The World Cup Is Nigh

Tomorrow, the World Cup begins and I, for one, could not be happier. It means oodles of soccer on the tube for the next month and being unemployed means I can watch the majority of the games. That is, if I can get my lazy ass out of bed to watch the 6 a.m. games. I'll try to, but I'm not sure how long it will last. I will attempt to briefly write about each game I watch.

For what it's worth, below are my predictions for the matches. It looks like a lot of straight chalk but there are a few surprises in there. Most notable is the USA winning its group. A lot of that is pure optimism and patriotism, but I definitely think it is a possibility. If Italy ends up winning the group then I would put them into the semis and have USA losing to Brazil.

Cote D'ivorie (this is the spelling the country wants regardless of the language) is my sleeper because the team has some spectacular talent that plays in the top leagues, but I don't know how the rest of the team will respond. I really think England and Argentina have the best shot to win the whole thing outside of Brazil. The defense of Brazil might be its weakest point, but if the offense dominates the ball it doesn't really matter.

Group A
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Germany
Poland

Who will advance (1st, 2nd): Germany, Poland

Group B
England
Paraguay
Sweden
Trinidad and Tobago

Who will advance (1st, 2nd): England, Paraguay

Group C
Argentina
Cote D’ivorie
Netherlands
Serbia and Montenegro

Who will advance (1st, 2nd): Argentina, Cote D’ivorie

Group D
Angola
Iran
Mexico
Portugal

Who will advance (1st, 2nd): Portugal, Mexico

Group E
Czech Republic
Ghana
Italy
USA

Who will advance (1st, 2nd): USA, Italy

Group F
Australia
Brazil
Croatia
Japan

Who will advance (1st, 2nd): Brazil, Croatia

Group G
France
Korea
Switzerland
Togo

Who will advance (1st, 2nd): France, Switzerland

Group H
Saudia Arabia
Spain
Tunisia
Ukraine

Who will advance (1st, 2nd): Spain, Tunisia


Round of 16
A1 v. B2: Germany defeats Paraguay
C1 v. D2: Argentina defeats Mexico

E1 v. F2: USA defeats Croatia
G1 v. H2: France defeats Tunisia

B1 v. A2: England defeats Poland
D1 v. C2: Cote D’ivorie defeats Portugal

F1 v. E2: Brazil defeats Italy
H1 v. G2: Spain defeats Switzerland

Quarterfinals
Argentina defeats Germany
France defeats USA

England defeats Cote D’ivorie
Brazil defeats Spain

Semifinals
Argentina defeats France
Brazil defeats England

Third place match
England defeats France

Finals
Argentina defeats Brazil