Summary – South Korea v Greece

June 12, 2010

It’s fitting that with two defensive-minded teams on the pitch, the first goal comes from a defender and off of a set piece. In the 7th, South Korea’s Lee Jung-Soo emerged unmarked at the far post to connect with a free kick from the corner kick spot served by Ki Sung-Yueng. South Korea look exceptionally [...]

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Prediction – England v United States

June 12, 2010

Oh, how I’d like to predict a US win. The US are good, currently ranked 14 to England’s 8, and there are plenty of individual stars on the team: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Oguchi Onyewu, Tim Howard. They shocked everybody by getting to the finals in last year’s Confederations Cup and nearly toppling Brazil. Nevertheless, [...]

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Prediction – Argentina v Nigeria

June 12, 2010

In recent decades, Brazil has garnered all the attention come World Cup (and rightfully so), but Argentina, currently ranked 7th in the world, deserves a close look this time around. They are coached by one the sport’s best players in history, the legendary Diego Maradona. The problem with this? He’s never had any serious coaching [...]

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Prediction – South Korea v Greece (Correction)

June 12, 2010

These are two team known best for defense, and in a tournament that kicked off with two low-scoring draws, this could well be another 0-0 draw.
South Korea is ranked only 47 in the world to Greece’s ranking of 13 (!) but don’t expect Greece to play like a 13th ranked team. Their World Cup pedigree [...]

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Summary – Uruguay v France

June 11, 2010

France’s batty coach Raymond Domenech’s first surprise: No start for Thierry Henry. Yes, he’s not at top form. But not a starter? Come on. He’s still one of the most creative and dynamic strikers in the world.
Lots of players slipping on the turf in the early minutes. Perhaps this brand new pitch in Capetown is [...]

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Summary – South Africa v Mexico

June 11, 2010

This was a tale of two halves. Mexico attacked early, putting the Republic of South Africa (RSA) defenders on their heels. RSA’s midfield and forwards were nearly stationary, while Mexico maintained a huge majority of possession. After 15 minutes or so, RSA seemed to relax and began to use more two-touch play to pass the [...]

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Was Mexico Robbed? Offside Rule Clarified

June 11, 2010

Mexico appeared to be denied an obvious goal by the assistant referee in the 38th minute of their opening match against South Africa. Carlos Vela chest-trapped a ball that was flicked on from a corner kick, then tapped it into the goal, but the flag went up, presumably for offside. The commentators were incredulous %ndash; [...]

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Prediction – Uruguay v France

June 11, 2010

You may be surprised to learn that Uruguay has won the World Cup twice. The most recent win, however, was 60 years ago, and Uruguay has not been a soccer power since 1970. There are some international stars on the team – Diego Forlan, Luiz Suarez, Diego Lugano – but overall the team does not [...]

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Prediction – Who Will Win World Cup 2010?

June 7, 2010

Brazil.
They’ll finish first in Group G, undefeated. Then they’ll beat Switzerland, Netherlands, Ghana, and Argentina. Then they’ll hoist the Cup. That’s how I see it.
I’d rather see the US, England, Argentina, France, even Spain, win the Cup. I’m fonder of individual players on all of those teams, as well as the African teams Ghana, [...]

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Prediction – South Africa v Mexico

June 7, 2010

South Africa is the host nation for the 2010 World Cup, and host nations generally do well in the Cup, often playing well above their abilities. Never underestimate the motivational power of the chants and songs of hordes of home supporters. And with venues at elevations nearly a mile above sea level, being acclimated to [...]

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