US-Ghana Live Updates

Well, the time has come for the knockout round. Claudio Reyna and his knee will not be in this game so no worries for Ghana getting a goal like that. Already, Bob Bradley has gone with Robbie Findley, who imo, is not the man for the job. Gooch out from the back and no Maurice Edu. bob sticks by his guns.

US in the All whites, Ghana in the All reds. Just like 2006. Interesting.... Ghana has played in the all whites for the 3 games previously so this is a change. Winner here has a great shot at the semifinals.

Teams are out and national anthems are being played. Crowd seems pretty pro-US.

US need the first goal. Contrary to Bob Levi, this game will not be wide open. Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Penalties is definitely in the cards.

Game

KICKOFF- Ghana starts with possession.

1' - Ghana are the faster team and show it early getting up the wings.

2'- Good ball by Landon, nobody in the box. Bob bundled up. Welcome to the African winter

4' - Long shot from Ghana, no touch goes wide for a goal kick. Ghana's speed might be the death of the US today. Dempsey puts a good shot on net. Kingson knocks it down.

5- GOALLLLLLLLLLL. Ghana, Disaster start for US. Boateng on a giveaway with Ricardo Clark. Howard should have done better. Shot from 20 beats Howard low near post. Clark was just not a good idea.

7'- Clark is friggin dumb. Bob Bradley really dropped the ball starting him. Edu showed up. Clark doesn't get it.

9'- Well it begins again. US need to come back again to win. Early goals and no possession by the midfield are showing the weakness of the States.

12'- Ghana passing well early. Go right at Cherundolo. Slow and can't get anything done. Mick Jagger and Bill Clinton seeing the stars and stripes struggle early. Altidore goes well wide. Not a good shot but better.

14'- US playing the long ball game, something that they had gotten away from. Now have little possession and Ghana are just working good one touch.

16'- Good ball to Altidore by Dempsey doesn't work out. Better, but still

18' - Cherundolo is embarrasing. Trying to get cute and not doing a damn thing. Yellow, and he's done if they advance. Ghana with a free kick in a dangerous position. Howard punches well.

21'- Well, Ghana still look much much stronger. The US are shaky at the back and Ricardo Clark is struggling.

22'- Foul by Boateng. Free kick to the US near the sideline. Donovan to deliver. Good ball gets headed out.

23' Good move form the US. Bradley left footed cross is gathered by Kingson.

25' - The Midfield just looks awful. No movement. The left/right backs look over matched. Wide Open crosses.

29'- Boateng drives a shot at Howard. Altidore offsides, wasts a pretty good chance. US sub possibly already.

31'- Edu comes in for Ricardo Clark already. Yellow and a turnover that lead to a goal. Shouldn't have been there to begin with. Early sub may be costly later.

34'- Poor cross from Ghana. Clark sheds tears. The American dream is over for him. Just didn't have it

35' - Findley proves again he's not capable up front for the US. Right at the keep. That needs to be buried. That will hurt.

37'- Demerit thrown off. Howard comes up big. Needed that stop earlier. Handball. SLO MO IS COOL.

39' - Donovan's free kick is excellent into the box and headed away. Second ball not so much

41'- THE US HAVE ARRIVED. THAT'S NICE. Still down 1-0.

44' - Bornstein audacious after the corner squirts to him. Robbie Findley is wasteful upfront. He makes good moves but lacks the touch and goal scoring prowess needed the national team

45'- Coming alive more and more. They need a goal quickly after half. Simple as that. Ghana will keep holding the ball with the lack of pressure. Really uneventful with no real goal scoring chances. Long shots by both teams.

HALFTIME

Well, not much from the US early, comes alive after the sub. Bradley messed up and made it much harder for his side to win this game. Clark and Findley don't have it. I won't be surprised to see another change at half for a striker. Jozy is by himself. The midfield need to find it. Anything. Landon with the ball at his feet can do magic. Dempsey is the only one with a set in the first half. The only one playing like if they lose, they goin home. Well, gents, at this rate, they are going home. Ghana is quick and used their one opportunity to take the lead. Pressure, pressure, pressure. Ghana's counter will be the only point in the second half for them. Game time

47'- FEILHABER. CMON. Saved by Kingson, Ghana look shaky, the pressure is building.

54'- Way better second half. Chances are flying in. Donovan with a great ball to the back post but nobody gets there.

55'- Corner to the US. Donovan to deliver. Headed out.

59'- Long ball play needs to stop. Time to commit players up. Counter is starting to come alive.

61'- Half hour and change.

PENALTY TO US. DONOVAN TO TAKE

GOAL 1-1. HOLY POST IT NOTES. STILL GOES IN.

The pressure is going to build. Both side. Jozy will a chance. Good take by Kingson.

68'- This game is alive. Both ends are open.Ghana look to make a sub. Ghana's coach still won't sleep tonight.

70'- US need to settle more. Committing too many up. Don't want to leave them open

73'- Ghana sub. Looked laboring. Ghana don't look threatening. US do.

75'- Ghana pressure rising. Nothing serious tho. Howard needs to make a big play

77- Boateng, the German and goal scorer, down, looking like cramps. And he's off. That's a win for the US.

the US.

78' - Bocanegra with a vital touch. Nobody wants to be the one that makes the mistake.

80'- Game has slowed quite a bit. The US still need more possession.

81'- JOZY! The long ball actually works. He pulls it just wide. Tho. I want a Dempsey jersey, he's getting worked.

84'- Ghana work the ball for possession. But US get it back. Kingson clears, the US starts again.

87'- Heading for extras. The US needs to be very very careful with the amount of balls at the back. Nothing cute, just play solid.

89'- Both teams don't look willing to commit enough for. Gyan goes down after Demerit's boot comes high.

90'- 3 Minutes of extra time. Ghana holding the US at the back. Altidore comes back to grab the ball, Ayew gets booked.

93'- Last kick of regulation time. Corner for Ghana. Ghana gets the touch but were heading for EXTRAS.

GOOD SECOND HALF. CAME TO LIFE UNTIL THE US SCORED THE PENALTY. BRADLEY HAS A SUB LEFT IF HE WANTS TO USE IT.

DONOVAN'S POST IT NOTE PENALTY BROUGHT A FITTING TIE. WELL DESERVED. 2, 15 MINUTE HALVES WITH NO GOLDEN GOAL.

IF WE'RE STILL TIED, WE GO TO PENALTIES. WINNER GETS URUGUAY. GHANA DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TO PUT ON NET IN THE SECOND HALF. THE US HAD

ALL OF THE ATTACK. LET'S PLAY.

EXTRA TIME

Kickoff. Ghana go first. Nice thru ball is too long. Both teams playing long balls.

93'- GOAL. Gyan scores on a great volley. The defense can't handle the long ball. and Howard doesn't come out. 2-1 to Ghana, game on.

95'- Still plenty of time for the US to find one. 25 minutes. They do need to push up tho.

96'- Free kick to the US. Ball falls to Feilhaber. Huge deflection by Ghana for a corner.

98'- Short corner works well. US have a header but it flicks off the head. Out for goal kick. Ghana can hold possession for a while. They gain a corner.

100'- Ghana starts to look European. Flops here and there to kill time. It's tough to see the US doing anything here playing their old style with the long balls.

103'- Everyone looks tired. Ghana isn't looking towards the net at all. Keep away. Time for pressure.

105' Two balls into the box, nothing to show. Nice step over move and the ball gets cleared.

15 MINUTES LEFT. THE US NEEDS A GOAL. PITIFUL DEFENDING AGAIN EARLY AT THE BEGINNING OF A PERIOD. NOTHING ELSE TO REALLY SHOW FOR THE PERIOD.

IF YA START ME, HERE WE GO.

108'- No urgency really from the US. They go home if they don't score, someone should tell them. Free kick just outside the box.

110'- Kingson punches clear, good ball. Still nothing.

111'- Ladies and gents, welcome to European football. The ground looked like it came up and grabbed him.

115'- No real dangerous balls toward the net. Ball deflects back to the goal keeper. Ghana take it down

116'- Everyone forward. Howard launches. Nothing comes of it.

117'- Tick tock goes the clock. Gomez was the burst needed. At the beginning of the game. Bradley wasts possession.

120'- Kingson has been impressive to say the least. Hasn't missed any punches. Been their best player. 3 minutes.

GAME OVER. US prove they can't compete with the big boys. Everyone else and their grandma is beating African teams, but the speed kills the US. Has and always will. At 28, Landon will be 32 by the next world cup, but he needs help in the midfield. Nobody helped tonight. Bradley had probably his worst effort yet and Dempsey had glimpses. But, life will go on. Will be interesting to see the amount of coverage that ESPN provides knowing its workhorse its done.

Knockout Round

Well, Uruguay's Suarez secured their place in the quarterfinals awaiting the winner of the second game of the day between the US and Ghana. Uruguay packed it deep after their first goal and seemed to try and hold on as SK had more chances and finally broke through. A piece of beauty by Suarez on his second goal after wasteful attempts has this team destined for future glory. South America continues to destroy with all five teams qualifying and advancing to the knockout phase.

I'm not surprised by ANY team that qualified. The only question that I have is actually Ghana and Japan. Every other team has the credentials and the ability to win the cup. Still be interesting.

Italy Sucks. Just letting you know if you hadn't figured it out already.

For the US, they need to score first. Badly, Ghana packs it in and will play for 0-0. They are extremely wasteful in front of net, and find scoring hard to come by only scoring 2 penalties, this team has yet to score in play. I look for the US midfield to be the key point in this game. US need Donovan(obviously) and Bradley to have great games, not good. Check the live blog for more details.

1/1 so far picking Uruguay. Going with the US today. Win or go home.

Second and Third Day

Well, round two of games is over and there is plenty left to be decided.

We know that Uruguay will play South Korea and a tasty Argentina/ Mexico re-match from '06 awaits. But let me just say, Raymond Domenech might be my favorite coach. He looked so pathetic and worthless on the sidelines, I couldn't help myself. He took off 6 players because of the weekend's fiasco with Anelka, and watch in disbelief as South Africa went two goals up before the break. They did manage a goal, Malouda is their best friggin player(started once), and are now heading home. Henry unfortunately did not get the proper send off and didn't even get a start. Give him a chance atleast. Anyways, Uruguay doesn't surprise most soccer fans due to the dominance South America is proving over everyone. 7 points, 3 clear, and add on Argentina, South America has a chance of qualifying all 5 teams, as well on top of their groups. THAT'S INSANE.

So Wednesday will bring out what Americans hope to be a victory over Algeria and a date in the second round. England needs victory. Then, if that happens. The real fun begins. US is ahead on goal differential and would need to keep it. Or maybe not. If they finish first, the afternoon gets more and more interesting. Winner of C vs 2nd of D. Did someone say Germany? Anyways, there are numerous situations for things to occur all day. A MUST WATCH FOR ANY SOCCER FAN. Even Raymond Domenech can kick back with a brew in hand and watch as a fan. Oh wait, he's been a fan not a coach for the past 4 years anyways.

After that, the Netherlands, Brazil and virtually Portugal have punched tickets. Group H is in the air and Spain could be in trouble. Chile has proved it can play. Swiss get a victory over Honduras and the possibility of a team with 6 points going home is absolutely possible.

Well folks, short and sweet. Tuesday was just fun as the games, results, and advancements literally went down to the final kick. Group C at 10 and D at 2:30 should make for an interesting day. Can the US finally get it done or England not be pansies? What about Germany? A draw and a Serbian win means they go home! Ohhhhhhhhh goodies await. This is why the World Cup is the best event every four years.

England-Algeria Live Blog

Well, the US just got lucky. Sorry to say, but a point was extremely lucky with the lackluster effort put forth in the first half. Biggest game in US soccer history to say the least and they give up another early goal, plus a second. That just can't happen. Knowing a win puts you in the driver seat and you don't need any help to get through, the US just needed to play better in the first half. They had nothing to offer up front, barely any possession, and looked afraid.

Second half, however, it was just a different team. LanDo showed up as a captain, scored, set up the other, and provided the cross on the disallowed goal. He showed his stripes. The US problem has never had a problem defending, just goal scoring. It's scaring to think that the defending hasn't been doing its job and the strikers are failing up front to produce. All three US goals have come from Midfield(Dempsey, Lando, Bradley) and that needs to just change. Jozy has played decent. At best. Sweet, he headed the pass. He needs to produce. The best thing that happened to the US was Findley's second yellow forcing him out of the game against Algeria. Gomez or Buddle will provide the added thunder needed. Don't be surprised by that. Findley is fast, but the MLS DOESN'T WORK for players like Findley. Buddle is owning the lead so why not have a go from the start.

Anyways, may different ways to advance. I'm just going from memory, but these are the possible ways to get thru before England/Algeria match.

Draw:

Slov:4

US:2

Eng:2

Alg:1

US gets thru by: Win over Algeria, No other help needed

Draw, English Draw, Needs to score more goals than England total.

England win

Slov:4

Eng:4

US:2

Alg:1

US gets thru:

Win over Algeria, England or Slovenia win, England/Slovenia draw, US has goal differential >1(Currently 0)

Algeria Win

Slov:4

Alg:3

US:2

Eng:1

US get thru:

Win over Algeria, no help needed

ENGLAND-ALGERIA

James in net for Green with Heskey still up top. Barry returns for England and puts Gerrard on the left. Should be interesting. Rooney needs to come alive. England in the all whites, Algeria in the row up green, white stripes, not the band.

1'-Algeria's chances will be few and far between. England needs to just dominate this game as they are expected too.

4'- The "chip" of the keep,almost works. Algeria keep struggling horribly early, terrible clearance, good move through on a break.

7'- Algeria finding holes in the England D, first corner of the game. Equates to major fail. oh hello Algeria

10'- Boring start, nothing to talk about. No chance no real moves, Goal kick off Heskey. He sucks.

12'- England Corner after a weak sauce clearance by James and Johnson. Set piece might save England. Heskey climbs on a back. Ya just can't do that Emile.

14'- Takedown on Heskey. England gives the ball away anyways.

15'- Wasteful shot in the midfield after Lennon makes a good run. Gerrard looks to knock it through the uprights.

19'- England look like shit.

23'- I don't know what's going on. I'm speechless. As a fan of England, this is embarrassing.

25' - Nutmeg by Lennon, gains a Free Kick. Taken kick, Barry wastes a cross.

27'- Scrappy play just outside of the box. Comes to nothing, no shots, nothing. Heskey, handball. This guy really sucks. It's time for Capello to wake up.

30'- Finally, some life, Gerrard puts a shot on net, nothing hard, but something to wake up the crowd and Algeria D.

31' Another good move. Something is alive. Lampard is wasteful on a pass on the top for Rooney.

33'- Good cross from Lennon falls to Gerrard at the dot. On his weaker foot he fires and a good save by the Algerian keep.

35'- Game opening up. Much more open space and more runs. Algeria on the counter has looked dangerous.

39'- Barry shot from outside, nothing special straight at the keep. Disappointing. US fans rejoice.

43'- Rooney puts a shot on the keep. Dips and swerves. Yippie. Not, Gross.

45'- Minute of added time. I'm pissed.

FIRST HALF OVER- THIS GAME SUCKS. ENGLAND HAS OFFERED NOTHING. NO CLEAR CUT CHANCES, ONLY SHOTS FROM OVER 20 YARDS OUT. NO REAL MOVES ON THE WINGS ONLINE THROUGH THE MIDDLE. COLE HAS BARELY MADE A MOVE UP THE LEFT. GERRARD AND LAMPARD HAVE OFFERED VERY LITTLE. ON THE OTHER SIDE, ALGERIA LOOKS SOMEWHAT STRONG ON THE COUNTER, DEFENSE SHAKY. SHOULD BE INTERESTING SECOND HALF TO SAY THE LEAST. OR COULD BE BORING.

Second Half

47'-Free kick to Algeria, oh boy, Calamity James. Hits the wall, thank god. Johnson has been getting worked on the right side by Ziani. Interesting matchup

51'- Well Algeria has come out the better side so far. England offered nothing. BIG result if England do not get the 3 full points.

52'- Heskey extremely wasteful. Cmon Capello make the right move. Johnson loses the ball on the right, gets bailed out by a free kick call.

55'- Gerrard blows England's best chance. Feeds it across when they have numbers.

57'- Roo loses control. England are offering nothing on net.

59'- Awful call on Caragher. Gets a yellow, out for Slovenia.

61'- Corner to England, Gerrard to take. Keeper drops, but picks it up and nothing comes about.

62' - The slightest of touches keeps Rooney off the scoresheet. Wright-Phillips on. I'm turning into a waterfall of tears. Lennon has been good for England. Cole is what is needed. 27 minutes for something to come about

66'- Wright-Phillips makes a play! Free kick, falls to Terry, cleared out. England turning it up.

70'- Heskey gets in the box and his cross is not good. Shot on net is needed.

73'- Roon is wide on another long range drive. DEFOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE is coming on HESKEY OFF. HEY HEY!

75'- Defoe already involved, swept away for a corner that turns to nothing. 15 minutes to another horror show.

77'- Corner to England again. Something needs to happen. Another bad cross, and a slip. Goal kick. Capello doesn't know what to do. and neither do I.

82'- Crushed. England don't care. A draw isn't the worse thing for England, or the US. Still wasteful. Shaun Wright-Phillips is the worst.

84'- Crouch on for Barry. Who knows.

86'- Corner to England. No real good crosses yet. Defoe gets a touch.

88'- Well the situations are opening up for an interesting final day in Group C. A day of draws will have the US over England!

90'- 3 minutes added time. Defoe rips. Wide

Whistle about to blow... England gains a corner. It's over.0-0. Miserable

Second Matchday: Groups A & B Plus Friday's Games

Well, the first two groups have pretty much locked up 3 out of their 4 qualifies are day 2 for the respected teams. Goals were sure to find a way onto the stat sheet and sure enough they have. Argentina' s 4-1 thrashing of South Korea, Greece ACTUALLY scores,2 goals, albeit against ten men under fortunate circumstances, Uruguay and Mexico waits til the second have to finish off France. Argentina stepped up to the plate and quelled any doubts about their struggles. I think tomorrow's games, however, will be the best of round two with three really appeasing games to get people ready for the weekend.

To be honest, France's display has been... well abysmal. Domenech is trash. Everyone got that yet? The guy stood clueless down 1-0 on the sideline. He plays Abidal, a left back HIS ENTIRE CAREER, at center, Ribery on the left flank with Malouda in the middle, and SIDNEY GOVOU STILL UP FRONT. Abidal was lost all game, caused a penalty and "kept" Hernandez "onside" for the first goal. Flip Malouda/Ribery and get good ole Sidney the hell out of there. Henry sat on the bench the entire game. Hey, Raymond. Henry played on the bench this year because he wasn't good enough for the squad up front. AT BARCELONA. CLOWN. That team had 5 strikers better than him, and younger. However, on the French team, there is nobody better than him up front. You can't wait until the 70th minute for the guy to create magic. It's gonna be sad come Wednesday morning when Raymond is sent packing. Or it's going to be one a magical day for France when their back on a plane headed for Paris.

Uruguay and Mexico have solidified their roles as the best teams on the group on the pitch, not paper. South Africa's adrenaline was sure to drop and it's not a surprise the position that they are in now. A draw in the Mex/Uru match means both move on, however, Uruguay gets the better seed due to goal differential (3-2) and less likely to play Argentina, a deadly draw. A win by either team opens up the door for France/SA. They would need a win and a big win. Two teams would sit at 4 points, and goal differential would be the reason for advancing. With France 4 back in GD and SA 5, this would be a tough task.

Friday brings out Germany/Serbia, Slovenia/US, and England/Algeria. Group C could be shaken all together with wins by US and England, or a Slovenia win/England Draw gets them in first with through.

I'll grab the England/Algeria game for a live blog for further analysis about the US game. Check it back later

First day Match Thoughts

What's going everybody? So the first round of games for group play has officially ended and the second round starts up this afternoon. Here some of my thoughts:

Goal scoring is lackluster: The goals are not coming in bunches with Germany the only team to produce more than 2 goals. Giants Argentina, Netherlands, and Brazil produced boring displays and inabilities in front of the net to produce any magic. Teams have struggled to put shots on net, a weird sign. In the first day of matches, there was only 5 headed goals that I can remember(Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia, Germany, and Argentina) and mostly due to the ball, another topic for debate. I think goals, however, will pick up in this next set of games as teams are desperate for points and will push forward.

Jabulani- The ball just isn't good. I hate it. Bring patch the checkerboard ball. It's too light, so what if it flies right. Goalies are getting screwed, Robert Green is not used in this situation, he sucks. Strikers can't keep it down. No free kick attempt on net has been close. It's disappointing, and all of the dives in front of the box leading to kicks, are wasteful if the ball isn't scored. Passing has been inconsistent, there's no clean headers, and the only two long range shots on target have been in the Cameroon-Japan game, and Xabi Alonso's crossbar notes in their loss. It's ugly and it's annoying.

Big teams struggle- The second round of games is going to open up the field as teams try to make up goal differential and go for 3 points. Teams are going to need to take control of weaker opponents early and make them pay for any chance.

Vuvuzela- Don't care. Play better, it's just loud. Welcome to South Africa where the players play and they ride on them things like everyday.

Lastly, the coaches- Maradona goes off on Blatter and Pele. Capello makes bad decisions. Lippi looks like he's looking for the early bird special for dinner, and then you have Domenech. OHHHHHHHHHHHHH RAYYYYYYYYMOONNDDDDDDDDD. Alexei Lalas called you bad. ALEXEI "I PLAYED IN ITALY AND IT WAS AT PADOVA" LALAS CALLED YOU BAD. Not a clue, Group A is wide open. Wins in these next two games will be crucial and I think someone gets knocked out on goal differential. Tough titties.

Alright, chaps, went 9 for 16 in games picked. Lost most on spontaneous draws, wrong side with Japan,Swiss (Who wasn't) and Ghana. I'm looking at more wins, less draws and more goals scored. This world cup needs to liven up.

Gotta get on the offensive, but some team will play it back to play it forward.

Cameroon-Japan Live Updates

Live, bright and early on a Monday morning, Cameroon and Japan take battle for 3 points and hope to keep up with the Dutch.

Game Start

Initial thoughts, Japan doesn't have Nakamura in at all, a complete surprise. Also, they go with the youngest goalkeeper with their first match. Risky to say the least.

3rd- First goal kick of the match, nothing real impressive so far. Maybe Cameroon's flop already.

4th- Attack of the balloons. They're everywhere you don't want them to be. Cameroon free kick. Roons have won every aerial ball so far.

6th- Eto'o needs to get involved early or it could be a boring day at the office. Roon keeps playing long balls, not how they will beat this Japanese team

7th- Both teams are feeling each other out, but nothing exciting yet. No real possession moves. just long balls.

8th- Great ball by Eto'o, cross a little behind. Good move tho. Great hip check. Hockey season is over, however

10th- Looks like a Lakers crowd. Crowd hasn't really shown up yet which a surprise considering Cameroon might be Africa's best chance of advancing.

Free Kick from the sideline. Good ball to the back post. Scrum with no result. Japan ball

11th- Honda needs to be involved up front for Japan. They look overmatched early.

12th- Someone tell Assou-Ekotto to take the tag off his jersey. Slow-motion replays are super

15th- Someone want to tell Africa that Cameroon deserves more support than the showing in the stands. Looks like nobody got the memo about it

16th- Best hair-do goes to Assou-Ehotto although they're are plenty of boynand worthy cuts for Japan.

17th- Cross from Japan is deep and Matsui allowing for the keep to make an easy catch.

19th- Japan playing high pressure defense leads to nothing offensive. Might be a counter attack game from the shape early

20th- Almost another keep mistake, doesn't matter Okubo offside.

23rd- Japan has started to look the better side getting possession up the field. Cameroon still passing around the back with no drive forward

26th- Game sucks. Vuluzelas are better entertainment than the game so far. And there is barely any vuluzelas.

27th- Honda and Eto'o share a Hallmark moment.

28th- Honda looks good upfront. Bill Simmons sucks. Jason Latham shows anger.

29th- Be interested to see what the stats look like at Half. This game is uneventful. Long balls from the back to the front

31st- Kawashima, Oscars were last night.

33rd- Brief spurt of offense from Japan on the counter. Game sucks

'36th- Cameroom comes alive. Matusi feels touched, flies into the 3rd row. Long ball again. I made pancakes today. Bird on the pitch. Even ESPN is bored.

37th- Missed bicycle kick by Komano on a clearance. Best part of the match so far.

38th- SHOT ON GOAL. HURRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Too bad it's straight at the keeper, on the ground. would have needed

39th- GOALAZO! Honda scores on a cross from Matsui. Poor marking by Cameroon, good finish. Told ya the car maker would have an impact.

43rd- Horrible cross after a good move on the wing. Not surprised. Japan has never won on foreign soil in the WC

45-2 Minutes of added time. Cameroon has no midfield. At all.

HALF TIME

Thoughts: Don't know if the goal was deserved, but Japan will lock down in the second half. Cameroon has offered next to nothing and the crowd is embarrassing. Also, ESPN really needs to find someone else for Bob Ley. He's hunched over at all times and butchers most names. The second half could open out, but I'm not going to be surprised if this game ends 1-0.

See ya in 15

SECOND HALF

Getting back at it. Cameroon will need to be much more lively if they have any shot in the second half of getting two goals. Look for Japan to have more possession.

46th- Cameroon Corner already. Hair dryer treatment probably the approach at half

49th- Japan's counter leads to Okubu getting a free kick in a tough position. Comes to nothing, much like this game.

50th- Cameroom showing they feel like playing. Eto'o is boss. 3 on 1, neat move and his teammate fails him.

51st- Matsui makes a good move on himself, goal kick.

54th- The one move by Eto'o seems to have woken his team up. Much more the aggressor.

56th- Long ball followed by a long ball, wait, yup then another long ball. Japan wastes a good run with a pass out of bounds.

58th- Just thinking about Italy Paraguay makes me realize how uninterested I am in this game. Long ball. Everything turning into a one man game.

63rd- Free kick and corner come to nothing. Now a long throw and attempt at a bicycle. Jokes.

65th- Emana on for Cameroon. Eto'o needs the pearl. No idea what 'Roon is doing. passing is bad and out of touch.

67th -Japan already dropping back into a shell. Can Cameroon open them up? Corner. Heavy pass.

68th- I will say, the corner pieces in the world cup, have sucked. A lot. Something to do with the ball? Probably

69th- Matsui off for Okazaki. Still waiting for Matzusaka to come off the DL for a free kick.

70th- Japan continues to just kick the ball down the pitch to waste time. Still plenty of time for Cameroon to do anything.

72nd- Yellow for N'Koulou, Japan free kick just outside the box. Long, extremely wasteful

77th- Had to pick the drool of my laptop. Japan throwing everyone behind the ball. Sweet hats everywhere.

79th- 6 on the dive, Louganis would have beat the crap out of it. Cameroon really not showing any quality. This might be an early exit

80th- Free kick outside the box. Not bad, punched out. Passing again poor.

85th- Sad effort from Cameroon to be honest. Tough hill to climb if they don't get one here. It's been a one man show at times. And the one man is not Eto'o

86th- Easily the best shot from long distance thus far. Mbia hits the crossbar from long distance.

90th- Four added minutes to go. Free kick to Cameroon. Skips all the way to Kawashima

93rd- Dunno where the foul was but, the ref blows for it. Cameroon throwing everything forward. Still a minute left.

REF BLOWS FOR FULL TIME AND AN UPSET IN GROUP 3 WAKES UP THE WC. CAMEROON JUST DID NOT PLAY WELL AT ALL AND THE LOSS WAS DESERVED. CAMEROON IN BAD SHAPE AS THEY'LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE NETHERLANDS STILL WITH NO POINTS AND A LACKLUSTER EFFORT TODAY.

STILL THINK THE ITALY PARAGUAY MATCH IS GOING TO OPEN SOME EYES FOR PEOPLE. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO 2:30. THAT'S FOR SURE. TOMORROW I'LL GRAB THE IVORY COAST/PORTUGAL MATCH. SLOVAKIA/NEW ZEALAND JUST ISN'T GOING TO GET IT DONE FOR ME.

France-Uruguay Live Update

France has come out the aggressor over Uruguay taking most of the possession and very speculative shots.

Govou sucks. and the score should be 1-0 France. Missed chance.

I'll pick it up in the 25th minute.

25th- Best chance so far Uruguay, Forlan. Good save. Two yellows already for main players, Evra and Ribery, might come into play later

26th- French pushing forward more. Counter setting up for Uruguay

28th- Ribery has been the most creative player on the pitch. Wasteful passing tho.

31st- Crafty thru pass. Anelka offside tho on a ball for Govou. Dumb French.

34th- Forlan is easily Uruguay's catalyst. Good passing and best shot opp so far. Offside call

38th- Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. Give me a break. Lack of possession with wasteful passing. Anelka is running around with the ball with no direction.

41st- Slow-mo replays are awesome. Yay balloons.

42nd- Anelka flicks past just past the post. Just = 10 yards wide.

46th - End of the first half. Two real good scoring chances. One for each side. Nothing really to write about

THOUGHTS: BORING FIRST HALF FOR THE MOST PART. IT'LL BE INTERESTING IF THERE ARE ANY SUBS THAT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE. MY GUESS IS MALOUDA COMES ON FOR THE FRENCH FOR GOVOU. HE COULD REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE

WITH THE DRAW EARLIER, EACH TEAM COULD BE EVEN IF THIS WAY ENDS THE SAME WAY. ALL TEAMS AT 1 POINT AND EVEN ON GOAL DIFFERENCE. JUST MAKES THE LAST TWO GAMES MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT. SECOND HALF COMING IN 15. TOODLES

SECOND HALF

46th- Start of the second half. Weird, missed passes already

47th- Domenech keeps looking into his crystal ball. Nothing there. Mostly like this game.

48th- Anelka has really failed to impress up top by himself. Everybody doesn't love Raymond when it comes to this guy.

50th- Free kick to Uruguay. Forlan to take... goes to the back post, headed away. Not that bad of a ball. Still no. Volley. I'd try that too. But I'm fat and dumb. Should tell you something about what this game is like

52nd- Forlan's drop rugby kick ends up 42 rows back. Good field goal.

55th- Evra gets up the pitch. Ball gets passed around. Nothing special. France maintains most of the possession. Anelka sucks more. No signs of subs

56th- Uruguay gives the ball away again in the middle of the pitch. I'm hungry. Toulalan shoots from South AMERICA comfortable save.

58th- 4th and 2. Uruguay punts, France starts from its own 20.

59th - Late tackle. Yellow to Uruguay's Victorino. French with a free kick outside the box. Right side

60th- Gourcuff cuts it square for Ribery. Slice out wide. Called out. Serena threatens line ump about a ball and her throat.

63rd- Uruguay Sub OFF: L Gonzalez ON: Lorderio

Everybody yawns

64th- Forlan free kick. Same spot. No touch by anyone. Straight to goalie. France start out. Lose ball. Evra cuts it close to his tackle

67th- Suarez has beaver teeth. Pass Interference 15 yard penalty.

68th- Anelka has been embarrassing. Henry warming up. France letting a lot of ball run instead of controlling.

69th- Domenech walks around. Attention. Love meeeeeee. France looks uninspired for a game in which a win will virtually guarantee second round after Mexico's draw.

70th- 20 minutes and change left for someone or something to make an impact.

71st- THIERRYYYYY THIERRRYYY HENRY.

Oh wait, it's a new Happy. Raymond takes off Anelka. Virtually conceding the win. Henry up by himself just isn't how he works. 20 minutes to do any damage

73rd- FORLAN. Best chance. Open volley in the box. Misses by five yards. Unreal

Abreu on for Suarez.

74th- Gourcuff tries to knock out the popcorn usher. On the right side of the pitch.

Malouda for Gourcuff. Game on. IMO

77th- Long throw. Nothing. Sidney Govou is a joke. Henry wins a free kick.

78th- Malouda is wasteful with the free kick. France will build again with a Uruguian offside.

80th- 0-0. Malouda electric. Always off. Domenech groans. Looks to the stars. Bad pass. Fans looking for rebates

81st- Red card after a second yellow. Dumb yellow. Sagna down. Studs up. Late and high. AU Revoir. Game on for French. Time to go for it. Ten men for Uruguay

85th- Gignac on for Govou. Should have happened at half. Touched the ball once in the second half.

87th- Evra skates into the area. Loses the ball. Uruguay sub. Time waster. Erugen for Perez.

89th- Henry. Handball who knew. Corner. Short. Another corner. Stoppage time around the corner.

90th- Corner sucked. Like Raymond. At least we have day baseball. 3 minutes of stoppage.

92nd- FREEEEEE KICK. Major spot. Henry or Ribery Pick yer poison.

92nd- Henry strikes a good kick. Wall gets up and heads away

93rd- Game over. Real boring 0-0 Draw. All teams at 1 point. France Mexico. Someone is going home from that game.

Probably won't have a live play by play this weekend as I'll be away for the games. Hope you enjoyed. Today, 0-2 on bets. Had Mexico and France as winners. Sweet day.

South Korea-Greece could be boring again

Nigeria - Argentina could actually be the first entertaining game

USA- England. You know the deal

GroupS F and G: The Whose Your Daddy? Edition

Gonna go with two groups to get ahead of schedule. Bare with, they're interesting groups to breakdown.

GROUP F

NEW ZEALAND
Team sucks. Weak. Australia owns you.

Player to watch: Jeremy Brockie - No idea who he is. Jeremy sounds tough and plays for Newcastle. Nope the Newcastle Jets. Ya, this team is that good.

Group Prediction: DNF. Just kidding, but seriously.


ITALY
The defending champions are coming into the tournament old as usual and playing like dog. As usual. Nobody expects them to do anything once again, but their draw is quite easy. They linger in the dark in hopes of making another run at a title, but this time I think age actually catches up them. Still, having Buffon in your net will automatically put your team in title contention and the amount of diving this team makes it oscar worthy to watch.

Player to watch: Alberto Gilardino - Finding form again, the born again striker will be key to the Italian strategy of getting the first and defending til the cows come home. It'll still be interesting to see how the forwards react up top knowing their goals will crucial to any hope of glory.

Group Prediction: 1st. ON name only. Paraguay is going to push this team. An easy draw to get through, but after that it's hard. If 1st, a date will Spain lingers in the quarters.

PARAGUAY
This South American team qualified strongly finishing tied for second on points with Uruguay, only a point off of Brazil. They can play and have shown they can beat top quality teams in the world cup as well as mediocre teams (HEYYYYYYY GREECE). Paraguay can score, defend, and will surprise people in this tournament. This is an easy two pick even though their top goal scorer was shot in the head and won't be playing.

Player to watch: Roque Santa Cruz - Had a bad year after Mark Hughes left so maybe the international stage is where he can gain some of his form back. Mancini left him on the bench, so Santa Cruz maybe auditioning for a new team in the fall.

Group Predicition: 2nd. Shouldn't have difficulty. A date with the Dutch lingers if second happens, but don't be surprised if 1st occurs here. This team is coming to play.

SLOVAKIA
This team sits as a dark horse of the tournament will a bunch of high level skill players playing in the top leagues across Europe. Lead by Martin Skrtel, the Slovaks will come into the group with a chance of outlasting Paraguay for second. They qualified first out of their group beating out a country they split with, the Czech, and scored 22 goals. Yet, their recent form has slipped, and I believe it will be a shell shock situation for the team come next week.

Player to watch: Vladimir Weiss - Youngin' who can produce from midfield. He may be the bolt of energy this team needs to get through to the second round.

Group Prediction: 3rd. Paraguay is going to surprise people and their second group day meeting will most likely decide who moves on.


GROUP G

NORTH KOREA
I'lll get it out the way. These guys are going to be totally outclassed and sent packing early. Might be the worst team in the tournament going up against 3 powerhouse teams. These teams are going to use this game as a friendly/goal difference run-up.

Player to watch: Don't watch. In all honesty, just don't.

Group Prediction: It's a three team race for 2 spots. GUESS WHAT TEAM SHOULDN'T BE HERE.

PORTUGAL
The enigma of the qualifying round, this team struggled hardcore to get here. Thus, why they are group with Brazil and Ivory Coast. You know him as Ronaldo, I know him as Gimme your girlfriend, will be the lighting bolt for Portugal to get passed the group stage. Nani got dumped out of the squad with an injury problem( it's that time of the month). Keep this team injury free and they're one of the best teams in the world. Keep this team not injury free, and they suck. I think that's easy to understand.

Player to watch: Hugo Almeida - This team has rounded into form with 2 straight convincing wins led by his goal scoring. Ronaldo needs someone else to help out with anything and Almeida might be that guy.

Group Prediction: 2nd. Drogba getting hurt, yet still playing helps this team. With a healthy Drogba, I think this is a much tougher call. They start with "The Coast" in its first match and that will be an early litmus test

IVORY COAST
Didier Drogba might be the face of this world cup so his injury is going to be the cause for concern when the World Cup begins. He leads this team as its captain and scores goals. His flair for Italianism gets him in trouble, but when he focuses on playing the game the right way, he can play. BUT YAHH STILL GOT SVEN ON YUR SIDE YAHHH. If this team doesn't listen to Sven, they might be better off.

Player to Watch: Yaya Toure: Along with is brother Kolo, the Toures are a cool story. Yaya is the subject of a lot of transfer rumors with a grounded fielder most likely to get ever more crowded with Cesc possibly coming. He will be vital to possession and possible goal scoring opportunities.

Group Prediction: 3rd. A healthy Drogba still means a difficult task but I still don't see the "best team in Africa" getting through. It will be a crushing blow if they cant get it done.


BRAZIL
The Joga Bonito artists are back in true form looking for their 6th World Cup victory led by coach Tony Dunga. Not Dungy. Same pansy mold though. Dunga based most of his picks off his feelings and not real true form. Yes, Dinho got left off the squad cuz he's old. But go look at what he was doing this year. He was not even the worst selection left off the squad. Where is Pato? He's young and electric up front, and was a catalyst for AC Milan. That is hard to see why. But, this group is talented and will bring the true style of Brazilian football to the World Cup.

Player to Watch: Robinho - It'll be interesting to see how his season back in Brazil with Santos will affect how he plays against top talent. He has the quality to be the best player in the tournament.

Group Prediction: 1st. This guys are good and it will show. However, there is always the chance freak injuries happen and this team could be prone to it. Dinho will haunt them.

No set pieces today since there's enough to read. I'll give some extras tomorrow...

Group E and the Never Ending Pain

Arjen Robben and Martin Skrtel are just two of the newly found Hurt Starting 11 of the World Cup. I want that team in Fifa 11 because it's just plain and simply scary how much talent is getting hurt before the games begin. Well, here Group E, my fingers don't hurt yet so I won't be out. Although I might have just pulled landscaping duty.

GROUP E

JAPAN

Well, the Asian countries have three of their four major countries involved with the World Cup this year. Doesn't mean success will follow. This team has bupkiss when it comes to wins versus world cup opponents. They played a 120 minute game vs Ivory Coast on Friday. 0 goals. Did I mention they've scored once in the last 4 games played? Actually they scored all three goals in a friendly loss to England's reserves 2-1. Ya two own goals and their own. Tale of this team.

Player to Watch: Nakamura - Free kick master is playing like Sir Struggles a lot since his leave of Celtic. Still the best player Japan's got.

Group Prediction: 4th. Bye bye. Hello Kitty.

NETHERLANDS

Der Dutch are the cream of the crop in my opinion. If they weren't fairies, they'd be my pick to win it all. Hell, they still might be (Ya that's a cliffhanger. Ya it's good.) They have some pretty high caliber players in the forward position, midfield and defensive line. That correlates to a damn good. Wesley Sneijder is a superstar in the making and might be already. Gio Van Bronckhurst, who will call it quits after the WC, is a gritty, left back that can get up the field and provide good crosses to guys who can flat out finish. Kuyt is greasy and Camiel wants an orgy with him so he must be mentioned. He runs, then runs, and then runs some more. Usually he scores by just running the ball into the net, never actually shooting it.

Player to Watch: Robin Van Persie - If Robben is unable to go, which is highly likely, Van Persie is gonna need to do heavy damage up front. HE NEEDS TO STAY HEALTHY. The clown is always in jured. He scores with his left foot often and could be the golden boot winner if he puts enough into it. This team is primed for a major run.

Group Prediction: 1st. Robben hurts, but this team is foreign and good. Smells like cabbage, small hands.

CAMEROON

The best chance South Africa now has to advance to the second round is through Cameroon and that task is tough with Denmark and the Dutch in the same group. This group has a bunch of high class athletes that play at high levels in Europe and need to find a new drive at the international level. Samuel Eto'o is the main man to watch out for in this squad as he is the driving force for this 11. He's scores goals and will be vital for their qualification to the second round.

Player to Watch: Eto'. Reasons explained. He's quick and where ever he goes, the Cameroon team goes.

Group Prediction: 3rd. After more and more thinking, this team depends heavily too much on Eto'o who can sometimes go into a funk. Although they have some talent around him with Song, Assou-Ekotto, and Geremi, it's not enough to get past the European teams.


DENMARK

Dah Danes have surprised many with their qualification and strong showcase of talent over the past few months. They got off to a strong start in the group phase of qualify and sort of had to hang on at the end. The team has solid defenders and young nucleus. Key role players with no real superstar is the core of this team and will be the main reason they go through. Goal scoring will be tight, but their defense is good enough to hang on in tough games.

Player to Watch: Nicholas Bendtner - There's plenty of veterans to surround this young lad up front and they'll need him to be all he can be since his development at Arsenal. Denmark's hopes rest on a 22 year old who looks like he belongs in a boy band.

Group Prediction: 2nd. Europe teams>SA teams. Tough qualification and all of the players are getting healthier. Not healthy, just er. Bendtner is key here as he hasn't played in their last two friendlies, both losses. If he gets in, he could make the impact needed. Otherwise, they are t3h fukedZors.


SET PIECES:

• Jonathan couldn't so he made Gio Go. Good.
• Do people slow down?
• Altitude IS a problem.

Sometimes, when I get the remote control, I have to play it back to play it forward.

Group D and How This World Cup Sucks Already

Well, if you're a soccer fan in general, today's rash of injuries suck. I'm not happy as Africa's best striker, England's captain, and a greasy I-tie all mostly out for the games. Not good from a viewer's standpoint. But on to Group D we must.

GROUP D

GERMANY

Hosts of the last World Cup in 2006 and runner-up in Euro 2008, Germany just wins. A third place finish was good, just not good enough for the country. They're back again after a solid qualification in a crap group. The team has still gone forward with high expectations coming into 2010. This group will help with early jitters as a date with Australia awaits. I find this group interesting as Germany is the perennial power however the other three teams, have a real good shot at an upset/strong showing.

Player to watch: Manuel Neuer - From Oliver Kahn to Jans Lehmann, the goalie has never came into question for Deutschland. However, Neuer is young and lacks experience with an otherwise solid team. He'll be needed to step up and come up big if the Germans are to raise gold in July.

Group Prediction: 1st. Too good and are the official Bayern Munich supporter of the World Cup. Just hope there's no Champion's League Hangover. Friggin Mourinho....

SERBIA

The Serbs are scary and underrated as a group team. And if you ever need a word that ends in 'vic', you've found the squad for it. With a squad virutally all over 6 feet tall, this team can win headers and be deadly in the air. They will need to depend on their defense and come forward when needed. Set pieces will be critical if this team has a shot against Germany. This past week included a loss to New Zealand, an upset of some size considering the form Serbia had been in since qualifying for the Cup.

Player to Watch: Nemanja Vidic- Captaining the squad, he will be the focal point of the defense and squad. For being a center back, Vidic scores on corners with frequency. He's turned into one of the best defenders in the world since his arrival at Manchester United and hopes to continue his form on the international stage.

Group Prediction: 2nd. Throw that loss out, they've been dominant against other world cup opponents. Australia isn't scary enough and Ghana lost its best player so the Serbs have a real good shot at advancing.

GHANA

Michael Essien was glue to Ghana's crumbling hopes for advancing through to the knockout phase due to his awesomeness in the midfield. Unfortunately, his nagging knee injury will force him out of the cup that would have been this country's springboard to international greatness. If you'll remember from '06, they knocked the US out of group with a 2-1 win and advanced to the second round with Italy. And then got trounced by Brazil. Guess what? Without Essien, it's gonna be a helluva lot tougher. I mean tough.

Player to watch: Sulley Muntari - Playing for Inter this year, he was a sub that found considerable time playing for Mourinho. Mourinho... And this team will be depending on him a lot since Essien is out.

Group Prediction: 4th. Essien hurts that much. Their recent form is disgusting, barely beating Latvia and getting destroyed by the Dutch. It's sad considering Africa really needed this team to carry their nation's flag and I just don't see it happening.

AUSTRALIA

Aussie, Aussie, OooooYYYYY, OOOOYYY. The soccerroos have returned to the WC for the first time in history in back to back cups. They've developed into a small terror on the international level, but still don't possess enough scare into the casual watcher. Everyone thinks a kangaroo or a koala bear is gonna end up on the team at some point. But, they still find a way to play well. Supposedly, Mark Schwarzer, their goalie, is the one of the best keepers in the Premier League. However, I find him to be a weak link on the team. Sucks in the air, can't catch the ball, and always kick the ball out of player.

Player to Watch: Tim Cahill - A goal scorer in fine form, Cahill has always been electric in my eyes. Of course, this is when he's healthy. He scored against the US in the friendly Saturday, but he'll be needed for each game.

Group Prediction: 3rd. I don't see a difference in Australia and Ghana. They'll both struggle. Aussies getting thru in 06 was a gift with 4 points. They'll need to beat Ghana and Serbia to get thru.


SET PIECES

• Tell me Buddle is the Savior
• Robben might be the latest to go. Mikel Obi hurts Nigeria's chances
• Sven wants the Liverpool Job. Here comes the failure
• Watching guide for the WC

You just gotta. Just gotta play it back to play it forward

Group C: Big Edition

Yup, I like today's group. Big edition.

E ngland

A lgeria

S lovenia

Y anks

Jump on it.

GROUP C

ENGLAND

The Three Lions are the best team in this group. Hands down. The opening was the

headline in England shortly after the group was released. Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Ferdinand, Terry... the list goes on. High quality players all playing at the highest level. This team hasn't won the cup since '66 and are highly favored due to the coaching of Fabio Capello. Blitzing through qualification, this team is one of the better teams to find in this tournament. The question is, can they score on penalties? They just lose. Flat out suck when it comes to penalties and their main taker, Lampard

, has had his last two saved. God save the queen.

Player to watch: The 2nd Striker - Doesn't matter who it is, Crouch, Defoe, or a cardboard cutout of Sir Bobby Moore, this forward need

s to give Rooney his space to work. His flourishing came about, because Ronaldo no longer took away from him. Take the defenses attention, and let Roo do his thing. Hell, Berbatov being the Continental for a season still made defenses pay attention to him.

Group Prediction: 1st. If you think the US will come close to this team, it's cat scan time. Hold the ball, work free kicks, and finish. This time should be different.

ALGERIA

Do you know who Algeria is? I do.

There a tough mutha truckin', hard workin'... alright I'm done bullshitting you. F' this team. If fo

rm is any indicator, this team should be done after game 1. Ireland walked over them. Serbia walked over them. The team they beat, Egypt, to get to the cup, walked over them. There's no offense and their defense sucks. GG. 31st ranking is a gift. Get them all out of here. Egypt should be here.

Player to watch: If their playing watch, that's it- I don't know these clowns. I really don't like them either. They play dirty and aren't afraid to have people sent off. Pissin' me off and what not. Get me a chicken sandwich and some waffle fries.

Group Prediction: Tied for get the hell out. AUUUUU REVVVOIIIIIIRRRRRRRR ALGERIAAAA

SLOVENIA

The interesting team of the group, Slovenia, is tall and big and lanky. Not your prototypical, they made a late run through the group stage after not beating the Czech.

Then, thrown into a playoff against Russia, Slovenia defeated them in Russia. Andrei Arshavin mean. That's a tough task, ask anyone. Hell, the US wouldn't go there and win the cold war. They play D and have a good shot of placing second in the group.

Player to watch: I'll take the Who is that goalie for $200 Alex? Samir Handanovic - Younger cousin of the backup, goalies will take you to the promised land. He plays in Italy and will be the savoir for this team to move to the knockout round.

Group Prediction: 3rd. Damnit. I don't like it. Not one bit. The US scares me because they don't show up a lot. But shit, talent is better there than it is here.

UNITED STATES

Here's the deal. Everyone is excited cuz this team should do something. Anything. The D is fine. Gooch is calm but there are still questions about his knee and Howard has Tourettes. Fuck. But he's still good. My questions arise when you get to the strikers. We flat out suck at developing forwards. Eric Wynalda is a jackass and shouldn't be on TV anymore. Brian McBride can't score with his feet. Look back at the US soccer and see the most notable players are not up front. I mean John Harkes was our captain and he nailed Wynalda's wife. Good chemistry.

Anyways, yes this is a second paragraph, because I care about this country. The best moves Bob made was dropping Eddie Johnson and moving away from MLS players towards Europe. Guy has the touch of a rapist and was nothing. Analysts talked about his speed. OK, I'll let you figure out where that comment was directed at. I digress. Where are the goals going to come from? No goals against the Czech, Italy own goal and Dempsey were the basis for scoring in '06. And I will say it again. You want success? Get Dempsey going. Landon will be Landon, but Clint is where it's at.

Player to watch: Coach's Son Michael Bradley - If the US has any hope, they need possession of the midfield. It's constant kick round the backline, play a long ball up and lose it. Midfield needs to step up and Bradley needs to help Donovan out. If they keep possession close, they can win. They actually can. But as soon as the long ball starts getting played, Altidore is fucked. Buddle is fucked. Bob Bradley is fucked. Sam's Army is fucked. It could be a long tournament with success or it could be a swift kick in the ass until 2014.

Group Prediction: 2nd. Getting thru the group stage shouldn't be the goal. Germany in the second round is where anything will happen. Talent needs to meet expectations. How is it going to be handled? We'll see on June 12th.

Set Pieces:

• Ball don't lie. Hahnemann just wishes it would stop moving so he could eat it.
• Benitez out at Liverpool. Bout time.
• Sol Campbell is old.
• Friendlies: Spain 1-0 S.Korea; Italy 1-2 Mexico, Germany 3-1 Bosnia

Most likely, the US will play it back to play it forward

Group B Preview

Today I'll be focusing on Group B, where the four teams represent the world from end to end. Greece, Argentina, South Korea, and Nigeria will all be battling it out to face the respected first and second place teams from Group A. So, let's get started.

GROUP B

GREECE
The fighting, hairy, and uni-browed Greeks will be returning back to the main stage of international football after having a lackluster six years since their triumph at Euro 2004. After failing to qualify for the 2006 WC, the Greeks will be eager to prove that they're qualified to play with the big boys since it will be they're first WC since 1994. Getting dumped out of the group stages in Euro 2008, will be the backbone of motivation for a younger team that could pose a serious run through the knockout round if they get their. The familiar Nikopolidis,"George Clooney", will not be in net for a major tourney for the Greeks for the first time since 20 B.C.

Player to watch: Vasilis Torosidis - Playing for Olympiacos this season, Torosidis has developed into one of the best players nobody has heard of. The World Cup might be a spring board for a larger club team to snatch up the talented Greek.

Group Prediction: 4th. Ya, I went there. No real experience of major tournaments. Their defensive style means they need to score first and if they don't, everyone panics because that's what Greeks do. A gift qualification got this team here, and they have yet to show they can beat second tier opponents. This is more or less a three week vacation with three days of work.


NIGERIA

Nigeria makes its appearance at the 2010 WC after missing out on 2006 with high hopes of making through to the knockout phase. Not known by most of the world for their soccer prowess, the Nigerian team has finished 3rd, 4 out of the last 5 African Cup of Nations and has proved it is solid. This is a team nobody should look past and have crept into the top 20 in the world of FIFA's rankings. Recent games have shown a change from the typical run and gun approach of most African teams, to a laid back defensive style, which suits 3 teams in this group. Kanu, 34 going on 75, will be the first off the bench and will need to take his chances wisely as goal opportunities will be at a premium.

Player to watch: Obefemi Martins - The second half of the strikers, Martins disappeared from Newcastle after their abysmal RELEGATION TO THE SOFT DRINK LEAGUE(any questions, call Manal Patel) , yet ahs a dangerous left foot and does pretty sweet and sour somersaults for goal celebrations.

Group Predictions: 2nd. Ship it. Outside Argentina, they have the best strikers and in a defensive group, they'll be highly needed. Any points from their first game, and IMO, this group moves on. If not, the task is tougher but can get done.


ARGENTINA
Not will they get through, but how far will they go? Overly talented, the Argentines are looking for their third WC and have failed to make the 2nd round once since 1962(2002). Somehow, they barely got through qualification for some dumb reason, yet are strong favorites to win the group. They're defense needs to sure up as their midfield as strong as anyone, and their attacking players are top notch. They've got the beauty queen Mascherano in the midfield with the world's best player in Leo Messi leading the charge. Playing D will be their key if Maradona wants to be naked come July 11th.

Player to watch: Messi - Why wouldn't you watch him? He's good looking and real good. He's really good. I'm mean just plain stupid good. And you need only to know his last name. Tough to remember? Spanish Premiera felt his vengeance game after game this year, but it's time for him to step up on the international level. His presence has yet to been felt at the world level. It's time for the 22 year old to put this team on his back and take it to the promised land.

Group Prediction: 1st. Tragedy not getting first. A potential Germany/Argentina quarterfinal rematch awaits and there's no reason. NO REASON why they shouldn't get there. Well unless the players have sex on game days(see Set Plays at the bottom).


SOUTH KOREA
I won't sit here and bullshit you with South Korea. I don't know enough about them to write and write. Look. They got good players, but haven't done dick outside their own WC(2002) in a major tournament so they're dogs. Known for their work effort, they will need a lot of it in front of net if they hope to keep up with the other teams in this group.

Player to watch: Park Ji-Sung - He's the only guy that you'll hear about and possible remember his name at the tournament. He's also their best player. Sir Alex Ferguson has kept him in his starting 11 when healthy at Manchester United, but his international glory is spotty.

Group Prediction: 3rd. They can beat Greece, hell Greece beats Greece right now, but getting points else where will be difficult.


Set Pieces:

• Argentina just likes headlines
• Predict your bracket, have fun with it
• Club wise, Arsenal don't want to give up Fabregas. Thank god.

When in doubt, you need to play it back to play it forward.