Okay, I'm going to attempt the absolute lunacy that is watching every single minute of football from the World Cup in Germany this year. Of course I've got a life, and other things to do, so this wouldn't be possible without my trusty friend TiVo. Good thing most shows are in summer re-runs, affording me plenty of time. That, and the lack of both money and a social life. Expect this post to be edited in the neighborhood of 30 times, if not more.
Day 1: Friday 6/9/06Germany 4:2 Costa RicaThis was a damned entertaining match. I didn't think the Germans would be so dominant in this one, but it was really their game from start to finish. The whole game was a pretty stark contrast of styles - the Germans were constantly attacking
Los Ticos, and it was only on a couple breakdowns in defense that allowed the Costa Ricans any opportunity to score. CRC only put up 4 shots in the whole match. I was damned impressed by a Michael Ballack-less German squad. They looked good.
Ecuador 2:0 PolandThis game came as somewhat of a shock to both me and the ESPN announcers. I thought Poland had a pretty decent team, but they just looked on the pitch. Contrast that with the
Tricolor, who were running almost non-stop. Ecuador's intensity and their ability to constantly penetrate Poland's suspect defense gave them a good win. I predicted that Ecuador would finish last in Group A, but after one day, I should've swapped Ecuador and Costa Rica in my predictions. Better luck tomorrow I guess.
Prediction record after Day 1: 1-1-0 [0.500]
Day 2: Saturday 6/10/06England 1:0 ParaguayWhat a boring game. Other than Beckham's great curving free kick early in the game (that resulted in the OG, the only goal of the game) this was a snoozefest. England looked good in the first half, but seemed to have no fire in the 2nd half. I thought that after subbing out Owens that they'd get something going, but the Three Lions just couldn't muster much of an attack anywhere. Beckham was almost a non-factor other than the goal and the corners. The officiating was crazy, with 6'7" Crouch picking up a yellow and 6-7 fouls - it was almost like the refs were targeting him. (By the way, getting a yellow for arguing is the dumbest thing ever. What a lame way to hurt your team). Oh, and Paraguay didn't show any offensive spark at all, which may be a tribute to England's only high point - their back 4, but Paraguay's defensive backfield sure did look good. I'm not totally sold on England. When's Rooney coming back?
Trinidad and Tobago 0:0 SwedenWhat a game! Match of the tourney so far! Trinidad played great! The duo of Ibrahimovic and Larson seemed to be attacking the goal nearly non-stop and to the
Soca Warriors' credit, they did a good job of matching up against the Swedes. When Avery John got his 2nd yellow in the 46th minute and was sent off (on what I think was a terrible call - it was a foul but he WAS going for the ball) you had to think that was going to hurt TnT. I mean, you're already underdogs, and now you're playing short a man? But no! TnT played even better! Oh and by the way Hislop, the TnT GK, played out of his mind. A late pencil-in, he came in and made some outstanding saves. That guy was a legend on the pitch today. It wasn't that Sweden played poorly - they didn't - it was that Hislop and the TnT defense were good enough to avoid the Sverige attack. This game is an example of why I love the World Cup so much.
Argentina 2:1 Ivory CoastI really couldn't get into this game. Granted, Argentina is on my "Anybody but them!" list as to who I don't want to win the Cup (along with France, Portugual, Spain, Italy, and Mexico) so I was heartily pulling for the Ivory Coast. I will grant that Argentina played a great game. They were constantly on the attack, and their attackers looked good, not flat like those of England and Sweden earlier in the day. For CIV, Drogba looked really good. Granted I don't think that the Ivory Coast will be able to advance through this round (all depends on the Dutch) but they had a decent performance tonight.
Prediction record after Day 2: 3-1-1 [.750]
Day 3: Sunday 6/11/06Netherlands 1:0 Serbia and MontenegroI thought that the Oranje would win, but in a more convincing fashion. I know that Serbia and Montenegro have put up a few clean sheets in a row in Cup qualifying, but the Dutch have what I thought was one of the best sets of strikers in the world. Van Nistelrooy wasn't as big of a factor as I thought he was going to be. The first half of this game was enjoyable, but I honestly got bored at about the 70 minute mark. Only when van der Sar got hurt late I thought things might heat up, but he stayed in the game, and not much of anything came of it. I was really impressed with how well the Netherlands pass the ball - better than any team I'd seen so far. It seems near impossible to dig yourself out of a hole against the Dutch as they keep the ball in their posession for what seems like the entire game. One thing I did love was the abundance of Yellow cards in the 2nd half for pretty much everything you can get one for - hard fouls, dissent, and time wasting. It started to get pretty dirty around the 80th minute. Robben had a good game, but whenever your teammates label you a ball-hog, there's trouble at home. Perhaps picking the Dutch through to the finals was a bad choice.
Mexico 3:1 IranThis is easily the first game in the tourney in which I could honestly not pick a team to root for. I'm no fan of Mexico, but I sure don't like Iran either (and apparently, neither did the German fans who booed the hell out of the team when they entered the pitch, were announced, and first touched the ball). I thought this was Mexico's time to shine, but I underestimated Iran's squad. After a well played Mexican goal, Iran answered right back off an equally well played corner kick. I was surprised that Mexico took a gamble and substituted two in at the half, only to have to use his last sub when Borgetti tweaked a hamstring about five minutes later. I was not very impressed my Mexico on the set-pieces, Pardo couldn't seem to put anything much of anywhere missing free kicks badly and his corner kicks were flat. The game was even for 74 minutes, but then you could see the wheels falling off for Iran. Mexico's go-ahead goal in the 75th minute was a good one, but can totally be attributed to a terrible breakdown and series of mistakes by the Iranians. The third goal on the other hand was damned pretty - a great cross followed by a beautiful header to put the ball in the back of the net. Exciting last 15 minutes of play.
Portugual 1:0 AngolaWow does this match have some serious undertones. Angola was oppressed by a Portuguese ncolonial government until the 1950s, and the last time these two teams played 4 Red cards were given and the came stopped in the 68th minute. I'm no fan of the Portuguese (after their comments/attitudes before the 2002 World Cup) so pulling for the underdogs was easy for me to do. However, Portugual just looked so much better than Angola. Portugual came out fierce, putting up a near-goal shot in the first 14 seconds, and after a great pass from Figo, Pauleta put a goal in the back of the net in the 4th minute. After that, I think they must've just gotten a flat tire. Portugual looked tired and indifferent for the remainder of the 1st half and the entire 2nd half. Angola played well, but just couldn't muster a strike. The 2nd half was probably the most boring of the Cup so far. Portugual just sat back and played possession.
Prediction record after Day 3: 6-1-1 [.857] (pretty good so far)
Day 4: Monday 6/12/06Australia 3:1 JapanToday was the first day where I had to rely on watching all my games via Tivo (as I was in class/work all day). Unfortunately, people with loud mouths blabbed both the score of this game and the USA game before I got a chance to see it, so going into this game, I knew the end result. Boo. On to the break-down. I thought this game was going to be a walk for Japan and it was anything but that. Australia ted Japan's third, with the Socceroos putting up a massive 22 shots, 11 on goal. The Japanese strikers played decent, but just couldn't convert on anything other than the goal in the 25th minute - the UGLIEST goal of the tournament. The goalie claimed foul (a call which he should've gotten) as Schwartzer was picked by Takahara. The goal was thus just an ugly floater. A complete BS goal - the Aussies should've had a clean sheet. The real story of this game is the persistence of the Aussie strikers, who along with their midfielders were semmingly attacking Japan deep the entire game. Their persistence paid off late. I used the metaphor about the wheels falling off the bus in the Mexico/Iran game, but this game was a far more suited application. Japan, holding a frail 1-0 lead, gives up not one, but THREE goals in the final five minutes to blow a lead and find themselves sitting at the bottom of Group E with a -2 goal differential. What an incredibly exciting last five minutes. I didn't predict this one, but then again, who did? I love how the ESPN announcers were playing kiss-ass on the Japanese team the entire 2nd half, and how quickly they jumped on the Aussie bandwagon.
Czech Republic 3:0 United StatesOuch. All along I thought the Czechs would win this game, because I thought they were the better team. Granted I thought this would be a close game, and despite two goals in the first half, it was a fairly close game. Koller must've been called for being offsides 7 times in the first half. One huge problem was Reyna, who did not command the midfield like he needed to. Onyewu's yellow card in the 4th minute sucked, and you had to know that a defender that big was going to pick a YC up at some point. Koller's goal in the same minute was a pretty one, an EASY header off a cross. With his huge height advantage over Eddie Pope, there really was no chance. The American offense was atrocious. Donovan got a few looks, but McBride and Beasley weren't in the game at all. The Americans had some terrible fouls in the game, stupid fouls. The 2nd goal by the Czechs was just an unstoppable bullet, though I can't help but wonder why Reyna put in such a terrible effort on marking his man. Koller's injury may hurt the Czechs in their upcoming matches, which we'll have to wait and see. Claudio Reyna's yellow card was a hard, foul. The Czechs really ted the midfield, and I can't blame anybody but Reyna. Bringing in Eddie Johnson didn't give the spark that the US needed, and after Rosicky put in the third goal, the American team just basically gave up. Rosicky was wide open ALL DAY. I was extremely disappointed in the American defense, the American midfield, and the American strikers. Better pick your asses off the ground and beat Italy, or it's 1998 all over again. Losing the game wasn't a terrible thing, but now the USA is sitting at last place in the group, with a TERRIBLE -3 goal differential. Damnit. Why was Beasley on his unnatural side? Why put Convey and Lewis on the same side when neither is known for their defense? UGH.
Italy 2:0 GhanaThe first half-hour was back and forth affair, with both teams missing on early chances. Ghana certainly played well to keep with Italy for so long. The
Azzurri were on the attack at every chance that afforded them, which unfortunately for Ghana, was pretty often. How Toni's ball didn't go in after a thunderous shot in the 27th minute was beyond me, but Pirlo's scorcher in the 40th minute made up for it. Ghana continued to play strong, coming close to equalizing the game on many occations. It wasn't until a mistake on defense in the 83rd minute allowed for the second Italian goal. A half-assed clear back to the goalie was intercepted, and Iaquinta barely had to work for his goal as he simply dribbled past the goalie and dumped it into the empty net. A good game for Ghana, and without one stupid mistake, it could've been a one-goal game.
Prediction record after Day 4: 8-2-1 [.800] (coming back to Earth...)
Day 5: Tuesday 6/13/06South Korea 2:1 TogoThis was a well played game. Both the Togolese and the Koreans were more than willing to throw attackers in numbers at the opposition, which makes for enjoyable football. We had Tommy Smythe's crew on ESPN, so the countless England/Ireland bashing kept going back and forth - especially since the ref was English - and it was hilarious. I wish these guys could do every game. The
Taeguk Warriors controlled the ball very well when they had it, with some good, on-point passing. The Togolese goal in the 31st minute was a result of of a well placed pass and a well placed strike. The goal seemingly came out of nowhere, catching the Koreans obviously by surprise. I wonder if the announcers could possibly mention any more that a) that no African or Asian team has won so far this World Cup or b) that the Koreans have never won a WC match off Asian soil. Togo stormed off at the half with a 1-0 lead, but credit the Koreans for storming back late and take command in the second half - of course this was made easier by a much deserved Togolese red card eight minutes into the second half. The Koreans were able to equalize on the resulting free kick over a Togolese wall, making the loss of a man even that much more devastating. Togo had a great chance in the 63rd minute, but Salifou hurried the shot and sailed it into the stands. At this point, I guess the Koreans smelled in the water, and kept sending the ball deep over and over again. They got the go-ahead in the 72nd minute, a blast from outside the box set up by some patient, precise passing. At about the 81st minute, Togo basically gave up on defending and threw as many people forward to catch up and equalize, but the game ended 2-1, Korea.
Switzerland 0:0 FranceBefore first touch, I couldn't help note that the French uniforms look really uncomfortable. Just saying. I assumed, after the year that Henry's had and the emotional return of Zidane, that the loaded French squad would make up for 2002's debacle. I would at least assume they'd break their 3-game World Cup scoreless streak. Surprisingly, I was wrong. France's striking force was pretty good, but tseries of near-misses were the story of the game. Henry had a great chance in the 5th minute but misjumped on a header chance, his good cross in the 21st minute with nobody to take it, Ribery missing from point blank (or is it Blanc?) in the 30th, and Henry's ball taking a mysterious deflection in the 37th (which they wanted a handball called for and should've gotten, but the problem is Ribery should've shot it) - the French just couldn't get it done. I will give credit for the Swiss defense and goaltending, because they were excellent. Posting a clean sheet against such an impressive veteran attack deserves recognition. Of course, if they haven't scored a game in almost 8 years, is it their attack that impressive? Perhaps the French held the ball far too long - the younger, faster Swiss team attacked the ball holding French and were able to easily disrupt France's entire offensive strategy. France did te in the midfield though, as the Swiss barely could get the ball through to mount any form of an attack. In fact, I'd say the Swiss probably only had one legitimate chance to score, in the 64th minute after a French yellow card. Speaking of, Abidal's yellow card in the 63rd minute for kicking the ball way into the stands after play was stopped - that took the cake as the DUMBEST booking of the tourney, hands down. A near header into the goal for the Swiss in the 65th was easily stopped, and the rest of the game was a series of squandered opportunites for both sides, most notably France's blast from substitute Dhorasoo in the 89th minute that just slipped wide of the post. A good game for the Swiss, terrible for France. You have to think now, after 4 WC games with 0 goals, that the French team is going to start feeling some pressure from the fans and press back home. The Swiss fans, by the way, were incredible. An extremely loud sea of Red and White seemed to encircle three-quarters of the stadium. Gotta love all the French Boo-Birds flying at the end of the game.
Brazil : CroatiaAh finally, the world gets to watch the Brazilians play. One thing I'll remark for this game is that despite being called "defensive backs", the Brazilian defenders are all incredible attackers. And oh my lord, Ronaldinho is SICK when it comes to dribbling circles around people. He may look half horse, half Jar Jar Binks, but he is easily the best player in the tournament from a pure skill standpoint. They showed a shot of the Croat fans, and the sea of white and red checkers - man, that hurt my eyes. Croatia wins the "worst uniform" awards in my book. A couple of early chances for each team were broken up either by great defending or offsides calls and honestly, I was more impressed by the Croatians the first ten minutes. The Brazilians play with the most blistering pace I've seen all tournament, turning a counter-attack on any Croatian attack almost at a second's notice. Prso for Croatia should not hang his head, as his strikes early kept Brazil on their toes. Roberto Carlos and Kaka have both got cannons for legs, and Carlos nearly landed a few strikes in. Ronaldinho almost put one in net in the 16th minute, but the goalie just got fingers on it at the last second. The amazing thing about this game is that the Croats held the Brazilians to only 13 shots. For some teams that's no big deal but against Brazil, that's pretty good. The Croatians are a very tough team and certainly gave their all. I could easily see them moving on to the knockout stages. We'll see how the Japanese respond to their terrible loss yesterday. Kaka, easily the man of the match, put a beautiful curling left-footer into the top left hand corner of the net with one minute to go in the 1st half. The second half was a good watch, but the Croatians couldn't get the ball past Dida. Both teams looked pretty good in this opening match. Coming away with only a -1 goal differential after playing Brazil, that's something the Croatians can't fell too bad about.
Prediction record after Day 5: 10-2-2 [.833]
Day 6: Wednesday 6/14/06Spain 4:0 UkraineThis game was no contest from start to finish. The Ukrainians had precious few chances, and they couldn't take advantage of any of them. The Spaniards were faster, could easily move the ball up and down the field, and were able to get back and defend and cut off any Ukranian advances off at the pass. Spain struck early off a corner in the 12th minute, and then again four minutes later off a free kick just outside the penalty box. Spain completely ted the first half, and made the team many (not me!) favored to be the second team out of the group stage look like 11 monkeys on the field. Shevchenko, the stud Ukranian striker, was a non-factor - completely shut down by the Spanish backfield. The Ukrainians caught a terrible break, an undeserved red card in the box in the 48th minute which resulted in a PK goal and put Spain up 3-0. At this point the game was over and done, with Spain dropping a fourth in net in the 81st minute just to add insult to injury. I don't think the Spanish could've dreamt a better opening game.
Saudi Arabia 2:2 TunisiaThe Saudis opened 2002's cup getting blasted 8-0 by Germany, and you had to figure that they were much relieved to be playing an easier foe. The Tunisians came out quick and strong, and it took a good 20 minutes for the Saudis to get into their rhythm, but once they did they played great. After being denied what I thought should've been a Tunisian penalty kick, the Elephants of Carthage had a little trouble pushing the ball forward during a good 20 minute stretch. Taking advantage of a terrible clear after a prayer of a free kick, Tunisia struck first in the 23rd minute. The Saudi clear was half-hearted, and Jaziri for Tunisia crushed a ball out of the air and into the net. The 37th minute brought us the wonderful "Encroachment" yellow card for the Tunisian captain, but the goalie made an easy save on the free kick. In the second half, Saudi Arabia had a great opportunity in the 47th minute to score after a broken defensive play but couldn't get enough foot on the ball. Saudi Arabia definitely came out of the locker room looking to push their offense forward, and the first fifteen minutes of the second half saw countless strikes. Saudi Arabia was able to equalize in the 57th minute on an absolutely beautiful finish to a perfectly placed cross - you couldn't see a better one-timer. The next twenty minutes were primarily ball control, as neither team could mount a serious offensive. In the 84th minute the Saudis broke the stalemate on a fantastic breakaway, fueled by some great passing. I honestly thought that the Saudis would hold strong, but in stoppage time the Tunisians were able to fight back and tie it up. The game ended a hard fought 2-2 tie for each side. With the Ukraine getting blasted with a -4 differential early in the day, you have to feel that both of these squads must feel good about their chances moving forward.
Germany 1:0 PolandThese two teams apparently do not like each other. The game was physical almost to a point of being dirty. Five minutes into the game and I'm already predicting at LEAST one red card today. Poland looked flat against Ecuador, but played surprisingly fierce and inspired against Germany. Maybe it's that whole September 1, 1939 bit all over again. Jens Lehmann finally decided to step up and play goal today, unlike his horrific 2 save in 4 shot performance against Costa Rica last week (much to the joy of my fantasy World Cup team). The German defense wasn't any better than they were in their last match, but the Poles couldn't put a good shot on goal that really challenged Lehmann. The Germans were denied in the 10th minute after Klose was stopped close, in the 21st minute again by Klose's missed header, Ballack's wide shot in the 30th minute, and an amazing save off Lahm's quick turnaround shot in the 35th minute. Germany's defenders might not be that great, but the team sure has no deficiency in strikers. The half ended with a 0-0 score. At around the 57th minute, the German fans really unload on the Polish GK for stalling on a goal kick, with that whole angsty European whistling thing. I don't get it, personally - guess it's just a culture thing. Boruc made a tremendous save off a cannonball from Klose inside the box in the 65th minute - it really should've been a goal. In the 75th minute my prior prediction came true, with Sobolewski picking up yellow number two and its corresponding red. The one-man advantage appeared to have a strategic effect throughout the rest of regulation, with Poland playing back for the draw, and Germany constantly attacking. I have never heard a stadium get as loud as when Germany scored in the 91st minute to take the lead - I got chills. Seriously. A perfect goal, you could see the despair on the faces of the Polish players and fans. What a heartbreaker.
Prediction record after Day 6: 12-2-3 [.857]
Day 7: Thursday 6/15/06Ecuador 3:0 Costa RicaI underestimated Ecuador before the tourney started, but I was much wiser going into this match, and thought they would be able to beat Costa Rica. 8 minutes in, the Tricolor put in the go-ahead goal off a great header and started with a 1-0 lead before the Ticos had any idea what was going on. For the next thirty minutes, Ecuador looked like a team on a mission. Costa Rica played well in the closing minutes of the first half and the opening ten minutes of the second half, with Paulo Wanchoppe missing on a few good opportunities. The 54th minute rolled around, and off a throw-in and corner, Delgado destroyed the ball past the Costa Rican goalie to assume a commanding 2-0 lead. The rest of the game was a series of Ecuadorean strikes, finally connecting for goal number three of the day in extra time. This game wasn't even as close as the score might hint. It was all Ecuador from start to finish. I can't wait to see the Ecuador/Germany match next week to see who will walk away with first in the group - the second place team likely will play England in the round of 16.
England 2:0 Trinidad and TobagoThe Soca Warriors played a solid game, but England proved too much. TnT never really could mount a serious offensive save a few sparse chances. Starkly contrast that to the English, who had possession the vast majority of the game (65%) and was in the TnT third for most of the second half. After so many near-misses from the English (if the goal was a foot taller they would've had 6-7 goals) I figured it was only a matter of time before the dam broke and England would be able to sneak one past Hislop and the TnT defense. Substitutes Glen (for TnT) and Rooney (England) sparked both of their teams around the 60th minute, with both having great runs at goal but neither converting. The English back line was outstanding, in particular John Terry who single-handedly stopped two goals from going into the open net. Around the 75th minute, the English finally got into a decent rhythm on offense - Crouch and Rooney actually worked together (unlike the earlier oil and water mix of Crouch and Owens) and made some good passes to get other people open. The Trinidad players must've been fatigued, as nobody was marking their man in the 83rd minute and Peter Crouch was able to head one in on a spectacular cross from David Beckham. TnT looked beat at this point, and the English put up a goal in extra time to put it out of reach. England was not ting, and English fans should be a bit concerned. And a side note: Julie Foudy (of the US Women's national team) is quite the hottie. I never realized!
Sweden 1:0 ParaguayThe first thirty-five minutes of this match was like watching a tennis match - Paraguay on the offensive, then Sweden, then Paraguay, then Sweden - rinse and repeat. Shots were all either off-target or trivial stops for the goalies. The Paraguayans came into the match facing elimination with a loss, and the Swedes were also desperate for points. For the vast majority of the match Sweden's strikers were ice cold. Even after pulling Ibrahimovic at intermission, the yellow and blue couldn't get anything until the 88th minute. Credit needs to go to Paraguay for what I think was the play of the tournament: the Paraguayan GK was out too far to cut off a Swedish striker, the striker chipped the ball over his head, and before he could tip it into the net for an easy goal a Paraguayan defender came out of nowhere to clear the ball to safety. You're going to need to go to the WC website and see that clip. Incredible stuff. The best thing about this result is that TnT stay alive and can advance with a win over Paraguay coupled with a Swedish loss to England, but the Swedes currently have a 3 goal lead in differential.
Prediction record after Day 7: 13-4-3 [0.765]
Day 8: Friday 6/16/06Argentina 6:0 Serbia and MontenegroIn what surely will be THE definitive rout of the tournament, there really isn't too much to write about this game. It was all Argentina, all game. Not one minute of this game passed where I thought Serbia was in control - the Argentines were simply that nt. In what was supposed to be a "Group of " two of the teams, Serbia and Ivory Coast sure didn't make an appearance. This game had some beautiful goals and it's most definitely worth watching the replays over on the offical World Cup site.
Netherlands 2:1 Ivory Coast[only saw first half]
Angola 0:0 MexicoWhere were the Mexicans? Because they sure didn't show up for
this game. The Angolans played with crazy energy, and very nearly got the game winner a couple times in the second half. As a friend pointed out, the announcers kept picking on the lethargic Mexican team, using everything he could short of calling them "lazy", which they clearly were. They weren't running out plays, they were haphazard on their defense, and by only sheer luck did they manage to hold Angola to a draw. This was one hell of a match to watch, especially if you're not a big fan of Mexico (which would be me).
Prediction record after Day 8: 15-4-4 [0.789]
Day 9: Saturday 6/17/06
Ghana 2:0 Czech RepublicWOW! For the second day in a row, an African nation has made a huge impact on the World Cup standings. The
Black Stars of Ghana sure did shine in this game, and their brutal speed was too much for the larger, more physical Czech team to handle. I think one major difference in the Czech's play in this game versus their drubbing of the USA was the lack of their huge striker Jan Koller - his prescence was dearly missed as the Czechs couldn't muster a great offense. Credit the Ghana defense for playing an exceptional game, and the Ghana strikers for their impeccable breakaways up the field. An excellent start to an excellent day of soccer.
United States 1:1 ItalyWithout a doubt, I'm willing to say that this game was and will be the most physical game played in this year's World Cup. This was a brilliant strategy of Bruce Arena's American squad - we knocked the Italians around (starting with Mastroeni's clattering tackle on Totti a few minutes in) and really threw them off their game plan. The American squad that played today was worthy of that high FIFA ranking, they were inspired, played their hearts out, and left it all out there on the field. Not to say the US squad is without some due criticism - the red card dished out to De Rossi (ITA) after the equalizing US goal was well warranted (an elbow that would make Ron Artest proud), but the US should've seen that the ref was on a zero-tolerance policy for the rest of the game. Mastroeni's red card producing foul just gave the ref a reason to even things out. Pope's second yellow and ejecting red were dumb, dumb moves - if you're already toting a yellow you know you can't try to tackle from behind like that. It might sound bad, but I'm glad that Pope won't be playing in the game against Ghana - I felt like that in the last two games he's been beaten soundly, over and over again by countless opposing strikers and midfielders. I like the guy, but he is NOT getting it done. If the US advances, I'd like to see somebody else start in his place. Oh, and starting Clint Dempsey (and subbing in Run DMB later) was just what the USA needed in terms of offensive sparks. Dempsey made some great shots early, and Beasley did the same in the 2nd half. Brilliant game to watch, the best of the tournament -
even the FIFA guys agree with me. Kasey Keller was OUTSTANDING.
Monday 6/19/06At this point I fell too far behind, with the daunting task of having 11 games on the TiVo to watch on Monday afternoon. Life caught up to me, two exams and a decent work schedule just wouldn't let me watch every game like I wanted to. The fact that I did manage to catch as many games as I did was incredible to me. I'll try to watch every knockout stage match, so I'll be back with that.
