Germany v Spain

Wow, what a game this is going to be. This rematch of the Euro2008 final (which Spain won with a first half Fernando Torres goal) features a possession-heavy La Roja versus a high-flying Die Mannschaft. Two years ago the team from Iberia proved their superiority, but while they have remained essentially the same, the Germans are younger and playing to the beat of Jurgen Klinsmann's drum (which was, of course, passed back to Jogi Low in 2006).

The historical playing styles of these two countries seem to be reversed. Spain has prevailed in their last three games by only a goal, whereas Germany thrashed England and Argentina by scores of 4-1 and 4-0, respectively. Die Mannschaft has played arguable the most entertaining football of any team in the tournament, moving quickly from back to front and finishing with ruthless efficiency (those last eight goals came from 13 shots on target).

Spain has been up to their usual business, patiently knocking the ball around the midfield and defense until their opponent's defensive shell shows its weaknesses. Spain will look to reach their first ever World Cup final, but they first must break down Germany's defense.

Here are a few key elements of tomorrow's game:

• As mentioned, Spain will need to crack open the German defense, and they certainly wont be able to do it aerially.
• The absence of Thomas Muller. One of Germany's young starlets, the gangly, seemingly uncoordinated winger has four goals and three assists but is suspended thanks to another soft and undeserved yellow card.
• Midfield battle. Its Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira versus Xavi and Xabi Alonso. Sergio Busquets might be tasked with containing German no. 10 Mesut Ozil, which is no small task as the young playmaker will pop up all over the pitch all game.
• Fernando Torres. He has been god awful in every game and Spain's offense only seems to come alive when he is subbed off. Will Vicente Del Bosque gamble on him miraculously finding form? Or leave his rusty legs on the bench in favor of Pedro or David Silva and move David Villa to striker.
• Who scores first. If Germany strike first, they will be able to absorb Spain deeper and hit harder on the counter attack. Vice versa, Spain will patiently knock the ball around and the Germans will spend a lot of energy winning it back and be forced to pressure high up the pitch, exposing their back line. Whoever finds the net first will most likely win this encounter.
• The pressure. The Spaniards are notorious for faltering under high expectations and are hoping they shook off that monkey two summers ago. Germany, ever a tournament team, have it in their blood to perform at this stage; they've reached the final in four of the last seven Cups.

If this semifinal is as good as today's, we're certainly in for a treat. Germany doesn't mind sharing the ball whereas Spain treats it like the last ball on earth. Two Golden Ball potentials, Miroslav Klose (4) and David Villa (5), have prolific records with their national sides and a nose for big games and certainly will not be taking their foot off the gas now. Nothing says a World Cup semifinal like two countries with such pedigrees, and it is very hard to predict a winner. That being said, my gut says Germany, even though Paul the octopus says otherwise. While the cephalopod seems to have crushed the hopes of his home country, German fans can find solace because, although he has been correct until now, for the last Euro final he incorrectly picked Germany over Spain--that was the only game he got wrong.

Oranje Final

One thing is for sure: we are going to have and all-Euro final which means that finally they will win a World Cup away from their home continent. The perennial homebodies finally sucked it up.

Netherlands beat Uruguay today 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final. This means that Luis Suarez, he of red card, goal-line saving, really-not-that-big-a-deal-it's-not-cheating-it's-deliberately-breaking-the-rules-everything-was-done-to-the-T-and-Gyan-shouldn't-have-missed-that-penalty fame will not get to play in the final. All those complainers, whiners, moaners, and sissies can finally shut up about how he should be given a further ban, or be castrated, for his African-hope-killing sending off in the quarterfinals. (This was me addressing the topic without wanting to waste time on a full article. Steve McManaman said there's nothing wrong with Suarez's play, and he once fought his own goalkeeper.)

The scoring was opened with a 41-yard thunderstrike from captain Geo Von Bronkhorst that will most likely be the goal of the tournament, unless some one scores a bicycle kick from outside the box or something just as ridiculous.

Diego Forlan provided a bit of magic before half with a swerving, left-footed equalizer that bent enough to wrong-foot Stekelenburg from 30 yards out.

Overall, the Oranje looked impressive, but not dominating. Many times they gave the ball away cheaply in the midfield. Van Persie, who did not have a great game anyway, looked isolated up top. Usually they are Clockwork Oranje, but the gears didn't always looked meshed as they moved the ball up field as they ground out a win.

On the positive side, the Dutch were very strong in the back. The first goal was a result of giving a marksman like Forlan too much space. The second, coming in stoppage time, was a result of an over-committing young winger (Eljero Elia, though he anticipated the short free kick well) and a good finish that somehow went through a sea of bodies.

In addition, the Dutch will be at full strength on Sunday. Nigel De Jong, who inexplicably only picked up two yellows in five games, returns to the midfield. His replacement, Demy De Zeeuw, well hopefully remember who he is by Sunday after getting his brain scrambled and mouth bloodied by a bicycle kick to the face from Martin Caceres. Gregory Van der Wiel also is back from suspension. Whichever left-sided player they face in the final will be happy not to face Khalid "The Cannibal" Boulahrouz.

The second goal was lucky but well-deserved. When you have that much attacking talent, goals are inevitable. They must find their fluidity if they want to be crowned champions.

The Netherlands is now in their third final (1974 and 1978) and may just finally achieve what they haven't been able to do in their illustrious history. They will have to overcome bitter rivals Germany, or a slick-passing Spanish side that will also be looking for their first Cup.

But first they must find a place to stay.

Quarterfinals, Part I

Seven games from now, we will have crowned a new world champion at the 2010 FIFA World Cup from South Africa (eight if you count the consolation match). Only eight teams remain, and South American is strongly represented with a team in each quarterfinal game. Europe's three best teams, the Dutch, the Germans, and the Spaniards, will be trying to halt the Latin America onslaught. (Side note, thinking that France or Italy would be here or that England or Portugal was a European favorite is just ludicrous.) Ghana is still Africa's last hope and certainly wont just lie down.

Tomorrow first game is Brasil v Netherlands in Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. The afternoon features Uruguay and Ghana at Soccer City in Jo'burg.

Brasil v Netherlands:

RGaucho-Brazil over Netherlands 2-1

Brazil's win over Chile was very impressive to me, as it was the first time I was able to fully appreciate Gilberto Silva and his continued stellar play for Brazil protecting the back four. In addition, Lucio and Juan are playing spectacular positional defense, making it seem as if a very dangerous and skilled Chile attack had no chance of scoring. Thus, I'm picking Brazil to beat the Netherlands because of their superior defense. In their previous match, the Dutch allowed several stellar scoring opportunities for the Slovakians, which will come back to haunt them against Fabiano and Brazil. Look for Brazil to soak up a lot of pressure against the fearsome Dutch attack, displeasing joga bonito fans everywhere, but allowing Brazil to defend and score several quick goals, sending Dunga's men into the semis.

cornezinho-Brasil over Netherlands 2-0.

As good as the Dutch have looked, they've no really faced a worth adversary and have yet to spark to life. Waiting until you meet Brasil is not a good time to try and light the fire. Both teams play a 4-2-3-1 with fullbacks flying up the wings, holding midfielders to protect the back line, and one out-and-out striker supported by wingers and a free man beneath him. Brasil only has to worry about Michel Bastos (who plays forward for Lyon) containing the quick-footed Arjen Robben. However, by now everyone HAS to know that Robben is only dangerous when cutting into the left and shooting with his favored foot. Push him wide with the help of Gilberto and make him cross; Lucio and Juan will gobble up the skinny Robin Van Persie. The only thing left to worry about is a moment of brilliance from the mercurial Wesley Sneijder. As mentioned above, the Oranje defense has been porous to teams such as Japan and Slovakia, so how will they handle Robinho, Kaka, and Luis Fabiano? Position by position the Dutch are equaled or over-matched, especially in goal, at right back, and center back, and their attack looks frozen compared to the fluidity of those in the yellow shirts.

Daave-Netherlands over Brazil

The yellow and green completely shut down the middle of the field against Chile. Luckily, the Dutch have a player in Arjen Robben who loves to strike from the wing. I think he'll be the difference maker in this one, especially since he has found his World Cup sea legs. Brazil has been great so far, but there seems to be something missing from this group. This is the quarterfinal match I am most looking forward to.

Uruguay v Ghana

RGaucho-Uruguay over Ghana on penalties

Don't expect too much from this match. By this point, teams are what they are, and what these teams have are terrific defense squads that count on only a couple star players to take advantage of another team's lapses. Unfortunately, I don't think either team will provide the lapses necessary for the other to score. I could look pretty dumb if Johnathan Mensahs yellow card suspension ends up hurting Ghana's defense, but I think they have enough quality to make up for it. And on the other end; as much as it hurts to say, Diego Lugnao and Uruguay have much more quality at the back than the U.S. and simply won't allow Ghana to strike right up the middle. So why Uruguay on pk's? It's just a hunch, or perhaps I'm still remembering their U-20 side wasn't that great at them despite beating Brazil for the championship last summer.

cornezinho-Ghana over Uruguay 2-1

This could be a boring game. Stifling defenses, packed midfielders, and strikers waiting to spring the counter attack. Despite some structure from their Serbian coach, Milovan Rajevac, Ghana is prone to making errors in marking at the back, and when you hand Diego Forlan one of those opportunities he will punish you (unlike Robbie Findley). That being said, Ghana has some solid option going forward. Asamoah Gyan is in good form, Kevin-Prince Boateng will be fit for the game, and Prince Tagoe should be back to start. They are missing Jonathan Mensah and Andre Ayew in the back and middle, respectively, but have plenty of suitable replacements in Lee Addy, Sulley Muntari, and Stephen Appiah. The Black Stars will do just enough things right to be the first African team to reach a World Cup semifinal.

Daave-Uruguay over Ghana

I have been surprised about how passive Ghana has been at times in this tournament. It seems as if they rely to much on the counterattack. That may work against pressing teams with weaker defenses such as the USA and Australia, but Uruguay has only allowed one goal in the tournament and Diego Lugano has been rock solid in the back. The absence of Andre Ayew and Jonathan Mensah (both with suspension) doesn't help.

Come back tomorrow for reviews of Saturday's games

Rooined

England crashed out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa at the hands of the Germans, and suffered the usual blitzing of their media. Much of their hopes relied on young Wayne Rooney after his inspiring season with Manchester United, but Wazza was hopeless in South Africa and will certainly want to forget it all very soon.

Much hoopla was also made about a North Korean forward, one Jong Tae-Se aka the People's Wayne Rooney. And while a comparison between these two forwards seems very generous for the one from the Far East, they are actually quite similar (click for a clearer image).

In their World Cup campaigns, Tae-Se showed up Rooney by providing the assist for his country's only goal. Maybe now we should call Rooney the "British Jong Tae-Se."

Round of 16 preview: USA-Ghana

The United States topped their group with a thrilling one-nil win over Algeria just before the stroke of midnight. Ghana limped in with a loss to Germany but, thanks to Australia's upset of Serbia, advanced on goal differential. Saturday in Rustenburg at Royal Bafokeng stadium they'll square off in the second match of the round of 16.

First we flash back to 2006 in Nuremberg, Germany. In the last game of Group E, we would advance with a win (and an Italy win, which happened) over Ghana. In a soft performance by the USA that rounded out a terrible campaign, we crashed out with a 1-2 loss.

Fast forward to now: Claudio Reyna and his creaking bones are gone and Onyewu is four years more mature. The Yanks are coming with a ton of momentum, having put together some of their best showings ever starting with the second half against Slovenia. Landon Donovan has finally come of age and is ready to exorcise the demons of 2006, and for the first time soccer is not just a small blip on the United States' sports radar.

On the other hand, the Black Stars are on a downward slope; after starting with a win over Serbia, they tied a ten man Australia and then lost to the Germans. They do have one advantage: as the last African team left, the whole continent is behind them.

But just how good is this home field "advantage"? People expected Cameroon, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and hosts South Africa to have full support of the locals, yet they all were eliminated at the group stage. In addition, the USA has reportedly bought the most tickets out of any nation and Uncle Sam's army has been in full force for all our games. Our correspondent in South Africa bought a scalped Algeria ticket for only $20. You can bet a horde of American will flock to Rustenburg and buy up the remaining tickets to root us on to the quarterfinals. Hardly seems like Africa will be empowering Ghana from the stands.

When it comes down to it, the teams are pretty evenly matched. Both favor a physically intense, high octane game. The Yanks defense has been pretty solid, and Ghana's Serbian coach Milovan Rajevac has instilled a defensive discipline not seen in African sides. They are both very young squads whose players don't perform consistently, yet are a real threat on their day. The game could go either way, and boils down to a few things:

• Which Ghana offense shows up? They have only scored two goals this tournament, both from penalties. Against Australia they showed a real lack of patience, shooting from over 25 yards away, which will not trouble our keeper Tim Howard
• The USA key attacking players: Donovan, Dempsey, and Altidore. All had great spurts and runs, but often they do it at different times. If they are firing on all cylinder together, I reckon they'll be unstoppable.
• Ghana's defense: Their backline is either very young or very old, both of which are exploitable.
• Will Jonathan Bornstein start? Its been documented that I'm not his biggest fan. While he played well enough against Algeria, I'd rather not press our luck, especially against the tricky and pacey Prince Tagoe.
• Who partners Jozy up top? Hercules didn't look to bad and Buddle ran off of Altidore well, but Bob Bradley obviously favors Robbie Findley.
• Battle in the middle: its our two, Michael Bradley and Maurice Edu, against their three, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Anthony Annan, and Andre Ayew. Bradley and Boateng will be quite the battle. Both are hot-headed and rough and neither will back down from a confrontation.
• Don't give up a early goal. England score in the fourth minute, Slovenia in the thirteenth, and Algeria rocked the crossbar in the fifth minute and it nearly made me shit my heart. Just once lets not go behind and leave it to a nail-bitting ending. Lets score early and often then shut up shop, which is easier said than done of course.

If the USA plays like we did the last game and half and Ghana doesn't step it up, the Yanks should march on to the quarterfinals. If we come out flat, we may just be packing our bags. But momentum is with us, and we sure play well with momentum. I say USA 3, Ghana 1. Lets not end this dream just yet.

Group stage notes Part 2

And we continue where we left off...

Funniest moments of the group stages:

RGaucho-Evra and France team chief argument.

cornezinho-North Korea's Jong Tae-Se, aka The People's Wayne Rooney, guaranteeing to score a "goal a game" and that his team would accompany Brasil into the knockout stages. Or Fernando Torres's futile attempts at trying to score, or playing football in general. Or nearly everything John Harkes says, which is all unintentional comedy. I was considering keeping a log of his best quotes, but that required listening to John Harkes intently entirely too much.

Biggest surprises so far:

RGaucho-The biggest surprise for me has easily been Japan. I thought they were going to lose all three matches, and score one goal at the most. Instead, they score two amazing free kicks within 5 minutes of each other, play disciplined and passionate defense, and have a breakout star in Honda, who I had no knowledge of before the tournament started. Note to self: pay less attention to Serie A, the league and Italian footballers in general suck these days.

cornezinho-Both Japan and South Korea have been impressive, and I've been delightfully please with how well our boys of the USA have played. Also, I knew France was having troubles, but the extent to which it derailed their campaign was incredible. Evra argued with a coach, they boycotted practice, Anelka and Ribery wouldn't pass to Gourcuff, and all the other drama was straight out of a bad soap opera.

Best XI:

RGaucho-Tim Howard (USA) GK, Maicon (Brasil) RB, Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal) CB, Diego Lugano (Uruguay) CB, Carlos Salcido (Mexico) LB, Mesut Ozil (Germany) CM, Michael Bradley (USA) CM, Lionel Messi (Argentina) CAM, Diego Forlan (Uruguay) CF, Keisuke Honda (Japan) CF, David Villa (Spain) ST

cornezinho-Tim Howard (USA) GK, Maicon (Brasil) RB, Ricardo Carvalho (Portugal) CB, Diego Lugano (Uruguay) CB, Philip Lahm (Germany) LB, Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany) CM, Michael Bradley (USA) CM, Lionel Messi (Argentina) CAM, Landon Donovan (USA) RW, Keisuke Honda (Japan) LW, David Villa (Spain) ST

The round of 16 starts tomorrow. The group stages were heated and it only gets better from here.

Group stage notes Part 1

Finally the group stages of the 2010 FIFA World Cup from South Africa are over. We've said goodbye to last years finalists, France and Italy, and a world stage hello to some bright youngsters like Mesut Ozil and Michael Bradley. And while we salivate for the Round of 16 to begin, here are some notes on the group stages (commentary by cornezinho, Daave's to be uploaded later):

Best player of the group:

Group A:

RGaucho-Diego Forlan, Uruguay. Captain Forlan put in two goals and showed good hold up play to help the Uruguayans explode out of the back on counter attacks.

cornezinho-Diego Lugano, Uruguay. A solid performance in the center of defense, Lugano was the first to disrupt the opposing team's offense and the last man to get beat, which rarely happened. Was also a threat on set pieces.

Group B:

RGaucho-Lionel Messi, Argentina. Still without a goal, Messi's mazy runs and pinpoint passing has left defenses in shambles and goalkeepers trembling.

cornezinho-Messi. Higuain may have three goals, but Argentina has been Messi's team and he is just waiting to hit the net and open the floodgates.

Group C:

RGaucho-Landon Donovan, USA. Our talismanic captain has been top class, and it was epitomized in the last-gap, game-clenching, group-winning, heart-stopping, I-think-I-just-pooped-myself-in-excitement goal against Algeria that is shown every five minutes on SportsCenter.

cornezinho-Michael Bradley, USA. Bradley has been the definition of a box-to-box midfielder. He has marshaled the center of the pitch with great expertise for a 22-year-old, doing it nearly entirely on his own against Algeria when Maurice Edu was subbed out. And he scored the equalizer against Slovenia. If he keeps it up, his club Borussia Monchengladbach are certainly going to receive offers for him.

Group D:

RGaucho-Mesut Ozil, Germany. A classic no. 10, Ozil is Germany's creative force, dribbling at defenders and delivering incisive passes. And that sick goal against Ghana.

cornezinho-Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany. I put him in my first round XI and he is not being left out now. A thigh injury might rule him out against England which is a tragedy, since he will be needed for the battle with Lampard and Barry.

Group E:

RGaucho-Keisuke Honda, Japan. Honda was an inspiration on offense and an ever-present danger in a surprising Blue Samurai squad.

cornezinho-Honda. The winning goal against Cameroon and his dominance against Denmark leaves him a rising star and a purchase by a top European club seems eminent. His first free kick was brilliant and the feint and pass for the defining goal was a masterclass move.

Group F:

RGaucho-Robert Vittek, Slovakia. Scored all of Slovakia's goals (3) until the third goal against Italy. What more can you ask from a striker.

cornezinho-Ryan Nelsen/New Zealand. Nelsen was the captain of the All White's stifling defense but no one player deserves the accolade. The Kiwis were expected to leave with zero points and no dignity, but shocked everyone and left South Africa undefeated (three draws) and ahead of cup defenders Italy.

Group G:

RGaucho-Maicon, Brasil. The marauding right fullback scored an excellent goal against Commie Korea and was a force on both offense and defense.

cornezinho-Ricardo Carvalho, Portugal. A big reason why Portugal gave up zero goals in the group, was able to shut down Chelsea teammate Didier Drogba and Brasil's Luis Fabiano without any of his dreaded two-footed tackles.

Group H:

RGaucho-David Villa, Spain. Three goals, two of which are top 10 quality. Can't argue with that.

cornezinho-Andres Iniesta, Spain. The Barcelona play maker came in fresh of injury but still showed off his innate dribbling abilities and fantastic vision. He was a bright star in La Roja's loss to the Swiss and was rewarded with a clinical goal for his fantastic display against Chile.

Now the list you don't want to be on, the worst performers of the group:

Group A:

RGaucho-Patrice Evra, France. The Captain, didn't really do his job of organizing and unify the squad.

cornezinho- France as a whole, with the exception of keeper Hugo Lloris. What an embarrassment.

Group B:

RGaucho-Sani Kaita, Nigeria. Received an extremely dumb red card against Greece for an "attempted" kick. Yeah, the Greece scum play-acted the encounter, but you just can't be doing that. Especially to the dirty, mischievous Greeks.

cornezinho-Martin Demichelis, Argentina. The centerback is good for one good screw up a game and is a real liability. It cost them a goal against South Korea in a comfortable win, but as the tournament goes on it could be a fatal mistake.

Group C:

RGaucho-Wayne Rooney, England. Rooney was supposed to be the savior of England, but all that he has mustered up is a shot off the post against Slovenia.

cornezinho-Rooney, or England as a whole. Its a combination of severe under performing and over hyping by the British media, but England has been dismal and most likely will be put out of their misery by their old foes, the Germans.

Group D:

RGaucho-Nikola Zigic, Serbia. The 6'8" couldn't head for crap and managed as many shots on goal as goals (zero). He even managed to block a teammate's goal bound shot against Ghana.

cornezinho-Serbia's defense. Anchored by Nemanja Vidic and Branislav Ivanovic, they only gave up three goals but gifted two penalties by deciding to use their arms instead of their heads on crosses, which is frowned upon in football. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot (which also frowned upon).

Group E:

RGaucho-Jon Dahl Tomasson, Denmark. Veteran and captain (when he plays), JDT looked nervous and out of sync. He whiffed a chance against Japan, then missed his PK before shanking the follow up which was lucky to go in. Not very becoming of the Dane's leading scorer.

cornezinho-Cameroon. For a team with a bunch of good players, the Indomitable Lions were very much domitable, finishing with zero points. They only ever looked like they would draw with Denmark, but poor finishing and even poorer defending undid that.

Group F:

RGaucho-Everybody on Italy except Quagliarella. Age factory aside, the Azzuri lacked quality, continuity, and even their usually dependable defense was as holey as the Shroud of Turin. They only showed a sense of urgency with 15 minutes left against Slovakia when elimination was impending. The increased effort was 255 minutes too late.

cornezinho-Fabio Cannavaro, Italy. Their captain really played like a 38-year-old. It didn't help that Italy was poor overall, but Cannavaro gave Paraguay their goal by not even jumping for the header off the set piece and displayed reactions like a geriatric cat for New Zealand's goal when the ball fell into his lap.

Group G:

RGaucho-Kim Jong-Il, Commie Korea. Their Dear Leader was providing tactical and substitution suggestions via a secret, invisible communication link with coach Kim Jong-Hun. He did a great job, helping his team to a 1-2 loss to Brasil, 0-7 to Portugal, and 0-3 to the Ivory Coast, for zero points and a goal differential of negative eleven.

cornezinho-Emmanuel Eboue, Ivory Coast. Arsenal's Kanye West look-alike was part of Elephant's dismal midfield, and his biggest impact I remember was delaying the Portugal game after going down from a tackle.

Group H:

RGaucho-Fernando Torres, Spain. Put plain and simple, El Nino was awful, epitomized by a chance against Honduras from about 12 yards out that is currently still in orbit somewhere above Johannesburg.

cornezinho-Torres. You could see on his face how disappointed in himself he was. 'Nando was rustier than a hillbilly lawn ornament.

More in next post...

2 games=2 TVs

When you are trying to watch every game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, having two games played at once can be an issue. Thankfully, there is a solution. The primary television (right) broadcasts in beautiful HD, while the secondary television (left) streams off espn3.com in a slightly lesser but still good quality. Thus, nothing will be missed. And the hand-made cardboard US crest (top) will keep our spirits high.

Mathematics

We are officially half way through the 2010 FIFA World Cup from South Africa with 32 of the 64 games now over. We've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly, and we are now immune to the sound of bees, blenders, lawn mowers, weed-wackers and the voice of the Nanny thanks to those lovely vuvuzelas. Tomorrow begins the final games of the group stages; some teams will be extending their camp stays, others will be home before the post cards arrive. We have all the different scenarios for you so you'll know each teams chances of advancing without ending your brain's summer vacation.

First, the FIFA rules on the group stage rankings. Obviously the teams are ranked first by points, then by goal differential. If two (or three) teams are even on both, the next tiebreaker is goals scored, followed by head-to-head (like if one team beat the other). The next three rules pertain mostly to a three way tie and are similar to the previous two, read here on the FIFA website. Lastly, if all is still tied, a name is pulled out of a hat. Yes, in the world's most important sporting event, or event in general, fates can be decided by random chance. Lovely ain't it?

GROUP A--Mexico (4 points, +3 goal differential) v Uruguay (4 pts, +2 GD), France (1 pt, -2 GD) v South Africa (1 pt, -3 GD)

Les Blues and Bafana Bafana are opponents in the same boat; a tie eliminates them both, otherwise they need to win, and win big, by at least four goals. Plus they need Mexico and Uruguay to not tie. If the two teams from the Americas tie they advance for sure, otherwise its going to take a lot of work by either team in the other game.

Prediction: Going out on a limb here, but I'm saying Mexico and Uruguay tie and go on. Hopefully the hosts can end their tournament with a win for the locals, which is plausible considering that at France's rate of self destruction, tomorrow they may field a team of reserves, coaches, and the reanimated corpse of Napoleon.

GROUP B--Argentina (6 pts, +4 GD) v Greece (3 pts, -1 GD), South Korea (3 pts, -1 GD) v Nigeria (0 pts, -2 GD)

Argentina has pretty much qualified. Only real big wins by both Greece and Korea would knock out los Albicelestes. Argentina will be looking to end on a high with a win, and Greece will have trouble even getting a tie. Tomorrow is basically a race between Greece and Korea, and Korea has the advantage of scoring one more goal in the event they both tie plus not having to play Argentina. Nigeria's chances are not too slim, where a two goal win and a Greece loss lets them through.

Prediction: Korea dominated Greece and the scoreline against Argentina didn't reflect how well they played. They should beat or at least tie Nigeria, and Argentina is definitely not showing any mercy against Greece.

GROUP C-- Slovenia (4 pts, +1 GD) v England (2 pts, 0 GD), USA (2 pts, 0 GD) v Algeria (1 pt, -1 GD)

Let's not even get started on how the USA should be leading with four points were it not for dubious referring. However, our destiny is in our hands, and we advance with a win. If we tie, we need Slovenia to win, or for a Slovenia/England tie that scores two less goals than our tie. Algeria advances with a win and England loss/tie or win by more than one goal. If England wins they advance for sure, and Slovenia only needs to get points to advance for sure.

Prediction: The Yanks showed last summer they can beat North African teams (Egypt) and we should win, despite my ill harbored feelings that it's a game we could lose. England needs to finally get it together; they have the quality to smash Slovenia, but so too against us and Algeria. I see USA and England making it to the Round of 16, but anyone in this group can advance.

GROUP D-- Ghana (4 pts, +1 GD) v Germany (3 pts, +3 GD), Serbia (3 pts, 0 GD) v Australia (1 pt, -4 GD)

Ghana should have sealed their fate by beating the 10-man Aussies, but they still advance for sure with a win or tie. Germany will be going all out after feeling they were robbed against Serbia and advance with a win. If both games tie, Germany and Ghana advance. Serbia advances only with a win or a tie and Germany loss. Australia needs a win and Germany loss or they are on a plane back down under.

Prediction: In the World Cup you just can't count out Germany, and I think they definitely will get the job done. Australia could go out with a bang and hold Serbia at bay, other wise the two European teams will get through at the expense of Africa's last real hope.

GROUP E-- Netherlands (6 pts, +3 GD) v Cameroon (0 pts, -2 GD), Japan (3 pts, -1 GD) v Denmark (3 pts, -2 GD)

These two games are entirely independent; Netherlands advances for sure and Cameroon is already eliminated. Its a showdown between the Blue Samurai and Olssen's Eleven where winner takes all. Thanks to goal differential, Japan advances with a tie.

Prediction: Netherlands retains first (duh) and Japan advances. It could go either way, but since Japan has the advantage of being able to tie, odds are in their favor. However, my ESPN bracket hopes the Danes pull it off.

GROUP F--Paraguay (4 pts, +2 GD) v New Zealand (2 pts, 0 GD), Italy (2 pts, 0 GD) v Slovakia (1 pt, -2 GD)

This group reads the same as Group C, just replace Slovenia with Paraguay, England with NZ, USA with Italy and Algeria with Slovakia.

Prediction: New Zealand has two more points than anyone expected but their luck will probably run out as an in-form Paraguay will not take any chances. I wouldn't put it past Italy to sit back for one of their trademark zero-zero draws and try to hit on the counter attack. Paraguay and Italy should go through.

GROUP G--Brasil (6 pts, +3 GD) v Portugal (4 pts, +7 GD), Ivory Coast (1 pt, -2 GD) v North Korea (0 pts, -8 GD)

Brasil is through, but they want first place and to end on a win. Portugal have nearly sealed their spot thanks to the rainy 7-0 drubbing of DPRK. Ivory Coast can only advance with a Portugal loss and a win that makes up a combined 10 goal difference. North Korea's chances at advancing before the tournament were as mythical as the winged horse they're named after, but now they are probable as one of their citizens leaving the country freely.

Prediction: Brasil will make sure they seal first but Portugal should advance just fine. Though Ivory Coast will certainly try to run up the score on the Commie Koreans, which should be fun.

GROUP H-- Chile (6 pts, +2 GD) v Spain (3 pts, +1 GD), Switzerland (3 pts, 0 GD) v Honduras (0 pts, -3 GD)

Honduras is pretty much as good as out, but a result against Switzerland will ruin their hot chocolate party. Spain needs a win if the Swiss win/tie. Chile advances with any points, but are definitely ruing their missed chances against Honduras and Switzerland for goal differential purposes. In the likely event of a Swiss victory, in order for Chile and Spain to go through, Spain must win by one, and Switzerland only by one as well. Chile could then pip the Swiss on goals scored or, if that is tied, head-to-head.

Prediction: Spain will win the offense-heavy battle with Chile in what hopefully will be a high-flying, high scoring affair. Switzerland shouldn't come undone by Honduras and will likely edge out Chile on goal differential. Which is unfortunate because I hate defensive teams and Chile's high-octane style is so entertaining.

Remember, groups are played at the same time for fairness issues. Before the Round of 16 starts our "experts" (and I use that team loosely) will put their reputations on the line and make their picks. Enjoy!

World Cup first round best XI

Well each team has now played their first game in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. We've seen some really boring games and goal droughts thanks to everyone being overcautious and unpolished. With no further adieu, I give you the Ambitious Effort starting XI of the first round:

Asamoah Gyan, Striker (Ghana vs Serbia)--Gyan was a real nuisance for a strong Serbian defense that features Man Utd's Nemanja Vidic. Gyan made good runs across the lines and held up play well when needed. Some dribbling runs ended with bad shots, but who didn't shoot poorly in the opening round. The Ghanaian striker hit a header off the post but was rewarded with a goal thanks to a well-taken penalty off of Kuzmanovic's inexplicably stupid handball to earn the Black Stars a win.

Eljero Elia, Left Wing (Netherlands vs Denmark)--Elia came in as a second half sub and instantly made an impact, turning two defenders and racing down the wing before crossing. Denmark's right flank had no answer for Elia's creativity and double teams were fruitless. His effort on goal from a Sneijder chipped through ball was unlucky to hit the upright but provided a tap in for everyone's "favorite" work horse, Dirk Kuyt.

Alexis Sanchez, Right Wing (Chile vs Honduras)--Sure, Honduras isn't exactly the world's best defense, but Sanchez was an absolute joy to watch on the ball, frequently taking on two, three, or even four defenders with aplomb. While he looked a little too Walcott-ish in front of goal and probably should have claimed a goal, Sanchez was quite dynamite and deserves a spot in the top XI.

Lionel Messi, Attacking Mid (Argentina vs Nigeria)--You had to know Messi would be on this list. Little Leo was up to his usual darting runs with the ball glued to his foot and was certainly the spark in the Argentina offense. Messi should have put one away, but a few efforts went tantalizingly wide and a few were heroically denied by Nigeria's keeper Vincent Enyeama.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Center Mid (Germany destroys Australia)--In what was easily the most lopsided game, Schweini pulled the strings delightfully and made the center of the pitch his own. Ball control, pinpoint passing, and disrupting tackles were all on display from the German in their dismantling of the Socceroos that certainly made Aussie keeper Schwarzer want to die for real.

Gokhan Inler, Center Mid (Switzerland vs Spain)--Easily the biggest upset of the tournament so far, the Swiss held the Spaniards at bay and earned a win thanks to a perfect display of Route 1 football. Inler was instrumental in this victory, helping shield his defenders by making Xavi and Xabi Alonso pass the ball wide instead of up the middle to David Villa or Fernando Torres. Inler also had the energy to go forward the few times the Swiss made their way out of their own half.

Maicon, Right Fullback (Brasil vs Commie Korea)--As always, Maicon was great going forward and uncompromising on defense. He scored the goal that opened the game up for Brasil with a surging run into the box. From a tight angle Maicon saw Luis Fabiano and Robinho both heavily marked and NK keeper Ri Myong-Guk (who otherwise had a great game) cheating the cross so he fired home with the outside of his foot. Its the finishing class we expect from the Inter wing back.

Giorgio Chiellini, Center Back (Italy vs Paraguay)--His partner in the back, Fabio Cannavaro, was having a torrid time, presumably because FIFA prohibited him from playing with his cane (get it? he's old!). Chiellini picked up the slack and put on a typical no-nonsense display, winning headers and tackles and distributing the ball well.

Jay DeMerit, Center Back (USA vs England)--Where was Wayne Rooney this game? You might want to ask his shadow, Mr. Jay DeMerit. Following Wazza around the pitch and denying him chances is no easy task, but DeMerit executed Bob Bradley's instructions well and helped us to an all important draw against England.

Philip Lahm, Left Back (Germany vs Australia)--"Wait!" you say, "Lahm played right back!" But he plays on the left for club Bayern Munich, and therefore he earns the starting role on the left on my team. The German captain put in a solid display for Die Mannschaft and provided the cross for Klose's goal and rounds out the outfield players for the best XI.

Tim Howard, Goalkeeper (USA vs England)--Timmy had a fantastic game, denying the Three Lions with 7 saves, including a breakaway against Emile Heskey (but who hasn't denied Heskey on a breakaway). Add in the fact that Howard played a majority of the game with a broken rib after a crunch with Heskey, he also earns the coveted Ambitious Effort Thug Life Award for the first round.

Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld, Switzerland--Hitzfeld engineered the defeat of Euro champions and tournament favorites Spain. A disciplined back line and midfield pushed the Spaniards wide and made them send in aerial crosses, which favored the height of the Swiss so they could clear it comfortably. A country of skiers, watch-makers, and chocolate eaters beat a powerhouse that plays a beautiful passing game but has no Plan B. Spain is beatable, but as Americans we already knew that.

On the bench: As mentioned, Nigeria's goalie Enyeama had a great game. For Italy, Daniele De Rossi was a marshal of the midfield and grabbed their only goal; Mauro Camronesi came on as a sub and nearly instantly doubled the average playing speed of the Azzuri. Robinho provided the flair for Brasil and his perfect pass for Elano provided their second goal. Javier Mascherano was up to his usual business in the midfield for Argentina and committed one of his classic end of the game, doesn't matter if I get a yellow card reckless tackles. Ji Sung Park was the talismanic captain for South Korea's win over Greece and got his name on the score sheet.

As the games continue, I have one request: Attack more, score more! Thank you.