Round Of 16, Part Two

I'm already planning the morning of Friday, June 11th. The first game kicks off around 7 a.m. I will have coffee brewing by the time Vaughn shows up, which will be needed, because I will have the sleepless night little kids used to have when they dreamed of Santa Claus. There may well also be scrambled eggs, and conceivably turkey bacon. If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. I should get some Irish Whiskey somewhere, to drink a toast to those who should be playing in the Cup, and to get angry at the French who kept them from it.

If you want to join my World Cup bracket or fantasy league, go to www.soccernet.com. The bracket group is under San Fran To Montana, and the password is Hamilton. The fantasy league is called San Francisco Rain, and the password is sanfranfog.

JUNE 28, 2010

WINNER OF GROUP E VERSUS RUNNER-UP OF GROUP F (NETHERLANDS VERSUS SLOVAKIA)

Having just set up a World Cup Fantasy team, and league, on soccernet.com, I hope Wesley Sneijder will be at the center of the offensive flow for the Netherlands. Slovakia, having exceeded expectations by advancing at the expense of Italy, will have nothing to lose and should throw everything forward to play attacking soccer. The Netherlands should be able to cope with it and get past Slovakia, making its World Cup debut. I see a 3-1 win for the men in orange.

WINNER OF GROUP G VERSUS RUNNER-UP OF GROUP H (BRAZIL VERSUS CHILE)

Another South American clash, it should be an entertaining and energetic game. Chile should be capable of making a great fight of it, but I don't foresee the upset. A late goal will make it appear closer than it really was, but Brazil walks away with a 3-2 win.

JUNE 29, 2010

WINNER OF GROUP F VERSUS RUNNER-UP OF GROUP E (PARAGUAY VERSUS DENMARK)

I think that Nicklas Bendtner could have a big tournament for the Danes. With their organization on defense, one or two goals could be enough to put them through, but this game is a bit of a toss-up for me. But I'm saying here that Denmark makes it through to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 squeaker.

WINNER OF GROUP H VERSUS RUNNER-UP OF GROUP G (SPAIN VERSUS IVORY COAST)

Ivory Coast has plenty of talent, but there is still a disparity between Spain and most other teams in the world. This will be evident in this game, particularly if Didier Drogba really is injured for the entire tournament. Spain will overwhelm the opposition with a 2-0 win that has Ivory Coast chasing the ball most of the day.

Tomorrow: on to the quarter-finals!