe the simplest situation\u00a0of all the groups, we have a de facto playoff game for the E2 spot.\u00a0 Cameroon is eliminated, and the Netherlands, barring a multiple-goal defeat to the Cameroonians and a multiple-goal win in the other match,\u00a0will wrap up the E1 spot.\u00a0 Then, it’s simple for the E2 spot.\u00a0 Denmark needs to beat Japan.\u00a0 Japan just needs a draw.\u00a0 That’s it.\u00a0 Clean, simple, exciting!<\/p>\n

Group F, Final Standings
\nF1-Paraguay
\nF2-Slovakia
\nx-New Zealand
\nx-Italy
\n<\/strong>The Italians are out.\u00a0 That is the big story\u00a0of this group.\u00a0 Period.\u00a0 And, interestingly enough, the second biggest story of this group probably surrounds the other team that did not make the knockout stage–New Zealand.\u00a0 But, this isn’t a story of disappointment.\u00a0 What an accomplishment for the Kiwis, who are made up mostly of semi-pro and some amateur players, to make it through the entire World Cup completely undefeated.\u00a0 Anyway, Paraguay did win this group and their prize\u00a0will probably be a date with someone other than<\/em> the Netherlands.\u00a0 They should be the opponent of the winner of today’s game between Japan and Denmark.\u00a0 Slovakia, who pulled off the mighty upset of the mighty Italians, finishes second in the group, and will probably just be Round of 16 cannon fodder for Holland.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/24, 12:30 pm:\u00a0 Paraguay 0 – New Zealand 0
\n6\/24, 12:30 pm:\u00a0 Slovakia 3 – Italy 2
\n<\/strong>Wow!\u00a0 If you had told me that Paraguay, not Italy, would win this group, I would have told you, “hmm, that’s a little surprising, but I can see that.”\u00a0 But, if you had told me that Italy would finish dead last<\/em> in the group, I would have told you you were crazy.\u00a0 The one thing that the Italians always do is defend.\u00a0 And, they just didn’t do it today.\u00a0 They gave up three poor goals to the Slovaks today.\u00a0 Yes, their #1 goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, was hurt, and yes, he is the best\u00a0keeper in the world, but still.\u00a0 Slovakia\u00a0beats\u00a0Italy and moves on.\u00a0 The other game was a bit of a snooze-fest (and, yes, I watched the whole thing), but Paraguay got what they needed from it to win the group and avoid the Netherlands.\u00a0 New Zealand\u00a0played hard and will leave this tournament undefeated, but they are still leaving the\u00a0tournament.\u00a0 Paraguay played it very close to the vest.<\/p>\n

6\/24,\u00a010:00 am:\u00a0\u00a0Paraguay (4) vs. New Zealand (2)
\n6\/24, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Italy (2) vs. Slovakia (1)
\n<\/strong>There are some pretty crazy permutations for qualification here today in Group F.\u00a0 All four teams are still alive for either of the two\u00a0qualifying positions–and all four teams actually control their own destiny.\u00a0 The most likely scenario is probably for Paraguay to win the group with Italy finishing second.\u00a0 But, what is for certain is that these teams all need results today.\u00a0 Paraguay is the only one that actually can survive a defeat, as they would get the F2 spot if they lose and Italy-Slovakia ends in a draw.\u00a0 For the other three teams, any loss will them.\u00a0 All four teams will be in with a win, so these coincidental matches are going to be thrilling!\u00a0 The easiest scenario to wrap your head around is if Paraguay beats New Zealand, they will win the group, and then Italy will need a win or draw with Slovakia to finish second.\u00a0 The Slovaks will take second if they beat Italy.\u00a0\u00a0If both games draw, Paraguay will win, Slovakia will be out, and the second spot will go to whoever’s draw was more high-scoring between New Zealand and\u00a0Italy.\u00a0 How crazy is it that we’re even talking about a tiebreaker situation between New Zealand and Italy?!?\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quick Note:
\n<\/strong>The USA is now in\u00a0a section of the knockout stage with Uruguay, South Korea, and Ghana–one of\u00a0which will make the semifinals.\u00a0 To\u00a0put that in perspective, the USA will be the highest ranked\u00a0FIFA team of that foursome.\u00a0 To put that in perspective, it looks like there might be another section\u00a0made up of #1-Brazil, #2-Spain, #4-Netherlands, and\u00a0#5-Italy.\u00a0 WOW!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group D, Final Standings
\nD1-Germany
\nD2-Ghana
\nx-Australia
\nx-Serbia
\n<\/strong>Not exactly how they drew it up, but the Germans do what they set out to do–win Group D.\u00a0 Ghana survives and becomes the only African team to make it through\u00a0so\u00a0far (with the other African teams not in very good shape).\u00a0\u00a0Serbia had the most\u00a0unlikely result–beating Germany, but losing to both other teams.\u00a0 And, Australia is going home wondering what could have been if they didn’t have to play 2\/3 of their\u00a0first two games with 10 men.\u00a0 The Aussies definitely could have made it through this group if they had played full strength all round.\u00a0 So, now, Germany is set to grapple with England in a fantastic Round of 16 matchup, while Ghana will play the United States in a quadrant that is rather light (the winner of that faces the winner of Uruguay-South Korea).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/23, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Germany 1 – Ghana 0
\n6\/23, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Australia 2 – Serbia 1
\n<\/strong>More drama in this\u00a0“coincidental”\u00a0third group matches.\u00a0 All four teams were alive when play started, and all four teams were still alive\u00a0deep into the\u00a0games’ second halves.\u00a0 Germany,\u00a0Ghana, and Serbia were all in win-and-you’re-in situations.\u00a0\u00a0Australia needed help.\u00a0 Serbia needed help if they were to draw.\u00a0\u00a0Both first halves were tension-filled, scoreless ties.\u00a0 So, we went into the halftime break with two 0-0 ties,\u00a0which would have sent Ghana and Germany, in that order, to the knockout round.\u00a0 But, it wasn’t to stay that way.\u00a0 Germany drew first\u00a0blood, as they knocked one through (on a fantastic strike–yes, I’m watching all of these two games–going back and forth on my DVR) to go up 1-0.\u00a0 This\u00a0was actually an okay situation for Serbia because Ghana would be easier to unseat in a tiebreaker situation.\u00a0 They would have been happier if Ghana went up 1-0, but a win over there\u00a0either way is better for them than a draw.\u00a0 Then again, they should just beat Australia and take care of business.\u00a0 A couple minutes after the\u00a0German goal, things got\u00a0worse for Serbia, as Australia pounded one in on a Tim Cahill incredible header.\u00a0\u00a0(They say he’s one of the best in the world with his head, and I see why–that was fantastic).\u00a0 And, then things got desperate for the Serbians and actually started getting hopeful for the Soccerroos, as the Aussies struck\u00a0again<\/em>.\u00a0 Now, with a 2-0 lead and Ghana trailing Germany 1-0, the Aussies were\u00a0now two goals away (either\u00a0by them or Germany) from a miraculous comeback to get out of group play.\u00a0\u00a0But, just like that, the tides shifted\u00a0yet AGAIN, as Serbia pounded one\u00a0in to make it 2-1 Australia.\u00a0 This was just about it for the Aussies, and it gave brand new life\u00a0to the Serbians, as\u00a0a 2-2 draw would be enough goals for them to beat out Ghana on goals scored and move on.\u00a0 So, now, Ghana\u00a0started to pick up the pace against Germany, trying to get that equalizer that would\u00a0win them the group and not leave it up to Australia to defend for them.\u00a0 But, Germany held on, winning 1-0, and, despite\u00a0a flurry of activity, the Serbian goal never came, and they lost, losing the group, and going home.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/23, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Ghana (4) vs. Germany (3)
\n6\/23, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Serbia (3) vs. Australia (1)
\n<\/strong>The disappointing draw for the Ghanaians last round against Australia has\u00a0put them in a pretty precarious position today.\u00a0 They have to, somehow, get a point against Germany to assure themselves of qualifying.\u00a0\u00a0And, to make matters worse, the Germans are in a must-win situation because\u00a0if they draw and Serbia wins, the Germans are going home, so expect Germany to come out swinging against\u00a0Ghana.\u00a0 Serbia knows that they just\u00a0need a win and they’re in, and since they’re playing\u00a0probably the weakest team in the group, Australia, they should be able to get it done.\u00a0\u00a0Trouble continues to brew for the African nations, as Ghana might be on their way out\u00a0today.\u00a0 If you’re a fan of the US, you’re rooting for Ghana\u00a0to avoid the loss here because otherwise the Americans would\u00a0probably be up against Germany or Serbia in the\u00a0Round of 16–a tough <\/em>matchup either way.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group C, Final Standings
\nC1-United States
\nC2-England
\nx-Slovenia
\nx-Algeria\u00a0<\/strong>
\nU-S-A!!!\u00a0 U-S-A!!!\u00a0 U-S-A!!!\u00a0 The Americans get it done.\u00a0 It wasn’t pretty, but it was certainly memorable.\u00a0 And, most importantly, it was effective.\u00a0 Everything starts over now–the slate has been wiped clean, and the Americans are in the same position they would be if they had won all three group games 4-0.\u00a0 They won the group, that is the ultimate goal.\u00a0 Despite some uninspired play, the English also got through and are now in position to make some noise.\u00a0 As great as the Landon Donovan goal in stoppage time was for the 300 million\u00a0Americans, that’s how incredibly devastating it was for the 2 million Slovenians.\u00a0 In a matter of second, their game ended with a loss to England, and the US scored the winning goal against Algeria, and just like that the dream of the Slovenians was up in smoke.\u00a0 Algeria proved to be one of the best defensive teams in the tournament–only surrendering two goals–but are leaving South Africa without putting one goal in the opposition’s net.\u00a0 Shut out for the tournament were the North Africans.\u00a0 The US, based on goals scored, wins the group and sends England to the quadrant with Argentina and, maybe, Germany.\u00a0 That could be big.\u00a0 Then again, Germany might finish second in Group D, who knows?<\/p>\n

6\/23, 12:30 pm:\u00a0 England 1 – Slovenia 0
\n6\/23, 12:30 pm:\u00a0 United States 1 – Algeria 0
\n<\/strong>You know what is awesome?\u00a0 That the world’s reputation of the United States soccer team include the following characteristics:\u00a0 (1) toughness, (2) clutchness, (3)\u00a0the never-say-die attitude, (4) never flopping, (5) overachieving, (6) dealing well with adversity, and (7)\u00a0stepping up most when the\u00a0chips are down.\u00a0 <\/strong>And it’s not like we’re talking about our “local” sports team that is made up of people from all over the world.\u00a0 This reputation is formed by Americans–like you and me.\u00a0 That’s awesome.\u00a0 In qualifying, the USA scored 9 goals in the 86th minute or later.\u00a0 No other team even scored 4 goals that late in games.\u00a0 And, they did it again today with, what might be, one of the most memorable plays in Team USA history.\u00a0 It looked all be assured that the US was going to be the victim of some absolutely rotten luck (by all objective accounts) and not make it past group play.\u00a0 But, their resilience and belief in themselves came through with a 92nd minute golden goal by the best soccer player ever produced by this country.\u00a0 So, instead of going home with complaints and what-ifs, the US wins the group and gets put in, what will might be, the easiest quadrant of the knockout-stage bracket.\u00a0 In the other game, The Three Lions of England avoided a terrible ending to their World Cup by scoring early and holding on for dear life against Slovenia, for a 1-0 win.\u00a0 Wayne Rooney had a chance to put England up 2-0, but his the post.\u00a0 This miss might prove very important, in the end, because that was the difference between winning the group for England and finishing second.\u00a0 This\u00a0could mean facing Germany and Argentina instead of Serbia\/Ghana and Uruguay.\u00a0 One quick note:\u00a0 why the hell wasn’t Algeria trying to score?\u00a0 They seemed content with a 0-0 draw.\u00a0 I would understand playing defense and looking to counter-attack if all they needed was a win, but they needed to win BY TWO GOALS!\u00a0 What were they doing?\u00a0 I liked Algeria all tournament, too, but that was pretty ridiculous.\u00a0 They even made DEFENSIVE <\/em>substitutions.\u00a0 I don’t get it.\u00a0 Why come to the World Cup if you’re not looking to win it?<\/p>\n

6\/23, 10:00 am:\u00a0\u00a0Slovenia (4) vs. England (2)
\n6\/23, 10:00 am:\u00a0 United States (2) vs. Algeria (1)
\n<\/strong>Here’s the big one for all of us here in\u00a0the States.\u00a0 Unfortunately,\u00a0I have to be at work, so PLEASE don’t tell me what’s going on.\u00a0\u00a0Three teams–Slovenia, England, and the US all just need to win and they’re in.\u00a0 Slovenia (with the only win of the group) and the US (with the goal differential) are in the drivers’ seats\u00a0right now, but England has a decent shot,\u00a0considering\u00a0their talent level and opponent (Slovenia).\u00a0\u00a0Slovenia is the one team that can assure itself a qualifying position with a mere draw, so they might be playing close to the vest until they fall behind.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Algeria is not eliminated and have played rather well, so they should come out with some vigor against the US.<\/p>\n

Group B, Final Standings
\nB1-Argentina
\nB2-South Korea
\nx-Greece
\nx-Nigeria
\n<\/strong>Not by rankings, but by play in this tournament, the best two teams (in order) made it through Group B.\u00a0 Greece and Nigeria were incredibly disappoining, considering Greece had world’s of expectations, and Nigeria was on their home continent.\u00a0 Argentina looks really <\/em>good and will now get Mexico in the Round of 16.\u00a0 South Korea will have some trouble with the Uruguayans, so getting through group play is probably their ceiling–a good result.<\/p>\n

6\/22, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Argentina 2 – Greece 0
\n6\/22, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 South Korea 2 – Nigeria 2
\n<\/strong>There was some more drama in the late games of the day today, although this drama was a little more expected, as we knew that this group was Argentina’s to win, but the B2 spot was up in the air.\u00a0 Nigeria\u00a0had the longest shot, as they needed an Argentina win and they needed to beat South Korea and then win\u00a0either the goal differential or the goals scored.\u00a0 Well, the manager of Argentina, Diego Maradona,\u00a0sat like 6 starters, knowing that he had it just about wrapped up, so it looked good for\u00a0Greece early, who just needed a win and either a draw or\u00a0a win from Nigeria.\u00a0 The Greeks had\u00a0a couple chances in the first, but went into halftime 0-0.\u00a0 Nigeria, on the other hand, jumped out on top of South Korea with a quick\u00a0goal, but the Koreans fought back to tie it 1-1\u00a0at the half.\u00a0 Then, Argentina started to take control of their game, scoring a couple minutes into the second half, which was very good for South Korea.\u00a0 The Koreans added a goal of their own and led 2-1.\u00a0\u00a0At this point, it looked really <\/em>good for the\u00a0Koreans.\u00a0\u00a0Things got even better as Argentina scored a second goal and Nigeria\u00a0missed the easiest goal you will ever see.\u00a0 With Argentina up 2-0 and South Korea up 2-1, it looked pretty obvious that it would be those two moving on.\u00a0 But, just a couple minutes after the missed chippy, the same Nigerian striker\u00a0was given a\u00a0penalty kick, and he calmly drilled it, tying the game.\u00a0 At this point, it\u00a0came down\u00a0to\u00a020 intense minutes between South Korea and Nigeria.\u00a0 If Nigeria scored and won\u00a03-2,\u00a0they would take the most unlikely B2 spot.\u00a0 If South Korea held on for a draw, they would take the B2.\u00a0 Well, the Koreans held on–barely–and now get to move on to face Uruguay.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/22, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Argentina (6) vs. Greece (3)
\n6\/22, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 South Korea (3) vs. Nigeria (0)
\n<\/strong>In the final Group B matches, everyone is still alive for the B2 spot, but Argentina has pretty much clinched the top spot.\u00a0 The Argentines do have a say, though in who is going to join them in moving along.\u00a0 If they beat Greece, then all South Korea needs is a draw to take care of Nigeria.\u00a0 Nigeria’s only hope is to\u00a0get a win against South Korea and root for an Argentine win over Greece.\u00a0 Greece can get in with a win and a South Korea loss or\u00a0draw.\u00a0 If both Greece and South Korea both draw or win, it will come down to goal differential and maybe even goals scored.\u00a0 The teams are even in goal differential, but South Korea has\u00a0the edge in goals scored.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Group A, Final Standings:
\nA1-Uruguay
\nA2-Mexico
\nx-South Africa
\nx-France
\n<\/strong>The old-school World Cup power,\u00a0Uruguay wins\u00a0Group A (as predicted\u00a0by BSB)<\/u><\/strong>, and Mexico takes the second qualifying spot, via goal differential, over the host nation, South Africa.\u00a0 Bafana Bafana becomes the first host nation not to make it out of group play, but they did put on a nice show, drawing with a very good Mexico team and then beating <\/em>world power France.\u00a0 I really like this Uruguay squad and could see them making some noise.\u00a0 Mexico did a nice job getting out of the group, and I like how they went to win it in the final game, but they will have a tall task with Argentina (most likely) in the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

6\/22, 12:30 pm:\u00a0 Uruguay 1 – Mexico 0
\n6\/22, 12:30 pm:\u00a0 South Africa 2 – France 1
\n<\/strong>In the\u00a0preview and in the thoughts leading up to this simultaneaous double-header, we didn’t think there would be much drama because in order for it not\u00a0to finish Uruguay-1 and Mexico-2, there needed to be a winner in the Uruguay-Mexico game and then a big\u00a0<\/em>winner in the France-South Africa game.\u00a0 Well, there was drama–some great drama, actually.\u00a0 The first half of Uruguay-Mexico didn’t look like it was two teams\u00a0settling for a draw, and\u00a0Uruguay finally scored late in the half to take a 1-0 lead to halftime.\u00a0 And, in the other game,\u00a0the devastating World Cup for the French continued\u00a0<\/strong>as they got a red card early in the first half and gave up two goals to the South Africans.\u00a0 So, at the halftime of both games, the host nation looked like they really had a shot to make it through.\u00a0 They needed the Uruguay-Mexico game to stay the way it was (which it did), and they needed to add 2 more goals against a short-handed, defeated French team.\u00a0 Bafana Bafana had chance after chance, but they never got one to fall, and France actually added a goal of their own (their ONLY goal of the tournament).\u00a0 Either way, France was embarrassed; South Africa got a nice consolation prize; and, Uruguay and Mexico got to move on.<\/p>\n

6\/22, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Uruguay (4) vs. Mexico (4)
\n6\/22, 10:00 am:\u00a0 France (1) vs. South\u00a0Africa (1)
\n<\/strong>Well, the final round of games\u00a0in the round-robin\u00a0of each group\u00a0are played simultaneously, so as to avoid collusion.\u00a0 However, even simultaneous starts\u00a0does not change the fact that Uruguay and Mexico can only be eliminated if they lose.\u00a0 If they both draw, then they both move on.\u00a0 Yes, Mexico would finish in second place in the group, so there is a little incentive for them to try and win, but not anywhere near enough to risk taking a loss.\u00a0 So, expect a 0-0 draw.\u00a0 In the other game, which then won’t matter, is just a way for the home team to grasp some pride and beat an absolutely reeling French squad.<\/p>\n

Looking Forward to the Knockout Matchups After\u00a0Two Rounds of Games
\n<\/strong>With just the final round of games left, we can start thinking about the 16-team second half of the tournament that starts on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Group A\/B.<\/em>\u00a0 Well, it’s looking pretty good for a Uruguay and Mexico 1-2 finish in Group A.\u00a0 France and South Africa are probably done.\u00a0 In Group B, Argentina has a choke-hold on the B1 spot, but the second spot is still up for grabs.\u00a0 South Korea has the inside track on it, but they have to come through against Nigeria.\u00a0 Greece still has a decent shot at it, if they can come out and play an inspired game against Argentina.\u00a0 So, right now, it looks very likely that we’ll get a Round of 16 matchup between Argentina and Mexico.\u00a0 The other matchup will most likely feature Uruguay, with the most likely opponent being South Korea, though don’t rule out Greece or, even, Nigeria.<\/p>\n

Group C\/D.<\/em>\u00a0 Group C is still way up for grabs here.\u00a0 The USA is probably the slight favorite, at this point,\u00a0to actually win this group, believe it or not.\u00a0 England is still a major player and only really needs a win over Slovenia to move on.\u00a0 Slovenia is still in position to grab either position, but they probably need a result against the Brits.\u00a0 Algeria is, technically, still alive for the C2 spot (they can’t win it), but they need to beat the USA and hope that Slovenia grabs at least a draw with England.\u00a0 Over in Group D, it’s pretty wild.\u00a0 I think we can stick a fork in Australia because they need to beat Serbia and hope for a Ghana win over Germany–both results are very unlikely.\u00a0 If the Ghana-Germany game produces a winner, that team will win the group.\u00a0 Serbia clinches a spot with a win over Australia–it will likely be D2 if there is a winner in the other game and D1 if they draw.\u00a0 Right now, let’s say that the most likely scenario is for USA, England, Germany, and Serbia to all win their final games.\u00a0 If that happens, we are looking at USA-Serbia and England-Germany in the Round of 16.\u00a0 Other permutations could include Ghana or Slovenia in any of those spots.<\/p>\n

Group E\/F.<\/em>\u00a0 Group E is the Netherlands group, and they will almost assuredly be the E1 team.\u00a0 Cameroon has been eliminated.\u00a0 The E2 spot is up for an, American-style, one-game playoff between Japan and Denmark.\u00a0 Group F is quite\u00a0a bit more hairy.\u00a0 Paraguay has the inside track on the F1 spot, as all they have to do is beat New Zealand (a task that was obviously too tough for even the mighty Azzurri<\/em>, so it’s not a given).\u00a0 If Paraguay does beat the Kiwis, the F2 spot is pretty simple:\u00a0 Slovakia if they beat Italy; Italy if they win or tie.\u00a0 If Paraguay loses or draws against New Zealand, it gets incredibly complex.\u00a0 But, Paraguay is really good, so they should get the win, and we have to say that Italy will step up and get it done.\u00a0 So, that means that we might be staring at an AMAZING Netherlands-Italy matchup in the Round of 16.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 The other game would be Paraguay taking on the Japan\/Denmark winner.<\/p>\n

Group G\/H.<\/em>\u00a0 Group G, “The Group of Death,” is the simplest group to project at this point.\u00a0 Barring two ridiculous results on Friday, Brazil and Portugal will be the two qualifiers.\u00a0 Brazil will probably take G1, with their former empirial masters as G2.\u00a0 As simple as Group G is, Group H is just as complex.\u00a0 Right now, Chile leads the group, after two wins, but honestly, they might be the team (other than Honduras) most likely to miss <\/em>the knockout stage.\u00a0 Chances are that Spain will recover, beat Chile, and win the group (although, I think Chile is awesome<\/em>, and I’m rooting for them\u00a0to win this group).\u00a0 The Swiss are in good shape to qualify if they can beat Honduras by 2 or more, but they have to score.\u00a0 Group H is very hard to predict, but it looks like Spain could really win the group and, therefore, get their Iberian rival, Portugal in the Round of 16.\u00a0 Brazil might be matched up with Switzerland, but Chile has a lot to say about all of this.<\/p>\n

Group H, After Day Two:\u00a0 Chile 6 (2-0), Spain 3 (2-1), Switzerland 3 (1-1), Honduras 0 (0-3)
\n<\/strong>Chile has\u00a0been clearly the best of the bunch here and they lead the group heading into the final round of games.\u00a0 However, they may be the most likely of the teams with points so far to\u00a0not <\/em>make the knockout stage.\u00a0 They finish with Spain, who may have righted the ship, while\u00a0the Swiss get the weakest squad of the group, Honduras, and only needing to make up 2 in goal differential to pass Chile.\u00a0 Chile is probably now forced to get at least a draw from a desperate Spain team to even make it through.\u00a0 The Swiss might get rewarded from their fantastic 10-man defense against the Chileans this round.<\/p>\n

6\/21, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Spain 2 – Honduras 0
\n<\/strong>The Spanish just completely overmatched the Hondurans.\u00a0 David Villa had two amazing goals, and the Spanish are still very much alive going into their final match with Chile.\u00a0 They may only be one point away from qualification, but their goal should still be set on winning this group, which is very possible, at this point.\u00a0 Honduras\u00a0has not been officially eliminated, but they are pretty much done.\u00a0<\/strong> Despite the early loss, the Spanish are still in a position to basically win themselves the group in their final game.\u00a0 Honduras isn’t officially eliminated, but they need\u00a0to beat Switzerland bad and get some help from Chile.<\/p>\n

6\/21, 2:00 pm:\u00a0\u00a0Spain (0) vs. Honduras (0)
\n<\/strong>And, Spain gets to round out the second round of games, just as they did the first.\u00a0 Hopefully for the Spanish, they won’t finish it off quite the same way they did last time, though.\u00a0 Honduras got dominated in a 1-0 loss to Chile, so there is no reason to think that the Spanish cannot get the three points that they so desperately need here from the Hondurans.\u00a0 A draw would be disastrous for the world’s #2 team.\u00a0 Honduras will be eliminated if they lose this game.<\/p>\n

6\/21, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Chile 1 – Switzerland 0
\n<\/strong>The Swiss can flat-out defend–and it doesn’t matter how many players they are forced to play with.\u00a0 They broke the all-time record for consecutive shutout minutes at the World Cup, but shortly after they finally allowed one to Chile.\u00a0 And, they did all of this by playing most of the game a man down because of an early red card.\u00a0 Chile, who looked terrific in their opener against Honduras, came away with another 1-0 win.\u00a0 Chile is now 2-0 with 6 points, but there is still a lot of danger.\u00a0 They are left with Spain in the group and their +2 goal differential is not exactly scaring anyone right now.\u00a0 With Switzerland’s remaining game against an overmatched Honduras and Spain still being Spain, we may be heading for three teams with 6 points, so one team will have a very disappointing exit.<\/p>\n

6\/21, 10:30 am:\u00a0 Chile (3) vs. Switzerland (3)<\/strong>\u00a0
\nIn a surprising matchup between the Group H co-leaders, both teams will try and continue the momentum they generated from their opening match victories.\u00a0 The Swiss pulled off the huge upset of Spain and if they can get any point from this match, they should be in really good shape.\u00a0 Chile was the most impressive team, in my opinion, of the first round of games, so we will see if it was just the weakness of Honduras or if this Chilean team is as good as they seemed.<\/p>\n

Group G, After Day Two:\u00a0 Brazil 6 (5-2), Portugal 4 (7-0), Cote\u00a0d’Ivoire 1 (1-3), North Korea 0 (1-9)
\n<\/strong>Barring\u00a0a Portugal loss and a Cote d’Ivoire\u00a0win that would equate to the Elephants making up 9 goals on the Portugese, it looks like we have our two Group G qualifiers:\u00a0 #1 Brazil and #3 Portugal.\u00a0 The order will be decided on the field on Friday, with Brazil only needing a draw to take the top spot.\u00a0 But, remember, Spain is lurking in Group H and may not win the group, so the top spot here may actually have to face Spain in the first round of the knockout stage.\u00a0 Hmmm…<\/p>\n

6\/21,\u00a010:00 am:\u00a0 Portugal 7 – North Korea 0
\n<\/strong>Uh, wow.\u00a0 The Portugese were held scoreless for the entire game against\u00a0Cote d’Ivoire and\u00a0almost the first\u00a030 minutes here by North Korea.\u00a0 They were NOT held scoreless after that.\u00a0 The first 30 minutes of this game looked like the two sides were relatively evenly-matched (which we all knew wasn’t the case), but the next 60 minutes–especially the second half–demonstrated (a)\u00a0just\u00a0how good Portugal is and (b) how importantly they valued the goal differential.\u00a0 They just poured it on and\u00a0with a 7-0 win,\u00a0the Elephants of\u00a0Cote\u00a0d’Ivoire are in a world of trouble.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/21, 7:30 am:\u00a0 Portugal (1) vs. North Korea (0)\u00a0
\n<\/strong>Portugal may have to rely on goal differential to qualify for the knockout stage, so they will be looking to turn it on against North Korea.\u00a0 They played it very tight in a 0-0 draw with Cote d’Ivoire in their opener, but they will be looking to open it up here.\u00a0 North Korea played pretty admirably against the world’s #1, so we will see what they can do against the Portugese.<\/p>\n

6\/10, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Brazil 3 – Cote d’Ivoire 1
\n<\/strong>The Brazilians, who were\u00a0underwhelming in their opener against North\u00a0Korea, were much more impressive today against a very good Ivoirian squad.\u00a0 The\u00a0world’s #1 has now clinched advancement into the knockout stage and has the inside track for the G1 position.\u00a0 Cote d’Ivoire did pick up a late goal to make it 3-1.\u00a0 It seemed meaningless at the time, other than being the first ever African team to score against Brazil, but if you think about the tiebreaking scenarios, it could really come into play because goal differential might be the deciding factor on who joins Brazil as qualifying from this group.<\/p>\n

6\/20, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Brazil (3) vs. Cote d’Ivoire (1)\u00a0
\n<\/strong>Brazil did what they needed to do and got three points from North Korea.\u00a0 Cote d’Ivoire played it close to the vest in a 0-0 draw with Portugal.\u00a0 Now, if you assume (as I do) that Brazil will win this group and North Korea will lose it, the second spot is going to come down to goal differential between Cote d’Ivoire and Portugal in their matches with Brazil and North Korea.\u00a0 So, Cote d’Ivoire is looking to keep this close, while Portugal will be looking to blow out North Korea.\u00a0 A draw here would be fantastic for the Ivoirians.\u00a0 And if–dare I say–they were to beat the Brazilians, they would be in fantastic <\/em>shape.<\/p>\n

Group F, After Day Two:\u00a0 Paraguay 4 (3-1), Italy 2 (2-2), New Zealand 2 (2-2), Slovakia 1 (1-3)
\n<\/strong>After the shocking–absolutely shocking–draw between Italy and New Zealand (a matchup that some were calling the biggest mismatch in World Cup history), Paraguay has taken control of Group F.\u00a0 The Italians are still in good shape,\u00a0but they will have to take care of business against Slovakia.\u00a0 And, who knows–maybe New Zealand can do it again against Paraguay.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/20, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Italy\u00a01 – New Zealand 1
\n<\/strong>Absolutely unbelievable!\u00a0 This is, by all accounts, as ever bigger <\/em>upset than Switzerland\u00a0beating Spain.\u00a0 This draw is pretty amazing.\u00a0 The big boys\u00a0just continue to reel and reel.\u00a0 Spain has lost; Germany has lost; France and England have yet to win and need\u00a0help to qualify; Brazil\u00a0struggled against North Korea; and, now, New f’ing Zealand draws with Italy?????\u00a0 What?!?!?\u00a0\u00a0New Zealand had one shot on goal in the first\u00a060 minutes\u00a0of play–and it went in.\u00a0 They also defended against about 87,627 corner kicks without allowing a goal.\u00a0 Incredible.\u00a0 All that being said,\u00a0Italy is not anywhere near out of this.\u00a0 In fact, I would say that they are still pretty large favorites to qualify.\u00a0 The biggest loser of this result, in the end, might be the Dutch.\u00a0 Because, this draw might force Italy to the F2 spot, which means they would get\u00a0the Netherlands in the first round of knockout games.\u00a0 And, let’s face it, New Zealand is now a win away from qualifying (and maybe even winning) this group.\u00a0 There is not even a professional league in New Zealand.\u00a0 Amazing!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/20, 10:30 am:\u00a0\u00a0Italy (1) vs.\u00a0New Zealand (1)\u00a0
\n<\/strong>The matchup that everyone was looking to as probably the most lopsided matchup of the whole tournament is this one.\u00a0 But, after a disappointing draw for Italy and a very encouraging draw for the All-Whites, it doesn’t seem quite as lopsided any more.\u00a0 Then again, it is Italy versus New Zealand.\u00a0 A draw here would be borderline embarrassing for the Azzurri, <\/em>especially after the Paraguay win 2-0 win over Slovakia.\u00a0 There is no question that Italy is out for three points to take control of a group through which they should have cruised, but might struggle to take the top spot.\u00a0 They may try and rack up some goals here to try and keep pace with Paraguay.<\/p>\n

6\/20, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Paraguay 2 – Slovakia 0
\n<\/strong>The Paraguayans, who\u00a0some have claimed are the third-best South American side, looked awfully good again in their second game of this tournament.\u00a0 And, now, with their only\u00a0match remaining against a\u00a0much weaker New Zealand squad, the Paraguayans are in outstanding shape to make it through Group F.\u00a0 And, their second goal in this game–in the 85th minute–might go a long way towards\u00a0potentially winning <\/em>this group–which\u00a0is VERY important because it probably means avoiding the Netherlands.\u00a0\u00a0The Slovaks are now in a lot <\/em>of trouble,\u00a0considering they only have 1 point and still have the defending champs, Italy, left on the schedule.\u00a0\u00a0We can probably stick a fork in Slovakia.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/20, 7:30 am:\u00a0 Slovakia (1) vs. Paraguay (1)
\n<\/strong>The Slovaks need\u00a0to recover from a last-second equalizer by New Zealand that cost them their first ever World Cup win and the outright lead in Group F.\u00a0 They now get a very good defensive team in Paraguay, who played the Italians to a draw in the first round.\u00a0 Obviously, since this whole group is all-square, a win for either team would put them in great position to not only advance, but to win this group.\u00a0 A draw for Paraguay would be better, for their chances, then for Slovakia because the Slovaks still have to face Italy in the final pairing.\u00a0 However, Paraguay is probably the better side, so they are looking for 3.<\/p>\n

Group E, After Day Two:\u00a0 Netherlands 6 (3-0), Japan 3 (1-1), Denmark 3 (2-3), Cameroon 0 (1-3)
\n<\/strong>Well, the Dutch are the first team to officially qualify for the\u00a0next\u00a0round, and have just about locked up that\u00a0E1 spot, even\u00a0without a win over the eliminated Cameroonians.\u00a0 The African squad was\u00a0eliminated by their loss and the Dutch win in this\u00a0round of games,\u00a0as they are the first team to be officially eliminated from\u00a0the knockout stage.\u00a0 Japan and Denmark will play a playoff for the second spot from this group, with Japan going through if there is a draw.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/19, 4:30 pm:\u00a0\u00a0Denmark 2 – Cameroon 1
\n<\/strong>In, by far, the most entertaining match of the entire tournament, the continent of Africa took yet another big blow on\u00a0their home soil.\u00a0\u00a0The Golden Lions are now eliminated from this World Cup, and\u00a0there is a real shot that no <\/em>African teams could make\u00a0it through.\u00a0 Denmark\u00a0has now played themselves into, basically, a playoff game against Japan in the final game of this group.\u00a0 This result\u00a0gives\u00a0the Netherlands the first official knockout round stage clinch.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/19, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Cameroon (0) vs. Denmark (0)
\n<\/strong>In what is probably an elimination match here, the two first-round losers of Group E face off in the final game of the day.\u00a0 Both teams had real ambitions to get out of this\u00a0group, and I guess Denmark’s chances are still there, but Cameroon is on the ropes after a loss to Japan and a\u00a0date with the Netherlands on the horizon.\u00a0\u00a0If this\u00a0game doesn’t end in a draw, the loser will officially be\u00a0eliminated from\u00a0advancing.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group D, After Day Two:\u00a0 Ghana 4 (2-1), Germany 3 (4-1), Serbia 3 (1-1), Australia 1 (1-5)
\n<\/strong>Well, it comes down to an interesting final day in Group D.\u00a0 If the Germany-Ghana game produces a winner, that\u00a0winner will win the group, and Serbia will be second with any point against Australia.\u00a0 If the\u00a0Germany-Ghana game is drawn, then Serbia will win the group with a win over Australia and will be out with any other result.\u00a0 Australia can get in if they beat Serbia and Ghana beats Germany.\u00a0 But, with the power of the European teams, it looks like they probably have the inside tracks to finish 1-2 in this group.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/19, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Ghana 1 – Australia 1
\n<\/strong>In a very disappointing draw for the Ghanaians, the plight of the African teams is getting tougher and tougher.\u00a0 Australia jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute, but over the next 50 minutes, Ghana outshot the Soccerroos 17-2, including the equalizer on a penalty kick by rising star, Gyan.\u00a0 But, more importantly, the Aussies suffered a tough red card, which meant that they had to play the final 65 minutes or so with 10 men.\u00a0 This is why it was a very <\/em>disappointing draw for the Black Stars.\u00a0 Ghana’s defense was terrible, and Australia actually had a lot of chances in the second half.\u00a0 And, the offense for Ghana also fell asleep for the final 30 minutes, even though they were playing a man up.\u00a0 Australia does stay mathematically alive with an inspired draw, but would need some fortunate results in the next round of games to make it through this group.\u00a0 Ghana is in the lead in this group, but with a date with Germany on the horizon, and the Serbs nipping on their heels, this could be trouble for the Black Stars.<\/p>\n

6\/19, 10:30 am:\u00a0 Ghana (3) vs. Australia (0)
\n<\/strong>Both teams are well aware that Germany lost to Serbia yesterday, so this game becomes even more important.\u00a0 Ghana can\u00a0just about wrap up advancement with a win, while Australia can get\u00a0right back in the conversation with a win here, despite their -4 goal\u00a0differential.\u00a0 Ghana is banged up on the defensive side of the ball, but Australia’s best player, Tim Cahill,\u00a0was given a red card against Germany, so he is out for this one.\u00a0 Both teams probably feel like they can get 3 out of this matchup, and, honestly,\u00a0both teams probably need<\/em> three out of this one.\u00a0 A loss for Australia would put them on life support; a loss for Ghana would put a lot of pressure on them to then beat Germany–always a brutally tough feat.\u00a0 The Serbs and Germans are definitely rooting against a Ghana victory because with any other result, they will both control their own fate.<\/p>\n

6\/19, 10:00\u00a0am:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Netherlands 1 – Japan 0
\n<\/strong>Japan was just a bit overmatched by a very good Dutch team.\u00a0 They didn’t look incredibly good, for what they can do, but Holland wins and pretty much clinches advancement to the knockout stage, with their only round-robin remaining against Cameroon.\u00a0 The Japanese played some solid defense, but they just didn’t get enough chances.\u00a0 Japan’s fate should all come down to their final match against Denmark.<\/p>\n

6\/19, 7:30 am:\u00a0 Netherlands (3) vs. Japan (3)
\n<\/strong>The second Saturday of the World Cup starts with the\u00a0two\u00a0co-leaders of Group E.\u00a0 The\u00a0Netherlands beat Denmark 2-0\u00a0last week, while Japan surprised\u00a0Cameroon 1-0.\u00a0\u00a0The Dutch are huge\u00a0favorites in this one, so a draw would be a great result for Japan.\u00a0 In fact, a draw here would put the Japanese in really good shape to advance.\u00a0 If the Dutch can get three here, they should be able to finish off a Group E win.<\/p>\n

Group C, After Day Two:\u00a0 Slovenia 4 (3-2), United States 2 (3-3), England 2 (1-1), Algeria 1 (0-1)
\n<\/strong>Who would have thought that Slovenia would be leading this group after two rounds of games?\u00a0 They obviously control their own destiny now, where a win or draw with the English will push them through.\u00a0 The US also controls their own fate to get through.\u00a0 England can still be in decent shape to get through if they beat Slovenia convincingly.\u00a0 Algeria needs help, but is still alive.<\/p>\n

6\/18, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 England 0 – Algeria 0
\n<\/strong>An incredibly poor result for England.\u00a0 A very good result for Algeria.\u00a0 A great result for the USA.\u00a0\u00a0For all the stars that the Brits have, they should have rolled over Algeria, but the Africans were led by a couple great players on the left and a great performance by a goalkeeper making his first ever international start.\u00a0 I can’t wait to\u00a0hear the\u00a0British press on this one.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/18, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 England (1) vs. Algeria (0)
\n<\/strong>If Algeria gets a point here, the Americans control their own destiny.\u00a0 If England wins, then Algeria is eliminated and might roll over, allowing the Americans to maybe get a big win, getting them the A2 spot on goal differential.\u00a0 England needs to bounce back from the tough draw with the US.\u00a0 They have to recover and continue to realize that nothing is lost.\u00a0 They are the\u00a0most talented team in the group and they drew with the second most talented team, so they should still consider themselves the favorites to win\u00a0it.\u00a0 However, their margin for error slipped\u00a0past Rob Green on\u00a0Saturday.\u00a0 Now, they have to\u00a0beat Algeria, and they probably have to beat them by more than one to feel good about themselves.\u00a0 Though a draw probably doesn’t do them any good, Algeria would probably still be happy with that result, just to put them in play on the final day of\u00a0group play.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/18, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Slovenia 2 – United States 2
\n<\/strong>A whole mixed bag of emotions resulting from this absolutely crazily entertaining, roller-coaster game.\u00a0 No wonder the world loves this sport!\u00a0 We will get to the refereeing in a minute because that is what you are going to hear over and over, but honestly, real sportsmen, of any flavor, know that almost never do decisions by referees actually win or lose a game.\u00a0 So, let’s start talk about the play, itself.\u00a0 First of all, the American defense was pretty terrible.\u00a0 Slovenia scored early (again–it seems the USA has a real problem with conceding early goals) and then again late in the first half.\u00a0 All the credit deserved to the Slovenian offense, but let’s be honest, they were the results of some pretty poor defense on the American side.\u00a0 So, our boys went into halftime trailing 2-0 and staring at an absolutely crippling defeat.\u00a0 Then, they came right out and did what great sports teams do–they went right to their best player and let him do his thing.\u00a0 Landon Donovan scored a GIGANTIC goal right out of the locker room in the second half to make it 2-1.\u00a0 The Americans kept pressing and kept pressing and finally got the equalizer on an amazing goal by Michael Bradley (the coach’s son) with about 9 minutes left to play.\u00a0 Then, only about a minute or two later, the Americans scored AGAIN.\u00a0 But…for some completely unknown, crazy reason, it was disallowed.\u00a0 I have no idea what the guy saw, but it was pathetic.\u00a0 Again, let’s get this straight–it did NOT cost the USA the game<\/em>.\u00a0 But, it was a terrible, TERRIBLE call.\u00a0 What cost them the three points here was shoddy defense all game.\u00a0 So, both teams get a point, and both teams can look at this in a bitter-sweet way.\u00a0 The Slovenians got a nice point as an underdog and are now in decent position to advance from this group.\u00a0 And, if not for a bad refereeing decision, they would be going home with nothing after leading 2-0.\u00a0 But, they blew a 2-0 lead in a game that would have clinched advancement.\u00a0 The Americans have to be happy with the draw, considering they trailed 2-0 with 45 minutes to play, but they “should” have had the win, and they now still have a good bit of work to do against Algeria if they want to avoid elimination.\u00a0 Wow.<\/p>\n

6\/18, 10:30 am:\u00a0 Slovenia (3) vs. United States (1)
\n<\/strong>Just when you thought it couldn’t get bigger for the US soccer team, it\u00a0kind of just has–though you won’t know it\u00a0from the “leadup.”\u00a0 The Slovenians beat\u00a0Algeria last week, which means that they, alone, sit atop Group A as it stands now.\u00a0 However, they have a ton of work left to do as they have the US today and England next week.\u00a0\u00a0A draw would be fantastic for the\u00a0Slovenians, while the USA is sitting in\u00a0the unfamiliar position of being the clear favorites and\u00a0needing <\/em>three points.\u00a0 A draw is\u00a0NOT a “good result” here for\u00a0the Stars and Stripes.\u00a0\u00a0A win is paramount.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/18, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Serbia 1 – Germany\u00a00
\n<\/strong>And yet another “wow!”\u00a0 In three consecutive days, we’ve seen losses from Spain, France, and now Germany.\u00a0 But, unlike the Spanish and, especially, the French, it wasn’t that the Germans just played really poorly or flat or anything.\u00a0 In fact, they played an inspired <\/em>match in a loss.\u00a0 First of all, Serbia is a pretty solid team.\u00a0 Secondly, the refs completely screwed the Germans.\u00a0 Now, I was avidly rooting for the Serbs because I think it’s good for both Ghana and, possibly, the United States, but I have to say, objectively, that Germany got a really raw deal here.\u00a0 The ref was handing out yellow cards like Snickers on Halloween, and it just so happened that Germany’s best scorer, Miroslav Klose, picked up two of them and had to leave with almost an hour left to play (and is now out for the final group match against Ghana).\u00a0 Serbia scored late in the first half to take a 1-0 lead into halftime, and only needed to hold on with an extra man.\u00a0 And, they did–barely.\u00a0 If you only knew that one team had an extra guy in the second half, but you didn’t know which one, you would absolutely<\/em> think that it was Germany with the man-advantage.\u00a0 They were all over the Serbian net all second half, trying for the short-handed equalizer, but they just couldn’t get one in–including a penalty kick.\u00a0 So, now Group D is, all of a sudden, WIDE open.\u00a0 Ghana has to be really happy with this result, but they still have to get it done tomorrow against Australia, and they still have to play the Germans.\u00a0 Big teams like England, the Netherlands and Brazil better watch out because it looks like these upsets are spreading.\u00a0<\/p>\n

6\/18, 7:30 am:\u00a0 Germany (3) vs. Serbia (0)
\n<\/strong>The loss to Ghana last week for the Serbs means that their World Cup hopes have probably come down to a win-or-go-home game against\u00a0‘ze mighty Germans.\u00a0 Not good news if you’re Novak Djokovic or one of his countrymen.\u00a0 A draw here would probably be a good result for Serbia, but it also might not be enough to put them back in play here for a qualifying spot.\u00a0 ‘Ze Germans looked awfully good in dismantling the Soccerroos from Australia last week and if they don’t have a hiccup, should use that +4 to cruise to a Group D win.<\/p>\n

Group A, After Day Two:\u00a0 Uruguay 4 (3-0), Mexico 4 (3-1), France 1 (0-2), South Africa 1 (1-4)
\n<\/strong>Other than the Mexicans, the biggest winner from the French disaster is Uruguay, as they are looking really good to take the A1 spot.\u00a0 There is no reason why either Mexico or Uruguay will risk a loss next week when they play, so expect a 0-0 draw, so that they both qualify.\u00a0 If, by chance, Uruguay wins, France will be able to qualify with a BIG win over South Africa.\u00a0 If Mexico beats Uruguay, South Africa can qualify with a BIG win over France.\u00a0 But, there is really no reason to think that Uruguay won’t finish A1 and Mexico A2.<\/p>\n

6\/17, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Mexico 2 – France 0
\n<\/strong>Well, one of the world’s elite teams is pretty much DONE.\u00a0 And, honestly, no one is crying for France.\u00a0 Mexico knocks off an uninspired French squad, and the Mexicans are looking really <\/em>good to get through to the knockout stage.\u00a0 The French\u00a0looked flat-out bad today, as the Mexicans took it to them from the\u00a0very beginning.\u00a0\u00a0It was a nice recovery from an opening-round draw with South Africa, and I think we need to really watch out for the Mexicans.\u00a0 They are talented and playing well, they\u00a0could be a real tough out in this tournament.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/17, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 France (1) vs. Mexico (1)
\n<\/strong>As all four Group A teams had draws\u00a0on Day 1, the two teams\u00a0whose\u00a0draws felt like losses were France and Mexico.\u00a0 France is supposed to\u00a0be the\u00a0class of this group, and they played\u00a0to an uninspired 0-0 draw against Uruguay.\u00a0 Mexico, on the other\u00a0hand, was dealt a tough blow by merely drawing South Africa, a team\u00a0against whom you really need to pick up three points, host country or not.\u00a0 Mexico can pick up the pieces with a good result here, but they may\u00a0be too far behind already\u00a0unless they can actually beat the French.\u00a0\u00a0Considering the Uruguayan\u00a03-0 win, France has to get a win here or\u00a0it will be a monumental disappointment.\u00a0 Without\u00a0some goals, they are in some trouble for the top spot out of this group, but they are still in decent shape to qualify.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Group B, After Day Two:\u00a0 Argentina 6 (5-1), South Korea 3 (3-4), Greece 3 (2-3), Nigeria\u00a00 (1-3)
\n<\/strong>Well, as expected, the\u00a0Argentines have complete control of this group.\u00a0 They have not officially clinched, but they are looking good for the B1 spot.\u00a0 They finish with Greece, who, thanks\u00a0to their comeback win over Nigeria, is still alive\u00a0and thinking of the knockout round.\u00a0 South Korea got beat bad by the Argentines, but they are still in the driver’s seat for the second spot.\u00a0 If they win, they’re in.\u00a0\u00a0If they draw and Greece does not beat Argentina, they move on.\u00a0\u00a0Unfortunately for them,\u00a0the Argentines will probably be playing for the draw, so they will probably need to avoid a loss to Nigeria.\u00a0 The Super Eagles are actually still pretty alive, believe it or not.\u00a0\u00a0If they beat South Korea, and Argentina beats Greece,\u00a0Nigeria will move on.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/17, 11:00 pm:\u00a0 Greece 2 – Nigeria 1
\n<\/strong>Nigeria looked real good in this game, dominating the game and leading 1-0, when their goalkeeper was called for\u00a0a red card with about an hour left to play, and the Super Eagles had to play a man down for the rest of the way.\u00a0 And, that was just too much.\u00a0 The Greeks got the equalizer right before the half (their first ever World Cup goal), and the winner about halfway into the second half (to clinch their first ever World Cup win).\u00a0 Greece is now in position to possibly move on, but they are staring at Argentina, probably needing a win.<\/p>\n

6\/17, 10:30 am:\u00a0 Greece (0) vs. Nigeria (0)
\n<\/strong>Well, it’s desperation now time for one of\u00a0these two\u00a0immensely talented teams, as dropping to 0-2 is a near death sentence.\u00a0 Nigeria is in a better spot than Greece because they’ve already played Argentina (the best team in the group), so a loss wasn’t devastating.\u00a0 Greece, on the other hand, has its backs against the wall after a surprising loss to South Korea,\u00a0considering they still have Argentina left to play.\u00a0 A draw here probably hurts both teams,\u00a0but would almost be curtains for the Greeks because they can’t realistically hope to beat Argentina, while Nigeria could certainly come out and get three points from their match with\u00a0South\u00a0Korea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Fortunately for these two teams, the Argentines beat the Koreans, so if either of these teams wins here, they will draw even with South Korea in for the second spot in the group.\u00a0 A win or draw for Nigeria here will clinch a knockout qualification for Argentina.\u00a0\u00a0A win or draw for Greece would be a great result for South Korea.<\/p>\n

6\/17, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Argentina 4 – South Korea 1
\n<\/strong>Wow, the Argentines look really <\/em>good, folks.\u00a0 Now, although South Korea did shock Greece earlier, they are not exactly the toughest competition, but Argentina looked very good.\u00a0 Lionel Messi–the best player in the world–was sensational.\u00a0 Argentina is now 2-0 with a large goal differential, so they are well on their way to a B1 qualification for the knockout round–which may draw them France in the Round of 16, but that’s for another day.\u00a0 South Korea needs to recover, root for a draw between Greece and Nigeria, and then come out and play against Nigeria, and they could still get into the knockout round.\u00a0 So, while the 4-1 loss is not promising for the Koreans, they are still in decent position to get through the group.<\/p>\n

6\/17, 7:30 am:\u00a0 Argentina (3) vs. South Korea (3)
\n<\/strong>The surprising South Koreans are tied atop Group B with the Argentinians, after their impressive win over Greece in the first\u00a0match.\u00a0 Now, they get a shot to slay the Group B dragons with a match with\u00a0the Argentines.\u00a0 The winner here will take control of the group and be just a draw away from the B1 position in the knockout round.\u00a0 Expect Argentina to come out firing here, but remember, they are a bit of a tricky team to handicap, as they are volatile and inconsistent.\u00a0 Plus, the Far Eastern teams have\u00a0been excellent so far.\u00a0 But, there is no doubt that the talent advantage favors the\u00a0South Americans, so a draw here would be a very good result for the Koreans.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/16, 4:30:\u00a0\u00a0Uruguay 3 – South Africa 0
\n<\/strong>The Uruguayans\u00a0pick up a big three points and, maybe more importantly, a nice +3 in\u00a0goal differential in a group that\u00a0was deadlocked before this game.\u00a0 The hosts are in a LOT of trouble now.\u00a0 Uruguay is probably now the odds-on favorites to WIN\u00a0Group A–which is a bit of a surprise (and a great pick by BSB!!!).\u00a0 The game was pretty much dominated by the South Americans, but it was only 1-0 until a late red card on the goalkeeper that gave Uruguay a penalty kick and made the South Africans play a\u00a0man down.\u00a0 They added another goal in the fifth minute\u00a0of stoppage time.\u00a0 Big win for Uruguay here, who will try and finish off their Group A against Mexico next week.\u00a0 South Africa will now need several goals and a victory over France to avoid the ignominity of being the first ever host nation not to make it through group play.<\/p>\n

6\/16, 2:00 pm:\u00a0\u00a0Uruguay (1) vs. South Africa (1)
\n<\/strong>Now that every team has debuted, it’s time\u00a0for teams to take the pitch for a second time.\u00a0 Bafana Bafana, the South African squad, got a nice draw with Mexico to open the festivities.\u00a0\u00a0Uruguay, later on the first day, got a nice draw with France.\u00a0 Now, Group A is all-square and\u00a0this second round of games becomes uber-important.\u00a0 It should be interesting to see if the South Africans were\u00a0just amped up for their first game or if they can continue the momentum here.\u00a0 Also, it will be interesting to see if Uruguay’s defense was really that good or if France is just playing as poorly as they seem to be playing.\u00a0 This group is very much up for grabs, so a win\u00a0here for either team would go a very long way towards getting out of the group.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Looking Forward\u00a0After One Round of Games
\n<\/strong>If we take what we know now and start to look ahead to the knockout stage, we can get the very beginnings of an outline for what is to come when the games get\u00a0really <\/em>intense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Group A\/<\/em>B.\u00a0 Group A is deadlocked at a point apiece, while Group B has two leaders and two\u00a0teams chasing.\u00a0 Although they didn’t look\u00a0all that good, France did draw with the second-best team in the group, so you have to think they’re still the\u00a0favorites to win the group.\u00a0 Uruguay is probably the second-most talented team in the group and they drew with France, so they look good to get out, as well.\u00a0\u00a0France is a little more high-powered, so they’re probably will have the edge in\u00a0goal-differential and have to still be the picks for A1.\u00a0\u00a0Uruguay looks good for A2, which would take on the B1 team.\u00a0 After an impressive win over Nigeria, the Argentines are looking solid for that spot, so we might be staring at an Argentina-Uruguay matchup.\u00a0 On the other side, France would await the B2 team, which may just be the darkhorse, South Korea, on the heels of their surprising win over\u00a0Greece.\u00a0 But, Nigeria still has a lot to say about that.<\/p>\n

Group C\/D<\/em>.\u00a0 The English-American draw\u00a0and Slovenia win means that the two big boys of the\u00a0group have work left to do.\u00a0 Algeria is\u00a0in a lot of\u00a0trouble.\u00a0 It’s probably a three-team race right now, but it’s hard to imagine Slovenia winning <\/em>this group, but don’t count them out for\u00a0a surprise second place.\u00a0 As for\u00a0Group D, Germany flexed their muscles, and their 4-0 win should\u00a0be\u00a0goal-differential enough to pretty much wrap up this group,\u00a0barring a shocking loss somewhere.\u00a0 So, the C2 team (still up in the air) would probably get a hot German squad.\u00a0 Ghana got a great win over Serbia and is in prime position to grab that second qualifying position, especially considering the Aussies are already -4 in goal-differential.\u00a0 Ghana would match up with the winner of Group C (a potential 2006 rematch with the Americans)<\/p>\n

Group E\/F<\/em>.\u00a0 The Oranje <\/em>looked really good in their opener and might cruise to the E1 spot.\u00a0 Japan got a big upset win over Cameroon and is looking good for a potential E2 qualification.\u00a0 But, Denmark is still out there, and don’t completely count out the Cameroonians.\u00a0 But, right now, it looks good for Japan in E2.\u00a0 Netherlands’ probably E1 spot would reward them with a date with F2.\u00a0 But, the question is:\u00a0 who will that\u00a0be?\u00a0 The Dutch may have become the biggest fans of the Azzurri <\/em>outside the boot, as they do not want Italy to slip to F2, which is possible, with this whole group deadlocked at a point apiece.\u00a0 It is still a good bet to pick the Italians to win the group, though, and with their draw of Italy, Paraguay is in a good spot to grab the F2 spot and a date with the Netherlands.\u00a0 Italy might get a nice matchup with Japan in the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

Group G\/H<\/em>.\u00a0 And, here is the intrigue.\u00a0 Brazil, the #1 team in the world, is probably the clear choice to finish at G1.\u00a0 But, now, with the crazy upset of Switzerland over Spain, the Spanish (#2 in the world) may have trouble winning their group.\u00a0 So, if they qualify, they might be the H2 qualifier, which would pit the world’s top two teams against one another in the Round of 16.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 The winner of the (probably) goal-differential decided G2 spot between Cote d’Ivoire and Portugal would then get the H1 winner, which could be Spain, but it might more likely be Switzerland or Chile.\u00a0 These two groups are way up in the air right now.\u00a0 The one thing we do know is that North Korea probably won’t be scouting Honduras as a potential opponent in South Africa this year.<\/p>\n

Group F, After Day One:\u00a0 Chile 3 (+1), Switzerland 3 (+1), Honduras 0 (-1), Spain 0 (-1)
\n<\/strong>Well, well, well.\u00a0 What do we have here?\u00a0 Total chaos in the last group, as Spain, one of the odds-on favorites to win the whole thing, is sitting at the bottom of its group.\u00a0 Chile (my pick as most impressive team through one round) is tied with the shocking Swiss at the top.\u00a0 This group may come down to whether or not the Swiss can get three points from Honduras.\u00a0 If they can, then a draw with Chile wins them the group.\u00a0 If they beat Honduras and lose to Chile, then we might be staring at a 3-way tie atop the group, where goal-differential might come into play, which is not good for the Chileans, who only beat Honduras by 1.\u00a0 Interesting stuff…<\/p>\n

6\/16, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Switzerland 1 – Spain 0
\n<\/strong>We went the whole first round of games without a monumental upset…until the final matchup.\u00a0 The European champions and one of the two consensus favorites to win the whole thing loses their opener.\u00a0 Spain actually dominated possession in this game, but the Swiss made one of their very few shots count and their defense around the net was spectacular.\u00a0 This is a shocker, not only for this group, but for the knockout round’s matchups.\u00a0 If Spain can recover and finish second in this group–still a good possibility–they would match up with the top team from Group G–presumably, Brazil–in the Round of 16.\u00a0 Imagine that:\u00a0 the two teams that are supposedly high above the rest of the field, playing each other in the Round of 16.\u00a0 But, there is a lot of time until then, and Chile might have something to say about Spain finishing second.\u00a0 This result here might send this group to a three-way tie at 2-1, in which case goal-differential could be the difference between winning the group and going home.\u00a0 Then again, maybe Switzerland is just that good.\u00a0 We will see with their, all of a sudden, GIGANTIC matchup with Chile next week.\u00a0 Wow!<\/p>\n

6\/16, 10:30 am:\u00a0 Spain vs. Switzerland
\n<\/strong>The last two teams to\u00a0debut at the Cup this year are these two, and I wonder if Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be watching together.\u00a0 While the world rankings have Brazil as the #1 team, many people actually think that Spain, the defending Olympic champion,\u00a0is the world’s best team and the favorite to win the whole thing.\u00a0 They open against a polished Swiss squad that can give some teams trouble along the way and certainly could contend for a qualifying spot out of Group H.\u00a0 However, they are outmatched today, so a draw would be a fantastic result for the Swiss.\u00a0 Spain should expect to get three here.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/16, 10:00 am:\u00a0 Chile 1 – Honduras 0
\n<\/strong>Okay, I know that Germany won 4-0 and dominated from the very start.\u00a0 I\u00a0also know that\u00a0I really don’t know anywhere near enough about soccer to actually “analyze” anything, so\u00a0take this all with a grain of\u00a0salt.\u00a0 And, I have watched every single game of the\u00a0first round of games (just about every minute), so I, as\u00a0a sports fan (not a soccer fan), have kind of a feel for these teams.\u00a0 <\/strong>So, here’s the provocative statement:\u00a0 Chile was the most dominant team in their 2010 World Cup opener.\u00a0 Yes, Germany won 4-0, but Chile dominated Honduras every bit as much as Germany did to the Soccerroos.\u00a0 They outshot the Hondurans 22-5 (7-1 on goal) and played pretty much the entire game on the attack.\u00a0 They could have had 4 or 5 goals when it was all said and done.\u00a0 And, I feel even more confident in my statement that they were easily the most entertaining team to watch.\u00a0 I have a new “favorite player” (not that I had one before), and his name is Alexis Sanchez.\u00a0 That guy is awesome!\u00a0 Anyway, this may have been just an example of a subpar Honduras team that got beat by a decent Chile team, but either way, it’s three big points for the South Americans, who are trying to qualify behind Spain in this group.\u00a0 Honduras is now in some trouble, as they have Spain next, so they could fall to an unrecoverable 0-2.<\/p>\n

6\/16, 7:30 am:\u00a0 Chile vs. Honduras
\n<\/strong>And, the final group gets underway today as Chile takes on Honduras.\u00a0 The Hondurans were not incredible in qualification, but they did do just enough to get in to the tournament.\u00a0 The Chileans, on the other hand, have been playing some of the best soccer that no one has noticed.\u00a0 In a group with the mighty Spanish, the other three teams might be playing for second place, but the Chileans probably are the favorites to grab that second qualifying spot in the only group without a team from Asia or Africa.\u00a0 This is a big game, though, as there are no pushovers in this group, so every point is big.\u00a0 If either of these teams can get three points today, they have a real inside track for a qualifying spot, especially considering Switzerland is likely to come away with none today against Spain.<\/p>\n

Group G, After Day One:\u00a0 Brazil 3 (+1), Cote d’Ivoire\u00a01 (0), Portugal 1 (0), North Korea 0 (-1)
\n<\/strong>Not real surprises\u00a0with the first results of the Group of Death, as Brazil got the three points they needed from North Korea, and the other two drew.\u00a0\u00a0The\u00a0key to this group\u00a0might just be how badly each of the\u00a0big three beats North Korea.\u00a0\u00a0Brazil did not beat them badly, so they might be behind the eight-ball to start here, but then again, they are the #1 team in the world.\u00a0 Portugal looked like they went into the game looking for a 0-0 draw, and they got it.\u00a0 A bit risky, I must say, but we’ll see how they do in the next two.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/15, 4:30 pm:\u00a0 Brazil 2 – North Korea 1
\n<\/strong>This was a pretty blase performance by the Brazilians.\u00a0 They went the\u00a0whole first half scoreless, before getting a quick goal in the second half.\u00a0 They added another one later, which turned\u00a0out to be\u00a0a very important one, as the North Koreans scored and then had chances to tie late.\u00a0 This has been a great first round of games for the Far Eastern teams.\u00a0\u00a0Now, there\u00a0really is no reason to think that Brazil is in trouble, but this is the “Group of Death.”\u00a0 Everyone just assumes (myself included, at times) that the real fight is for the #2 spot between\u00a0Cote d’Ivoire and Portugal, but let’s not forget that those two teams are two\u00a0of the world’s best, so it’s not\u00a0crazy<\/em> to think that Brazil\u00a0might\u00a0have a\u00a0couple fights on their hands.\u00a0 Goal differential might go a long way in this group, and only beating North\u00a0Korea by one could <\/em>come back to bite them.\u00a0 Then again, they could just roll through the group, but we’ll see.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/15, 2:00 pm:\u00a0 Brazil vs. North Korea
\n<\/strong>This classic match of the world’s #1-ranked team against the\u00a0lowest ranked team to make the field (North\u00a0Korea is ranked 104th).\u00a0 The oddsmakers have Brazil as a 10-to-1 favorite to win <\/em>this game.\u00a0 That means to win $100, you have to wager $1,000, and you lose on a draw or a North Korea win.\u00a0 Honestly, I think it’s a pretty good bet.\u00a0 Brazil should roll this team without any problem.\u00a0 Not only is North\u00a0Korea the lowest-ranked team\u00a0to qualify, but they were put in a group with three\u00a0of the world elite teams.\u00a0\u00a0Yeah, it’s a pretty good bet that they’re leaving South Africa with 3 L’s.\u00a0 That being\u00a0said, though,\u00a0if any of the three takes them lightly and only draws, it could be the difference between making it out of the group or not.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

6\/15, 1:00 pm:\u00a0 Portugal\u00a00 – Cote d’Ivoire\u00a00\u00a0
\n<\/strong>The first half was just as predicted–neither team wanted to lose, so they didn’t do anything.\u00a0 It was a lot of square and back passes, especially from the Portugese side.\u00a0 Christiano Ronaldo (who is a total bitch) nearly put the Portugese up with a blast, but it hit the post.\u00a0 The Ivoirians were a little more aggressive and had more chances, but it was 0-0 at the half.\u00a0 The second half opened up a little bit, as the Elephants continued to have chances.\u00a0 They brought Drogba in with his broken arm, and he had a shot in stoppage time.\u00a0 In fact, the Elephants dominated the final 4 minutes and nearly stole a huge victory.\u00a0 Anyway, the way it looks, the second qualifying spot will probably be determined by who beats North Korea worse and who plays closer to Brazil.<\/p>\n

6\/15, 10:30 am:\u00a0\u00a0Portugal vs. Cote d’Ivoire
\n<\/strong>If you told me that there was only one round-robin match that I could watch, it wouldn’t be Germany-Serbia or Argentina-Greece or even–gasp–USA-England.\u00a0 It would be this one.\u00a0 I thin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, what we’re going to do here is have a recurring post on the World Cup matches played and upcoming matches.\u00a0 Again, don’t expect any big “soccer” analysis, but more of a sports fan’s take on the world’s greatest sporting … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[221],"tags":[1038],"class_list":["post-554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-soccer","tag-2010-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}