Happy Birthday, Steven!
The best stepfather a person could ask for.
Topic 2
World CUpdate (See what I did there?)
Be Off With You!
South Korea needed to be as creative in the flow of the game as they were disciplined in set pieces.
U.S.A. was the best team ever to lead for less than 5 min. of total game time for an entire competition.
England was two scores away from having a legitimate complaint.
Mexico got hosed, but rather than using injustice as a rallying point, they chose to fall apart.
Slovakia never had a chance against truly elite competition.
Chile did themselves proud, but they have a long way to go before they will be ready to take down Brazil.
Japan got what they deserved for playing for a shootout rather than a goal.
Portugal learned that it is not enough to just play defense.
Assessing the Survivors
The Favorites
Brazil: The best in the world until somebody beats them. They've won the group of death and made easy work of a very strong and inspired side from Chile. Their upcoming match with Holland is a de facto semifinal.
Argentina: Blessed with a murderer's row of strikers and goalscoring midfielders (Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, Maxi Rodriguez, Sergio Aguero, and on and on and on) that makes playing defense seem quaint and almost beside the point. Wild card manager Diego Maradona has yet to take a wrong step, but the young Germans will put him and the rest of La Albiceleste to their strictest test to this point. This should be the match of the tournament.
Germany: This was supposed to be a team struggling to make the transition to a new generation of players, but Die Mannschaft apparently didn't get the memo. The trademark discipline of the old guard has meshed beautifully with the creativity and dynamism of new young stars like Mesut Ozil and Thomas Muller. They embarrassed an overmatched and underwhelming England, and their reward is to face white-hot Argentina. If anyone can break down the frenetic South Americans, it's the well-oiled Prussian machine.
The Contenders
Spain: Fernando Torres has been AWOL, and Iker Casillas has looked uncomfortable at times in goal. Both will need to show up if La Furia Roja are to fulfill their potential and reach the final. As transcendent a striker as David Villa has been, he will need help going forward. Nobody is playing prettier soccer than the Spanish with their impeccable passing game, but style alone will not take them to the promised land. They should handle Paraguay in their next match, but must raise their level of play if they want the cup.
Netherlands: They're undefeated, talented, and seem to be improving by the minute, but Oranje have yet to face a team that can ask questions of them. That willl change when they jump several classes upwards to face Brazil. If they play their best game, they can win; anything less and they'll be heading home.
The Cinderellas
Uruguay: They look good, but have faced suspect competition. It's not their fault that France chose this year to implode, or that the tournament brackets broke in their faovr to a ridiculous degree, but their good fortune doues make it difficult to evaluate them. Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan are a dynamic duo up front, and their defense has been rock solid, conceding only a single goal. Ghana should provide a stiff challenge, but La Celeste should find themselves in the semifinals for the first time since 1970.
Paraguay: Nothing fancy here. Not fun to watch, but undisputably effective, the Paraguayans have made it to the quarterfinals for the first time in their history. Their grinding, punishing, pyhsical style will be a huge contrast with the Spanish. If they can rough up the Spanish midfield enough to disrupt their flow, it is quite possible that La Albirroja can continue their historic run.
Ghana: Too angry at them to comment objectively.
PREDICTIONS
Netherlands 2-2 Brazil, Brazil advances on penalty kicks.
Uruguay 1-0 Ghana
Argentina 2-3 Germany
Paraguay 0-2 Spain
"Moment of Awesome!"
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