Did You Miss Me?

A brief, idyllic hiatus bloomed in the middle of my World Cup viewing and blogging. Marina and I had our two year anniversary, and we rented a cottage in Santa Cruz, drove south to Monterey Bay, a slice of summer compared to San Francisco. We were literally around the corner from the ocean, a dead-end road leading to a promontory from which I saw five otters and a dolphin. That was only part of the magic of the weekend which will merit a blog of its own, but to make a long story short, I did not miss seeing the games. I've watched some of the recorded games since I've been back, and I've seen the clips of Sloveniagate--more on that in a bit. To catch up, I will do a quick summary of my thoughts on the action between Thursday and tonight.

THURSDAY, JUNE 17TH

FRANCE VERSUS MEXICO (Mexico 2-0)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: I was perfectly right, Mexico won by two goals, and better yet, one was scored by Javier Hernandez for my fantasy team. I'm hoping he starts tomorrow. He has earned it.

This loss has completely unraveled France. Nicolas Anelka has been sent home; the trainer and another bureaucrat have resigned. To their credit, though, the French represented their country perfectly--perhaps too perfectly--by going on strike from practice. I see no way through to the next round for France.

ARGENTINA VERSUS SOUTH KOREA (Argentina 4-1`)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION (ARGENTINA 3-0)

South Korea's industry, so effective against Greece, did not work against the Argentines. Alas, neither Carlos Tevez nor Park Ji-Sung scored for me.

GREECE VERSUS NIGERIA (GREECE 2-1)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: NIGERIA 1-0

Greece got their first ever win, and have a chance to go through. More importantly, Nigeria becomes one more African team that has failed to produce and succeed at the first World Cup on the continent. Some people say this is a disappointing thing, which is probably true, subjectively. Objectively, though, there is simply results, with nothing inherent to have indicated that Nigeria should have done better.

FRIDAY, JUNE 18TH

GERMANY VERSUS SERBIA (SERBIA 1-0)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: 2-2 DRAW

With Miroslav Klose drawing two yellow cards, and thus a red, Serbia managed a surprise 1-0 win. I have heard criticism of the referee in this game, as with many other games; but that is always the case, and generally it is sound and fury signifying an overreaction. The defeat for Germany changes the outlook of the group, for sure.

The question of the quality of the referees leads us to:

US VERSUS SLOVENIA (2-2 DRAW)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: US 2-1

The two stories of this game: the American's terrific rally to tie the game after a weak first half, and the winning goal that wasn't, a foul that has not been clearly identified that canceled Maurice Edu's goal in the 86th minute. I have not seen the full game yet. The clips I have seen have been inconclusive; I did not see a foul. It does look bad that there was no explanation. However, in the modern game, there is always tugging and grabbing and wrestling in the box on both sides, and as soon as the referee spots an infraction, the play is dead.

However, what matters, as Bob Bradley said, is that we are still alive. We rallied well, Landon Donovan scored a fantasy goal for me, and we can move on with a win over Algeria on Wednesday.

The reason why we control our own destiny is:

ENGLAND VERSUS ALGERIA (0-0 DRAW)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION (ENGLAND 3-1)

Nothing to say about this. At least, not for me. The English fans have plenty to say, I'm sure.

JUNE 19, 2010

GHANA VERSUS AUSTRALIA (1-1)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION (GHANA 1-0)

A bit of a letdown for Ghana, I have to say, especially with Australia reduced to ten men for the second game in a row.

HOLLAND VERSUS JAPAN (1-0)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION (HOLLAND 3-0)

Holland does just enough to secure their passage to the knockout stages. And more importantly, Wesley Sneijder scores for my fantasy team.

DENMARK VERSUS CAMEROON (2-1)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION (DENMARK 1-0)

Cameroon can't get vital points. Nothing else to say from an expected result.

JUNE 20, 2010

ITALY VERSUS NEW ZEALAND (1-1)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: Are you kidding? Italy 2-0.

Apparently, before the game, the Italian media was highly disdainful of the Kiwis, saying they had no technical ability at all. I would hate to think what that implies about the Italians, who have now earned two draws from their first two games, the same results as New Zealand has earned.

PARAGUAY VERSUS SLOVAKIA (2-0)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: I was right on, saying Paraguay would be confident after tying Italy, and I called a 2-1 win, so I guess I gave Slovakia just too much credit.

BRAZIL VERSUS IVORY COAST (3-1)

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: BRAZIL 3-2

Luis Fabiano scored two attractive goals, although he was guilty of a handball at least on the second one. The big story is Kaka getting dismissed for two yellow cards at the end of the match, the second one, unfortunately, tied to a shameful, shameless act by Keita of the Ivory Coast who reacted to an elbow to the chest by dropping to the ground and clutching his face. I really hope Keita is disciplined by FIFA. And now I am torn; I had wanted Ivory Coast to beat Portugal, but Keita's act makes him as despicable to me as Cristiano Ronaldo at his petulant, simulating worst.

I'm thinking that Ivory Coast doesn't have to worry about the next round, because Portugal just destroyed North Korea, 7-0. There is no mercy in Portuguese hearts.

The Overlapping Run of World Cup Group Play

Today the first round of games concludes and leads right into the second round, an unbroken loop. Honduras versus Chile, Spain versus Switzerland, and then Group A returns with South Africa versus Uruguay.

HONDURAS VERSUS CHILE

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: CHILE 2-0

FANTASY PLAYER UPDATE: PABLO CONTRERAS IS NOT STARTING FOR CHILE.

There is something soothing about the sound of British accents discussing the game, but this is the second time the announcer has used the expression "circling the wagons" to refer to the team that is dominant and on the attack. Apparently he didn't quite understand the expression. Oh wait. That might have been John Harkes.

On second thought, I could certainly see how "circling the wagon" could be interpreted to refer to either the besieged or the besieger.

Speaking of attacking, Chile certainly attacked with flair and creativity, and Honduras was pinned back for large stretches of the game, although they did present a stronger threat in the second half.

Beausejour gets the expected first goal for Chile in the 35th minute as the end product of some elegant passing in close spaces that led to a slanted ball for a winger to break around the Honduras defense and center the ball back to the forward. It was excellent to watch, and Chile are more than a match for Honduras. It begins to look like my predicted scoreline might have been too conservative.

Chile has two really good young players, Matias Fernandez and Alexi Sanchez. I will definitely have to look into adding them to my fantasy team. The Honduran keeper, Noel Valladares, made a couple outstanding saves. Speaking of my fantasy team, Pablo Contreras entered the game as a substitute in the 81st minute.

Speaking of soccer fans, wouldn't the World Cup be a perfect chance to combine food and drink in obvious but delicious ways? For instance, I could drink Spanish wine with Swiss cheese for the Spain-Switzerland game, if I had Swiss cheese that is. For tomorrow's France-Mexico game, I could eat a burrito and buy some Guinness in honor of Ireland. For the US-England game, I could have eaten fish and chips with a bottle of Anchor Steam. Maybe I'll try to do this going forward. Not exactly original, but tasty.

Much like Chile's 1-0 win over Honduras. Not exactly original--the 1-0 scoreline, that is--but tasty, and full of attractive soccer.

SPAIN VERSUS SWITZERLAND

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: SPAIN WINS 3-0.

FANTASY NOTE: IKER CASILLAS STARTS IN GOAL FOR SPAIN.

FOOD NOTE: NO SWISS CHEESE. HENCE NO SPANISH WINE--SWISS CHEESE COMBO. INSTEAD, LEFTOVER INDIAN FOOD, PLUS BRANDY FOR DESSERT.

Woah. I just found out that Barcelona signed David Villa. My avoidance of sports news during the day has paid off with a sudden tidbit of soccer gossip during the World Cup watching. But now I want to go read more about the signing, but that would spoil the other two games for me. D'oh!

You would think that in the World Cup, teams would want to take the chance to poke holes in the stereotypes people hold about their country. Switzerland's approach in the first 28 minutes does nothing to make you think of them as other than neutral; they do not attack, but only try to slow down Spain's progress, like the Alps that surround their country. On the other hand, if one were to compare their defense to cheese, one would find few holes in the Swiss.

And speaking of holes, Spain gave up a sloppy goal to fall behind, and even worse, to lose the clean sheet for my fantasy team. And then they lost the game, 1-0. Few could have predicted that. Spain will be less than happy.

START OF THE SECOND ROUND OF GAMES

SOUTH AFRICA VERSUS URUGUAY

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: 1-1 DRAW

FANTASY NOTES: NO PLAYERS PLAYING. NICOLAS LODEIRO'S RED CARD AGAINST FRANCE MEANS HE IS SUSPENDED FOR THIS GAME, SO I TRADED HIM FOR MILAN JOVANOVIC OF SERBIA.

Diego Forlan scored one of the best goals I've seen so far, in terms of being well-struck and dramatic. And then he scored again, in the 80th minute, on the penalty kick incurred by South Africa's keeper when he took down Luis Suarez in the box and was ejected with a red card. That red card and penalty kick probably marks the end of South Africa's hopes for advancing out of the group.

Uruguay helps their own cause no end with a 3-0 win.

And The Pace Picks Up: Driving Through The Group Stages

You have to give Marina credit: it wasn't until the fifth day of the World Cup that my evening marathon of three soccer games back to back to back drove her out into the streets, seeking shelter and cocktails among her friends. We won't mention the fact that she actually actually fled the country before the start of the Cup and was gone for the first two days.

But she might have a point in that the utter dedication to every detail, boring or not, might have bogged some of my recent blogs--and therefore, some of my evenings--down a bit.

So from today, I'm making a slight modification to my description of the games. My attempts at live blogging were unsatisfying, and were in fact distracting me a little from watching the games with my full attention. So now, I won't try to devote an entire entry to each game, and I will be more relaxed about the content. This is also a result of the fact that I might not get to see every game, having to record them in the morning and then try to watch at night. So far, I have only seen parts of Ghana-Serbia and Italy-Paraguay.

On to the summaries the other two games from yesterday:

CAMEROON VERSUS JAPAN

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: CAMEROON 1-0

This was totally flipped on its head. Japan looked more creative and more enterprising throughout the first half, and deservedly took the lead when Keisuke Honda snuck to the back post and made a great first touch from a strong cross from Matsui before driving it past the keeper.

I had high hopes for Cameroon. Well, not to advance from this group, but to look better than they did. They came out totally flat, without any sort of creative idea for moving the ball through the midfield and up to the strikers. Japan did pack the center of the pitch with five midfielders, but if Cameroon wanted to challenge for the group, they needed this win, and they didn't show the spark needed to do so. Far too often they appeared to be relying on their physical advantages.

In the second half, Cameroon came out with a lot more fire, but it was not enough. They never took advantage of the wings until Geremi came on as a substitute. A well-struck shot by Mbia rattled the crossbar, but they succumbed, and Japan thoroughly earned their first World Cup victory away from home soil (in 2002).

Cameroon will need a couple of shocks against Holland and Denmark in order to advance. They look doomed to disappointment.

ITALY VERSUS PARAGUAY

It was almost midnight by the time I sat down to watch this one, and I just didn't have the interest. No Pirlo--injured for this game--and no Giuseppe Rossi--not selected for the team. For some reason, this made me less interested in Italy. They are still my third favorite team, due to genetics, but I can't say I'm too worried.

I do have to feel proud for picking a draw with Paraguay, even if my original prediction of 0-0 was a little too pessimistic. It finished 1-1 instead, which was a great result for Paraguay.

Also worrisome for Italy is the injury to Buffon, the star goalie. It makes my prediction of Slovakia and Paraguay to advance from the group to seem not as far-fetched.

And now for the summaries from today:

NEW ZEALAND VERSUS SLOVAKIA

New Zealand has been in the World Cup once before, in 1982, but Slovakia is debuting as an independent nation. A battle of minnows, it has been called. I really don't think New Zealand has a shot, but that's why you play the games on the pitch and not on paper, to succumb to a motivational cliche for a moment.

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: SLOVAKIA 2-0

Before the game, there was a brilliant bit on the Daily Show between Jon Stewart and John Oliver regarding the US-England draw.

The first half is interesting, but not much to separate the two teams. New Zealand actually has had the best of the chances. Both teams have been a bit clumsy at times, poor touches on the ball causing problems and killing chances. A 0-0 draw seems accurate for the feel of the first half, that feels more like a friendly.

AND SLOVAKIA FINALLY FINDS THE GO-AHEAD GOAL IN THE 50TH MINUTE, A WELL-TAKEN HEADER BY ROBERT VITTEK AT THE END OF A GRACEFUL CROSS THAT GETS PAST THE NEW ZEALAND BACK END! Replays hint that it might have been offside, but the flag stayed down.

I have to root for Slovakia, if for no other reason than for that of my bracket. I predicted Slovakia to pull off the upset and make it to the round of 16 at the expense of Italy.

The pace of this game has been maybe a third of the pace that Germany maintained in thrashing Australia. This does not bode well for either team; Slovakia should be able to take control. Maybe they are complacent; maybe they play down to the level of their opposition. Either excuse does not exactly stir hot embers of hope.

AND THEN, OUT OF NOWHERE IN STOPPAGE TIME, NEW ZEALAND SNAGS A TYING GOAL OFF A HEADER BY WINSTON REID!

That is an incredible result, and New Zealand has already done much more than they were expected to do. It kind of undercuts the whole upset prediction of mine, with another upset, ironically enough. Their first point in the World Cup, ever! Good job, Kiwis!

This is a great start to the day, and now we are on to:

PORTUGAL VERSUS IVORY COAST.

Didier Drogba is starting on the bench, apparently. It will be tough for Ivory Coast to get the result I picked, a 3-2 win, without him. However, their nickname: the Elephants; my shirt at the moment: depicting an elephant. I'm going to assume that is an omen.

Give Cristiano Ronaldo credit for maturing. It is a full 7 minutes into the game before he blatantly dives to embellish a collision. It was certainly a rash challenge by the defender, but still. It's as if someone decided to do a remake of "John Tucker Must Die" called "Cristiano Ronaldo Must Dive." I never saw the first movie, but you can just tell it is an abomination against nature. So is Ronaldo's diving.

And then, no sooner do I write about that than Ronaldo displays a bit of magic, driving the ball against the post from 35 yards out in what was almost a goal of the tournament for sure. Is it any wonder I feel so conflicted about him?

He picked up a yellow card after an Ivorian defender took exception to what he thought was a dive, and a heated confrontation ensued. I'm not sure that was the right call by the referee, not on that incident. Ronaldo, as you can see, is a lightning rod for my opinions. That's how he earns the big money, I suppose.

Ivory Coast looked more attack-minded in the first half than Portugal, which is a bit surprising to me. And this was without Didier Drogba.

I think Didier Drogba will make an appearance today, ala Willis Reed. The game just seems to be setting itself up for that sort of drama.

Let it be known that I typed that a couple minutes before Drogba began warming up. This is not a case of revisionist insight. Of course, if Drogba scores to win the game, you have to start questioning whether it is paranoid to think that everything in life is scripted a bit. And then you would have to wonder if that would be such a bad thing. Life seemed pretty nice in The Truman Show, for instance.

But life is never really that interesting. 0-0 draw. Not what I predicted, not what I wanted. Oh well. Neither team was consistently dangerous going forward. Maybe it was first game jitters.

BRAZIL VERSUS NORTH KOREA

I'm kind of hoping for a solid Brazilian win, because I want nothing that could be taken as propaganda for the crazy North Korean dictatorship.

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: BRAZIL 4-0.

FANTASY PLAYER UPDATE: LUCIO, BRAZIL'S CAPTAIN, STARTS ON DEFENSE.

Thoughts on the first ten minutes? Brazil looks bigger, faster, stronger than North Korea. Plus, they are Brazil. They made a couple of half-chances, but nothing of the sort of invincible magic that is one's first expectation of the men in yellow.

North Korea is organized. Brazil is not running rampant, and certainly doesn't have the entertaining rhythm that we saw from Germany. It's 11:22 p.m. and I'm tired. That's when I remember that I'm not contractually obliged to watch every single game to the conclusion.

Apparently Brazil only won 2-1. So now that insane lunatic in North Korea is going to feel justified torpedoing more ships and daring the world to punish him for it. Oh, and even worse, Lucio conceded a goal, so only got 1 point for me today. Boo.

Silver Skating Over A Lake Of Danishes

First game of the day is a match-up of northern Europeans, a world away from home. Neighbors, rivals, and it should be absolutely fun. Holland versus Denmark. I've looked forward to this game. I'm hoping the title I crafted is not what entertains me the most.

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: HOLLAND, 2-1.

FANTASY PLAYER UPDATE: WESLEY SNEIJDER IS STARTING FOR HOLLAND, THE NUMBER 10 ATTACKING MIDFIELDER.

Holland is sporting their classic radioactive orange jerseys. Will this be the year they power their way to glory? The Magic 8-Ball of my mind says no, but they should look good in this group.

Wesley Sneijder takes a free kick and sends it well over the bar. So far there has been back and forth play, with no real chances created yet.

The Danish keeper bobbles a shot from Dirk Kujt and has to scramble to hold on to it. It looks like some of the complaints about the new ball might be justified.

There were reports yesterday that the vuvuzelas might be banned. Alas, it had not yet happened by this game, apparently. Imagine a particularly monotonal--or possibly atonal in a minor key--swarm of robot bees, all buzzing off key, right in your ear.

Holland has been able to string together some nice passes here and there, and look to have a better chance of scoring.

A couple sudden, sharp, shocking passes give Holland a great shot, and a deflection off a defender leads to a corner in the 20th minute, but Denmark clears. Holland is continuing to keep Denmark pinned back on their side of the field. There is not yet a sense of inevitability about a goal, but it certainly seems likely to happen soon.

And just as I say that, Bendtner nearly scores against the run of play.

Holland is coming closer and closer to finding that first goal.

Or maybe not. 39 minutes in, no goals yet, and Denmark has shown some threats on the counter attack.

Nothing in the first half. Here is the second half.

OWN GOAL AGAINST DENMARK! THE DUTCH TAKE A 1-0 LEAD!

I'm kind of losing my thrill with this sort of live blogging. There isn't much point without the sort of twitter effect of posting immediately and then updating, but that seems too much work. Perhaps I have attempted too much detail.

The game continued apace, and Dirk Kuyt finally gets the second goal that was expected. Holland takes command of the group with the 2-0 win.

Beer And The Outback: The Battle Of Germany-Australia

First of all, my first missed game of the World Cup is Ghana versus Serbia. I didn't have a chance to watch it yesterday, and found out the score, so I am only watching the last twenty minutes of it today before digging in to today's matches. This won't let me get enough of a taste to write about it. All that needs to be said is that I was spot on with my initial prediction, a 1-0 win for Ghana, which sparked all sorts of happiness across Africa, the first win for the continent in the cup; and also, I had no fantasy players in this game, so that took the edge of my need to catch up.

The best game of the day--as defined as the game I most anticipated--is Germany versus Australia. I would love to see an upset here, but I think Germany will be too strong, so I'm sticking with my ORIGINAL PREDICTION: GERMANY 3, AUSTRALIA 1

FANTASY UPDATE: PHILIPP LAHM STARTS ON DEFENSE FOR GERMANY.

Time for an 11:30 beer.

Australia kicks off, works in for a shot right away, but no real danger. No Harry Kewell starting for Australia, as he is recovering from injury.

And oh so nearly, Australia again nearly scores, two chances in the first four minutes. The German defense got lost on a corner kick.

And a lapse on defense nearly puts Miroslav Klose through on goal. Australia recovers to concede a corner kick.

AND PODOLSKI SCORES OFF A FINE PASS FROM THOMAS MUELLER. THE AUSTRALIANS THOUGHT MUELLER WAS OFFSIDES, BUT IT WAS A PERFECTLY TIMED RUN.

And an excellent yellow card on Germany's Oezil for a blatant dive. Good stuff so far from the refs in all games. The British commentator in the Algeria-Slovenia game called them exemplary. I love to hear the refs praised in a British accent with multiple syllables. It just seems so dignified that way.

Germany looks crisp and efficient so far, with lots of clever and well-timed runs. So far, they look a serious contender for the cup. And yes, this is fifteen minutes into the game.

Australia with a run and cross against the run of play, but the header is not on target. Australia needs to hold it together and not concede again too soon.

And another great chance for the Socceroos, nice passing and touches, but the shot is over the bar and wide.

Mueller makes another dangerous cross. They seem to have Australia's defense overmatched.

Podolski breaks past the defense, crosses briliantly, and Klose misses horribly wide with the goal at his mercy. Craig Moore gets a yellow card for dissent. Australia are looking for offsides a lot, and Germany has been flagged for offsides on several occasions, but they really are fast enough and timing their runs well enough that Australia can't count on that flag.

AND THIS TIME, KLOSE BEATS SCHWARZER TO A DANGEROUS CROSS AND HEADS IT INTO THE NET. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE CROSS WAS FROM LAHM, SO FANTASY POINTS FOR ME.

Australia is in serious trouble now. Their defense is not fast enough to cope with the German forwards.

Lucas Neill saves off the line to prevent it being 3-0. Oezil beats the offside trap again and beats the keeper, but Neill is there to save the day, or at least to delay the inevitable third goal.

So far, Germany has played by far the best soccer of the tournament, ahead of South Korea. I'm a fan.

Mueller again dances past the defense down the right flank, earning a corner kick.

And more elegant interplay, Lahm bursts into the box, crosses well, and Khedira heads over the bar.

And so close to three-nil again: Oezil gets a great pass that sliced past the defense, but his first touch lets him down.

Great first half for Germany. Worst nightmare for Australia. Well, not the worst possible nightmare, as Germany could easily have two or three more goals.

HALFTIME.

Does Australia have help for their defense off the bench? They need faster defenders to keep up with the German wingplay, particularly Mueller.

Australia replaces Grella, a midfielder, with Brett Holman, another midfielder. As Germany kicks off, Lucas Neill picks up a yellow card for a challenge from behind on Klose.

Holman creates space nicely for himself and shoots just wide of the far post. Australia needs more of that. They also need to move more off the ball.

Great play, great dummy by Khedira, but Mueller shoots just high. Beautiful soccer.

Ouch. Tim Cahill gets a red card on a challenge that deserved maybe only a yellow. That ends Australia's challenge in this game, and hurts them going forward.

And now a yellow card on Australia, to Carl Valeri.

And again, Germany comes tantalizingly close to a third goal after some great close-range passing between Klose and Podolski.

AND THERE IT IS, MUELLER GETTING A WELL-DESERVED THIRD GOAL AFTER GREAT PASSING AND RUNNING WITH PODOLSKI.

AND FOUR GOALS. CACAU JUST ON AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR KLOSE SCORES VERY EASILY FROM A GREAT CROSS FROM THE LEFT HAND SIDE BY OEZIL.

Germany looks certain to go through, and the only question will be if Ghana or Serbia can pose more of a challenge than did Australia.

Algeria Versus Slovenia. Now You Know I'm A Fan

I didn't get up at 4 a.m. today, but I recorded Algeria and Slovenia and have avoided all news of the results, so I will blog as if I saw it live. The game is key for these two other teams from Group C with the US and England, as the draw yesterday opens the door a little bit. But I would imagine it is a door to a Slovenia-only restaurant, which seems kind of discriminatory, doesn't it?

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: SLOVENIA 3, ALGERIA 2.

FANTASY PLAYER UPDATE: ROBERT KOREN STARTS FOR SLOVENIA. I PICKED HIM ONLY BECAUSE WORLD SOCCER SAID HE WAS GOOD. I HOPE THEY ARE RIGHT.

Slovenia is wearing green, Algeria wears white. That's the sort of fascinating detail you can expect today, because I know very little about either of these teams. Nor do I care about them except as obstacles to the US and England.

Algeria earns a free kick in a dangerous spot about 25 yards out. Nadir Belhadj whips in a dangerous shot, but the Slovenian keeper deals with it well.

Yes, the vuvuzelas continue to be annoying. If they are 'cultural', they must be like the Fox News of South Africa's musical culture.

Not much danger yet from either team, through fifteen minutes. Fortunately, I'm about to go get doughnuts, orange juice, bagels, coffee, and the Sunday papers, which will liven things up a bit.

Some nice passing by Slovenia leads to a good cross, but the keeper grabbed it well.

So far, neither side has a clear advantage; they seem to be evenly matched.

Well-deserved yellow card on a Slovenian player who tripped Belhadj as he surged past him down the line.

Belhadj shows some good attacking flair with his runs down that left flank.

The first really dangerous shot from Slovenia, set up by a fine pass by Robert Koren. Nearly a Slovenian goal, and more importantly, almost fantasy points for me.

HALFTIME, with the score nil-nil. The doughnut was particularly good, though. As was the coffee.

A few good chances have been undermined by a poor first touch for both sides. I think the US and England should be able to deal with both countries comfortably, if they don't get complacent.

Slovenia is starting to get a few more shots in the 63rd minute, and look to possibly have the chance to take control.

Red card to Ghezzal of Algeria, for two yellow cards. That was a silly, blatant hand ball to get the second card, and now Algeria is in real trouble. Down a man.

Algeria will now have to hope to hold on for a draw. 15 minutes to go. That would be a good result for them, after the red card.

Wasted chance as a Slovenian defended did not come get a pass from the keeper, and Ziani of Algeria steals the ball away and nearly scores.

Slovenia is not really attacking or taking advantage of being up a man.

ROBERT KOREN MAKES ME A LIAR BY SCORING A GOAL THE KEEPER SHOULD HAVE STOPPED, EARNING SLOVENIA A LEAD AND FANTASY POINTS FOR SAN FRANCISCO BOHEMIAN UNITED!

A victory for Slovenia would make the group very interesting, with Slovenia topping the table with three points, and England and the US level on one point each.

More rough fouls on both sides and the game wound down to a Slovenia victory. Just the one goal, but I was right on the margin of victory!

The Showdown

England. Versus. United States. Need I say more?

Well, obviously yes, or this blog would already be over.

I'm so excited. Realistic, but excited.

ORIGINAL PREDICTION: ENGLAND 3-1

FANTASY UPDATE: LANDON DONOVAN AND WAYNE ROONEY ARE STARTING. JAMIE CARRAGHER AND CLARENCE GOODSON ARE NOT.

US kicks off, and with some nerves, quickly turns the ball over. Here we go.

Early offsides on Robbie Findley who has lots of speed but little experience. We will see if his selection pans out. We need to hold on for the first fifteen minutes to let our nerves settle.

GERRARD MAKES IT 1-0 IN THE FOURTH MINUTE. MY WORST FEARS ARE REALIZED.

James Milner makes a bad challenge. Should have been a yellow card for the English winger.

We are rattled and making some bad touches. Need to pull it together.

A good passing combination gives a great chance, but Altidore can't quite bury it.

England peppers Tim Howard with a couple tough shots.

And a well-deserved yellow card on James Milner as Steve Cherundolo beats him.

These entries might be sporadic and terse, because I'm nervous. Also, I'm editing out a lot of the cursing.

We must hold on to halftime without conceding again.

Tim Howard is hurt. That's bad. Very bad. But he seems to be back up.

Our defense? Not good. As I feared.

Landon Donovan made a good shot there. We have some signs of danger.

CLINT DEMPSEY MADE TWO BRILLIANT TWISTS AND THEN SCORED WHEN ROBERT GREEN MAKES A TERRIBLE, DAVID SEAMAN-ESQUE HOWLER!

Now we can't concede again in the last five minutes. Hold on until halftime, men.

Vaughn and I just decided there should be a philosophy of Legos: "You must build your life brick by brick." Kind of like the bricks the English probably want to throw at Robert Green right now.

HALFTIME

We must stay steady, and not concede right in the first five minutes -- or at all, ideally. Dangerous time.

Findley's speed just earned us a throw in. Nice.

What a save by Tim Howard! Heskey on a breakaway, and Howard held on to it. Not even a rebound.

Robbie Findley's speed draws a yellow card foul on Carragher. His speed is causing England some problems.

Now Gerrard gets carded by a brutal foul on Dempsey. England has some card issues now.

Altidore made Carragher look old and slow. Which he is, and we almost had the lead.

But all I can say is the final result, England 1, United States 1. What an absolutely outstanding result! I did not expect it, but we looked good. Great poise and calm at the end, and we had chances to win it.