Finally the Final... PREDICTIONS!

First of all, thanks to everyone who voted in the poll. I think we can all safely say that Marc Dadigan is Arjen Robben's twin separated at birth.

Secondly, what a fun World Cup. I've had the opportunity watch most of the games, some of them twice, and this tournament has not disappointed. I'm very happy to see that there will definitely be a first time winner in the competition, and that one elite team will get another notch in its belt.

To start, I'm going on record as picking Uruguay to upset Germany for 3rd. Watching the Spain game, I realized that Germany is a team that need its opposition to make mistakes, and Uruguay was able to go deep into this World Cup by making very few of them. I predict Uruguay eeks it out by a goal.

Prediction: Uruguay 1 - 0 Germany

Now onto the final. I've been saying from the beginning that I really like the Dutch, and nothing has changed on that front. But Spain... Spain is so classically brilliant. You come to expect a certain level of proficiency from Spain and even though the passing and close control they have is ridiculous, they look so calm doing it that it feels almost pedestrian. Plus, it doesn't generate as many goals as well calculated counter-attacking football, so it's easy to understate just how difficult it is to play the way they do.

It certainly helps that lots of guys on that team play their club football together, in particular to the two midfield maestros, Xavi and Iniesta. Spain's precision, possession, and quick passing will definitely give the Dutch back line trouble... I think Spain could score first but...

That being said, I'm still going with the Dutch. Spain will have the better 11 on the field, but the two best players on the pitch will be Dutch. Sneijder has been terrific, and his distribution will be more than good enough to help Dutch attackers find space behind the Spanish midfield. On top of that, Robben is going to spend the game running headlong at Joan Capdevilla, who is definitely the weak link in that Spanish back line. One on one, he's no match for Robben, meaning Puyol and Pique will find themselves wider than they care to be trying to keep Robben's left foot away from the goal.

Additionally, I think the Dutch midfield, with Van Bommel as the enforcer, will keep Spain from holding the ball as much as they did against Germany. As I said, Germany needs to wait for you to make a mistake, but the Dutch are mature enough to force you into the mistake.

Prediction: Netherlands 2 - 1 Spain

But either outcome is ultimately fine by me. In 2006, I didn't really feel like Italy deserved to win. This time, I think both these teams have played really well and have been fun to watch. If you had asked me before the tournament what final match I'd want to see (excluding the US), I probably would've said this one.

The Great Dadigan / Dutchmen Debate!

Okay, blogsphere, a controversy has come to my attention and only you, the voting public, can solve it. Marc Dadigan, it appears, has a Dutch football doppleganger. But public opinion is split over which Dutch superstar is actually Marc's long lost twin. All three men are skinny, sweaty, and bald. But let's look deeper, shall we? First, Dadigan himself.


Adorable, isn't he? Some say Marc's brother of a Dutch mother is the wiley and sometimes theatrical winger, Arjen Robben, whose inside out style of play has stifled even stout defenses. Don't let him get the ball on that left foot, folks.

Okay, that's Robben. Now onto the dazzling midfielder Wesley Sneijder whose vision, long passing, and goal scoring ability makes him an asset to club and country. You don't want to be on the wrong end of a counterattack with this man sending the passes upfield.

Well, what do you think, internet? Robben or Sneijder? Sneijder or Robben? Only your vote can decide!

Perspective on the US

So... it's taken me a couple days to get over the loss. That stings to be sure. But Ghana played a better game and deserved to win. We didn't get our asses kicked, but we did get beat. That's the way it goes. I have way too much to say about the US team for one post, so I'll keep tonight's comments to one simple topic: Bob Bradley.

Considering how little the guy says, Bob Bradley is a fairly polarizing figure among US fans. No one, not even US Soccer, had him as their first choice to be coach after Arena got the boot. But here he is nonetheless.

Some criticisms are easy: He gave too many chances to guys who didn't earn it (i.e. Sacha Klejstan); he played too many of the same guys over and over again when he had better options (i.e. starting Ricardo Clark over Maurice Edu); he didn't give our creative attackers enough opportunity (i.e. Jose Francisco Torres).

Others are probably not his fault: He took a B Team to Copa America and flopped; he took a B Team to Gold Cup and got spanked in the final. Truth is, the federation and clubs heavily influence who plays when and where. If it was up to Bradley, I'm sure he'd want his best players all the time.

But here is some hard-to-refute evidence in his favor: He coached the US to the top of CONCACAF qualifying; he took a raggity-ass B Team to the Gold Cup Final; he took the US to its first ever major international cup final at the Confed Cup; he is the first US coach to win the group at the World Cup since 1930.

In my opinion, Bob knows how to win and how to coach in tournaments. In 2006, Bruce Arena didn't make changes and adjustments even as games were getting away from him. When the US needed a spark or a set of fresh legs, Bradley consistently brought the right guys in off the bench to positive effect. Injuries forced him into hard choices, but he made those choices and won the group.

I wanted to beat Ghana as much as anyone, but as is so often the case, one play can make all the difference. If we take a good, honest look at the US men's national team, can we really say that we're player for player much better than Ghana? We're probably on par with them, which I'd gladly take because they're not an elite team, but they're pretty damn good. By that analysis, the team didn't under-perform.

Unless the federation has someone else in mind, someone who is a proven national team coach, I can't see any wisdom in a coaching shake up. I guess what I'm saying is, barring something unforeseen... FOUR MORE YEARS!

Group Play Round-Up and Bring on the Knockout!

So, in case you're wondering how I fared with my picks, the answer is not very well. I correctly picked the outcome of 23 out of 48 group play matches. Group F really did me in. I only picked one match correctly. I gave Italy way too much credit and Paraguay way too little . Groups D and A were also brutal. I underrated Mexico and Germany and paid for it.

On the upside, I picked 12 out of the 16 teams in the knockout round. I didn't get the right order of finish, but I don't mind being wrong there, particularly in the case of the US winning its group.

As for the round of 16, I'm very excited. Obviously, I'm on the edge of my seat about the US-Ghana game. It should actually be a really good match up. I

Here are some quick thoughts and picks for the Round of 16 games:

Uruguay v South Korea: South Korea showed they can pick the lock on tough defenses. But Uruguay has defended really well as a team won their group in decisive fashion. The difference maker here I think is Uruguay's offensive machine Diego Forlan. I think he gets it done. Pick: Uruguay

USA v Ghana: This will be a good test of the US defense. I'd like to see us clear our lines convincingly and show forward movement and control in the middle of the park. Ghana plays pretty compact D and has real speed on the wing, but they can get disorganized at times, and the burden will be on our big game players not to let those chances get away. Pick: USA

Germany v England: Well... Germany isn't as bad as I thought they were before the tournament, but this is still a really inconsistent team. But not as inconsistent as England. I don't see Rooney getting enough of the ball for them to be a threat. Pick: Germany

Argentina v Mexico: As much as I dislike Mexico, I think they are a squad with a lot of potential... potential for kissing my ass after they lose HAHAHAHA! Pick: Argentina

Netherlands v Slovakia: Good for you, Slovakia, making it this far. Now, pack your bags. Pick: Netherlands

Brazil v Chile: Chile plays tough, but I don't think it will be enough. Brazil started shaky but they're starting to his their stride. Pick: Brazil

Paraguay v Japan: Upstart against upstart. Japan has really gone after it this tournament and scored some great goals. Can't bet against them in this game. Pick: Japan

Spain v Portugal: The Iberian showdown. Interesting these teams would meet so early in the tournament because this is one of those games where some really great players are definitely not advancing. I think the difference here is defense. Spain has it and Portugal doesn't. Ronaldo and company will need to be aggressive in pressuring the ball. They'll also need to be perfect in dead ball situations to get chances because they won't be getting in behind Puyol and Pique like they did with North Korea. Pick: Spain

One more thing: U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

Wow

Well, I'm back. Thanks to all who sent Jess and I nice messages over the past week. It really helped.

And... HOLY SHITBALLS!!!!!! That was absolutely magical. I had the US placing second in our group. Never been happier to be wrong. Landon Donovan had disproved pretty much everything negative people have said about him. I used to heckle the guy when he would come to RFK to play United. Never again. That man is a hero.

Certainly, though, Clint Dempsey deserves a lot of credit for the win. He worked his ass off, got a great goal disallowed and took an elbow in the face. I don't know why the US can't catch a break with this officiating, but it's childish to complain. Besides, we don't have to complain. Bottom line: Bring on Ghana.

So I'm 6 for 8 so far on teams making it to the knockout round, though I haven't always predicted the correct order of finish. Once the group games wrap, I'll look back over the whole round and see how I did.

Here's some non-US related thoughts:

Weird stuff in Group D. Talk about a bunch of schizophrenic teams. Never could tell who was going to do what... and yet, Germany and Ghana seems like a really pedestrian outcome for such an exciting group. Oh well, I probably didn't give Germany enough credit, but I don't think anyone would say that team's not beatable.

I hate Mexico. I'm an Argentina fan until further notice.

France... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

Quick Reaction After the First Weekend

Due to family issues, I probably won't be blogging as much this week. I'm sure the three of you who read this will be disappointed. Don't fret. I'll be back.

Some quick thoughts:

1.) I'm 6 for 8 on my picks. Not too bad if I do say so myself. Two of my boldest picks, for South Africa to draw with Mexico and the US to draw with England, both panned out. Good for me.

2.) Either Germany is really good or Australia is really terrible... or both. That was a good old fashioned ass kicking, and the Socceroos now have their best player on a red card. If I'm an Australia player, I'm probably not getting to comfy in my hotel room.

On the other hand, Germany was speedy and dynamic. It's hard to pass judgment after one game, but the Germans came to play, and I will probably eat my words about them underperforming. I guess Klose and Podolski didn't get the memo about how much they suck.

3.) U-S-A! U-S-A! That draw is a great result for us. England had us up against a wall a few times, but that's when having a top goalkeeper pays off. No team is going to take Rooney out of the game for 90 minutes, but we kept him out of the game for at least 70 and that made a huge difference. Frank Lampard, as usual, wandered the pitch like a lost puppy. How can a guy be so good at the club level and so easily vanish when his country needs him?

After Gerrard sliced up our backline early on, the US played great team defense for the rest of the game and kept England from controlling the game for long stretches. I think we'll see a different US team against Slovenia. Look for Torres to see some time in the middle with Bradley and maybe Buddle up front instead of Findley. The goal, I think, will be to possess the ball more and control the game rather than to play in a defensive shell. Getting a point is great, but now we have to go out and get 6 over the next two matches and that means creating more chances and putting the ball in the net.

Day 1 Thoughts

Considering that no one has won a game yet and one game didn't even have a goal, it was a pretty exciting day. For a brief moment, I was 100% on my picks. I'm down to 50% now, which is probably as high as my percentage will be for the rest of the tourney. Today was a nice reminder that predictions don't mean much when it's time to play the game.

If I had to pick who had the best day, I'd have to say South Africa, but I can't help but feel like they left two points on the table with a bad defensive miscue.

Team by team thoughts:

South Africa - If there is such thing as a moral victory, they had one. They showed they belong in the tournament as much as any team. They caught a little luck in the first half and were overly-reliant on last ditch defending. They paid for it on Mexico's equalizer when the captain, of all guys, didn't push up with his back line and kept three Mexican attackers onside. But the energy is there. Can they keep it up?

Mexico - Same story we've been seeing from El Tri. Lots of possession, excellent skill on the ball, but not getting goals when they need them. If they can't break down South Africa, it raises questions about how they'll do against teams they don't outmatch at nearly every position. Also, did anyone else see Blanco just taking up space out there? He didn't a chance to show off his trademark diving and yelling at the referee. He reminds me of General Zod's goon from Superman II.

Uruguay - Well, that's defense for you. Forlan carried the whole load offensively today, and managed to generate a chance or two. They'll need to do more than that if they really want to score goals, but in this group, shut down defense might be enough. I don't know much about this team, but what I saw today was almost mistake-free defensive soccer. The performance today bodes well, but they can't feel two good about the number of cards they got, including a deserved red for a dumb-ass late challenge.

France - Franck Ribery played terribly. His speed was there, but his service and vision were amateurish. New captain Patrice Evra earned his pay today, but he might be the only one. They looked better after Malouda got into the mix, but you get the sense that if Ribery isn't going to step up, this may be a team that needs two forwards.

Group G and H Picks

Well, the Cup starts tomorrow, so I'm doing two sets of picks in one. First, Group G:

Ivory Coast vs. Portugal (6/15) - Draw
Brazil vs. North Korea (6/15) - Brazil
Brazil vs. Ivory Coast (6/20) - Brazil
Portugal vs. North Korea (6/21) - Portugal
Portugal vs. Brazil (6/25) - Brazil
North Korea vs. Ivory Coast (6/25) - Draw

1st Place: Brazil 2nd Place: Portugal

Rationale: I might be respecting North Korea and Portugal too much and Ivory Coast too little here. But the Elephants have always been a one man show, and that one man has a broken arm. Portugal barely qualified and Nani is hurt but I still give them the edge over Ivory Coast to get out of the group. After the group, though, I don't see them doing much. Brazil wins this group by virtue of being Brazil.

Now onto Group H:

Honduras vs. Chile (6/16) - Chile
Spain vs. Switzerland (6/16) - Spain
Chile vs. Switzerland (6/21) - Draw
Spain vs. Honduras (6/21) - Spain
Chile vs. Spain (6/25) - Spain
Switzerland vs. Honduras (6/25) - Draw

1st Place: Spain 2nd Place: Chile

Rationale: Spain is simply one of the teams to beat. They might be even better than they were two years ago when they won the Euro 2008. This is a midfield that can use Cesc Fabregas off the bench. That's just silly. They should win this group in a walk. Chile seems to be the least sucky of the rest of this group.

So, that wraps up the picks. I will be checking back in to see how my picks turn out. I fully expect that I will be completely wrong about almost everything. There's a reason I don't gamble on sports, but picking games is fun even if you suck at it. As I write this, opening kick is 15 hours away. Game on.

Group F Picks

I'm highly doubtful anyone from this group is going too deep in the tournament. Italy and Paraguay have talent to be sure, but age and inconsistency haunt both these squads. Slovakia is scrappy and could play spoiler here depending on how things shake out. Here's how I see it:

Italy vs. Paraguay (6/14) - Draw
New Zealand vs. Slovakia (6/15) - Slovakia
Slovakia vs. Paraguay (6/20) - Slovakia
Italy vs. New Zeland (6/20) - Italy
Slovakia vs. Italy (6/24) - Draw
Paraguay vs. New Zealand (6/24) - Paraguay

1st Place: Slovakia 2nd Place: Italy

Rationale: Italy always seems to do enough, and there isn't enough firepower in this group to stand in the way of getting to the next round. I think I'm picking the right two teams to make it out of this group. I give the 1st place spot to Slovakia because they've shown they can come through in the clutch and they attack from the midfield. That should bring goals in group play. I don't see New Zealand getting even a point in this group, but if they do, my guess it will be off of Paraguay, who just hasn't been the same since starting out so strong in qualifying.

Injuries Abound and Second Guessing Myself

I know everyone is concerned with the injuries to Drogba, Ferdinand, and Robben, but it appears that even the most casual soccer player is not immune. I rolled my ankle five minutes into my game on Sunday. Rehab is going well. My team of medical experts have called it a mild sprain and I should be back on the pitch in 1 to 2 weeks.

These injuries are really racking up. Maybe even great athletes weren't meant to play in tournaments like this after the long, grueling European season. I can't say I'll cry to many tears about Drogba or Ferdinand, but I'm standing by my pick for the Netherlands to win the Cup. So walk it off, Arjen! I also just read that Portugal will be without Nani. In my opinion, that's a pretty big deal. Cristiano Ronaldo likes to wander into the middle of the park, and losing the speed and service that Nani provides out wide is just going to mean less space for Ronnie to do his thing. I didn't much care for Portugal's chances before, and I think even less of them now.

Also on the subject of picks... I caught a bit of the Germany-Bosnia friendly last week. I know Bosnia is not a powerhouse, but I worry I might have pronounced the death of German football a tad prematurely. I won't revise my picks because that's cheap, but it seems that even if Podolski and Klose completely vanish in this tourney, the Mannschaft have plenty of folks who can step up. I'm definitely worried about that pick.

Group E Picks

Yikes! Jozy sprained his ankle in practice. Sounds minor so even if he's out for the warm-up match this weekend, he'll hopefully be ready for England. Bummer of a thing to have to worry about though.

Alrighty, Group E picks. I'll be honest, the Netherlands are my pre-tournament-quasi-sleeper pick to win the whole thing. Sure, their back four isn't fantastic, but whose is, other than Brazil?

(Side note: When was the last time Brazil had the best defense going into... well... anything?)

At Euro 2008, the Netherlands tore through group play with mind-blowing counterattacking soccer. Two years later, their best players are in their primes and finished the club season in top form. Unless they have a meltdown, the Oranje look like one of the teams to beat.

Netherlands vs. Denmark (6/14) - Netherlands
Japan vs. Cameroon (6/14) - Cameroon
Netherlands vs. Japan (6/19) - Netherlands
Cameroon vs. Denmark (6/19) - Cameroon
Cameroon vs. Netherlands (6/24) - Netherlands
Denmark vs. Japan (6/24) - Draw

1st Place: Netherlands 2nd Place: Cameroon

Rationale: Obviously I like the Dutch. I think Cameroon is probably the second-best team here. Eto'o is their best known player, but their guys play all over Europe and have made names for themselves at clubs like Tottenham. Denmark has some good players but no game changers. My guess is that Cameroon's physical style will help them edge Denmark and dominate Japan.

US Soccer: Fast and Stanky

When it's less than two weeks to the World Cup and you're as soccer-obsessed as I am, you start doing crazy things, like following all the US Soccer players on Twitter. It's amazing the things you find out on there. The biggest gem (and I'm upset that it took me until now to realize it) is that the US team has been celebrating goals by doing the Stanky Legg, which is easily the best YouTube dance sensation of the past 12 months. Not familiar with the Stanky Legg? Wiki has the lowdown:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanky_Legg

Charlie Davies and Jozy were really into it at the Confed Cup last year, and apparently the guys are continuing the tradition as a personal shout-out to Davies, who is missing the World Cup due to injury. Don't believe me? Hit up the 15 second mark of this clip from the Czech Republic match:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVLT-bAuFjQ

Stuart Holden seems to have it down pat. Maurice Edu? Not so much. Clint Dempsey got a little stanky after his goal against Turkey. The 20 second mark in this clip is where the magic happens:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czmYGqjCXdI

I get the sense that Clint has good technique but didn't want to get too stanky and risk injury. Totally understandable. Naturally, as US supporters, it's our duty to do the stanky legg along with our players when they score. This GS Boys video should provide all the information US fans need to get stanky:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewufRwrayTI

Best of luck, and GO USA!

Talking Turkey and Group D Picks

I won't say much about the Turkey game. More than any individual performance, what stands out is that the team was able to make adjustments to improve. The US under Bradley (and Arena before him), because team depth was suspect, has had a tendency to stick with the gameplan whether it was working or not. Seeing Bradley make lineup adjustments to spark the attack gives me some comfort going into the tournament.

Now, the group D picks. This is actually a tough group to pick. Ghana and Germany are missing key players and Australia, while ostensibly the minnow of the group, has surprised people before.

Serbia vs. Ghana (6/13) - Draw
Germany vs. Australia (6/13) - Germany
Germany vs. Serbia (6/18) - Serbia
Ghana vs. Australia (6/19) - Ghana
Ghana vs. Germany (6/23) - Ghana
Australia vs. Serbia (6/23) - Serbia

1st Place: Ghana 2nd Place: Serbia

Rationale: What?!?!? Not picking Germany? How dare me! Call it a hunch, but Germany looks like a team that's desperate to under-perform. I also think Serbia deserves respect for winning one of the tougher qualifying groups (not that any of the European qualifying groups are actually that challenging... but I'll save my rant on the BS that is European qualification for another time). While I think Germany has some potential, Klose and Podolski are not the players they were in 2006. Who's the best player on that team without Ballack? Lahm? I don't like this Germany team, and I think Serbia and Ghana will be fast and motivated. In another group, I might be inclined to give the Socceroos a look, but I really think Australia is outclassed across the board.

Full Disclosure: The teams that get out of this group match up against the teams that get out of the US' group, so I'm hoping for as much discord as possible here.

Group C Picks

Ah, Group C... home of the yanks. It probably goes without saying that I'm making these picks with my heart and not my head, but here goes:

England vs. USA (6/12) - Draw
Algeria vs. Slovenia (6/13) - Slovenia
Slovenia vs. USA (6/18) - USA
England vs. Algeria (6/18) - England
Slovenia vs. England (6/23) - England
Algeria vs. USA (6/23) - USA

1st Place: England 2nd Place: USA

Rationale: This actually isn't that crazy. The US getting the draw against England is optimism on my part, but a fourth to a third of all group games end in draws, so why not us? Slovenia has some goal scoring ability and Algeria showed a lot of pluck in qualifying, but unless the US or England or both have a very disappointing campaign, they should be the ones to make the first knockout round.

The Most Important US Player Is... Michael Bradley?

I read a lot about how US chances at the cup hinge on Donovan and Dempsey coming up big. While it's true that we're screwed if they play poorly, I think there's another player who will dictate how those two end up performing. That player is Michael Bradley.

The internet is full of Bradley haters. I read at least once a day that he's only on the team because his dad is the coach. Well, regardless of the reasons, he's on the team and will be playing the ever important central midfield role. In my opinion, he's a very natural defensive mid who can occasionally bomb forward into attack and do some pretty impressive long shooting. But that's not what we need him for. We have Ricardo Clark and Maurice Edu for that. We need MB to play with vision and control. No one's asking him to be Xavi, but he needs to be more than just disruptive to the other team. He needs to be strong defensively but also have enough control to transition the ball into attack.

Why is this so important? Simply put, if MB can't transition the ball into attack, Donovan will have to track back do it, and Donovan's at his best when he's got the ball moving forward. If Donovan doesn't get the ball moving forward, he won't be there to put shots on goal or to support Jozy and Dempsey and the other guys we're relying on to score. We're never going to be the kind of team that possesses the ball for 65% of the game, but if Bradley can show some control, minimize the errant first touches, and send some good passes to attackers running onto the ball, it will free up our best players to play the way they like to play.

Is this a sure-fire way to upset England in the opening match? Probably not. A lot of things have to go right for that to happen. But against Slovenia and Algeria, teams we should beat, a smart and efficient showing from Bradley will be the difference between dictating the pace and spending the game back on our heels.

A Brief Interlude...

As if losing to the last place team in MLS wasn't enough, AC Milan players thought they'd make Wednesday night truly one for the history books by kickin' it with Gordon.


Gordon, for those who don't know, is the Kobe Bryant of JCC three-on-three Divison B basketball. Earlier this week, he referred to the World Cup as 'that soccer thing'. Now, he's chillin' with Dida. Behold the seductive power of the beautiful game.

Roster Reaction and Group B Picks

Quick thoughts on the roster:

1.) Robbie Findley... did not see that coming, nor did anyone else it seems. In 2006, we brought a veteran, technical squad. This year, the most athletic team seems to be the one going to South Africa.

2.) Even though I didn't list him among my cuts, I can't blame Bradley for letting Chad Marshall go. I hadn't considered that Edu and Beasley can fill in at the back just as well.

3.) In 2006, there were 11 players from MLS teams on the 23 man roster. This year, there are 4.

Okay, onto the picks for Group B, which, while not really a group of death, could certainly prove to be unpredictable:

South Korea vs. Greece (6/12) - South Korea
Argentina vs. Nigeria (6/12) - Argentina
Argentina vs. South Korea (6/17) - Draw
Greece vs. Nigeria (6/17) - Greece
Nigeria vs. South Korea (6/22) - Draw
Greece vs. Argentina (6/22) - Draw

1st Place: Argentina 2nd Place: South Korea

Rationale: Of the traditional powers, Argentina was the least convincing in qualifying, but I think they do enough here to win the group on goal differential. Greece is known for its defensive play, but I think South Korea, based upon their qualifying campaign and on the recent result against Japan, will use team speed to find some space. No offense to Nigeria, but this is a tough group, and I don't see them beating any of these teams.

Disclaimer: I don't feel even remotely confident in these picks. Argentina, which boasts the presence of the best player in the world, could still show up, lay a complete egg and then this group is anyone's for the taking. Seriously.

Group A Picks

So, for fun, I'm going to be picking the games in each group. These picks are not scientific, and they are chock full of my own weird biases and nonsense ideas.

Group A
South Africa vs. Mexico (6/11) - Draw
Uruguay vs. France (6/11) - France
South Africa vs. Uruguay (6/16) - Uruguay
France vs. Mexico (6/17) - France
France vs. South Africa (6/22) - France
Mexico vs. Uruguay (6/22) - Draw

1st Place: France 2nd Place: Uruguay

Rationale: I thought about writing a lot of different things here. I could write about how Diego Forlan is a reliable scorer for Uruguay. I could write about how home field advantage will buoy South Africa in that opening match. I could talk about how the various scandals and controversies that the French are dealing with could make them pull together and play better like the Italy '06 team. But I won't. Instead, I'll just say that my hatred for the Mexican national team burns hotter than a thousand suns.

Welcome and Thoughts Before Final Cut

Hi there. I've decided to keep a World Cup blog. Maybe I'll update it regularly... maybe I won't. Tune in and find out.

So, the final is a 4-2 loss to the Czechs in Connecticut. I can't say I'm terribly surprised, and a lot of guys who suited up for the US tonight won't be on the plane to South Africa. Lots of folks will be asking 'who made their case tonight?', but it's a little late for that... let's talk about who's going home. 30 were brought to camp and Bradley is cutting to 23 tomorrow. Here are the 7 players I would cut if I was the coach:

Category 1 - Don't let the door hit you on the way out...

Robbie Findley (RSL) - Honestly, I never thought he was a serious consideration, but the questions at forward warranted a quick look.

Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki) - Totally respectable against lower-tier CONCACAF opponents, but he's just not a World Cup player.

Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA) - How long does a run of bad form have to go on before you just become a bad player?

Category 2 - Sorry, bro, but you've been iced...

Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew) - I like this kid. I think he's talented, and he's certainly shown a few flashes of great play. But the consistency isn't there, and part of me wonders if he has the pace to cover enough field at the international level.

Heath Pearce (FC Dallas) - You are kidding me with that slide tackle, right? Seriously? Keep your feet and play defense.

Category 3 - I said I loved you... but I lied

Edson Buddle (LA Galaxy) - I don't have anything negative to say about Buddle, but tonight showed that Brian Ching is poised and gets a lot of little things done and Gomez is aggressive and opportunistic. I'm not wild about the situation up front, but the bottom line is that Buddle won't make the team any better.

Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro) - This guy is still a bit of an unknown quantity for me. Even I draw the line at watching Swedish soccer. But I'm doubtful he ever had much of a chance and he did little to impress me tonight.

That's this guy's opinion anyway. Other quick thoughts after tonight:

1. Defense was frustratingly bad at times. Clearances were very unconvincing, and if you think the Czechs will make us pay for that, wait until it's Wayne Rooney with the ball landing at his feet.

2. Stuart Holden is the real deal. Glad to see him come back strong from the injury, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he does in a full season in England.

3. Edu vs. Clark... Clark vs. Edu... who will pair with Bradley in the middle? That's one position where I think we can feel pretty good about our depth and choices.