Wayne Rooney

Jeremy and I were considering the possible teams Rooney could land in if he did leave Man U. I figured he’d go to Manchester City. But a basic wage of £150,000 a week will see his stay at the club for another five years, a sum that could reach £200,000. That’s… how should I put it… a lot. In USD, that’s $235,020 a week, that could increase to $313,360.

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Tim Howard Commits to 2014

Tim Howard, the U.S. Men's national team goalkeeper, has committed to playing for the U.S. in 2014 when all the world's teams will gather to play in Brazil. I know, its kind of early to be talking about the 2014 world cup already, but this is a key piece for USMNT to compete in 2014. With Howard on board, another question has yet to be answered in the case of Bob Bradley. Bradley is being courted by the EPL's Fulham. If Bradley takes the job in Europe, it likely opens the door for Jürgen Klinsmann to become the USMNT's head coach.

The water is still muddy in the situation of the USMNT, but Howard's commitment to 2014 is the first step to figuring out what kind of team the U.S. will field in the future. Expect a lot of these questions to be answered by August 10th when the USMNT will face Brazil.

Germany rains on Maradona's parade

Germany advances to the semifinals after a thorough 4-0 thrashing of Argentina. Diego Maradona, Argentina's coach and controversial but historic icon, had said prior to the beginning of the World Cup that if Argentina won it all, he'd go streaking. We dodged a bullet there. Lionel Messi, Argentina's and arguably the world's best player, leaves the World Cup without a single goal to his name despite a good showing.

The story, however, is Germany's top goalscorer Miroslav Klose. Klose, who last game against England tied Pele on goals scored in all World Cup played, scored two against Argentina and is now just one goal behind all-time leading goalscorer in World Cups, Brazil's Ronaldo.

Having advanced to the semis, Germany assures itself two more games, the semifinal game and either the final or the third-place game depending on how they fare against the winner of the Spain/Paraguay game later on today. That's 180 minutes Klose has to score one more to tie Ronaldo's record, two to break it, or three or more to truly make the record his own. At 32, Klose could still play one more World Cup, but this could just as easily be his last.

Uruguay goes on to semis

It took 120 minutes and a set of PKs, but Uruguay leave Ghana on the outside looking in and head into the semi-finals against the Netherlands.

A most dramatic finish to the end of the second half of overtime, with a free-kick Ghana should not have been awarded in the first place. After a confusing series of shots in which Appiah finds himself offsides though the linesman does not see it, Ghana's final shot makes it past the keeper and a defender only to be blocked by Luis Suarez on the line with his hands.

Suarez of course saw a red card and Ghana's A. Gyan took the penalty kick, at the end of two hours of play, only to hit the crossbar.

Uruguay took their penalty kick first and both teams scored their first two PKs. Uruguay scored their third and Ghana missed. Both Uruguay and Ghana missed their fourth, and Washington Sebastian "El Loco" Abreu converted Uruguay's fifth penalty kick to send Uruguay to the semis.

Tomorrow's games:

Argentina v. Germany
Paraguay v. Spain

I hope Germany and Paraguay win. I'd love to have Germany and Holland in the finals, but for a four-way bet made at work I picked Germany to win the World Cup. But if Holland wins, well that's okay too, no one picked Holland and I had a hard choice in picking between the two.

Well...

I was hoping this wouldn't come this soon but... USA is out. A 2-1 loss to Ghana in the Round of 16. Well.. it was a decent run. They lost just this one game. Now another four-year wait.

Group F

I'm happy to be wrong, sometimes.

Italy, the defending champion, one of the teams I said had the best chance to win this World Cup, has just been eliminated in the group stage.

New Zealand, the team I was hoping would pull off a Christmas miracle in June are going home, having not lost a single game and having finished ahead of Italy. They played a good World Cup, earning their first ever points in a World Cup with three ties.

Paraguay and Slovakia advance as first and second place, respectively. Now they await the results of Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, and Japan. Cameroon is already out. Netherlands will probably win the group, meaning they'd play Slovakia. Denmark or Japan will probably play against Paraguay in the Round of 16.

Group Play Blockbuster

Coming into the 2010 world cup, the United States-England was very much hyped in the U.S.A. Throughout the rest of the world, eyes are on the group of death game featuring Brazil and Portugal. The Brazilians coming into this tournament appeared to be much better than the Portuguese, especially with the loss of Nani.

Now that Kaka is going to miss this match with his red card from the Ivory Coast game, I'd say things are a bit more even than before with the Brazilian midfield a bit more unstable than normal. Its going to take a magical performance from the best player in the world, Cristian Ronaldo, for Portugal to come out with a win in this game against Brazil.

This is the last blockbuster matchup we will see before the playoffs begin. I say the Brazilians come out shakier than normal, but not shaky enough to lose.

Brazil - 1
Portugal - 1

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Wow.

Way to wait 'til the last minute to score, but what ever works, right?

USA 1, Algeria 0.

USA takes the group with 5 points, a +1 goal difference and 4 goals scored.
England takes second with 5 points, a +1 goal difference but only 2 goals scored.

New Zealand 1, Italy - 1

Nuff said people.

Anything is possible in this 2010 World Cup.

Taking a Glance at Group C

Kudos to anyone that predicted Group C would end up like this, but chances are I'm giving kudos to absolutely nobody.

This is the skinny on Group C.

1. Slovenia - 1-0-1 - 4 Points - +1
2. USA - 0-0-2 - 2 Points - 0
3. England - 0-0-2 - 2 Points - 0
4. Algeria - 0-1-1 - 1 Points - -1

Wednesday at 10 AM ET, USA-Algeria will play. At the very same time and day, England play Slovenia.

If these four teams want to be thorough with their advancement, then they should just flat out win. Only Algeria is still in a pickle even if they win. The rest, you win you're in.

As for our United States National Team, If they lose their done and can just go home. If the USA win, and England beats Slovenia along with the U.S. maintaining their 2 goal advantage, the U.S. advance AND win the group. There is a small window for the U.S. if they tie again, but it is very marginal. If they tie with Algeria, and England-Slovenia tie along with the U.S. maintaining their 2 goal advantage, they advance in that scenario as well.

But for the U.S. sake, just win dammit.

Oh, and as for England.....wow. Just wow.

What goes around comes around.

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Mexico 2, France 0

Ha, you shouldn't be in the World Cup anyways, France. (R.I.P. Ireland's 2010 World Cup dream).

Cuauhtemoc Blanco is magic.

Switzerland 1, Spain 0

Sometimes it's great to be wrong. If it were up to me, most of the top teams in each group would be eliminated in the group stage. A 1-0 win, that's awesome for Switzerland. This is Spain's second-straight loss in an official tournament in South Africa, having lost to the United States in the semi-final of last year's Confederations Cup, 2-0.

South Africa v. Uruguay later on. I'm hoping Uruguay can get a win. It would practically doom South Africa to be the first host nation to not advance past the group stage, but it has to happen some time, right?

2010 World Cup Predictions: Group H

We should probably get this done by tomorrow. I think I'm just going to do the match predictions.

I would like to see Spain not go through, but realistically, that won't happen.

I would like Chile or Honduras to go through to the knock-out stage along with Spain.

Honduras 0, Chile 1
Spain 2, Switzerland 0

Chile 1, Switzerland 0
Spain 3, Honduras 0

Switzerland 0, Honduras 0
Chile 1, Spain 2

Spain ......... 9 Pts.
Chile ......... 6 Pts.
Switzerland ... 1 Pts.
Honduras ...... 1 Pts.

Brazil 2, North Korea 1

Not a bad result for North Korea, despite the loss. I was crossing my fingers for the Koreans the entire game, but I'm pleased with their performance. Their first World Cup in 44 years, against the 5-time champions, and they were narrowly defeated. Sure, Brazil was on top of them most of the game, but North Korea did have more offense than other teams.

Brazil's first goal was more bad luck for the keeper than a mistake. Many keepers will edge away from the post to block a cross, and unfortunately for the keeper, Maicon thought to be sneaky and placed the ball well.

I was also pleased with New Zealand's tie with Slovakia. The Kiwis and the North Koreans had been pegged as having the opportunity to make the worst World Cup appearance in history. With New Zealand's point and North Korea's narrow defeat to Brazil, I think it's safe to say they'll both have something to be proud of after the World Cup.

2010 World Cup Predictions: Group G

Brazil.
Ivory Coast.
North Korea.
Portugal.

Brazil and Portugal, on paper, are the obvious winners of this group, ranked 1st and 3rd respectively. So I probably won't spend too much time talking about them, or this group in general. I have to say, this group is filled with teams I don't really care for.

I like to watch Brazil play, no matter who they take or leave behind, they always bring good football. The five-time world champs are always a favorite to win, and in my opinion have the best shot at the trophy.

Ivory Coast is a bit over-rated, I think. They have Didier Drogba up front, and that will always give his team great confidence in their attack. Is he at 100 percent with his arm injury? Who knows. You would think it wouldn't affect his game since this is the real football, but you never know.

North Korea, some people automatically hate them for political reasons. The simple fact is that this is a group of players that, in qualifying, tied South Korea twice before succumbing to them 2-1. North Korea also defeated and tied against Saudi Arabia, who is no stranger to the World Cup. At one point North Korea went six games without conceding a goal, two of those were the ties against South Korea. Not bad for any team, but considering their confederation and the group they got drawn into, I have to admit I don't see them advancing into the knock-out stage? Will they be completely humiliated like everyone expects them to though? Well... maybe not completely...

Portugal is ranked third in the world, and yet had to qualify through the UEFA play-offs. Having already lost Nani to an injury, who else can step up along with Cristiano Ronaldo? Simao and Tiago both had a decent World Cup appearance last time around, will they again?

My predictions for the games:

Ivory Coast 1, Portugal 2
Brazil 5, North Korea 0

Brazil 3, Ivory Coast 1
Portugal 4, North Korea 0

North Korea 1, Ivory Coast 3
Brazil 3, Portugal 2

Brazil ........ 9 Pts.
Portugal ...... 6 Pts.
Ivory Coast ... 3 Pts.
North Korea ... 0 Pts.

Noe's in-depth analysis from today's USA-England game

On one hand, I would've loved to see the US come away with all three points and am kind of disappointed they didn't. On the other hand, I enjoyed watching the US play well and am happy with the support the US fans brought to South Africa.

Tim Howard was a beast between the pipes. Bad luck early in the game, with Gerrard just poking the ball past Howard, but the next 86 minutes there was no doubt the US had brought along a world-class keeper. A contrast with England's keeper, Robert Green. We all saw the play that will most likely head the blooper reel of this year's World Cup, but Green also made a great save on a Jozy Altidore shot that very nearly gave the US the lead in the second half.

Oguchi Onyewu looked to be in good form. He had some good defensive plays and along with the rest of the defense, effectively shut down Wayne Rooney. My one objection with the United States' starting defenders was with Jay DeMerit. I feel he was a bit slow, and I would've liked to see Carlos Bocanegra in the center with Onyewu, and either Jonathan Bornstein or Jonathan Spector on the left side. Steve Cherundolo was great on the right side. Great defending and attacking by the veteran, and hopefully his good form continues throughout the competition.

Many people say Landon Donovan disappears in the big games. And although he didn't shine in today's game, you can't say he disappeared. He and the rest of the midfield played a solid game. Ricardo Clark however did disappear, and I would like to see Benny Feilhaber or Maurice Edu accompany Michael Bradley in the center.

Jozy Altidore had a good game, and almost gave the US the lead in the second half. I wasn't thrilled about Bob Bradley's decision to play Robbie Findley though. Yes, Findley is fast and the US could have used him during a counter-attack, but Altidore also brings the speed to the attack. I would like to see Findley replaced by Edson Buddle in the starting line-up, and Herculez Gomez brought in as a sub sooner. I think Bob Bradley waiting a bit too long in making his substitutions.

My ideal starting 11 for the US's next game against Slovenia:

GK- Tim Howard
LB- Jonathan Spector
CB- Oguchi Onyewu
CB- Carlos Bocanegra
RB- Steve Cherundolo
LM- Landon Donovan
CM- Maurice Edu
CM- Michael Bradley
RM- Clint Dempsey
LF- Jozy Altidore
RF- Edson Buddle

Quick Reaction to USA-England Draw

Well.....the most hyped game in USA Soccer history has ended.

And England isn't to pleased with the result. Its funny how both the U.S. and England get a point and the same result, yet one team found great confidence going forward(USA) and the other feels the heat and is completely deflated by the result(England). I've already seen some of the reaction by England fans, claiming the result was luck and nothing else due to Robert Green's fumble in the goal. But I think U.S. fans can make the same argument about Stephen Gerrard's goal. If Wayne Rooney does not mishandle that pass by Gerrard the whole sequence would not have occurred.

Its completely irrelevant anyway. This is the world cup and nobody really cares about your ranking. At the end of the day what matters is who puts the ball in the back of the net. Credit to underdogs like the USA, South Africa, and especially South Korea for ignoring what should happen on paper and focus on what happens on the field.

The game between the USA and England will continue though. I very much expect both teams to win their next two games and advance, but whoever comes out with the better +/- ratio on goals will win the group. So every goal matters from here on out.

The USA can take the confidence they've instilled within themselves from this game and really make an impact on this world cup that they have struggled to do in previous cups. Obviously we have quickly learned in just the first two days of this world cup that nobody can be taken lightly. So Slovenia and Algeria must be taken seriously. With that said, I believe the USA will be very hot going into those games.

As for the English. What can I say? I fully expected the USA to compete with the Brits. I know every English fan out there thought they would win 4-0. Hell, I heard ESPN's British correspondent(Not Martin Tyler) with Mike Tirico say he thought England could win 9-0! Nine to freaking nothing! If that doesn't illustrate how good the English think they are, I don't know what will. The Brits think this is a tragedy, I think they just lost to a good football team. I guess its their choice how they want to perceive it. From my point of view, their world cup championship chances were minimal to begin with.

In closing, I'll just say this. Despite what anyone thinks about the U.S. soccer team, we continue to put up results. This Bob Bradley team has beaten Spain, lost a nail bitter to Brazil, and tied with England. I'd say that's quite the improvement made in just one year. Tonight the English will cry but the U.S. fans can bask in the joy of tying with England and look forward to possibly winning Group C.

Those are my quick unedited thoughts about today's game. Until later, enjoy Sunday's games! Be sure to visit the blog later today as Noe will likely post an in-depth analysis from today's USA-England game.

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2010 World Cup: Day 1

It is just past 11 PM PST. Five and a half hours separate us from the first game of Day 2.

Let's start with today's games.

South Africa v Mexico had all the makings of a good inaugural game. Maybe a few more goals would've been nice, but there were plenty of opportunities. Mexico played a better game and had most of the possession. But it just goes to show you: just because you don't have the ball and are statistically less than your opponent, does not mean you can't pull an upset. South Africa seemed close to do just that, as they opened the scoring early in the second half.

Personally, I don't know why Mexico's coach, Javier Aguirre decided to bring Oscar Perez to the World Cup, let alone give him the starting job in the first game. Aguirre has been heavily criticized not only for making subs at the wrong times, but for the players he brought along to South Africa. Or better yet, the players he didn't bring. Gerardo Torrado has proved that he can play well in the midfield, but Pavel Pardo has also proved he's still got it. Pardo is an icon of a Mexican player. He had a short, but successful stint in German football, winning the Bundesliga his first year, and playing most of the games. Pardo is a great defensive midfielder and is a legend in Mexico for his free-kick taking ability.

And back to the goalkeeper subject: if Aguirre wanted a more experience player, why not bring Oswaldo Sanchez? Apparently, because Aguirre has a personal issue with Sanchez, and Pardo. Aguirre needs to be professional and not let petty personal issues get in the way of his job. It's not as if Sanchez and Pardo are troublemakers that he didn't bring along because they wouldn't gel with the team. Both are well loved by Mexico's players and fans alike. Aguirre just doesn't like them personally and left them out. If Aguirre wanted talent and ability in the goal, there is none better than the two other keepers he brought: Francisco Guillermo Ochoa (who has been the starting goalkeeper for one of Mexico's greatest teams of all time, Club America since he was around 18) and Luis Ernesto Michel (who had been in Sanchez's shadow until 3 years ago when Sanchez transferred to Santos Laguna. Since then, Michel has risen to be, alongside Ochoa, the best active Mexican goalkeeper). Besides Ochoa and Michel, there are a few other Mexican goalkeepers in the Mexican league that are more-deserving of the third goalkeeper spot: Jose de Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul), Moises Munoz (newly-transferred to Atlante), and Jonathan Orozco (Monterrey). We'll see if Aguirre continues to play Perez, though I think this unlikely.

Now that that rant is over, let's continue on with the game. Mexico had most of the possession against South Africa, but didn't make the most of them and almost lost the game in the final minutes after having tied with not that long left. 1-1, and it really could've gone either way.

France v. Uruguay. I'll admit I hate the French national football team. But I'll also admit that I've hated them since before I can remember. I was pretty upset when they qualified with that controversial goal against Ireland. Do I think that game should've been replayed? No. That's football. As much as it'd suck to be so close to qualifying (remember, Ireland had at one point been poised to pressure Italy for the top spot in their qualifying group, only to allow a tying goal that secured Italy the top spot and a trip to the World Cup), that's the way the cookie crumbles, sometimes.

Anyways, France had more possession, but both teams had several key opportunities that were saved by the goalkeepers. Hugo Lloris is the only part of France I don't hate. 0-0. Not the most exciting game, but it had its moments.

So in 5 hours: Greece v. South Korea.

Then later on: Argentina v. Nigeria.

And finally, the game I'm most excited for: United States v. England.

Let's hope we see some goals and a win or two tomorrow (from the teams I'm rooting for).

2010 World Cup Predictions: Group F

Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia make up Group F.

The obvious favorite to win the group is Italy. Italy had to go through the qualifying stage as the defending champion no longer gets an automatic berth to the next World Cup. But where to even begin with Italy? World-class goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon returns this World Cup. Four years ago in Germany, Buffon only allowed two goals: an own goal against the U.S. and a penalty kick in the final. Other great Italian players include defender Fabio Cannavaro, midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, and forward Alberto Gilardino, to name a few. Italy definitely has what it takes to make a deep run, maybe even winning the the World Cup again.

Paraguay has to appreciate the group they were drawn into. If Italy wins the group like they're expected to, Slovakia is Paraguay's only realistic competition for the second place of the group. Roque Santa Cruz is Paraguay's key player. Santa Cruz currently plays for Manchester City of the English Premier League. Paraguay suffered a critical loss back in late January when Salvador Cabanas, regarded by many as the best club player this side of the Atlantic, was shot in the head at point-blank range in a bar in Mexico City. Cabanas survived, and is still recovering. Paraguay will rely on Dario Veron to solidify the defense, and Santa Cruz to score goals if they want to extend their stay in South Africa.

New Zealand is one of the three teams in this edition of the World Cup that is expected to make one of the worst performances in World Cup history, South Africa had been on that list, as well as North Korea. New Zealand doesn't have any big name players, and are yet to earn a point in a World Cup, having gone three-and-out on their first appearance. However, if forward Shane Smeltz continues with his good form, the All-Whites could come away with their first-ever World Cup point.

Slovakia is one of the two contenders for the second place in the group. Slovakia qualified directly out of Group 3 just ahead of Slovenia. This will be Slovakia's first World Cup ever, all previous appearances have been as Czechoslovakia, a history they share with the Czech Republic. Good news for Slovakia: Martin Skrtl should be ready for the opening game against New Zealand.

Predictions:

Italy 2, Paraguay 1
New Zealand 1, Slovakia 1

Slovakia 1, Paraguay 2
Italy 4, New Zealand 0

Slovakia 1, Italy 2
Paraguay 3, New Zealand 0

Italy ....... 9 Pts.
Paraguay .... 6 Pts.
Slovakia .... 1 Pts.
New Zealand . 1 Pts.

2010 World Cup Predictions: Group E

Netherlands.
Denmark.
Japan.
Cameroon.

That's Group E. Netherlands heads the group as the fourth ranked team on the FIFA rankings. Cameroon follows as number 19, Denmark as 36, and Japan rounds out the group at 45.

The Netherlands enjoyed an easy ride through the qualifying stage in Group 9 in the UEFA qualifiers. Eight games, eight wins, 17 goals scored, 2 received. Just until recently, Netherlands held the 3rd spot in the rankings, until Portugal claimed the spot for themselves. Netherlands has had a history of making deep runs into the knock-out round, just to fall short before the final game. This year, Netherlands boast what could be one of the best teams they've had, with players such as Wesley Sneijder, Dirk Kuyt, and Robin van Persie. Injuries have plagued the team a bit. Arjen Robben, one of the team's key players in the attack, but it's already been confirmed he will miss the opening game against Denmark due to a hamstring injury. Some experts have pinned the Netherlands' success to the form and fitness of Robben.

Denmark qualified for the World Cup after having missed the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Denmark won Group 1 just ahead of runners-up Portugal and local rivals Sweden. The Danish have an interesting mix of players, some are playing their last World Cup, having already cemented themselves in the history of Danish football and in the minds of the country. Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen and forward Jon Dahl Tomasson are two examples. Accompanying them are players that could bring new times to Danish football, such as forward Nicklas Bendtner and defender Simon Kjaer. This World Cup will present a great opportunity for these two young players to learn something of international duty from the older players, and solidify their game, as they still have a few things to learn. Denmark is one of those teams that could surprise the world with a deep run in the World Cup.

Japan holds the lowest rank in the group, but has the same chance to advance, in my opinion, as Denmark or Cameroon as the second place in the group. Their key player is Celtic's Shansuke Nakamura, the 31-year-old midfielder. Nakamura has a good touch on the ball and great vision. He is also a danger from any free kick opportunity Japan might get. If he's in zone, Japan has a good shot at advancing.

Cameroon is the second-highest ranked African national team at the moment, highest-ranked of the African teams in the World Cup since Egypt failed to qualify. Cameroon can present a danger to any defense with Samuel Eto'o and Pierre Webo up front. Cameroon can also exploit defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto's speed and ability to go on the attack. Cameroon might have what it takes to advance past the group stage ahead of Denmark and Japan, but most likely wouldn't make it past the Round of 16 as their most likely opponent would be Italy.

My predictions for the group:

Netherlands 2, Denmark 1
Japan 1, Cameroon 1

Netherlands 3, Japan 0
Denmark 1, Cameroon 0

Denmark 2, Japan 1
Cameroon 1, Netherlands 2

Netherlands ..... 9 Pts.
Denmark ......... 6 Pts.
Cameroon ........ 1 Pts.
Japan ........... 1 Pts.

2010 World Cup Predictions: Group D

Group D:

Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana

Group D has become quite the mystery with the mounting injuries to various players from all teams, but that seems to be common theme as we near closer and closer to the 2010 world cup. The folks over at BetED have given Germany the heavy odds that they will win this group. Australia comes in dead last according to their betting lines, which can be seen below.


Germany - -150
Ghana - +500
Serbia - +275
Australia - +800

It seems no matter where the world cup is played, the German football team is usually going to advance through their group no matter what. Losing captain Michael Ballack to injury is a huge blow, especially to Germany’s chances to win the entire world cup itself. Still, this team has enough talent too win this group. Their physical style of play is sure to overwhelm every team they play in this group. Their opening match against the Australians will speak volumes about how the rest of their 2010 world cup campaign will go.

Serbia is fresh off telling Montenegro that they are taking their soccer ball and going elsewhere to play. Through qualifying it appears they are reaping the benefits of going independent. Most people would say they are a deep sleeper in the world cup, and I'd agree with those thoughts. Now that both Germany and Ghana are battling major injuries, Serbia’s chances of advancing though this group have climbed significantly. In Nikola Zigic, Dejan Stankovic and Nemanja Vidic, Serbia has a dynamic core and should score plenty. Watch out for this particular team.

Just when the nation of Ghana could rise up and get stoked for the world cup being close to home, their national hero Michael Essein has to go and mess up his knee. Way to go Michael. These guys have the potential to be the Cinderella of their group, but the loss of Essein greatly decreases those chances. Along with that blow, top scorer Kevin Prince-Boateng was the man who injured Germany’s Michael Ballack on a questionable tackle. That means Germany is likely to give Ghana a few low blows if you know what I mean.

Lastly, I will briefly comment on the Australians who are coming off a 3-1 loss to the United States. From watching their most recent game, one could not tell whether the U.S. was just that good, or was the Australian national team just plain sloppy? Regardless, few people expect much from this team in group play and the overall world cup. They play okay defense but I’m not sure they have the depth or offensive prowess to penetrate the other tough defenses in this group.

Game Predictions:

Serbia 2, Ghana 1
Germany 2, Australia 0

Germany 1, Serbia 1
Ghana 1, Australia 0

Ghana 1, Germany 3
Australia 1, Serbia 2

1. Germany....7 Points....+4
2. Serbia....7 Points....+2
3. Ghana....3 Points....-2
4. Australia....0 Points....-4

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2010 World Cup Predictions: Group C

Group C is comprised of: England, United States, Slovenia, and Algeria. England is the favorite, and the folks are giving the U.S. the second place in the group.

England is tipped by many experts as being serious contenders to the cup. I am not an expert, nor do I believe this is the case. First, England lacks a consistent goalkeeper. Robert Green seems to be the choice for starting keeper, though David James has been given the number 1 jersey. Rio Ferdinand sustained an injury to his knee just last Friday, and although not a huge setback, I think in the long run it will cause a few problems for England's defense. Wayne Rooney is not at a 100% yet, I don't think. Rooney will probably be knocked around a bit by defenders testing to see whether his ankle will hold. He isn't England's only threat up front though, Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch will see a considerable amount of action as well. England's squad does not have the talent or luster to win the World Cup.

The United States will face off against England this Saturday, after winning two of their last three friendlies. They defeated Turkey 2-1 after first conceding a goal, and they defeated Australia 3-1. This is the U.S.'s 6th-straight World Cup appearance, though their last appearance was full of disappointment, coming away with one point in a draw with the eventual World Cup champion, Italy. The United States has a young, new roster with 15 of the 23 players in their first World Cup. Tim Howard has made the goalkeeper spot his in the last four years, and Marcus Hahnemann has played well when he has filled in for Howard. The United States will have to fill in some gaps in their defensive line, which is their weak point. Oguchi Onyewu's presence solidifies the defense, though he is not yet at the level he was before his injury. Clarence Goodman and Jay Demerit played as central defenders in the U.S'. last game against Australia, though Carlos Bocanegra makes a better defensive partner with Onyewu. The midfield has talent, but needs to make their presence felt more. Michael Bradley is one of the most consistent players. Landon Donovan, nicknamed Captain America, is supposed to be the backbone of the U.S. attack, and of the team in general. But he is heavily criticized for disappearing during important matches and not contributing. Offensively, there is a lot of young talent. Hopefully Jozy Altidore will be ready for the first game against England, an Edson Buddle would be the best choice to accompany Altidore from the start, and Herculez Gomez as the sub.

Slovenia and Algeria round out the group. Slovenia has a good chance of advancing should either England or the U.S. falter, while Algeria is pegged as the bottom place finisher of the group.

Predictions for individual games:

England 1, United States 3
Algeria 0, Slovenia 2

Slovenia 0, United States 2
Algeria 0, England 3

Slovenia 1, England 2
United States 3, Algeria 0

United States .... 9 Pts.
England .......... 6 Pts.
Slovenia ......... 3 Pts.
Algeria .......... 0 Pts.

These are my predictions, as Jeremy's differ slightly, in that he has the U.S. and England tying in the group opener, 1-1.

2010 World Cup Predictions: Group B

Group B:

Argentina (7)
Greece (13)
Nigeria (21)
South Korea (47)

In terms of FIFA ranking, Group B is fourth-best with an average team rank of 22. Action begins on the second day of the World Cup for this group, with the undisputable group favorite Argentina squaring off against Nigeria, and Greece against South Korea.

Argentina boasts Lionel Messi, who is arguably the world’s best football player. And that’s about all they got going for them. Sure, he’ll have good company up front with my favorite Argentine player Carlos Tevez, but the rest of the team lacks the same spark that Messi plays with. Messi is not my favorite player, far from it, but I think he will be the only good thing Argentina will have to show for themselves at the end of the tournament. Argentina’s recent results aren’t a good example of the team’s overall ability, a 4-0 win over Haiti and a 5-0 thrashing of the Canadians. Both of these teams are mediocre to say the least, and I mean no offense. Other friendlies from this year include a 1-0 win over Germany, a 2-1 win over Jamaica, and a 3-2 win over Costa Rica. Granted, these were all wins, but the win over Germany is the only win you would think they had to work for. Two close wins against two CONCACAF teams that didn’t make it to the World Cup don’t say much for Argentina.

Greece make their second World Cup appearance, having narrowly defeated Ukraine in the UEFA play-offs. Their first appearance was in 1994. The Greeks’ primary weapon is the 30-year-old Theofanis Gekas who was the top scorer in the UEFA qualifiers with 10 goals. A secondary weapon is the height of its players. Greece has not announced its official 23-man squad, but of the 30 players seeking a spot on the roster, 21 players are at least 6 feet tall. Goalkeeper Konstantinos Chalkias is 6’6’’. This time around, Greece has a good mix of new and veteran players. For their first appearance, the then coach Alketas Panagoulias opted to use players that had gotten Greece to the World Cup, though most of them were older and out-of-form. Greece finished the 1994 World Cup with three losses, zero goals scored and eleven against. But in recent history, the Greek national squad has given their country something to hope for, after winning the Euro 2004, defeating hosts Portugal in the final match.

Nigeria is the third-highest ranked African team at the moment, behind Egypt and Cameroon. Egypt failed to qualify for the World Cup, and Cameroon was drawn into a slightly less-favorable group with Denmark, Japan and the Netherlands. Nigeria’s real competition in the group is Greece, although I believe Nigeria has the best chance to upset Argentina. John Obi Mikel has been given the go-ahead by his doctors after recovering from a knee-surgery, and I think Mikel’s presence in the midfield is Nigeria’s key to success in the tournament. Other key players for Nigeria include Obafemi Martins, who has played for teams such as Inter and Newcastle. Kalu Uche could also make a name for himself, being able to play both as a striker and attacking-midfielder. Joseph Yobo, center back for Everton since 2003 would anchor the defense.

Last, and probably least, is South Korea. South Korea has had a few positive recent results, notably three straight 2-0 wins against the Ivory Coast, Ecuador and Japan. But just last weekend, South Korea suffered a 1-0 loss to Belarus, demonstrating the inconsistency of the squad. South Korea is also yet to announce its final roster, but the biggest name in their 30-man squad is that of Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung. I feel South Korea will finish last place in their group, their only point if any coming from a draw with Greece.

Game predictions:

Argentina 2, Nigeria 1
Greece 1, South Korea 0

Argentina 2, South Korea 0
Greece 1, Nigeria 2

Nigeria 3, South Korea 2
Greece 1, Argentina 3

Argentina ..... 9 Pts .... +5
Nigeria ....... 6 Pts .... +1
Greece ........ 3 Pts .... -2
South Korea ... 0 Pts .... -4

2010 World Cup Predictions: Group A

Group A

South Africa
Mexico
Uruguay
France

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The world cup is less than two weeks away! Why not bust out our own predictions for the worlds greatest tournament? I'll start us off with Group A, which includes host South Africa. The South Africans have been on a major high as a fan base ever since it was announced that they would host the world cup four years ago. With great excitement comes great skepticism from the football world as to whether the South Africans will advance to the quarterfinals or not. Not advancing would put South Africa in apart of the record books they'd rather not be seen in.

Mexico comes into this world cup looking to improve on their recent performances on the big stage. After being ousted by the Argentinean squad in 2006, the Mexicans come in the 2010 world cup with a more favorable group than usual. Their opening match with South Africa will greatly depict how their 2010 campaign pans out. If they can get past the shaky South African defense, and perhaps the referees as well, they should get off on the right foot. The Mexicans are the wild card in this group. They could finish anywhere from 3rd to 1st.

After painfully not even qualifying for the 2006 world cup, the Uruguayan football team has done more than just qualified for this world. You will find varying opinions on how Uruguay's result will come from this group. I've seen some world rankings have Uruguay outside of the Top 40, while some like ESPN have them outrageously in the Top 10! Like Mexico, this team could explode onto the scene and surprise some. Or they could succumb to the high elevation and be round one and out....again.

I must admit, when it comes to a team like France, I'm a bit biased to dislike them. I could care less that they were in the world cup finals in 2006. I could care less about how talented they are or how much tradition they have, that play against Ireland where Thierry Henry touched the ball and was not penalized for it will overshadow the French team this entire world cup. They should not be playing in this tournament, period. I expect karma to catch up with this team.

With all that said, here are my game by game predictions.

June 11th, 2010

South Africa - 1, Mexico - 2
Uruguay - 0, France - 1

June 16th, 2010

Uruguay - 1, South Africa - 1

June 17th, 2010

France - 0, Mexico - 2

June 22nd, 2010

Mexico - 1, Uruguay - 1
France - 2, South Africa - 0

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Chelsea Wins as Rooney is Again Injured

Coming into a highly anticipated weekend, Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea were well on their way to winning the Premier League title and ending Manchester United’s three-year run of being the Premier League champs. There was little risk going into Sunday, but that did not stop the boys in blue from thwarting Wigan Athletic 8-0 at Stamford Bridge.

On a day where dethroned champs Manchester United beat Stoke City by a score of 4-0, Chelsea set a new record of 103 goals scored in a single league campaign. The game featured Ivory Coast’s own Didier Drogba pulling out a hat trick, giving him 29 goals on the season and the Premier League Golden Boot award, edging Wayne Rooney out by 3 goals.

From the moment the ball was set in today’s match, Chelsea pounded Wigan in virtually every category possible. The moment Nicolas Anelka put a goal in the back on the net only six minutes in; you could get the feeling that Wigan fans were going to wish the off-season had started yesterday after this game was all finished. Frank Lampard continued the onslaught not to long after Anelka’s goal and everything began to unravel from there. It became quite inevitable that Chelsea was going to capture its third Premier League title in the last six years.

Not to far away at Old Trafford, Manchester United knew their bid for a fourth straight title had been put out. Unfortunately for England fans, their pain may last into June as England striker Wayne Rooney appeared to re-aggravate his groin issue in the 77th minute against Stoke City.

Of course for those rooting for say the United States; we will greatly accept any help we can get going into June’s World Cup. Wayne Rooney’s injury is definitely one to monitor going forward. Though, I will add that it’s going to be very tough to keep that injury from reoccurring throughout the world cup.

With all that said Chelsea fans could care less as they sit back and enjoy their championship title, as they should. But next year will be an entirely different ordeal. Don’t think for one second that this won’t leave a bad taste in every Man U player’s mouth. The Red devils are sure to be in the hunt again in 2010-2011. But with the end of the Premier League season, every soccer fan welcomes this upcoming months World Cup.

Spanish Gameweek 37

It was a great Gameweek 37 in La Liga. Barcelona and Real Madrid both won 4-1 a few days ago in Gameweek 36 and still, a single point separated them coming into today's game.

Both teams came out of the gate running, Barcelona going up 1-0 five minutes into the game, Real Madrid at the 22nd minute. Real Madrid had a bit of a scare when, despite playing a man down due to a red card, Athletic Bilbao tied the game. Barcelona kept cruising on over Sevilla, going up 2-0 in the first half, then 3-0 early in the second half.

Real Madrid had most of the position in the first 20 minutes of the second half, but didn't do much with it. They had several shots, but could not find an easy opening. Finally, with 17 minutes left to go, they got the 2-1 off of a corner kick, and Bilbao's defense was broken wide after that. Final score: Real Madrid 5-1 Athletic Bilbao. Real Madrid, 5 goals from 5 different players: Cristiano Ronaldo (on a pk), Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema, and Marcelo.

Barcelona had a scare of their own, after Sevilla scored at the 68th minute and the 70th minute. Fortunately for Barca, the scoring ended there.

The last and final game is next Sunday, May 16th. Barcelona have 96 points and host Valladolid. Real Madrid have 95 points and visit Malaga.

The other spots still battled are for the fourth and final place in the Champions League. Sevilla have 60 points and visit Almeria next week, and Mallorca have 59 points and hosts Espanyol. My predictions: both Sevilla and Mallorca will win, giving the final Champions League spot to Sevilla and sending Mallorca to the Europa League next season.

The sixth and final place in the Europa League is also being contested. Getafe and Villareal are tied with 55 points (goal difference of +7 and +1 respectively), and they will visit Athletico Madrid and Real Zaragoza respectively.

Finally, the battle to try to stay in Spain's top flight is also fiercely contested between five teams. Three of those five teams will see themselves playing in the second division next season. Currently, those last five places look like this:

Pos...Team..................Points...Goal Diff
16....Malaga....................36 Pts......-6 GD
17....Racing Santander....36 Pts......-19 GD
18....Valladolid...............36 Pts......-21 GD
19....Tenerife...................36 Pts......-33 GD
20....Xerez......................33 Pts......-28 GD

I think the three bottom place teams at the end of this week will be at the bottom of the table next week too and will be relegated.

Newcastle United

Looking back on this last season of football, it's funny how I didn't notice the Toons' absence in the Premier League. Fortunately, next season will be graced by their presence again after a solid year in the Championship.

Newcastle has never been a particularly important team to me, but they've always been there as long as I've known English football.

The first leg of the quarter finals of the Mexican football league ended yesterday with a 2-2 tie between millionaire team Club America and Toluca. America was the only home team in the first leg that did not win. However, a simple win at the Nemesio Diez next Sunday will see them through to the semis. Toluca has always been a great defensive team and have been known to play entire games with little attacking aims. Despite still not having their prolific goalscorer most of this season, America has been a pretty solid offensive team, in a three-way tie for most goals by a single team this last regular season.

What do I expect for the return leg? I think three of the now visiting teams have a good chance of advancing to the semis: Morelia who have a 4-2 lead over Chivas, Santos who have a 2-0 lead over UNAM, and America. The other team with a lead after the first leg, Pachuca, I think will succumb to the defending champion Monterrey in Monterrey's Tecnologico stadium.

So where will that leave us for the semis? If my current predicted victors advance, the semis would look like this: Monterrey vs Morelia with the return leg played in Monterrey, and Club America vs. Santos with the return leg played in Santos' Nuevo Estadio Corona. I would predict Monterrey and America advancing to the finals with the return leg played again in Monterrey, since they were first place in the regular season. This would be an interesting final, since in recent history, Monterrey have neutralised America's offense and effectively shut down their defense. But America has been playing better football lately, if not exactly what we expect from a team of their history and reputation.

Monterrey has a good chance of defending their title, thus becoming the second team to win back-to-back titles since the newer short tournaments were introduced in 1996 with liguillas, or playoffs, to determine a champion instead of simply to the top team becoming champions like in European leagues. Liguillas or playoffs are mostly a New World concept, with its use in football spreading from the U.S. down to Brazil and Argentina.

America however, also have a decent chance of winning their 11th title in their almost 100 year history. Doing so, they'd be tying Chivas with the most titles in Mexican football history.

English Premier League 09/10

Chelsea is poised to win the English Premier League this season, as they are four points clear of Manchester United. Man U lead Sunderland 1-0 at the moment and are likely to tack on another goal or two in the second half, I believe. This would lead to the last game of the season, where Chelsea will host Wigan at Stamford Bridge and Manchester United will host Stoke City at Old Trafford. Both of the top two teams are more than likely to win that last game, meaning there will be a new champion to the premier league this season, as Man U are the defending champions the last three years running.

The only top European league with a mathematically crowned champion is the Scottish Premier League, where Rangers have been three to four games clear of Celtic for what seems like forever.

Several of the top European leagues have a likely champion, one who has created a gap between themselves and second place with a few games left to go, as is the case with Marseille in France, and Bayern Munich in Germany who have a three point lead with a game to go.

The rest have a close race to the title, Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, and Roma and Inter Milan in Italy.

This past season has been a more than decent year for football, and hopefully this means it will be a more than decent World Cup.

MLS Cup 2010 Prediction

Seattle Sounders FC will win the 2010 season.

Seattle returns with the same recipe of players that accomplished so much for them last year, as well as an ever-growing fan base that expects something to cheer for.

Kasey Keller remains Seattle’s last line of defense. I’m curious as to whether he has announced any plans of retirement. Keller turns 41 soon after the culmination of the 2010 season, and while many keepers have been known to play well into their 40s, it is never a sure thing. In an interview with the New York Times at the beginning of last season, Keller admits that one of the reasons he decided to turn down offers in Europe and sign with the Sounders was so that his kids wouldn’t have to move around as much. Once the Sounders settle down in the league, which they appear to be doing quite early, does retirement seem imminent for Keller?

From the few games I’ve had a chance to watch so far this season, Seattle’s defense appears shaky at times. Both of the ties so far this season have come in the final minute of the game, granted, one of them was due to a questionable penalty awarded to FC Dallas. In the first tie, Seattle was doomed to allow Real Salt Lake to score. The last chunk of game was spent on Seattle’s third of the field, with no clear communication between defense and offense.

Seattle’s ability to score goals is going to have to be the key to a successful season. They have a shaky defense with a great goalkeeper that will keep out the worst, but their offense will take them far. They have seven goals scored and allowed in the first six matches, and so far, the goals have fallen at important times in the matches, both for and against.

I think Seattle’s offense is consistent, and if they bring their defense at least up to par, Seattle will be the best contender for the 2010 MLS Cup.

Experimental Blog

I'm going to try to starting an experimental blog dedicated to association football.

Realistically, this will take me a while and I will probably only cover obvious topics.

Ideally, I would like to expand this to cover several professional premier leagues as well as the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Also, ideally I would like to narrow the focus of the blog to not just news and top stories, but evaluations of specific games each week in each league, looking at the coaches, players and referees.

So far, it's just me because I just had the idea, but I would like to involve either close friends that I can trust to keep to the core of the blog, or anyone who is motivated and I decide I can like and trust to help me with this experimental blog.

Each game evaluation will have the following tags in the following order:

League
Home team
Visiting team
Referee (if available and if the ref is critiqued in the blog article)

Since I'm just one guy and my only source for news is through websites such as ESPN, these cites will be cited if information is used from them.

So my goal is for the site to provide scores and tables and simple stats for the teams/leagues, and my main contribution of the site will be game evaluations/discussions.