The Greatest Nation on Earth is...PORTUGAL!

Portugal beat Mexico 2-1 today in World Cup action.


This is from a Simpson's episode:

TV Announcer: The Continental Soccer Association is coming to Springfield!
It's all here--fast-kicking, low scoring, and ties? You bet!
Bart: Hey, Dad, how come you've never taken us to see a soccer game?
Homer: I...don't know.
TV Announcer: You'll see all your favorite soccer stars. Like Ariaga!
Ariaga II! Bariaga! Aruglia! And Pizzoza!
Homer: Oh, I never heard of those people.
TV Announcer: And they'll all be signing autographs!
Homer: Woo-hoo!
TV Announcer: This match will determine once and for all which nation is the
greatest on earth: Mexico or Portugal!

-- Watching television, "The Cartridge Family"

They Need A Magic Stretcher!

I don't know what to make of this story.

If these guys are so serious about soccer, how come China is ranked 68th by FIFA?

Tuesday's Games

Group A and B finished up yesterday. Germany advances to play Sweden; England will play Paraguay. Groups C and D finish today with two good ones - Ruud's team plays Argentina and Mexico against Portugal.

Monday's Action

No surprises as Switzerland, Spain and Ukraine won. Big matches today - Germany versus Ecuador to see who takes the Group A, and Sweden versus England to see who takes Group B. All of them should be moving to the next round, and these games will determine the match-ups.

Told ya!

I TOLD you waving an Israeli flag would cause seething and whining!

The final goal in the Brazil game was scored by FRED. Was it this one? 

Or this one? 

John Pantsil, a Ghana defender, pulled an Israeli flag from his sock after Ghana scored a goal yesterday. Much seething and whining sure to follow... 

Sauturday in Germany

The importance of the U.S.-Italy game was changed dramatically when Ghana beat the Czechs, 2-0. The group is a mess...Italy with 4 points, Czech Republic with 3, Ghana 3, and the U.S. has a point. So if Italy beats the Czechs, and the U.S. beats Ghana, the U.S. moves on to the next round and the chance to play Brazil. Great! This assumes Brazil can get by Australia today...

It's all about...the referee

Eric Wynalda said in the post-game, "Players win games, coaches lose them, and referees ruin them." He was talking about Jorge Larrionda who refereed the U.S.-Italy match. By the way, Larrionda was suspended for 6 months 4 years ago for "irregularities" during a probe of bribery in Paraguay. 

Everyone loves RUUD! 

World Cup Photos

To give credit where credit is due, the World Cup photos are from the FIFA Word Cup website and are copyrighted by AFP.

DIDIER BILE

Wow! Who knew Didier Bile, one of the founders of Zouglou music, was an Ivory Coaster fan? Not me! 

RUUD! RUUD! RUUD!

GOOOOOAAAAAL! Our boy Ruud scores and then worships a corner flag. 

Friday

Argentina...phew. 6-0 against Serbia/Montenegro. That's a lot. RUUUUUUD scored for the Netherlands. Mexico tied a short-handed Angola team 0-0. Games to watch - Germany versus Ecuador and England versus Sweden on the 20th. If England or Germany loses or ties, it sets up a Germany versus England game in the next round.

IS THAT A MASK IN YOUR POCKET, OR ARE YOU JUST GLAD TO SCORE A GOAL?

Ivan Kaviedes of Ecuador scored a goal and pulled this mask OUT OF HIS PANTS and put it on his head. It just ain't right.... 

Thursday results

Down and out: Costa Rica and Paraguay

Moving on: England (that would be the team I picked to win the whole thing).

Killed their cows : Ecuador

The European teams continue to win, if not impress. Ruud and the boys take on Ivory Coast today. The other game of interest for locals is Mexico versus Angola. A win should guarantee moving on.

GENTLEMEN, IT'S TIME TO KILL YOUR COWS

IF your cow is from Ecuador.

World Cup Wednesday

The first game between Spain in Ukraine was almost unwatchable for two reasons:

1) Spain slaughtered them 4-0, and
2) Henry Higgins teaching Eliza Doolittle to speak proper English (you know... "The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plain").

It was hard to pick a team to cheer for in game two (Saudi Arabia versus Tunisia).

The last game was the best of World Cup so far. Germany scored in the 91st minute and beat Poland, 1-0. Germany hit the cross bar on consecutive shots with about a minute to go in regulation time, then scored - but they were offsides.

Strangely, ESPN2 went directly from this game to ...championship DOMINOES!

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE....

From George Will's column:

"Military engineers recently cleared garbage from a field in Fallujah, resurfaced it with dirt and put up goal posts to create an instant soccer field. A day later, the goal posts were stolen and all the dirt had been scraped from the field. Garbage began to pile up again.''

An Army captain asked, "What kind of people loot dirt?''