World Cup Post #9 - 6/30/06

OK, so the combination of ending regular school, starting summer school, and moving into a new apartment have killed my ability to blog. I have a lot of catching up to do.

First, why did the U.S. not make it out of their group? Well, I think there are a lot of reasons. Their group was tough. The #2 and #5 teams in the world did not make it out, so that says a lot. Grouping is weird. Look at a team like Ukraine. They get destroyed by Spain, but get Tunisia and Saudi Arabia after that. Not too tough. Another reason was the officiating in the Italy and Ghana games. Eddie Pope being sent off was a complete joke, as the majority of the officiating in the cup has been. Then in the Ghana game, Ghana gets a PK for nothing. How did Ghana win? A major mistake by Claudio Reyna and another by the official gave Ghana their two goals. Take nothing away from Ghana. They are a good team that outplayed Brazil (except the scoring part) in their round of 16 game. However, there are three more important reasons that kept the U.S. from success: Arena's insistence on using a 4-5-1, the teams complete lack of heart, and their inability to score goals. All in all, there is a lot too be learned.

Second, my predictions for the round of 16 were pretty close. My misses were: Ecuador instead of Poland, Ghana instead of the U.S., and Switzerland instead of Korea. I think I even got the placing right in most of the others.

Getting to the quarterfinals brought some major surprises. First, I couldn't believe that Spain lost to the French. It seemed like the Spanish were firing on all cylinders while the older French team was fighting with themselves. Experience counts for a lot, as does the big-time dive by Thierry Henry in the box. However, Spain's coach is a racist (he called Henry a "black shit") and does not deserve to go on. Portugal's victory over the Netherlands was a disgusting display on both sides as well as by the official, who lost all control of the match. Neither team deserved to go on, but at least the Portuguese will be missing two players in their quarterfinal match. Italy got lucky against a great Australian side by getting a PK in literally the last minute. They are even more lucky to get Ukraine in the quarters. Speaking of Ukraine, their round of 16 match with the Swiss was dreadful. 120 minutes of slow football followed by 3 PK misses by the Swiss. Yawn.

The Quarters. Frankly, I'm stunned at Argentina's exit at the hands of the Germans. However, hosts always do well in the World Cup and they often win. Italy should dominate Ukraine, which will set them up for a battle with WWII ally Italy. England has struggled so far, but I hope to see them pull something together and outclass the dirty Portuguese side. Brazil and France should be an exciting game. Brazil will create a lot of chances, but they could have trouble with stopping a creative and quick Henry with their old defense. My picks are all shot though with Argentina's loss. I think England will move on to face Brazil and beat them to face Germany in the final. That's what I think right now, but I may change my mind later. Only 6 more games left in the cup as Italy-Ukraine is about to kick-off. It went too fast. What will I do for the next 4 years?

World Cup Post #8 - 6/16/06

Things are getting interesting for several teams and some groups have already been decided except for the seeding. I'm going to make some comments about each group and the cup as a whole so far.

Group A: Boy, I missed this one by a good bit. Germany is poised to get the 9 points that I predicted, but Ecuador are the surprise of this group. The hosts and the upstart South Americans have both booked their passage to the second round, having eliminated Poland and Costa Rica. I didn't give Ecuador even 1 point in my predictions and now they have 6 with their two solid wins. However, they are facing possible injuries to their two scoring stars and will have a tough time with a very confident German side. Obviously, the Poland-Costa Rica game means nothing, but the other should be exciting as both 2nd round qualifiers would prefer to get Sweden or Trinidad as opposed to England. Current standings: Germany - 6 pts., Ecuador - 6 pts., Poland - 0 pts.,

Group B: Trinidad have made a great showing having drawn to Sweden and having held out for a long time against England. Although they have also won a spot in the final 16, England needed an own goal to beat Paraguay and struggled to score against Trinidad. Sweden will be missing Henrik Larsson for their match with England, but only need a draw or Trinidad draw or loss to move on after beating Paraguay late to bring their point total to 4. Current standings: England - 6 pts., Sweden - 4 pts., Trinidad - 1 pt., Paraguay - 0 pts. I have done pretty well with this group so far.

Group C: Another group that has 2 teams already through to the next round. My prediction looks to be solid as far as placing, but Ivory Coast failed to get points so far, although they have fought hard. One thing is for sure - Argentina are everything I expected them to be. They owned possession (60%!) over Ivory Coast, but gave up a late goal after taking their foot off the pedal. There was no slowing down against the soon-to-be-separated Serbia & Montenegro scoring a huge 6-0 landslide. Look, they were up 3-0 when they brought on Tevez and then Messi - two highly prolific goalscorers. Argentina, in my opinion, have proven themselves the team to beat. Current standings: Argentina and Netherlands have 6 pts. each and Ivory Coast and S&M are at 0.

Group D: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! How do you draw to Angola. It was sweet walking around my campus of 93% Latino students who couldn't say enough about the USA-Czecj score after Mexico drew to Angola, who played down a man for the last 13 minutes. So awesome. Portugal don't look so hot either, but they controlled the match against Iran and, with their 2-0 win, landed themselves in the knockout rounds after failing to do so since the days of the mighty Eusabio back in 1966. I hope Mexico loses to the Portuguese and Angola can make up the goal differential (they are currently -3 to Mexico) while beating Iran, because it would be sweet to see Mexico knocked out early. Current standings: Portugal - 6 pts., Mexico - 4pts., Angola - 1 pt., Iran - 0 pts.

Group E: The best team in this group has turned out to be the referee in the U.S.-Italy match. How in God's name do you give out 3 red cards in a game where the only excessive physical play was a dirty Italian throwing elbows? That bastard ref had more of an impact on that game than any official should be able to. He needs to lose his job. However, the U.S. came out and played like the team that I know they are. Aggressive, tricky, smart. They held one of the cup favorites to a draw despite playing with only 9 for basically the entire 2nd half. Italy showed how little class they have by diving every chance they could and by DeRossi's getting sent off afer blatantly and purposefully elbowing Brian McBride in the face. We outplayed, outclassed, and out-hearted them. Unfortunately, we were screwed by the official. Ghana, on the other hand, showed why I love to watch the World Cup. Their 2-0 upset of the Czechs saved the U.S.'s chances of advancing and proved to be the biggest upset of the cup so far. The U.S. must get a victory over Ghana and an Italian win over the Czechs to advance. There are other scenarios, but they involve a U.S. win of more than 4 goals over Ghana, which seems unlikely. At this point, nobody has assured advancement and nobody has been eliminated. Current standings: Italy - 4 pts., Czechs - 3 pts., Ghana - 3 pts., U.S. - 1 pt.

Group F: Japan and Croatia allowed me a nice nap, but the Australia - Brazil game was so much fun to watch. Brazil has showed, in my view, that they are not the team that everyone thinks. However, if you listen to the douchebag announcers, they are still the favorite. Dave O'Brien and Marcelo Balboa saw a Brazilian team that was controlling possession and closing the game like champions. I saw a team that gave up several great opportunites to an obviously more determined, but less talented, Australian side. The problem is that nobody wants to say that Brazil is not that good. Well I'm saying it. Brazil is in the 2nd round and will win this group, but they will not get into the final. The Aussies, however, can move on with a draw against Croatia.

Group G: What a lame group this has turned out to be. France has 1 goal in 2 games and only one point. Korea has 4 points after beating a completely gutted Togo team and drawing France. The Swiss look to be getting some more points tomorrow because Togo may not actually play their match tomorrow if they don't get their paychecks from the government. If Togo quits the whole cup, France will finish with 5 points and Korea will battle the Swiss to see if they go on. It could go down to goal differential, which would favor the French and Swiss if they get automatic 2-0 wins over Togo. What a bloddy mess.

Group H: Boring boring boring. Spain kills Ukraine 4-0, their only competition in this group, and it looks like they'll actually get 9 points without trying and win this group. I think Ukraine will come back to win their last two to move on as well, but there are 4 more games in this group and they look like snorers.

Well, my boys earned back a lot of honor and now I am a big Italy fan, at least for one game. The teams looking the best right now are Argentina, Ecuador, Germany and Spain. Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands all look to be in good form and I am pleased by the strong performance by the socceroos.

I love World Cup. People all over the city stop me to talk about it when they see me wearing one of my 3 U.S. jerseys. The only World Cup anger I have seen were these two Italian twats at Lucky Baldwin's yesterday. They came in maybe 15 minutes before the game with Starbucks, sat in the doorway right in front of people that came in much earlier, honked a little bike horn whenever Italy did something good, brought Jamba Juice at halftime, and got all pissed when my brother threw a napkin at them. The guy got up all mad and threw the napkin back saying "it hit her (his wife) in the head!" I pointed out that "it was a fucking napkin" and told him to sit down. I actually chased them down to apologize, but the bitchy wife yelled at me saying "I'm an American!" like I was anti-Italian. I tried to apologize, but she took off, at which point most of the people around told me that I was being classy and that she was a bitch. I agree on all points. Don't come to the pub, sit in everyone's way, bring in outside food, don't spend a dime on anything at the pub, and expect to get treated fairly. Bitch.

World Cup Post #7 - 5 days in

OK, let's deal with the elephant in the room. At least its the elephant in my room. Why did the U.S. get bitchslapped by the Czechs? Here are my reasons: #1: Onyewu's yellow card in the 4th minute limited his ability to be physical up front. #2: DeMarcus Beasley was on the right (he's better on the left) and just played like he was scared. #3: Our balls apparently shrunk back up into our insides. Our attack and midfield simply would not go at their defenders with any confidence. Bobby Convey was the lone exception to that statement, but he was also out of position on the wing. #4: Eddie Pope is not that good. #5: we only had one striker up top for the first half. Nobody wins with a 4-5-1 when nobody on your team plays that formation in club play. #6: the Czechs are flat out really good. #7: we were overly confident and expected to just walk in and beat a favorite to win the cup. #8: We tried to play in the air with a team that is bigger than us. #9: Pablo Mastroeni forgot to show up. #10:

So can we beat Italy? If you ask most people, they would say no. However, I choose to be more optimistic because I have to be. What do we need to do to beat Italy? First, let's fix the Beasley issue. If he is on the field, let's switch him back to the left. If you want Convey there, have him play inside. Beasley's gifts are speed and a left leg. Convey is an attacker. Drop Mastroeni and have Reyna play the holding mid with Donovan attacking. Its sort of a 4-3-1-2. Put Eddie Johnson in up top to start. One straight attacker in Johnson paired with a target man in McBride. Keep Gooch in the back with Lewis on the left. Let Lewis push forward overlapping with Beasley and Convey. If not, look to Bocanegra. Let Pope stay? I don't know who else to put in the middle. Maybe Berhalter? Sounds like trouble to me. Maybe someone else on the right like Bocanegra or even Albright, who can also push up into the attack. You may notice that my strategy is heavily offensive. Well, it needs to be. We need to score early and often against Italy. If they score first, they'll drop back and defend, looking for the counter. So we need our back line to be tough. Also, look at Italy's win over Ghana. Ghana had a ton of chances against what is supposed to be a strong Italian defense. If Ghana had a shooter, they would have scored and maybe gotten a draw. There are Americans that can shoot and Americans with speed. Italy's goals came on Ghana mistakes, not as much Italy execution. Look, I know how optimistic I sound, but I am simply saying what I think needs to happen, not necessarily what will happen.

Other game evaluations:

Germany 4 - 2 Costa Rica: Germany looked stronger than I thought, but Costa Rica played no defense. Germany will get better when Ballack comes back.

Ecuador 2-0 Poland: Kind of a stunner, but Poland is a boring team and they played boring. An upset of sorts, but Poland had been struggling to score.

England 1-0 Paraguay: An incredibly lackluster performance by the 3 Lions. In case you didn't hear it from the shitty ESPN announcers the 5 million times they mentioned it, this was the only time a World Cup game was decided by an own goal. England was uninspired and their midfield was invisible. Also, they did have Marco Rodriguez as the official. He not only is the worst official in FIFA, but also looks like a Mexican vampire.

Trinidad 0-0 Sweden: I didn't catch much of this game, but it was an absolute stunner. Getting a draw with Sweden was a big deal. Getting a draw while being down a man for the whole second half is even bigger. Credit goes to the heart of Trinidad as well as a remarkable performance by Shaka Hislop - their 37 year-old backup keeper. If you want to understand how a 0-0 game can be exciting, watch this one at some point.

Argentina 2-1 Ivory Coast: The score does not show how much Argentina controlled this game. Ivory Coast was supposed to make it tough, but Argentina owned the possession throughout (60% - which is a lot). They pulled their attack too early - something they won't do from now on. No Tevez, no Messi? Yeah, they've got more in their Arsenal. I'm glad I picked them to win. I think they'll destroy Serbia Friday to show what they really have.

Netherlands 1-0 Serbia-Montenegro: The only thing the Dutch did not do was score too much. 57% possession, 11 shots on goal. They looked mighty good too. If you are not a soccer fan, but you want to be, watch June 21st at noon when they face Argentina. Depending on where they stand in the group, this could be a slobberknocker.

Mexico 3-1 Iran: This one was boring to me. Borgetti out early with a leg injury and two late goals for Mexico turned this from exciting to yawn pretty quick. Mexico played well, but this was not a top opponent. I expect them to fold when they face Portugal.

Portugal 1-0 Angola: Another surprising lackluster performance by a favorite. One thing that I have always thought that was proved correct in this game - Christiano Ronaldo is a bitch. Maybe a wake-up call for the Portuguese. Angola pushed hard, but could not finish. This not-finishing is a trend with the African teams.

Czech Republic 3-0 U.S.A.: We sucked. Read above. This ruined my day.

Italy 2-0 Ghana: Also read above. Ghana is good - about as good as I thought, but not good enough to win.

Australia 3-1 Japan: Maybe the most exciting game yet. My students all left for school around the 80th minute when Japan was winning 1-0. They hardly believed me when I told them that Australia scored 3 goals in 6 minutes to earn the 3 points. They worked and worked and worked to get the first goal, which came on a rebound. Then Cahill got #2 with a brilliant strike that hit the inside of the left post then the inside of the right post before settling in the net. #3 came in stoppage on a Japanese defense that was pushing up for an equalizer. I loved watching this team play. Maybe the surprise of the tournament (which I believe I predicted in a previous post).

South Korea 2-1 Togo: This is the first game that I did not watch. I may not watch the replay either. Good for Korea. No surprise for a Togo team whose coach quit over pay and then came back a day or two ago.

France 0-0 Switzerland: I didn't see much of this either, but its a big surprise and I'm sure the French are freaked out after they ducked out in the group stage in '02. There was a questionable non-call when a Swiss defender stopped a Thierry Henry shot with his arm. Personally, I would have given the penalty. France had chances, as did the Swiss, but nobody could score.

Brazil 1-0 Croatia: I said that Brazil was not as good as people thought, and they helped prove me right today. They had 19 shots (8 on goal) and had chances, but they did not bring the Joga Bonita today. They also only made one sub bringing young superstar Robinho on for fat Ronaldo. That's kind of a joke, by the way, since the President of Brazil publicly called Ronaldo fat. Croatia played tough and created chances, but they just did not convert. Lots of close calls. Brazil better wake up before facing Australia Sunday.

So that's that. Where is the cup going from here? A few big name teams need to figure something out: Brazil, Portugal, France, and England specifically. A few teams did a lot to give them a chance to advance: Australia, South Korea, and Trinidad. Some teams came out and showed the world what they are capable of: Czech Republic, Argentina, Netherlands. The current cup stars: Australia's Tim Cahill, Czech Tomas Rosicky, Trinidad's Shaka Hislop, Costa Rica's Paulo Wanchope, Sancho and Gray in Trinidad's backline, and Argentina's playmaker Juan Riquelme.

More first games tomorrow: Spain vs. Ukraine at 6am (should be a good one) and Tunisia vs. Saudi Arabia at 9 (insert terrorist jokes here). Germany and Poland open the second round of games at noon. Italy vs. United States at noon Saturday to start my first bachelor party (come down to Lucky Baldwin's to join us).

World Cup Post #6

OK, two days to go. Today I'll finish my picks and tomorrow give my final analysis. I'm not sure what I'll do after that since I will be pretty anxious and may not be able to sit in front of a computer for long.

So, here are the quarterfinal matches and my picks.

Germany vs. Argentina:
Being a host has its advantages. However, this is where the hosts will exit. Germany has a good team, as they probably always will. The problem is that the Argentines have a great team. Also, I think that any questions over the health of Messi will be over at this point and that will be one more threat for Argentina. Germany's strength is efficiency and they have a great keeper, but I just don't see them being able to deal with the multi-pronged, innovative, exciting attack that the Argies bring. Result: Argentina 3 - 2 Germany

Italy vs. France:
I was going to say that this is a great quarterfinal matchup, but once you get this far, they are all great. However, I think this will be somewhat of a goalfest. Both teams have reasonably good defenses, but their offenses are ridiculous. Italy will want to focus on shutting down Henry. Just like I suggested in the previous round's match, this can be done if Italy puts enough pressure on the French defense, forcing Henry to come back farther to get the ball. Italy has the talent to do just that. Plus, with France deciding to stick with Fabian Barthez, I'm actually regretting my choice to put them this far. Result: Italy 4 - 2 France

England vs. Netherlands:
Well, it looks like Wayne Rooney just might be healthy enough to play. I think its a mistake to risk it, but this is the World Cup. If he can use that foot completely, England becomes much more of a favorite. This is the round that the inexperience of the Dutch catch up with them. Although they have a strong attack, they will be distracted by a strong English midfield that gets to feed the ball to Rooney. Result: England 3 - 1 Netherlands

Brazil vs. Spain:
This is actually a tough one to pick. On one hand, I don't see the Brazilian defense (that I have heard will be starting) being good enough to get them to the semi-finals. Spain is much more balanced and will be able to get behind the slow Brazilian defenders. They have legit finishers in Raul and Luis Garcia. On the other hand, Spain chokes in the World Cup. Tough choice, but I can't go too much further without picking at least one upset. Result: Spain 2 - 1 Brazil.

That gives us the semi-final matches:

Argentina vs. Italy:
Damn, I get excited just thinking about this possible matchup. Two teams that are quick, exciting, and talented. Argentina is often called the Italy of South America. This time, though, I see the new world conquering the old world. I have Carlos Tevez on my World Cup fantasy team and I think this is where he will make his mark on world soccer. I predict a brace (two goals) to the young Argentine and a goal for the recovering Francesco Totti late, but it will not be enough. Result: Argentina 2 -1 Italy

England vs. Spain:
The battle of the colonizers. Also, I think the battle to see who will lose to Argentina. In my opinion, England's coach has not brought a full compliment of his best players. Surely, they are loaded with an amazing starting 11, especially if Wayne Rooney is healthy. As that is the current news, I will make my prediction based on his availability. Really, there is one gigantic difference between Spain and England. Steven Gerrard. Over the past two season, Stevie G has shown that he has that extra "something" to carry a team to victory. He did it in the 2005 Champions League final and again in the 2006 FA Cup final. I think he will bring that determination, skill, and magic to the world stage and carry England to the final, scoring the game-winner in stoppage time. Result: England 2 -1 Spain

THE FINAL

England vs. Argentina:
Remember my comment about the irony that always comes at some point in the World Cup? Here, Argentina will use their slogan "Remember Falkland!" and beat the inventors of the game. I have said it at every stage of my predictions. This Argentina team has something to prove and the talent to prove it. I actually think that England will have the lead twice in this match, but will fall to this spirited Argentine team late in the game with a goal by Tevez, Messi, or Crespo. Result: Argentina 3 - 2 England

So that's it. I pick Argentina to win the World Cup. Let me also clear a few things up about who I am supporting. First and foremost, I would give up a finger to have the U.S. win the cup. In fact, I will get the U.S. soccer logo tatooed on my giant right calf if they do. (By the way, my brother and I both said that we would get stars tatooed on our arms if the Galaxy won the MLS Cup last year, and we have yet to fulfill that promise. A star, also by the way, is usually put on a team's jersey for each championship that they have won.) So that is my team until they are out. After that I support England, mostly because I am a Liverpool fan and would love to see Gerrard and Carragher lift this cup. After that, I basically go for the underdog and against Brazil. Overall, though, I support this beautiful game and will love watching any team win it. Except Brazil. Fuck them. They have enough trophies. And I give no credit to any novice soccer fan that picks Brazil to win and puts it in my face later. Bugger off!

World Cup Post #5 - round of 16

3 more days until absolute bliss. Well, that and the complete wreckage of my entire nervous system and the bombardment of alcohol sent towards my liver.

Before you read on, make sure you read my other World Cup posts to see my predictions for the group stages. Here's the link to the first post and you can start there.

So, according to my group stage predictions, here are the matchups for the round of 16:

Germany vs. Sweden:
This could be a really interesting or really boring game. People who are not to into soccer would quickly choose the Germans to win, but I don't think this choice would be that obvious. The Swedes have good strikers as do the Germans. However, these teams are known for their more conservative machine-like efficiency. Therefore, I see this coming down to a 1-0 finish with a lot of play stuck in the midfield. Someone will make a mistake and the other team will capitalize. I think the Swedes will make that mistake and either Ballack or Klose will notch the game-winner from a setpiece. Result: Germany 1 - 0 Sweden

Argentina vs. Mexico:
If my predictions work out, this could be one of the top games in the second round. Los Tricolores are a talented team and matchup well with other Latin American teams. They beat Brazil in June in the Confederations Cup, with both teams basically playing their full sides. However, I feel that Mexico always has trouble maintaining their composure in the big matches. Argentina is deep at all positions and have the national experience in the big game that Mexico does not. Result: Argentina 3 - 2 Mexico

Italy vs. Australia:
Australia's biggest victory would be getting out of the group stage. That is where the victories stop. Italy is just too talented and fast for the socceroos. Australia will likely bunker down as much as possible early, but once they give up one goal (which I think will happen in the first 30 minutes) the Aussies will be forced to open up and that is when Italy will rain goals down on them. Result: Italy 4 - 1 Australia

France vs. Ukraine:
I think this is where France's age might catch up with them. This is a team that is sometimes lacking in guts and may overlook this surprisingly strong Ukrainian team. If France comes out attacking, there is not much Ukraine can do to stop them. However, if they are timid and force Henry to pull back to get touches, they could be vulnerable. I think this is exactly what will happen. If Ukraine can score first, they will bunker down a little and hold off a French offensive - which we all know is not that hard. Except there is a little problem for Ukraine and his name is Thierry Henry. My prediction is they go to penalties on a late Henry equalizer and go to penalties where the advantage switches to the French. Result: France 1 - 1 Ukraine (France wins 5-4 in penalties).

England vs. Poland:
Poland comes out of a weak group to face an outside favorite. This is where England will show their true talent, control, and speed(sort of). Goals by Gerrard, Lampard and Crouch give the English a pass to the quarters in a lopsided victory. Result: England 3 - 0 Poland

Portugal vs. Netherlands:
If my predictions are correct, this is the best matchup in the Round of 16. Both of these teams have a shot at winning the whole thing. Portugal can win if they capitalize on their speed and if Christiano Ronaldo plays like a man instead of a bitch. The Dutch can win if they push hard out of the midfield and give their 78 quality strikers some chances on goal. Unfortunately for the Portuguese, Christiano Ronaldo is a bitch and Figo is too old. Result: Netherlands 2 - 1 Portugal

Brazil vs. U.S.:
4-0 to the Americans. Yeah right. Look, I love my team and I think they can beat anybody in the world. In 1994, a much more inexperienced and less talented American team bunkered down and lost 1-0 to Brazil. This U.S. team will not follow that strategy. How can the U.S. win? The defenders need to communicate and maintain their composure. Hold the back line, but don't get caught flat-footed. Mastroeni and Gooch need to be physical with the Brazilian scorers and keep them on unsure footing. On the counter, get a very fast trio (Donovan, Beasley, Eddie Johnson) behind the older/slower Brazilian defense. Those guys need to capitalize on opportunities. If this happens, the U.S. can win. Unfortunately, I don't think all of the pieces will come together. It'll stay close, but Brazil will get a second due to a mental mistake by a U.S. defender and a third when the Americans push up to try and equalize. Result: Brazil 3 - 1 U.S.

Spain vs. Korea:
Sorry Korea. No referees to help the hosts. Spain's massive attack will completely overwhelm the Koreans. Korea scores in a valiant attempt, but Puyol seems to be reading their minds and closes down all of their opportunities. Result: Spain 4 - 1 Korea

That means I predict the following quarterfinal matchups:

Germany vs. Argentina
Italy vs. France
England vs. Netherlands
Brazil vs. Spain

However, I have more important things to do right now and will cover those tomorrow.

World Cup Post #4

Link to my last World Cup post here.

Group G: France, Switzerland, Korea Republic, Togo
Arguably the weakest group in the cup, the French are a clear favorite in this group. I think Togo may be the lowest ranked team in the cup and I don't know much about them. This is another young team, mostly in their 20s. If they are the stereotypical African team then they are fast and can't do much defensively. They do have ability as a few of their players play in Europe's big leagues (Germany, England, Italy, Spain). Korea is not the same team they were as hosts. Hosting, for some reason, makes teams to better. However, this Korean team will not likely have officials handing them upsets to get them into the semi-finals. There are quality players, but not to the level of the French. Watching the Swiss is about as exciting as watching them build their watches. Really, there is a reason this country is more into bobsledding and skiing. However, they have a chance to advance in this weak group. France, on the other hand, is completely stacked with talent. Who to watch: Maybe the most gifted player with the ball ever is Zinedine Zidane. I had the pleasure of watching him live when he came to the states with Real Madrid to play the Galaxy. He is nothing short of brilliant. In the same note as Steven Gerrard. Thierry Henry is a player that can carry a team on his back. Henry has an uncanny knack for getting the ball in the net when it doesn't seem possible. If you want to see two amazing players, check out France. This is, however, an older team. Other players to look out for: Saha is a talented player up top. Djibril Cisse is one of the fastest players in the world. They will score, but I don't think too highly of their defenders - especially Boumsong.

1. France 3 wins 9 points
2. Korea 1 win 1 draw 4 points
3. Switzerland 2 draws 2 points
4. Togo 1 draw 1 point


Group H: Spain, Ukraine, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia
Another group where two teams stick out. Spain is always considered a world power, but seems to choke in the World Cup. They have great keepers, including one of the best PK-stoppers in the world in Jose "Pepe" Reina (ask West Ham about him) and Ikar Casillas. Their defense is led by one of the best of the world in Carlos Puyol. All of their midfielders are talented and two play together for Arsenal in England. Their strikers are so-so in my view. I don't thing as highly of Raul as the rest of the world and I've seen the good and bad sides of Luis Garcia. Again, they could go far, but they could also choke. I know pretty much nothing about Tunisia or Saudi Arabia except that the Saudis were the whipping boy of WC2002. Ukraine is my super dark horse of this tournament. They have a great striker in Shevchenko and an old Ukranian legend in Rebrov. However, they did well in qualifying and I think that they have an easier path to the semis depending on their success in the group.

1. Spain 2 wins, 1 draw 7 points (1st through goal diff.)
2. Ukraine 2 wins 1 draw 7 points
3 Tunisia 1 draw 1 point
4. Saudi Arabia 1 draw 1 point


That covers all of the groups. Next up is my look at how I think the elimination rounds will go. 3 more days!!!

A Non-soccer related post

So I have a few things to say that are not connected to the World Cup.

First, I have a few things to admit. I bought, drank, and enjoyed a bottle of sparkling mineral water (Pellegrino). In the last 2 weeks I have consumed more white wine than beer. I bought, use, and love the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. I'm not sure I'm going to vote tomorrow because I have no interest in any of the issues. I'm scared of geese.

OK, now that I've got that off my chest I have a story. The other night Amanda and I went out for a walk. Near the end, we were at the corner of Duarte Rd. and Rosemead waiting for the little man to tell us to cross. I felt something on my back sort of near the bottom of my shoulder blade. I reached around and sort of felt it, but couldn't quite hit the spot. So I asked Amanda if there was something on my back. Her response was "Oh my god - yes!" which of course really bothered me. She made funny noises as I danced around on a busy street corner trying to get this thing out of my shirt. Yes, what she saw was something "pointy" moving inside my shirt. I did have an undershirt so it was not directly on my skin. Once I thought I had sufficiently danced around to get whatever it was out of my shirt, I asked Amanda to check. She felt around my back and it seemed to be gone - until I felt the top of my shoulder where the giant "thing" was. I immediately grabbed my shoulder and the "thing" crunched into oblivion leaving a white-ish slime and green-yellow guts. Once I got the shirt off there were no parts remaining, so I have no idea what it was. My theory was originally a moth, but Amanda was thinking giant spider. Later I changed to beetle and Pete seemed to think grasshopper when I told him the story. Either way, it was not pleasant.

Also, Amanda and I found an apartment. Its pretty big. The landlord listed it as 1300 square feet, but I think its a little less. We also got a great deal, its secure as hell (including razor wire), and in a good neighborhood. Either way, we are stoked. My next challenge is not just to get my stuff packed, but to try and get rid of some of the things that I never use.

That's all. World Cup Post #4 is coming later today.

World Cup Post #3

Holy Shit. We are now less than 5 days from the start of World Cup and I think I am starting to get a little excited.

First, some U.S. soccer news. It looks like English club Middlesborough have beaten the rest of the world to the punch and signed Oguchi Onyewu. Good for him, going to a big-time league. Good for 'Boro for getting him before the price tag went up.

Before I get started, I invite those of you just starting your EToWJB World Cup adventure to read my first two World Cup posts: World Cup post #1 and World Cup Post #2.

Group E: United States, Italy, Czech Republic, Ghana.
This group is what most soccer fans are calling the group of death. Ghana is not expected to advance, but they have also been called "the one African team nobody wants to face." When you look at the FIFA rankings (which are pretty much a joke) you find that Group E holds the World's # 2, 5 and 13 in the same group. Shocking to most is that the Czechs are #2 and the U.S. is #5. However, I would put Italy as the favorite to win this group. They are talented, efficient, and crafty. They are super deep. In the back is who I would consider one of the best defenders in the world in Allesandro Nesta. The midfield is sparked by Francesco Totti, who is recovering from a broken foot. You may have noticed that there seems to be a lot of broken feet going around the football world. In any case, they also have a great holding midfielder in Gennaro Gattuso (although I think he's a hack and a prick). Up front watch for Inzaghi, Toni, and Del Pierro. There are maybe 5 other names I could mention as great players, and that's why this team is scary. Two things about Italy: They are known to choke under pressure and Italian football has been rocked by a scandal involving a few of their top teams possibly influencing the outcome of games by choosing their officials. Many, if not most, of the Italian players comes from one of the teams involved (Juventus, AC Milan, maybe more). How will the scandal effect the players? Hard to say. I feel like these guys are pros and will enjoy being away from Italy for the month. The Czechs also bring a wealth of talent, although I don't think they are the #2 team in the world. Peter Cech is a great keeper to have in goal. I know nothing about their defenders. Their biggest threat in the midfield is Peter Nedved, but they lost a strong player in Vladamir Smicer to injury. Jan Koller led the team in scoring during qualifying, but most people look to Milan Baros to carry them in the World Cup. This is a great team. However, I think they are beatable - and the U.S. is just the team to do it. I think this is a stronger U.S. squad than the quarter-finalist in Korea/Japan. With Brad Friedel's retirement, Kasey Keller steps in as the #1 in goal. What does the U.S. lose? Absolutely nothing. This is an area where the U.S. is arguably stronger than any other country. Keller is one of the best in the world. His backup, Marcus Hahnemann, was voted keeper of the year for England's Championship Division (2nd highest league) winners Reading. Defensively, Gooch stands out as the man picked to knock some strikers on their asses. The other defenders are so-so in my book, but I will say that Carlos Bocanegra is highly underrated. The man in the midfield has always been Claudio Reyna, but I think his injuries will get the best of him this year as well. Landon Donovan and DeMarcus Beasley make up a dangerous fast duo threat, but they are also little guys. Really, I feel like this is a very talented group from top to bottom. Watch for Bobby Convey to get some time and make a name for himself. Scoring goals could be the weakness of this team. However, I think Eddie Johnson just might make a really strong showing. He knows how to put the ball in the net and he is crazy fast. Ghana is young, inexperienced, and fast. A definite threat, but the likely bottom-dweller in this group.

1. Italy 2 wins 1 draw, 7 points
2. U.S. 2 wins, 1 loss 6 points
3. Czechs 1 win 1 draw 4 points
4. Ghana 0 wins, no points

Group F: Brazil, Croatia, Australia, Japan
Brazil has become the easy pick to win the cup, but I wouldn't bet on it. Look at their starting attackers alone (Adriano, Fred, Robinho, Ronaldinho, etc.) and you crap in your pants. However, look at the defenders and what do you find. Talent that will sit the bench in favor of older semi-legends. Cafu will be 36 when they play their first game and any Real Madrid fan will tell you that Roberto Carlos is not the same guy he was back in 2002 or 1998. Yes, everybody knows that Roberto Carlos can kick the ball really hard, but his weakness is defensive skill. Brazil will win this group and have a great cup, but the teams with speed and skill in the midfield and attack can beat them - if you can stop their attack first. Croatia is one of those teams that often gets carried by a star player. There is no star this time around - no more Davor Suker (led the world cup in scoring in '98). They tied Malta in qualifying and beat their only competition (Sweden) 1-0 both times. I don't see much from these guys. Japan - well, I really don't know much about this Japanese side except teams generally do well when they host, and they don't get that benefit this time around. However, they bring an incredibly passionate fanbase and are often exciting to watch. Takahara and Nakata are really talented, but Japan's defense is not so hot and they generally don't deal well with the physical nature of full international play. I can't tell you how excited I am to see the socceroos in the World Cup. It is hard for them to get here because they have to qualify out of Oceania, which is easy for them, but to get to the World Cup, they have to beat the 5th place team from South America - and they are never pushovers. They
beat Uruguay in penalties to get here and I think they have a chance to move to the second round. Their best player is Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell, who had a tremendous year for the Reds. Mark Schwarzer is a quality keeper that plays for Middlesbrough in England where he is joined by fellow socceroo Mark Viduka. Little Tim Cahill is back from an injury and had the equalizer in their draw with the Netherlands. This team will be really fun to watch.

1. Brazil 3 win 9 points
2. Australia 1 win, 1 draw 4 points
3. Croatia 2 draws 2 points
4. Japan 1 draw 1 point



Tomorrow I will hit the last 2 groups. Tuesday I will give my predictions for the first two knockout rounds, Wednesday the semis and finals. Thursday I will crap my pants in excitement. Friday I will be in heaven.

World Cup Post #2

Before reading on, look below or at this link to read World Cup Post #1 (Groups A & B)

Group C: Argentina, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, Serbia & Montenegro
Although they have two names, Serbia is not the favorite in this group. The one player to watch for from the Serbs is Kezman, who saw short time for Chelsea in their 04/05 title run. I see Group C as the toughest group after E (which I will get to tomorrow). Argentina comes in as my pick to win the World Cup. They are so talented and have to make up for dropping out at the group stage in 2002. There are several names that stick out as already established stars like Hernan Crespo and Juan Riquelme. However, when you watch Argentina, I think you should look at two players up top: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) and Carlos Tevez (Corinthians). I don't think a lot of people know about Tevez outside of South America, but this guy is an incredible player. He's everything you need to be a great player: magical with his feet, great striker of the ball, and uglier than sin. Watch for this guy to make quite a name for himself. Ivory Coast brings a very talented squad as well, and I have seen several people pick them to go far in the tournament. Toure and Oboue are strong defenders in the back and have the advantage of also playing together in England with Arsenal. Their most famous player is Chelsea's Didier Drogba, who is a real scorer, but is also one of the biggest divers I have ever seen. I think they could surprise somebody in this group, but only if Drogba stays on his feet and puts the ball in the net. The Dutch also bring a great team mixed with young and old. They are tough in the net with Manchester United's Edwin Van Der Sar. Liverpool's Jan Kromkamp looks to start in the back, but is also a threat to push up into the attack. I think old-man Philip Cocu will anchor the back and they are strong in the midfield, led by Mark Van Bommel. They lost Van Der Vaart to injury, which is a huge loss and they will need help to fill his shoes. Up top they are absolutely stacked with talent: Ruud Van Nistelrooij (ManU), Arjen Robben (Chelsea), and Robin Van Persie (Arsenal) are all big-time scorers. Babel is a big target as well. However, this is a relatively inexperienced team, mostly because they did not qualify for WC2002. Their coach, Marco Van Basten is a national soccer hero and took advantage of his success in qualifying by leaving out many of the older generation of Dutch footballers. This is the best team to never have won a World Cup title (they were runner-up twice in the 70s).

1. Argentina 3 wins 9 points
2. Netherlands 1 win 1 draw, 4 points (through on goals)
3. Ivory Coast 1 win 1 draw 4 points
4. Serbia 0 wins, 0 points

Group D: Mexico, Iran, Angola, Portugal
As a U.S. fan, I have to hate the Mexican side. However, they are good and will move on in this group. Two players to watch for the TriColores are Rafa Marquez in the back and Jared Borgetti up top. Borgetti is great in the air and scores all of the time with his head. I think Rafa is a complete asshole, but is a great defender and has showed that class with Barcelona since signing with them after WC2002. Portugal was dropped from WC2002 in the group stage after being upset by both the U.S. and South Korea. However, they bring a lot of talent to Germany and I think they will win this group. I think their weak point is their midfield, but not by much. One-time world player of the year Luis Figo will likely play a good bit, but the most talented (and most annoyingly one-dimensional) player is ManU's Christiano Ronaldo. He is incredible on the ball, but often relies to much on the same "two step-overs and go right" move. They are my favorite to win this group. Iran is Iran. There is talent on this team, but also incredible pressure from their government to do well. I have personally never heard of any of their players, but that is mostly because I really don't follow the German Bundesliga and, for some reason, that is where many Iranians end up. Angola is another one of those countries, like Ivory Coast, that could use a little unity right now. Don't expect much from them though. Angola does bring two exciting gifts to the World Cup table. First, their players have great names like "Love" and "Loco". Second, they used to be a colony - controlled by Portugal. So it will be a colonizer vs. colonized matchup in this group. That is one of the great things about the World Cup. Like the U.S. vs. Iran in '98 (which I'm not going to talk about - fucking Steve Sampson) and the several matchups between England and Argentina.

1. Portugal 2 wins 1 draw 7 points (1st by goal differential)
2. Mexico 2 wins, 1 draw 7 points
3. Iran 1 win 3 points
4. Angola 0 wins, 0 points

Tomorrow I'll get to Group E (U.S.) and Group F (Brazil).

World Cup Post #1

We are a week away from the greatest sporting event in the world, so I though that I would chime in and make my predictions. I will hit two groups per day and then the elimination rounds just before Day 1. Please be aware that my analysis is based only on my knowledge and not extensive research.

Here goes:

Group A: Germany, Poland, Costa Rica, Ecuador.
A pretty easy group for the hosts, although you never want to discount any Latin American team. My prediction for this group is that Germany will run the table and Poland will get 2nd. Germany does not bring their best squad, but don't count them out with Arsenal's Jens Lehmann in the net, Michael Ballack in midfield and big striker Miroslav Klose up front. Poland always makes a steady showing at the cup. although they were eliminated in 2002 by the co-hosts Korea in the final match of the group stage. I really don't know much about the Polish side except they have not looked to be in strong form recently. The Ticos (Costa Rica) are one of those teams that is destined to not get far, although not because of a lack of heart, and often are considered the "other team" in a qualifying region with the U.S. and Mexico. Douglas Sequeira, who plays professionally here in the states, is a big mean guy that can knock the ball in with his head if given the chance. I have actually seen a number of these players as the Galaxy played 2 games against Costa Rican side FC Saprissa earlier this year. He also was born on the same day I was, which really bodes well for him. They will likely take third in the group. I don't know a single player on Ecuador and I don't expect them to get a point in this group.


1. Germany 3 wins, 9points
2. Poland 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss 4 points
3. Costa Rica 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss 4 points (out on goal differential)
4. Ecuador 0 wins, 3 losses, 0 points

Group B: England, Paraguay, Sweden, Trinidad & Tobago
Some analysts have called this the "group of death" though I'm not sure why. England is the best team in this group, but they are missing their top scorer, Wayne Rooney, to a broken foot. He may get action after the group stage, but it would take a miracle. Also, their coach is a complete moron and has brought a roster lacking in scorers. Michael Owen, although a great scorer, is coming back from the same injury that Rooney has. That leaves Liverpool's tall (6'6") Peter Crouch and a completely unproven Theo Wolcott, who has yet to play one minute in the English Premier League. However, if you want to see the best player in the world (in my opinion), watch for midfielder Steven Gerrard. After carrying Liverpool to a Champions' League title last season (after coming back from 3-0 down at the half) he worked miracles this season by scoring to magnificent goals to lift Liverpool to an FA Cup title. If there is anybody in the world that could will a team to victory in the world's largest stage, its Gerrard. Yes, I am biased because he plays for my favorite team, but I feel like I won't get much argument. Sweden has a load of talent. Watch for Ljungberg in the midfield and Larsson and Ibrahimovic up top. They are all world class players (especially Ibrahimovic, who has been rumored to spit out his gum, juggle it, and kick it back into his mouth without letting it hit the ground - in other words he's magical with his feet). Paraguay used to have the biggest douchebag in soccer, Jose Luis Chilavert, playing keeper for them, but he's gone and the only guy I know is Acuna, who is a strong midfielder that plays in Spain. I'm stoked to see T&T make it to the World Cup, but I think that they're going to get demolished for the most part. However, they will have fun, as will their fans. Plus, they have 8 strikers on their roster, which is twice as many as most countries. They do have some quality players though. Shaka Hislop in goal does a good job for West Ham in England, Dwight Yorke is a legend - although he's getting older, Stern John does pretty well playing pro in England, and the Galaxy's Cornell Glen is OK.

1. England 3 wins, 9 points
2. Sweden, 2 wins 1 loss 6 points
3. T&T (this is with my heart, not my brain) 1 win, 2 losses 3 points
4. Paraguay 3 losses 0 points


OK, that's it for now. Groups C & D tomorrow.