World Cup Semi-finalists

I should have gone to Vegas before the tournament and made some bets. I could have been a rich man.

Netherlands will play Spain in the final, just as I thought. Most interestingly, a new nation will win the World Cup for the first time since France did so as hosts in 1998. Uruguay is also on that list, they won the first World Cup as hosts in 1930, then won it again in 1950. They didn't add their third trophy this year, but they may well have been the story of the tournament. A tiny South American nation that had to qualify through a playoff ends up reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup. Luis Suarez looked great, and no matter what you think of his handball against Ghana, he was one of the stars of the tournament.

That said, for me, the player of the tournament has been Diego Forlan. He has scored goals, he has created goals, and he has been the leader of his team in every sense of the word.

The team of the tournament so far also lost this week. Spain won the match on Wednesday, but Germany has been a revelation. And their entire midfield will still be in their 20's at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Keep your eye on this team. I would think they will be co-favorites, along with Spain going into the 2012 European Cup.

Uruguay v. South Korea

I really like both of these teams. They are fun to watch, hard-working, and have just enough talent to make things interesting. A lot of people will be picking Uruguay in this match, and with good reason. They have a rock solid defense, as they have yet to concede a goal in this tournament, and a talisman in Diego Forlan, who will be the most gifted footballer on the pitch in this match. I think that is important.

When all else fails, Argentina can turn to Messi, Holland can turn to Robben, the US can turn to Donovan, Spain can turn to Iniesta, and Uruguay can turn to Forlan. It doesn't always have to be a goal either. It can be a pass, a run to create space, even a defensive play. The point is, big time players win big time games.

This is the knockout stage of The World Cup. Every game is big time. Every game is the Super Bowl, Game 7 of the World Series, and Game 7 of the NBA Finals all rolled into one. We all know who can handle it, cause everyone else shit their pants, and are on a flight home to change their underwear.

However, there is a difference between handling it and owning it. Park Ji-sung can handle it. He has been in huge matches before, and he will perform admirably, I have little doubt of this. South Korea can win this match, and Park can lead them there. They are that good. But in the 115th minute, when everything is on the line, when it is do or die on the biggest stage in the world, who will provide that moment of absolute brilliance, that ball that only a few players in the world would dare attempt? For me, in this match, it is Diego Forlan.

Uruguay 2, South Korea 1.

Into the Knockout Stages

Today Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, and South Korea went into the final 16 of the tournament and found out who they will play.

Uruguay will face South Korea. The South Americans have more talent, particularly on the front line, and let's face it, that continent has dominated events thus far. However, the Koreans are well organized at the defensive end, and like to play on the counter attack, where they display their own formidable talent, as well as pace. I like the South Korean team, and I wrote in my predictions that they could possibly make a run deep into the tournament, but Uruguay is a tall order. Uruguay are so sound defensively (they have yet to concede a goal), and Korea has shown a tendency to let their opponents score, so it is hard to see anything but a Uruguay victory. I will say 2-1.

Mexico and Argentina played each other at this stage of the 2006 World Cup in Germany as well. It was a very close, hard-fought match that went into extra time. The deciding goal was an amazing strike by Maxi Rodriguez, who took a ball down off his chest and volleyed in from about 25 yards out. It was a fabulous strike, and happened very late in the game, giving Mexico no chance to recover.

Both teams are more talented now than they were in 2006, so we should see another great match, with a rare brand of attacking football on display. I am afraid Argentina will be too much for Mexico, which is a shame, because I think that with a better match-up, Mexico could have made a deep run, maybe as far as the semi-finals. Unfortunately for El Tri, there will just be too much of Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez for them to handle. I predict a match for the ages, and a 3-2 Argentine victory, behind a Tevez hat-trick.

So, South America should continue to dominate, with at least two teams into the quarter-finals.

World Cup - Mexico

Mexico seems to be one of the constants of the World Cup. They are always qualified, they are never a joy to watch, and they are always eliminated in the first knockout stage. There is little reason to believe this year will be any different.

They struggled more than ever before in qualifying, but eventually starting releasing swine flu bacteria into their opponents dressing rooms and, lo and behold, their home form led to qualification.

They keep the ball well and have some talented attacking players in Carlos Vela (Arsenal), Giovanni Dos Santos (Tottenham), Javier Hernandez (Manchester United), and Alberto Medina (Chivas de Guadalajara), but they will still play a grind it out style and hope to get through by the odd goal.

They are in a group with the hosts, France, and Uruguay. The most important match for Mexico may be their opener, which is also the tournament opener, against South Africa. The stadium will be an explosion of Bafana Bafana pandemonium, a true twelfth man advantage. There are also those that claim FIFA makes sure the referees in the opening match favor the host country, but this is hard to prove, as the host country is usually better than the team they open with. That is not the case here, so a conspiracy theory will be tested.

Mexcio's defense is tough to break down though. Both El Tri and South Africa struggle to score goals, and it is possible that this brilliant spectacle will open with a dour 0-0 draw. Mexico will hope for this. If the Bafana Bafana manage to win, and either France or Uruguay get 3 points from their match, Mexico could be in trouble.

My final verdict, I think they will advance. They will have to get 4 points from their first 2 matches though, because South Africa play France on the final match-day, and if a draw gets both those countries through, the gentleman's agreement will be in place, and El Tri will be left complaining to FIFA.