A new low -- Holland v. Portugal

This is a new low for refereeing in the World Cup.

Why is it that the United States and Holland have drawn the worst referees of the tournament? This guy is even worse than the refs that the US got.

Once again in the World Cup, a team has decided that they can't beat Holland fairly, so they decide to reduce the game to a wrestling match. Both of the Portuguese players should've been red carded before they eventually were.

When you have refs like this, it just makes a joke of the game.

Saudi Arabia v Ukraine

4th minute -- GOAL! Rusol scores on a near post header from a corner kick. He nods it down from a little before the goal post on about the six yard line and it nutmegs the goalie. I like it when defenders score.


A great opening for Ukraine, after an embarassing 0-4 defeat to Spain. I have to root for Ukraine, as I'd like to see Andriy Schevchenko -- one of the best strikers in the world -- have a chance beyond mere group play. Also, Ukraine did quite well in qualifying. Despite being put in the most difficult qualifying group, they qualified over Denmark (always decent), Greece (fresh off its Euro 2004 victory), and Turkey (semis in 2002). They breezed through qualifying anyway, despite the electoral unrest in their country.

Fortunately for Ukraine, they're in one of the easier groups. Spain is a chronic underachiever, the Saudis are even more underachievers, and Tunisia isn't one of the stronger sides. So if they beat the Saudis today, they should still have a chance to qualify.

USA vs Italy bad ref? Yes.

One of my posts has been picked up by Google for Italy v US bad ref. This amuses me.

What FIFA should do

In order to alleviate the embarassment, FIFA should reinstate Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope for the matches against Ghana. There should be no automatic suspension for either player.

Of course, I doubt FIFA will do it. But they should. What a joke.

Draw 1-1

We outplayed them entirely. We deserved the result, even if we only got a draw because of an own goal.

This was the worst refereed match of the World Cup. Terrible. Whoa...they said they are going to have "a very interesting story" about the referee after the commercial break.

Good for the US. I think we can all be pleased at the performance, although worried about our finishing. We're still extremely unlikely to advance, because even if we beat Ghana, we'll be behind on goal differential. We need to beat Ghana and have Italy beat the Czech Republic in order to advance.

UPDATE: In 2002, that ref was suspended for the World Cup because of "irregularities." Yikes. That ref shouldn't have been on the field, and it's a huge embarassment for FIFA.

Something tells me

That Italy isn't offside everytime they are being called. These are the best strikers in the world. I highly doubt that they are off every time.

Del Piero in the game.

That yellow to Zambrotta is ridiculous.

The US just looks exhausted. Interstingly, the ref has put his whistle away now, which definitely favors the Italians. Multiple American players are just walking. It's not their fault: that happens when you've got 9 men when the ref tries to give away the match to one of the best teams in the world.

Red Card to Pope

Terrible. Terrible.

This referee is a complete, thorough, and total joke. What a failure. It wasn't even a foul, in my opinion.

Conrad comes in for Convey. The US now has to play justs for a draw.

Red card to Mastroeni?

That's ridiculous! This is a ridiculously bad call, and the ref will definitely pay for it on his evaluation. Thoroughly horrendous, a makeup call by the referee.

This is classic terrible refereeing. This ref just became a joke with one call.

Also, he has to do something about all the diving by the Italians.

Red Card

Gotta be. De Rossi had to do it on purpose. He got caught, and the Italians will have to play with a man down.

It's a tie score, we have an extra man. Of course, the lack of a man will probably help the Italians focus. It certainly didn't matter against Brazil in the Round of 16 in 94.

And McBride, after sitting and getting stitched up for a bit, is back in the game.

Meanwhile, Rice is up 1-0 against UGA in the World Series.

Totti out for Gattuso? Interesting sub. Whew, and we get a lucky offsides call to save a nice shot.

Clint Dempsey is playing well. He is definitely bringing some needed confidence and aggressiveness.

OWN GOAL

Tie score. Awesome. and deserved.

The US has been the beneficiary of some key own goals when advancing in the World Cup. Columbia in 94, and Portugal in 02.

We outplay, they score

We've outplayed Italy, but they just scored.

At least it's been a good effort, but it's for naught when you screw up a set piece. The ref has been buying some of the Italian forwards dives. Most notably, the Eddie Pope card, which was a total dive. In fact, the Italian (I think it was Gilardino) was pulling Pope's shirt. The yellow should've been awarded the Azzurri.

The Ghana win over the Czechs means that the US doesn't need a win, necessarily. That's good. Personally, even though Italians aren't exactly the Brazilians (who are expected by their country to not only win but win beautifully), they will still have some pressure on them not to try and draw the US. I think the Italian media and fans will freak out if the Italians decide to play for a tie against the US.

So, I wouldn't expect Italy to just lay back, as they potentially could. They have more pressure on them to win than the US does.

My lineup

I've said it before: I think Arena needs to get the 11 on the field who have the greatest potential.

For me, that means Johnson and O'Brien have to be on the field at the start. They can't be brought on for the second half when the US is already down 2-0. Also, I want Landon Donovan to get the ball, and to have space to create. To me, that's when he's at his best.

So I'd put McBride and Johnson up top. O'Brien and Reyna in center mids. Landon Donovan out on the the right mid, and Beasley on the left. Beasley isn't playing well, but he's obviously much more confident on the left than the right.

I didn't mention it before the Czech game, but I definitely think Bocanegra should be on the pitch. I didn't mention it because it was obvious Bruce Arena wasn't going to start him. Pope and Onyewu will obviously start. and I'd probably have Lewis back there too, and make one of them play on the right. Defense is a little harder for me, because that requires thinking about matchups.

Ching on US and the media

US forward Brian Ching:

Despite what some of the media have written, we are a tight group and continue to be that way. I really feel that due to the loss people are trying to find a problem with the team or look for negative things to write. I guess a story about rifts in the team makes for better news. When it comes down to it we know we made a few mistakes and were beat by a good team, but it happens.

If the US plays frenetically and intelligently, I give them a definite shot against Italy. We may not be the favorites, but we're now at the point where we can compete against anybody.

Argentina -- Serbia

6th minute -- Rodriguez scores for Argentina off a Saviola assist. Pretty stuff. Argentina looks good.

They showed Maradona in the stands. Apparently, he's been down to the Argentina locker room before both games so far. Am I the only one who finds that bizarre?

US vs. England lineups

Joe Conway has a post that I completely agree with. He asks who on the US team could start for England.

His conclusion: none of the US players would play for England. Personally, I think Keller would start, Donovan might have a chance on the right half, and Eddie Johnson is good enough when he's on his game.

But that's it. I mean, heck, Japan and Ivory Coast have more players from Europe's top leagues. And that's why it's hard for me to be optimistic about the US (although I do hold out hope of a draw, and maybe even a win against Italy, I am realistic). But soccer isn't necessarily about individual talents. It's about playing smart, and making the most of your scoring chances. So the US still does have some chance to redeem itself from a frustrating opening match.

Today's games

8:55 a.m. Argentina vs. Serbia-Montenegro
11:55 a.m. Netherlands vs. Ivory Coast
2:55 p.m. Mexico vs. Angola


The first two may determine who advances in the group of death. So far, the two favorites won their first two games.

I'm particularly interested to see Argentina play, because I thought Argentina was the most impressive team in the first round, followed by the Czech Republic. Spain was also impressive, but they were helped out by some questionable refereeing. Ukraine is a very good team, and I still think they'll recover and advance.

Anyway, Serbia is a good team, so it'll be interesting to see what Argentina looks like against them.

With the near-demise of the US' chances (I never had high hopes. Rob Booth can testify that I told him before the Cup that I thought this Cup could be France 98 all over again (eg, winless and scoreless) for the US) Holland becomes my primary rooting interest. Ivory Coast has some very good players, and they played well against Argentina. This is a very crucial result for them. They need to pick up at least a tie today. Also, they need more than one simple breakaway. They also relied too much on Robben's one-on-one bravery against Serbia. A guy like Van Nistelrooy has the skills to be the best player in the tournament. And it would be a great revenge card for Van Nistelrooy to play against Manchester United. Who will be the third forward? Van Persie? Kuyt?

Two groups are set

Advancers:

Group A: Germany and Ecuador advance. They will play the third game to determine who is 1st and who is 2nd.

Group B: England advances. Sweden has a win, Trinidad a tie, and Paraguay two losses. Sweden is likely to go through, unless Trinidad beats Paraguay and Sweden loses to England.

A1 plays B2, and B1 plays A2, so England and Germany definitely have some incentive to avoid each other.

No robot

Crouch scores in the 85th minute!

But, unfortunately, Peter Crouch did not do the Robot. How disappointing.

Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney is in the game, and looks pretty energetic.

Arena: First goal, first goal, first goal

They just interviewed Bruce Arena on ESPN2, and he focused solely on the first goal.

He's got a point. The early goal completely changed the match, and allowed the Czechs to play the game they wanted to play against us...sit back, focus on defense, and then use their speed to counter.

But on the other hand, the Czech's first goal was a counter-attack, so in some ways they were already playing that game. Also, he failed to address the fact that the team didn't look that energetic. Compared to how hard they challenged every ball against Portugal in 02...they looked like they'd already qualified for the next round.

Nor did he mention that they failed to involve McBride or Donovan in anyway. Donovan isn't a back-to-the-goal target man. Arena should've taken my advice and put him at right midfield.

US -- Czech

Nightmare start. Czech goal and yellow card to Onyewu. Moreover, they scored the way we want to.

They were expected to control, with us countering. So far, it's the opposite, and they pulled it off. They're supposed to be a little suspect defensively, so maybe we have a chance still.

25 -- I'm not pleased with the refereeing right now.

27 -- 10 people behind the ball for the Czechs when we advanced into the final half of the field. The US will need to move quickly when countering.

28 -- Great US counter. Reyna takes a solid strike off the post. Sigh.

32 -- Pope with great defensive work inside the box. How come he's never gotten a huge contract to go play in Europe? I've never understood that. Does he not want to go? Does he not want the money? Has no one ever wanted him?

36 -- Sick shot by Rosicky. 2-0 Czechs. Sigh. All the predictions to my friends that Germany 06 could be as bad for the US as France 98...they look true right now.

42 -- So, I think it's obvious if you've read this blog that I think John O'Brien and Eddie Johnson have to be on the pitch for the Americans. I really don't understand why they aren't, and I think with the way the game is going right now, those two would be perfect for the game.

43 -- Koller goes down clutching his knee. It's not obvious how much of this is theatrics....well, they've got the stretcher for him, so maybe he's going out. Ouch. This guy is a 6'7" beast.

46 -- Koller subbed out, and is still on the stretcher. That sucks for him, hopefully he'll be okay. Appears to be a muscle pull of some sort.

59 -- Arena agreed with me, as he brought on O'Brien and Johnson. About time. May be too late at this point...well, it's almost certainly too late to affect the result.

Remember all the hype about Onyewu? Sounds like maybe he believed it too much. He hasn't looked good.

60 -- Reyna gets yellow. He got away with another cardable foul previously. Great.

62 -- What's wrong with them? Reyna fails to hurry on a possible counter, which is really our only chance, because if we give the Czechs time, they'll have 10 people behind the ball. Then, Reyna gives away possession on a sloppy pass. He's not his usual steady self.

63 -- Is Landon Donovan on the field? I'm not saying it's his fault, but haven't heard from him.

70 -- Couple ESPN2 graphics errors. First, I'm 99% sure it was 'Austria' that the US played in the 90 World Cup, and not 'Australia.' Second, I'm 100% sure that despite what the graphic said, the United States did not lose to the 'Czech Republic' 5-1 in 1990. It's hard to lose to a team that doesn't exist. Czechoslovakia did exist though.

71 -- Couple good Eddie Johnson possessions.

78 -- Rosicky scores. 3-0. Goal differential means that we have about a .5% chance of going through to the second round. The World Cup is virtually over for the Americans. Go DUTCH!

82 -- Eddie Johnson is the only one to do anything.

86 -- Nedved with a smart foul to shut down the counter. They've made some smart fouls, and not been given cards for it.

Australia -- Japan

I've anticipated this match for a few days. Both are interesting teams, and both have plenty of players with experience in the top leagues of Europe.

They also both have interesting coaches. Japan is coached by Zico, a former Brazilian player. Australia is coached by Dutchman Gus Hiddink, one of the world's most renowned coaches right now.

Judging by their coaches, they'll both play beautiful soccer. One of the premier Japanese players apparently isn't a fan of his coach's style.


30th minute or so -- Japan scores on a cross where one of the strikers hits the Aussie goalkeeper. A controversial goal, at best.

A few minutes later, the Aussie striker nearly scores a great goal, but the ball goes over the bar.

The TV announcers have made such a huge deal about how they think the goal should have been taken away because of the foul. I think they're overdoing the certainty that it was a foul. Frankly, the Aussie goalie did a bad job either way. He should've gotten to the ball.

My guess for US starting lineup

As I've written (see below), Bruce Arena will probably surprise us with his lineup today against the Czech Republic.

My thought is that they have to get their eleven best. Here's what I think Bruce will do:

Defenders: Lewis, Onyewu, Pope, Cherundolo

Midfielders: O'Brien, Beasley, Donovan, Reyna

Strikers: Johnson, McBride

If a late sub is needed, I'd bring on Wolff for his speed.

THE DUTCH! v Serbia

This game is huge. I'm as psyched for this as I am for Czech v. US.

Van Basten decided to go with van Persie up top instead of Kuyt to accompany Robben and Van Nistelrooy.

13th minute - Serbia had a good chance where the dribbler for Serbia got free on the end line around the six yard box. He had two open players, but the Holland defender (Mathijsen I believe) made a great play.

18th minute -- Robben scores!! Breakaway counter-attack. Play started deep, 30 yard ball to Van Persie who touched it over to Robben who was off to the races with plenty of time.

22nd minute -- Robben has a great near post strike that almost knuckles in.

56 -- Ref gives card to Van Branckhorst. This is a very weak card. I don't see what in that foul was worth giving a card to.

63 -- Very bad offsides on Robben. He was definitely onside. Bad call by the linesman. The bad call wastes a pretty little scoop by Van Nistelrooy.

66 -- I'm getting a little nervous about the Serbs hanging around. They've had some chances on the counter. Meanwhile, we look a little sloppy in the final attacking third of the field.

We win 1-0. A good result, though not a stellar performance. Solid though. Of the expected heavyweights, I think Argentina has looked the best so far.