Qatar???!!!!

FIFA just announced that Qatar has been awarded the 2022 World Cup. I don't get it. Qatar? 130 degrees in the summer. Qatar - are you serious? In 1994 USA smashed records for World Cup attendance. Do you think soccer fans are excited to go to Qatar? I'm not! I hate FIFA - I really do. Russia 2018 is not much better - they are a weak soccer country. Qatar!! I am really pissed about this.

COPA Americas

Apparently CONCACAF is trying to modify the Copa America into a 16-team tournament that includes 6 North and Central American Teams:

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1616/concacaf/2010/10/06/2153459/report-concacaf-request-entry-into-the-copa-america

I think this is an awesome idea that could make the tournament more exciting and legit - hopefully on par with the Euro Cup and African Nations Cup. I have always thought the guest invitees system with the Copa America tournament (2 out of 12 teams - usually Mexico, Costa Rica and/or USA) was odd/random (Japan in 1999!) and controversial.

P.S. please ignore my EPL predictions below (Liverpool is in trouble and Chelsea is still Chelsea)

EPL predictions

The English Premier League starts tomorrow. I think it's a bit more wide open this year, with perhaps Manchester United being the only team of the "big 4" (Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool) to be a sure bet for a top 4 finish. With the addition of Chicharito (the sensational young Mexican who was brilliant in South Africa this summer), I think Man U wins the Premier league. Chelsea is getting old - I doubt Drogba, Anelka, and Lampard can match the types of seasons they have had in the past 3 years. Expect Arsenal and Tottenham to be similar to their past two seasons, whereas Liverpool and Manchester City should be better than last year . Manchester City is so loaded with talent and egos, but if they gel as a team, they are capable of finishing as high as second, I think. Here are my predictions (in order)

Manchester United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Tottenham
Arsenal
Chelsea
Everton

These are fairly bold, and probably stupid predictions, but I just have a hunch that Man City and Tottenham are going to be stronger and hungrier than Arsenal and Chelsea. On to some not-so-bold predictions: Barcelona (with an incredible duo of Messi and David Villa up front) will hold off an improved Real Madrid squad.

International Friendly: Brazil 2, USA 0

Did anyone catch the Brazil-USA friendly this evening? I was pretty excited for the first 15 minutes - USA looked energetic and even quick. But then Brazil started to have some fun, and we were fortunate it didn't get ugly. How about this 18 year old Neymar?! He's my new pick for the 2014 Golden Boot! He's got great quickness and a suprising amount of power for such a scrawny kid. Brazil is absolutely loaded. Their non-World Cup team is probably far better than any other country's.

Most likely no one will take a look at this blog until June 2014, but in case any of y'all do, the English Premier League season starts Saturday, and I'm going to be making my picks for the top-5 teams - feel free to join in. If anyone can top my predictions I will by them a pitcher of beer using my World Cup prize money.

World Cup 2010 - Wavin Flag

To help keep you excited until 2014.

2010 World Cup Pool - Final Standings

John: 64
Giovanni: 58
Corinne: 56
Joseph: 53
Carla: 51
David: 50
Taylor: 49
Jeremy: 49
Kit: 44
Ali: 42
Hallie: 41
Chris: 41
Tom: 39
Dean: 39
Cara: 38
(Maggie: 23 - knockout round only)
(Phil: 22 - group stage only)
(Paul: 19 - group stage only)
(Alex: 18 - group stage only)

Gooooaaaaallllll! Iniesta!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/11/spain-netherlands-highlig_n_642293.html
You've got to hear how it was called in Spain - it makes me regret having to watch the most boring commentators ever for much of the World Cup. What a World Cup moment!

In Plaza Mayor

Iniesta!

Plaza de Cibeles

España - 2010 World Cup Champions!

Greetings from Spain!

Hola!

Well, what can I say? This country is out of control. Spain's jerseys are all over the streets, buildings, etc. and TV shows Puyol's goal over and over and over again! I was in Barcelona for the semifinal game and am headed to Madrid tomorrow night. Apparently, Plaza Mayor is one of the central locations where people get together to celebrate. Maybe I'll get my face painted, grab a jersey (David Villa's?), eat some tapas/pulpo, and drink sangria afterward?! This is all assuming Arjen Robben doesn't pull off one of his majestic shots all of a sudden and spoil the party here!

I'll upload some photos later.

Ali

Octopus oracle picks Spain to win World Cup

Go Paul Go.....!!!!!

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-germany-octopusoracle-worldcup

Octopus Paul chose a mussel from a glass tank marked with a Spanish flag, while ignoring the tank marked with the German colors - indicating a Spanish victory in Wednesday's semifinal.

Spain vs. Netherlands!

Not the most exciting stuff from Spain-Germany today, but I love the result! Spain in the final for the first time ever! I've always like Puyol - he's not very fast or athletic but he works very hard and plays smart, and he scored the goal of his life today. I would like to see more Fabregas for Spain (he's fresh - they should start him against Netherlands instead of Pedro, who played OK except for the incredibly bad decision not to set up Torres solo on goal). It's nice that there will be a first time World Cup champion this year. And by the way - I'm the only one who picked this final. Despite the fact that I have nailed both the Group Stage and Knockout Round, I still can't quite shake Giovanni, who can tie me for first if Uruguay wins the 3rd place game and Netherlands wins the final. Corinne has clinched 3rd place, so there will be no Singleton 1-2 sweep. Here are the standings after today's game"

John: 60 (64 if Spain wins)
Giovanni: 58 (60 if Uruguay wins)
Corinne: 56
David: 50 (54 if Netherlands wins)
Joseph: 49 (53 if Spain wins)
Carla: 49 (52 if Germany wins)
Jeremy: 49
Taylor: 45 (49 if Spain win)
Kit: 44
Ali: 42
Chris, Hallie: 41
Dean: 39
Cara: 38

Quarter v Semis

The quarterfinals were some of the most exciting matches of the Cup.  Why have the semis been so BLAH when there are such quality teams of the pitch??

Netherlands vs. Uruguay World Cup: Mark van Bommel Somehow Avoids Being Sent Off

I agree with what he says about this Dutch midfielder.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/416309-what-does-van-bommel-have-to-do-to-get-sent-off

Germany crushes Argentina 4-0

Why did we all pick Argentina? 2 minutes into this game, I was kicking myself for falling for the Argentina bandwagon. Germany was absolutely awesome today. Never pick against the Germans - every World Cup they are amazing! Muller and Sweinstiegger dominated the midfield, Klose has an incredible knack for scoring goals (he knows how to be in the right place at the right time as good as any striker). I think this German team is better than 2006 (when they finished 3rd) and 2002 (when the finished 2nd). Can anyone stop this German machine?

Not everyone picked Argentina - Giovanni had Germany!!! Which means he's now in first place!

origens of the vuvuzela

Since these horns are so in focus during the World Cup, it's important to know where they come from.... before you blow them


I found out where the Vuvuzela came from ....think of this next time you blow one!

Standings halfway through quarterfinals

I still can't believe those games today. If tomorrow's games are half as good, we're in for a treat. I've been looking over our scores, and things are starting to shape up:

John: 52
Giovanni, Corinne: 51
Carla, David: 47
Joseph, Kit, Jeremy: 44
Hallie, Chris: 41
Taylor, Ali: 40
Tom: 39
Cara: 38
Dean: 37

So far Jeremy and Corinne have the best knockout round scores, but unfortunately for Jeremy, Corinne has the same remaining picks, so Jeremy will not repeat as champ. Kit also cannot make up the points gap, so we will have a new winner this year (please me!). Carla cannot make up enough points on me (but can still finish 2nd). Giovanni and David still have a chance, and Joseph can still finish 2nd, but it looks like Corinne and I are in the best position. I think if Spain wins tomorrow, Cara locks in last place! I'll send an email out tomorrow after the games letting everyone know where they stand. Go Argentina and Spain!!!

ha ha!

Super DRAMATIC day of world cup: Brazil is out and Uruguay vs. Ghana game ha ha! Will never forget it. Enjoyed what I saw of Uruguay vs Ghana. The best, most entertaining match I've seen so far. Suarez you're the hero right now man, the hand of God comes out again and pays off. Lol.

Netherlands 2, Brazil 1: Oranje to the semifinals!

Woah! That was a shocker! I'm sorry, Carla and Phil. How many of you thought the Dutch would come back to win after being down 1-0 at halftime? I didn't even think Netherlands played all that well - Brazil just had a terrible second half. Emotionally they lost it - they showed no composure when things got rough. You could tell a red card was coming after the Sneijder scored the second goal. So much for all the infighting among the Dutch - they look like a pretty happy group today! I thought once again Kuyt was so valuable, and Van Persie was not (he should be benched in favor of Elia in the semifinals). How did Julio Cesar - probably the best goalie in the world - manage to botch that cross? Why did Brazil seem content just to be up 1-0? Why did Dunga take off Fabiano when they were down 2-1? A bit of luck for the Oranje, but in the end I think they are the more deserving team.

Students in London have unveiled a ''devuvuzelator'' computer program.

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=104615671&videoChannel=2602

Maradona vs. Messi

I'm sure many of you have already seen this, but I thought it would be a good idea to share:

What?!! No World Cup games for 2 days!!

This is ridiculous - I am going through withdrawal. They should fill these days with some exhibition games. I'd like to see USA vs. North Korea, Australia vs. New Zealand, and maybe Ireland vs. France! Can't wait till Brazil vs. Netherlands!

That poor Japanese defender!

I love/hate watching shoot-outs. They make me so nervous but at the same time its fun watching so many goals! I feel so bad for the Japanese player that missed. On another note..I can not believe how many yellow cards that ref was handing out.

Brazil vs. Netherlands!

This World Cup and this betting pool will likely come down to the fantastic quarterfinal matchup of Brazil vs. Netherlands. If Netherlands wins, David and I are looking pretty good. If Brazil wins, Carla and Giovanni have the upper hand. I was impressed with Brazil today - not so much because of their offense, which we all knew was potent, but because their defense seemed impenetrable. Even when Chile had the ball deep in Brazil territory, I sensed no danger. In the group games I thought Chile had an impressive offense, but they didn't really get close to scoring, despite having a fair amount of possession. I picked Netherlands over Brazil, and (sorry, Carla) I hope the Dutch win. I love Kuyt and Sneijder and Robben (who I think is one of the top 5 strikers in the world, better than Van Persie, much better than Rooney...), but after today I have serious doubts. We've seen at least 3 goals is each round of 16 game so far - this is going to be a great knockout round!

Standings through today:

John: 48
Giovanni, Carla: 45
Corinne, David: 43
Joseph: 42
Kit: 40
Tom, Chris: 39
Jeremy: 38
Hallie: 37
Cara, Taylor, Ali: 36
Dean: 35

South America vs. Europe

4 out of the 5 teams I have really been rooting for are now gone (USA, England, Mexico, and South Africa) - only Spain left. If they get beat, I am going to have to jump on a bandwagon. With all due respect to Ghana, I think it's boiled down to South America vs. Europe, and so far South American teams have looked nearly unstoppable.

Current standings after Mexico vs. Argentina game:

John: 44
Giovanni, Carla, Corinne: 41
David: 39
Joseph, Kit: 38
Hallie, Tom, Chris: 35
Jeremy, Cara: 34
Taylor, Ali: 32
Dean: 31

Knockout round picks

Well, we played well for 54 seconds!

FULL TIME: Germany 4-1 England. England's worst World Cup finals defeat in history is sealed. By all accounts, there was 54 seconds between Matthew Upson's goal and Frank Lampard's crazy ping over the line. Now, it was a disgraceful decision not to allow that goal, and if it was given much might have changed. But it effectively means that England played well for 54 seconds out of 90 minutes. A terrible show, and an especially pathetic defensive performance.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/27/world-cup-2010-germany-england-live

USA loss and update on knockout stage

I'm pretty down about that game. After the penalty kick I really thought we had momentum and were going to pull it off, but in the end we just ran out of gas. I think it is ridiculous FIFA does not have the sudden-death "golden goal". It would have been a much better way for Ghana to win - on a spectacular golden goal just into extra time instead of a goal followed by a pathetic display of wasting time (and exhausted USA players trying to muster up some offense).

Unfortunately I am still waiting on some slacker's picks (they can't get points on any Uruguay or Ghana wins), but I will send out an email when everything is finalized. Ali is the only one who got points for Ghana's win today - good call. And just so everyone knows there is no funny business, I've got Germany over England, and Argetina over Mexico (and Argentina in the semis), but I will be rooting hard tomorrow for England and Mexico.

Final group stage standings

I was quite happy to see both Spain and Chile advance this afternoon. The best teams advanced out of Group H (and out of pretty much every group, I think), and thank goodness we don't have to watch the Swiss play another ugly soccer game! Here are the final standings from the group stage (with bonus points in parentheses):

John (9): 38
Giovanni (10): 37
Carla (10), Corinne (10): 35
Joseph (8): 34
David (8): 33
Kit (11): 32
Phil (9), Hallie (6), Tom (6): 31
Chris (10), Dean (8): 29
Jeremy (8), Cara (8), Taylor (9): 28
Paul (8): 27
Ali (7): 26
Alex (7): 25

Congratulations to Kit for earning the most bonus points - 11! Our scores suck compared to how we did in 2006. Using the same scoring system, here's how we stacked up after group play in 2006:

Kit (46)
Carla (45)
Chris (43), Ali (43), Phil (43)
Corinne (41), Joseph (41)
John (40), Dean (40)
David (39)
Cara (38)
Dale (37)
Hallie (36)
Jeremy (35), Martin (35)
Taylor (33)

What really stands to me is: a) how Jeremy and Taylor are consistently bad at picking results of group stage games, and b) how anyone can still win because Jeremy came from 13 points down to tie Kit for co-champion! I anticipate that you slackers will be submitting your picks last minute again, which means I probably won't be able to post everyone's picks before kickoff. Just so no one suspects any funny business, I've got Uruguay and USA winning tomorrow. I've watched a ridiculous amount of soccer over the past few weeks, and I think I've got this knockout round bracket nailed! Good luck to those of you trying to finish second!

La Furia Roja! How good is David Villa and Spain? World Cup champions! Yes, I've got Spain winning it all!

Arrivederci Italia!

How about Slovakia and Japan! I definitely did not see that coming. The 2nd half of the Italy game was very entertaining, and I am happy to see the flopping Italians go home early! No one picked Slovakia to beat Italy, but congratulations to Corinne and Tom for being the only ones to pick Japan finishing second in the group. With only one day left in the group stage, here are the standings:

John: 32
Corinne, Giovanni: 30
Carla, Joseph, Hallie: 28
Kit, Phil, David, Tom: 26
Jeremy, Chris, Cara, Dean: 23
Taylor: 22
Ali, Alex: 21
Paul: 20

Team USA!

Like many USA fans, I am looking at this knockout round bracket and thinking, holy cow we can get to the semifinals! I haven't been super impressed with Ghana. They have only scored two goals in three games, and both of those were penalty kicks! Awaiting the winner of USA vs. Ghana is South Korea or Uruguay - both beatable teams. I think this is the best USA team ever - better than 2002. Donovan and Michael Bradley have been awesome - they have carried the team so far. I have been a Donovan fan since his 20-year-old debut in 2002, and I don't understand why EPL or La Liga teams haven't come after him. I think he's a much better player than Dempsey (who I also like), who has proven to be a good EPL player with Fulham. Altidore has had some excellent moments in the tournament so far - he's due for a goal, and I think he is going to have a great career somewhere in Europe. Our defense is getting better and better - Bocanegra and Demerit have been solid, and Cherundolo is so valuable with his runs up the wing. I think Gooch is probable just worn out a bit, but I'd like to see him back in the starting lineup for Ghana. Edu has not been spectacular, but he's a good defensive midfielder, and I'd like to see him start again against Ghana (and be subbed by Feilhaber). I don't think Findley, Gomez, or Buddle have the skill to create goals at this level - they are more of the right-place at right-time time scorers, but I think Bradley has to start Findley (who is fresh from sitting out against Algeria with 2 yellows) up front with Altidore to take some of the pressure off Altidore, who probably is going to be a little tired against Ghana going on just 2 days rest (and coming off a stomach bug, apparently). Oh, and Tim Howard is one of the top 4 goalies in the world (he might want to consider a career in the NFL - he had some great long distance tosses today, including the one that sprang the winner in stoppage time!)

Donovan's goal today was incredibly huge not just for team USA but for soccer in America. They showed the world how exciting and dramatic the beautiful game can be, and it is so nice that the horrible officiating luck (goal 3 against Slovenia and Dempsey's disalllowed goal against Algeria today) amounts to nothing: we won the group! And we got placed in the nicest, coziest corner of the round of 16 bracket!

USA!!!!!!

UNBELIEVABLE! Donovan in the 91st minute! USA 1, ALGERIA 0.

WOW - Congrats USA & COME ON YOU ENGLAND!!!!

Now that was exciting- amazing last minute goal from the US! It should have been 5 nil to England. Please, please please no Germany for England....

Bonus points and current standings

Saturday: Mexico vs. Argentina! This is a rematch of the entertaining round of 16 game in 2006, in which Argetina scored a goal in extra time to win 2:1. Uruguay vs. South Korea is kind of a tough call - I'll keep my pick secret! I really enjoyed the first half of the South Africa vs. France game. I was hoping Bafana Bafana were going to pour it on in the second half and really crush the demoralized 10-man French team, but a win is still great for the host nation. (And congratulations to Ali, Hallie, Tom, and me for predicting it!)

Now that group winners and runners-up are become official, bonus points are kicking in: 1 point for picking the correct group winner, 1 point for picking the correct group runner-up, and 1 point if you picked the correct two teams to advance, but in the wrong order. It may seem like the bonus point system just adds to the totals of those who already did well in group picks (so the rich get richer and the poor stay poor), but this isn't always the case. For example, Paul got every single game wrong in Group A, but he still got a bonus point for picking Mexico to finish second. On the other hand I had 4 correct picks in Group A, but no bonus points! Anyway, here are the current standings (bonus points in parentheses - already added to score)

John: 25 (2), Corinne : 21 (3), Giovanni: 21 (2), Joseph: 20 (1), Carla: 19 (2), Phil: 19 (2), Hallie: 19 (2), David: 18 (1), Kit: 17 (2), Tom: 17 (1), Cara: 16 (2), Dean: 16 (2), Alex: 16 (2) Jeremy: 15 (1), Chris: 15 (2), Ali: 15 (1), Taylor: 15 (2), Paul: 13 (2)

Now things get really good

Four games every day for the next four days, and you can watch two games at once on ESPN3.com! I love the last games of the Group Stage. Chile and Spain should have had more goals today, but I guess we got our goal fix with Portugal this morning. Torres still seems a little rusty, but I think he's ready to for a breakout game against Chile. Here are the current standings:

John: 20
Joseph, Giovanni: 18
Corinne: 17
Carla, Phil: 16
David, Hallie: 15
Kit: 14
Jeremy, Cara, Dean, Tom: 13
Ali, Taylor, Alex: 12
Chris: 11
Paul: 10

Portugal 7 : 0 North Korea

The biggest goal score so far this wc and I think it is going to stay that way. Portugal and Brasil practically are in the next round. To think Portugal had trouble scoring goals in qualification. Apparently, North Korean television telecasted the Portugal-North Korea match live. Dear oh...dear..

Brasil in Haiti

Hi kids.  I arrived in Port-au-Prince a couple of days ago to find it carpeted in Brazilian flags.  Flags from houses, flags from cars, flags from motorcyles, flags from telephone wires, flags on bosoms.  It's both thrilling and, frankly, puzzling.

Haitians are die-hard Brazilian football fans.  Apparently, when Brazil came to Haiti to play their national team, Haitians cheered for Brazil.  I tried to figure ot where this support originates from (to be fair, there are also at least six Argentina fans in the country), but no one can explain it to me.  There's no Brazilian influence in music, dance, film, language, or anything else.

During today's match, I had a delay of a few seconds on my TV but could tell Brasil was about to score from the roar of the entire city celebrating outside.  Unreal.

Go figure.  Go Brazil!

Day 10 standings & some comments on today's games

Add Italy to the list of uninspired overrated European teams in this World Cup. New Zealand probably even deserved a win today - I don't think a penalty should have been called against the Kiwis. De Rossi was not pulled down - he flopped on a weak shirt tug. The Italians are remarkably good at selling these dives.

South American teams are looking fantastic. They are 7-0-2, and I think Paraguay and Chile might be good enough to reach the quarterfinals. Fabiano's goals for Brazil were beautiful (minus the handball on the second one). Too bad it got ugly towards the end. After Kaka's first yellow, I thought Dunga should have immediately subbed him out - you could tell trouble was brewing and someone was going to get ejected. He probably deserved that second yellow for the elbow, but it was definitely embellished by the Ivory Coast player, which was a stupid thing to do since it wasted valuable time and only served to eliminate one of Brasil's best players for the game against Portugal!

Here's how we stand after 29 games:

John: 17
Corinne, Joseph, Giovanni: 15
Carla, Phil, David: 13
Kit, Hallie: 12
Jeremy, Tom: 11
Cara, Dean, Alex: 10
Chris, Ali, Taylor: 9
Paul: 8

Are you kidding me?!! You cannot just have awarded a PK for that floppin Italian acting job!! Tough break, Kiwis

Why are African teams not doing well?

African teams have only won 1 out of 11 games so far. They have collectively scored just 5 goals (and 2 of those were on penalty kicks). Nigeria and Cameroon have already been eliminated, and South Africa and Algeria have almost no chance of advancing to the round of 16. Even Ghana will likely need to not lose against Germany to move on. A lot of people thought this was the year an African team finally reached the semifinals, but the South African setting doesn't seem to be giving the African teams much of an advantage. Cameroon has been the biggest disappointment. They blew so many good chances today! I'm hoping Ghana and Ivory Coast are able to get into the next round, and then maybe the crowds will really start to get behing them.

This sums up how slow and ugly Rooney & England have been so far!

Easy there Ribery! I know you're upset that France sucks so much, but a cleat to some of your teammates (including yourself!) would be more deserved! (By the way, apparently Anelka was just kicked off the French team for arguing with his coach. It's hard to imagine things getting even worse for France!).

So far this is the goal of the tournament for me!

England was terrible today!

I'd like to modify my "overrated" label on England (see post on May 30) to "very overrated". That was pathetic! Rooney was once again non-existent, Gerrard was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, Lampard was in his usual terrible World Cup form, and Terry looked like an amateur out there. What is going on? I'd like to give Algeria some credit, but England should be crushing these types of opponents! What's going on with the European heavyweights in general (France, Spain, England, Italy,...).

Standings through todays games:

John: 14 (0 for 3 today!)
Giovanni: 12
Corinne, Joseph: 11
Kit, Carla: 10
Phil, David, Hallie: 9
Jeremy, Chris, Alex, Tom: 8
Cara, Ali: 7
Dean, Taylor: 6
Paul: 5

I reluctantly gave Kit, Corinne, and Giovanni their point for picking the USA-Slovenia draw, despite the fact that USA scored 1 more goal than Slovenia!

Are any of y'all reading this blog? This is starting to feel like my own world cup diary, which is not at all what I had in mind. It would be great to hear from those of you watching the games!

What a game!

That was the sweetest and most bitter draw I have seen! I'm hoarse from yelling. Donovan's goal was absolutely awesome. Bradley played so well all game. USA never gave up and showed great determination. What to say about Edu's goal?! I still don't know what the call was. Such a shame! It would have been such a spectacular win. The officiating today has been horrible. Did anyone catch the Germany vs. Serbia game? Yellow card were being dished out left and right for ticky-tack fouls.

Viva Mexico!

That was a well-deserved victory for "El Tri"! Given their level of talent, France is terrible! No cohesion, no creative or quick passes, just a bunch of expensive players doing nothing. The 1-0 loss to China in a friendly three weeks ago should have been a red flag to all you suckers who picked France to win this group!

The Greece win today is a bit of a surprise. I'm fairly confident the result would not have been the same had Greece not had a 1-man advantage, but congratulations to Tom for being the only one in the pool to pick that one correctly!

Anyone catch the Argentina vs. Korea game this morning? Argentina is looking good, and you have to love what Messi can do with the ball!

Standings through todays games:

John: 14
Joseph, Giovanni: 11
Carla, Corinne: 10
Kit, Phil, David, Hallie: 9
Jeremy, Chris, Alex, Tom: 8
Cara, Ali: 7
Dean, Taylor: 6
Paul: 5

Heartbreak for South Africa

Tough day for Spain and South Africa. The Switzerland win was a shocker - all 18 of us picked Spain. I still don't understand how Spain managed to lose that game. If Xabi Alonso's rocket shot had been 6 inches lower, I think it would have ripped a hole in the net! The Swiss are a pretty boring team to watch - they basically clog the box with big guys. They deserved to win, I suppose, but it would be such a shame if Switzerland advances over Spain. Like in 2006, I'm not sure Switzerland will let in another goal in the Group Stage, which would mean they would end up with at least 5 points, so Spain will have to win both remaining games to advance.

Things are not looking good for South Africa. They are almost certainly going to be the first host nation not to advance out of the group - so much for my predictions in Group A! I still don't think Uruguay is as good as the commentators think they are (they were ooing and ahhing over them during the game), but it looks like they're going to advance. Only Carla, Hallie, and Giovanni correctly picked the Uruguay win today. Standings after todays games:

John: 12
Giovanni: 10
Carla, Corinne, Joseph: 9
Kit, Phil, David, Hallie: 8
Chris, Alex: 7
Jeremy, Cara, Ali, Tom: 6
Taylor, Dean: 5
Paul: 4

Who would have thought that after the opening games, North Korea and New Zealand would each have more goals than Spain and France combined!

Chile!

It had been 48 years since Chile last won a world cup game! They dominated Honduras but lacked the finishing touch to run up the score. Still, it was great to see an attack-minded team that was always pushing forward and finding space. I'd love to see Chile make a run to the quarterfinals. The "La Roja" (Chile) vs. "La Furia Roja" (Spain) could end up being one of the most exciting Group Stage games.

Standings through 14 games

I missed most of the Brazil - North Korea game. 2-1! What?! Maybe North Korea and New Zealand, the consensus worse teams in the tournament, are not that bad! (I'd say Greece takes the cake so far!). Here are the current standings:

John: 11
Corinne, Giovanni: 9
David, Joseph: 8
Carla, Phil: 7
Kit, Chris, Alex, Hallie: 6
Jeremy, Cara, Ali, Tom: 5
Dean, Taylor: 4
Paul: 3

The Singleton household is looking pretty good (John+Corinne = 20 points total). Should have had Oliver make some picks too!

a little gossip

So have you read about why we can attribute our USA/ England draw to a 23 year old lingerie model by the name of Elizabeth Minett? Apparently Green was devastated by the break up that happened months ago & bobbled the ball because he was distraught and couldn't concentrate. 4 things..

1) though the ball could have been stopped it was a hard kick and things happen at ALL levels of play. I could not believe how the commentators ripped him apart saying things like "well his career is over" or "that ball would have been stopped by the pee wee league" etc.

2) seriously!? he was so distraught over a g-friend that dumped him months ago that he couldn't get his shit together for the first world cup game.

3) that poor girl's is now going to be the center of irrational anger if people actually believe that. What happens if they have another bad game? Still her fault?

4)USA doesn't suck. We played well and deserved the outcome.They keep trying to blame everything on this goalies mistake.It is just insulting.

That's all.

How about those Kiwis?

Wow - most experts and fans did not expect New Zealand to get a point in this tournament, but they pulled off an unlikely draw against a decent Slovakia team. I love stoppage time goals! Too bad Ivory Coast could not get one in against Portugal. That was a dissappointing game - neither team was willing to take big chances. Hopefully we will see teams open up a bit in their second games.

Everyone has Brazil beating North Korea. Any score predictions? I'll go with 4-0 Brazil.

Day 4 standings

After 11 games, here's how many picks we've gotten right:

John: 9
Joseph, Giovanni: 7
Carla, David, Corinne: 6
Phil, Alex,. Hallie: 5
Jeremy, Kit, Chris, Cara, Tom: 4
Ali, Dean, Taylor: 3
Paul: 2

Joseph briefly threatened to draw even with me this afternoon, but I (along with Giovanni and Phil) had a hunch that an uninspired Italy team would not do better than a draw against Paraguay. Italy is in the same category as England and France: overrated European heavyweights who will not make it to the semifinals! I am very excited about the Portugal vs. Ivory Coast game tomorrow - this match will likely decide the group runner-up (although I predict a draw). I will be rooting heavily for CIV (I even bought a Les Elephantes T-shirt for the occassion). I've heard a couple of ESPN commentators say something like "wait until Ronaldo gets a free kick, and then we'll see what this ball can do!". I predict Ronaldo's first free kick will sail 5 yards over the post! Overrated pretty boy!

Can I change my group E picks?

Congratulations to Corinne, Joseph, Hallie, and Tom for picking Japan over Cameroon - I definitely did not see that coming! Japan definitely deserved to win that game. Cameroon is in trouble - they have to beat Denmark and at least draw against Netherlands - no easy task! Denmark vs. Japan will be a big game.

Paraguay vs. Italy - I'm excited about this game, but I've got a hunch that we could see a 0-0 draw.

Hey John - Which smart folks picked Japan to win? I think it was me and Tom (two with Japan allegiances!) and someone else? Yay Japan! Yokatta, ne! Gambarimashita!!

Watch out for NED!

I think the Netherlands could make a run into the semifinals - they are so smooth. Kuyt is one of my favorite EPL players (Liverpool), and he did not disappoint today. He's always working hard out there. Elia looks great - I hadn't seen him play before (he was much more dangerous looking than Van Persie, who seemed off his game today). The Danes are tough to crack - I doubt that Japan and Cameroon will be able to muster up more than one goal against Denmark.

I'm not sure what to expect in this Cameroon - Japan game. Cameroon is potentially great, but they're inconsistent, and I still don't really have a feel for how good Japan is.

Day 3 standings

After 8 matches, here's how we stand:

John: 7
Carla, David, Joseph, Giovanni: 5
Kit, Corinne, Hallie, Alex: 4
Jeremy, Chris, Phil, Cara, Dean: 3
Ali, Taylor, Tom, Paul: 2

It's nice being on top! Too bad Phil is not around for us to make fun of his Germany-Australia draw prediction! (he's off in eastern Nevada for summer field camp).

Germany's Soccer Clinic

Obviously Australia played very poorly today; but, God help Group C's runner up (USA?) against this organized German squad in the round of 16! Such solid movement and precise shot making. Finally, we saw some goals in this World Cup :)

Why is Germany always so good?

That was a dominating performance by the Germans, perhaps the most impressive team we've seen so far. I guess we shouldn't be suprised if Germany goes deep into the tournament, but it still amazes me how in every World Cup the Germans overachieve without top-notch club players. For example, the starting German forwards (Podolski and Klose, who scored the first two goals) has poor seasons with their German clubs (Klose did not even start for Bayern M.), yet they somehow manage to rise to the occasion during international play. It's the opposite of underacheiving England, loaded with over-hyped Premiership players who simply do not perform well during the World Cup. Is this coaching/managing or does it have something to do with the player's mentalities?

So far Germany, Argentina, and Korea have impressed me the most, but we have yet to see the three best teams in the world: Spain, Brazil, and Netherlands!

Let's go Socceroos!

I don't think Australia has a chance in this game, and apparently neither does anyone else: 17/18 picked Germany (Phil picked a draw). I am enjoying the games, but let's see some goals!

YAY! Ghana

I am so happy that Ghana won and John lost a game! I lost as well but I am clearly not in the running! Lets hear some gloating from the ones that picked Ghana.

Vuvuzela Drama

Word on the street is that Fifa is considering banning vuvuzelas. Seriously? With so many empty seats, does killing the fan's ability to demonstrate their enthusiasm really the best move?

Go Black Stars!

Gooooo Black Stars! (And all the more so since John has Serbia to win.) Anyway, I was tired of John's monologue-blog... so posting a cheer for the Black Stars.

Algeria vs. Slovenia

In retrospect I might have slept in this morning instead of waking up early for Algeria vs. Slovenia. Algeria is a little better than I thought, Slovenia is a little worse. I don't think England or USA will have too much trouble advancing. Did yall see Zidane in the stands? He's been helping out Algeria - they could have used him on the field!

Go Ghana! (even though I picked Serbia).

p.s. I'm now 6/6!

Standings - Day 2

After all my boasting about how USA was going to win, I chickened out and picked a USA-England draw, which means that I am now 5/5! Standings:

John 5
David 3
Giovanni 3
Chris, Carla, Phil, Joseph, Phil, Hallie, Alex 2
everyone else 1

Serbia vs. Ghana should be a good game tomorrow!

Boring England

One of the great comments on the BBC Sport Debate website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A69969910

"What a complete load of rubbish. I watched the match in the pub in Germany DESPERATE for something to be proud of after the awful, boring, scaredy-cat football we saw at Germany 2006. Capello - one of the best managers in Europe? What a laugh. He puts on Green and MINUTES before the game and looks what happens. He puts on King, looks what happens. He puts on Milner - look what happens. A complete joke. Capello has no idea but you know what? I feel sorry for Capello - he can't cure the English disease. I have been following England for nearly 40 years (God help me) but he can't. I said at the time (many moons ago) that Capello wasn't the right choice. I stick by what I said even though I wavered in my opinion in the qualification. I said back then that Capello wouldn't solve the English problem because A. he is too conservative, B. only experienced at club level. We need A. someone to revolutionize (not tinker with) English football and B. someone who knows how to win a world cup.

England were completely useless tonight - the USA were scarcely better. Rooney did nothing but huff and puff (I guess at least he did that), Gerrard was ok for the first 10 minutes. Green was just being a typical English goalie....following in his precedessor's footsteps. Heskey was ok. But we shouldn't focus on individual errors. The fact is it was typical England - nervous, rubbish football. Giving the ball away for fun. Long passes to nowhere.........But what's new?

Any yet, I don't understand it..... Jürgen Klinsmann and Löw revolutionized German football - changed the whole way they play. People say that anyone can make a mistake - oh yeah? When was the last time you saw a German goalie make a mistake?"

USA 1, England 1: I'll take it!

Not a bad result for USA! Yes, I know all the Brits will be whining about Green, but that was a fair draw. Equal possession, and equally good chances on both sides (Altidore was so close!). USA has one of the best goalies in the world; England does not. Gerrard was easily England's best player. Did Wayne Rooney play - I didn't notice! For USA, Howard was huge, but I thought Cherundolo and Gooch were very solid. Why did Bradley only use 2 subs? We could have used some fresh legs there towards the end. Seriously, though, if you knew nothing about who was the favorite in this game, you would say that these were two equal teams.

Could Argentina win it all?

Argentina is so much fun to watch. 20 shots on goal! Messi is so exciting - how did he not score 4 goals? Could have been 5-0. The real battle in this group will be between Korea and Nigeria for second. Greece looked slow and disorganized - I think they're done.

I am 4/4! I already have twice as many points as yall. This is so much fun.

Alone in first place already!!

The official standings after the first day of the World Cup:

John 2
Chris 1
Phil 1
Joseph 1
Giovanni 1
Everyone else: 0

Alone in first place after only 2 games! This could turn into a blowout, or mearly a battle for 2nd place. I knew France would play an uninspired game lacking creativity, and Urugauy would be content to earn a point against the group favorites. Note my comment to Chris's "Invictus" post - France will not advance, although 15 out of 18 have them moving on to the round of 16.

Nice to see Uruguay hang on!

Though the red card was deserved I still enjoyed watching them frustrate the French. Both games are a draw..I am definitely losing thus far. Go USA!

South Africa - Mexico

Great opening game - I loved the first goal of the World Cup! Final score should have been 2-2 - a draw was a fair result. I am rooting for these two teams to advance.

INVICTUS

So did anyone see Invictus? Can South Africa re-produce that spirit to progress? Will an African team finally make a mark on this tournament? I cant see it myself but i am not a romantic dreamer like John......

Bet between U.S. and British Ambassadors

Apparently the British Ambassador to the U.S. has made a friendly wager to his American counterpart: the loser of Saturday's big game buys a steak dinner: "Incidentally, you should know that the Ambassador takes his steak like American soccer victories - somewhat rare", says the British Ambassador!
http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurarozen/0610/USUK_special_relationship_to_face_test_cables_reveal_.html

England is just ripe for an upset - I'll offer up the same wager to the Englishmen in our pool - Tom (who just sent me this link), and Chris. USA!

Friday, June 11 - finally it's here!

Glued to ESPN for the next month!

USA-England Referee

"Controversial Brazilian referee Carlos Eugeneo Simon has been selected to officiate the historical USA-England match on June 12. Assistant Referee 1 Altemir Hausmann and Assistant Referee 2 Roberto Braatz are both also from Brazil. Eddie Maillet of the Seychelles is the Fourth Official.

Simon, 44, has officiated at three World Cups and at the 2002 and 2006 World Cup finals. He issued a total of 17 cards, almost six per game, in three 2006 World Cup games. One incident involved the ejection of Sweden's Teddy Lucic with two yellow cards, the first of which was for a shirt tug on Miroslave Klose of Germany, who advanced to the quarterfinals and finished third. In 2009, Simon was suspended by the Brazilian federation for "a repetition of mistakes committed during the competition." England has experience with Simon as he officiated England's 2002 opening group game in Japan.

FIFA didn't select any U.S. referees to officiate the 2010 World Cup."

No wonder England hasn't won since '66...

That was the last time the ball wasn't reasonably round.

This is an interesting photographic history of the game ball:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/06/06/magazine/20100606-world-cup-balls.html

England is overrated!

Apparently the Spanish midfielder Xavi, one of the best players in the world, just claimed that England was their biggest competition for the World Cup. Seriously? Would you rather play Brazil over England?! I don't understand all the hype about England. Today they just squeaked by Japan in a friendly 2-1, and Japan scored both of England's goals! Right now England's odds to win it all are 6/1, only behind Brazil (5/1) and Spain (4/1), but I would be very surprised to see England in the semifinals. They are solid defensively, but they just don't seem to have the speed or explosiveness of Spain, Brazil, Argentina, or the Netherlands. Does USA stand a chance on June 12? Yes! On paper England is superior - perhaps only Landon Donovan and Tim Howard would be good enough to make a 23-man England squad (though I would take Donovan any day over Frank Lampard!) - but USA will be fired up for this game, and all the pressure is on England. I stand by my original prediction: USA 1, England 0!

I should note that after June 12th I will start wearing my England jersey again and direct my trash-talking elsewhere. After all, I was born in the UK, and England is my second favorite team, even though they are overrated.

US 23-man roster

Bradley just announced the US 23-man roster: http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/article?contentId=1944146

The only big surprise is that Brian Ching, a experienced and proven forward, was left off the roster while Edson Buddle and Robbie Findley made the team. For those of you who followed the US qualification, you're probably thinking "who the heck are Buddle and Findley?" These guys are fast, but they came out of nowhere and have almost zero experience with the national squad. We're now left with one proven forward - Jozy Altidore (I love Jozy, but there are probably 13 or so Argentine forwards who are better). I'm guessing he will play solo up front, with Donovan and Dempsey pushing forward during attacks. Altidore fatigues towards the end of games and is typically replaced. By who?? No Charlie Davies, no Ching, not even Conor Casey. I'm a little nervous about this. Also, Onyewu did not look strong against the Czechs last night - we need him to be in top form because the defense is looking a little shaky. Good to see Demarcus Beasley back on the squad!

World Cup 2010 - Wavin Flag

Go hard or go home?

The Champions League just ended, but preparations for the next one start soon after the end of the Copa. What do you think is more important to players: preserving their image by playing well during the World Cup, or going easy to avoid injury for their day jobs?

Upcoming International Friendlies

Thought this info was worth passing on to everyone. Don't make your picks before you have all the facts!

Monday, 24th May

20:45 (GMT) – Argentina V Canada

09:00 (GMT) – Australia V New Zealand

20:00 (GMT) – England V Mexico

11:20 (GMT) – Japan V South Korea

19:30 (GMT) – Portugal V Cape Verde

19:35 (GMT) – South Africa V Bulgaria

Tuesday, 25th May

11:00 (GMT) – Georgia V Cameroon

11:00 (GMT) – Nigeria V Saudi Arabia

19:00 (GMT) – Greece V North Korea

19:45 (GMT) – Republic of Ireland V Paraguay

Wednesday, 26th May

01:00 (GMT) – USA V Czech Republic

19:00 (GMT) – Netherlands V Mexico

20:00 (GMT) – France V Costa Rica

23:00 (GMT) – Uruguay V Israel

Thursday, 27th May

19:15 (GMT) – Denmark V Senegal

19:35 (GMT) – South Africa V Colombia

Monday will be an eventful day, as no less than nine countries featuring in next month’s FIFA World Cup are in action. Undoubtedly, the most attractive fixture on paper is the Mexican’s travelling to England to take on Capello’s Three Lions. The Aussies clash with the Kiwi’s is another interesting match-up between two nations only a decade ago were considered minnows of international football, while some would even argue that New Zealand are still branded as a small nation in terms of the sport. Those looking to do their homework ahead of the finals should perhaps take time out to watch the Japan – South Korea game, two Asian contingents aiming to surprise a fair few in South Africa.

On Tuesday North Korea take on the 2004 UEFA European Championship winners Greece in a game which, if everyone was completely honest, sees two nations with very little chance of lifting the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. However. The Greeks will feel they have every chance of progressing past the group stage, while North Korea’s main objective will be to not walk away from South Africa pointless. A little later and one of the South American dark horses, Paraguay, speed up their preparations with an away encounter with a Republic of Ireland team which will consider themselves rather unluckily not to have made the finals. Two African contingents hoping to be the first African team to win a World Cup will also be in action on Tuesday, as Nigeria take on Saudi Arabia from Asia, and Cameroon take on Georgia from Europe.

Wednesday’s games start with the USA V Czech Republic, as Bob Bradley’s USA host a Czech Republic side who honestly feel they should of made the finals but have their lacklustre qualifying campaign to thank for their misfortune. The US will take on England in their first World Cup encounter, so will want to boost their chances of progression from Group C by building some winning momentum with these friendlies. Late in the evening, Holland take on Mexico, as two teams heading to South Africa weigh each other up, getting a first-hand view of how one-another will fare in South Africa. France will take on CONCAFAF team Costa Rica, who narrowly missed the finals because of a late USA goal in qualifying, and South American’s Uruguay clash with Israel in the day’s final game.

And on Thursday, the Danes test their wits against the dangerous Senegal from Africa. Premier League followers can expect to see both Nicklas Bentner and Daniel Agger in action, while El Hadj Diouf may make an appearance for Senegal. Just a little later and the hosts, South Africa, take on South American’s Colombia. The pressure is well and truly on the hosts to perform on home soil, so a big performance against the Colombians would do the confidence within camp a world of good.

Love Letter the the World Cup

Dear World Cup,

What I love most about you is the instant friendships you spark among your enthusiasts. I was in Nairobi and Hong Kong last week (yeah -that's how I roll) where fever for you is in full swing. At my meeting in Nairobi, I had loads to talk about with colleagues from Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa who I had never met. We all stood around during tea breaks, grinning like idiots in anticipation of the first kick-off.

Now I'm back in Papua New Guinea where I'm sad to say your followers are frustratingly few. Not to worry - I'm moving to Haiti in a few weeks where I'm told people have their priorities straight.

I hope that this year your image will not be marred by outlandish calls by officials (..uhm...), violence (...), injuries of key players (...ahem..), or threats of power outages (...). This Cup is already historic as Africa's first and no doubt, Brasil's sixth victory.

xoxox

carla

Hey John:

Thanks for taking the time to create this blog. It's great. A few points to start the discussion:

1.You got lucky last time ending with a few points ahead of me. Not the case this time.
2. Unfortunately, England will crush USA.
3. Isn't it obvious that Argentina will win the World Cup this time?

Cheers,
Ali

World Cup 2010! Betting Pool Rules

June 11, 2010 - at last the World Cup is back! Once again, the betting pool is on. Group stage picks must be received by kickoff (June 11, 8:30 am Texas time). The entry fee is $10 - payable to me via cash, check (send to 4900 Lynnwood St., Austin, TX 78756), or PayPal (jssingleton@gmail.com). The winner will get 3/4 of the pot, the runner-up 1/4. The scoring system is the same as last time - 1 point for each correct pick in group stage play, 2 bonus points will be awarded for picking the correct group winner, and 1 bonus point will be awarded for picking the correct group runner-up (1 bonus point if you pick the correct teams to advance but in the wrong order). Stage 2 knockout round starts June 26 - 2 points for each correct pick in the round of 16 and quarterfinals, 3 points for correct semi-final picks, 4 points for picking the winner (and 2 for the 3rd place game). I am totally going to win this year!

Link to group-stage picks form (google doc): http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AquCrm4PHzthdEcwaFkyZGt5X1B1WnpmYkpoUG5zc0E&hl=en