The U.S. Is Out. Now What?
Even though our heroes of suspense fell to Ghana for the second straight World Cup, there will be plenty to watch in the second half of the tournament. Many of the traditional European powerhouses have fallen, but the teams remaining appear more than prepared to dazzle us with their skill. South America has risen to the occasion, and looks to continue their streak of winning every cup held outside of Europe. Only one South American side has suffered defeat in 16 games, and the losing side, Chile, still qualified for the round of 16 afterward. While it is unlikely that this domination represents a significant shift in player quality, it may signify a more successful approach.
Traditional defensive powers like Italy, while home of European champion Inter Milan, have suffered from a lack of scoring and a reliance on aging veterans. England and France provided more entertainment off the pitch than on, and neither could keep up with more offensive-minded teams. Emphasis on team. The big name players comprising England, Italy and France might light up scoreboards in the EPL, Serie A and various other European leagues, but when forced to compete alongside their fellow superstars, they fell flat. Perhaps a better coach could have united them, but it may just be their nature to take things upon themselves for better or worse. In international play that nearly always falls to the worse side. See you in Rio.
As for the teams remaining in wintry South Africa, there are a few stand outs. The most exciting teams remaining in the hunt are Germany, Netherlands, Argentina, and shockingly Uruguay. A few others have potential to pique my viewing interest, but we’ll discuss that when they show up.
Here are the match-ups this week that you must not miss:
Brazil-Chile (later today) – High potential for some bad blood between these two South American teams. While Brazil has traditionally dominated the series, look for Chile to come out flying. The defensive strategy utilized by Dunga might frustrate the Chileans for a little while, but La Roja have the ability to score against anyone. Kaka and breakout performer Elano will need to play up to expectations in order to earn the right to face the Dutch in the round of 8.
Spain-Portugal (Tuesday 2:30pm) – Another derby match, this time between the electrifying Iberian nations. Portugal has forgotten about their qualifying troubles to find their way through the group of death, but you never know which C. Ronaldo will show up. Same goes for Torres and Spain. The Euro 2008 champs are looking to avoid another early World Cup exit.
Argentina-Germany (Saturday 10am)– Two of my favorite teams to watch in this tournament. Both eased through tough opponents in the round of 16, and would be extremely disappointed to lose this game. Missing captain Michael Ballack has not hindered Germany, and may have helped welcome a new era of talented young players onto the team. Özil and Thomas Müller have shined for the squad, not to mention the international specialist Lukas Podolski. As for Argentina, a stifled Messi failed to distract the team from scoring at will against Mexico, and we could be in for a goal fest.
