A Decision That Had To Be Made

So the United States finally fired National Team coach Bob Bradley. It took long enough for the powers that be at US Soccer to figure it out. Now, before I get going, I thought Bradley was a great coach for the US when he originally took the job. I also think he did a very good job at the helm of the US National Team, a team that, for all intents and purposes is like coaching Ole Miss in the SEC. The fans want success like a powerhouse while only possessing the talent and resources of a middle of the pack team. With the exception of those nations that can legitametly think about winning the World Cup in every single cycle (Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Italy), only the England job seems as difficult to meet fan expectations as the US job is. Needless to say, this is a difficult job and Bradley did a very good job with it.

Considering I liked Bradley as coach, why then did I start with saying words like finally and it took long enough to describe his firing. Those sentiments are gleamed from what I know in world soccer. And what I know is that coaches leading the same country into consecutive World Cups rarely do as well on the second trip and many do much worse than the presumed worst case scenario (just look at 2006 World Cup Final combatants France and Italy who both experienced among their worst World Cup tournaments ever in 2010 under the same coach). For that matter, the US should have learned from their own mistakes from 2002-2006. Bruce Arena remained employed by the US after his stunning success in 2002 reaching the quarterfinals. Then it all came undone in 2006 with only one gutsy performance aided by an own goad against Italy to show for that cycle. So knowing that, I was in favor of sending Bradley off to a nice club managing job somewhere (whether it be MLS or in England where his tactics are much more appreciated than they are here) instead of retaining him for another World Cup cycle.

On the positive side for the US side, Bradley's apprach became stale and the US results faltered well before they did under Arena leading up to 2006. This allowed US Soccer to get rid of Bradley with plenty of time to get a new program in order before World Cup qualifying begins. Heck, whoever the new coach is pretty much is starting anew at this point. The only drawback is no trip to the Confederations Cup in 2013 because of the ugly defeat to Mexico in the Gold Cup final.

Despite it being a firing, today should be a good day for US Soccer. As long as the new coach can figure out a solution to the long running left-back problem, the United States should be just fine as far as qualifying for the World Cup. The team also should advance out of the group stage again as long as they are not drawn into some sort of Group of Death like 2006. Will the team reach the quarterfinals again like in 2002? It's not likely. For one thing, even if rival Mexico were to somehow await in round 2 like then, the US talent level is no longer equal with Mexico's. The US would need an epically open draw, even moreso than the 2010 World Cup appeared to be to reach that far. At this point, we as a country need to have realistic expectations. Those should start with make round 2 and see what happens, not do better every single time. We don't have the talent base or the financial commitment for those kind of expectations.

World Cup in Qatar? Should Have Been Australia

Last week, FIFA awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar. There are numerous problems here both in the awarding of the tournament to Qatar and the coverage it has received in the United States.

Problems with Qatar

The heat – For the uninitiated, the World Cup is played in June and July. Temperatures in Qatar, a desert nation in the Northern Hemisphere are really hot. Probably too hot to be playing soccer in. No matter, FIFA awarded the World Cup to Qatar anyway and the nation in its presentation promised air conditioned stadiums outdoors. How they are going to manage that I don't know. Some have suggested moving the World Cup to the Winter is a possibility but that isn't going to happen. There is no way the European clubs agree to that (particularly those in England who feel jilted they didn't get the chance to host the 2018 World Cup) and for once, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland will side with the European clubs and leagues. There is no way FIFA can step in and just say you are postponing all of your games and redoing your schedule to fit our needs.

The human rights issues – The World Cup is the biggest spectator sporting event in the world. Based on Qatar's laws right now, there are likely to be problems with both homosexuals and women being in the country for work or fan reasons. This isn't going to go over well in the money zones of soccer (Western Europe, mostly).

Stadiums and economics – Qatar isn't a big nation. In fact, it has about the area of Connecticut and the population of Phoenix. It only has any money because of the rich supply of oil it happens to sit on. Somehow, the nation has to fit 10 stadiums in that area. It just doesn't seem to work and the stadium idea seem rather fantastical. A floating island stadium? Outdoor air conditioning? Really?

Problems with the coverage

Too much focus on the jilted Americans – Much of the media coverage about this has come from the United Staes, feeling jilted about being passed over for another major world sporting event (following the IOC passing over Chicago for the Olympics). The American media wants to host another major world sporting event and they aren't used to waiting long lengths of time between being the host. Since 1980, there have been two Winter Olympics, two Summer Olympics and a World Cup held in the United States. Add to that two Winter Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics in Canada and the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and you get a world sporting climate that is tired of heading to North America at the same time that the US holds its worst political reputation ever. The media, not being used to not having these events, wants it at home. In addition, while the American bid was strong, it wasn't the best. That honor would go to Australia, a nation that has never hosted the World Cup and has the money, infrastructure and intangible reasons (no major recent events and no issues with human rights or weather) on its side to nearly the same level that the United States has. Nobody here has even mentioned the Australian bid just painting this as corrupt FIFA (which is likely true even if not proven at this point) stealing our birthright to have every major event come here.

The fact of the matter is that the American media has it right in one sense. Qatar is a bad choice to host the World Cup motivated more by politics than the best bid and presentation or the finances. While the tournament might ultimately be successful, taking a risk with it twice in a row (and taking it to Russia in 2018 is certainly a risk though the Russians are much more deserving and likely capable of pulling off a successful World Cup than Qatar) is ridiculous. It should have gone either to the United States or to Australia.

When is the World Cup (or any other major event) coming back to the United States?

As for when the United States can expect a major event here again, who knows? The Summer Olympics aren't going to be here any time soon after the Chicago fiasco. What American city is actually going to try a bid for the games and there is doubt that the United States can win in any realistic political climate in the future. The Winter Olympics would have a decent chance except that those games have made their way to either the United States or neighboring Canada four times in the last nine times the games have been held. North American fatigue is likely even with the games avoiding North America for its next two installments.

The World Cup of course is subject to FIFA politicking and the United States doesn't seem to be any good at that. Considering that North America will have gone the longest time between hosting World Cup's when 2026 comes around, there is a possibility of the United States winning that as long as another North American country other than Mexico (who has hosted twice and would become the leader with three World Cups hosted if they won making it unlikely) is not in the bidding, the United States has a chance if it bids again. Of course, based on FIFA's decision making, it is possible China gets it and if they don't probably Western Europe knowing that 2018 was sent to Eastern Europe and 2030 would be headed to China.

World Cup Final Preview

We have reached the final and, as predicted right here on the AubieVegas blog, it is Netherlands vs Spain. Needless to say I am sticking with my original pick of a Dutch win. Here are three reasons why they will win along with two why they may not.

Reasons why the Netherlands will win
1. Wesley Sneijder might be the best player in the world. No that is not heresy in the Messi-Ronaldo realm. If Sneijder wins here, he will be the World Player of the Year. Consider he would have assisted on two goals in the Champions League final, been the best player on an Inter Milan club that won the treble and then been the leading scorer and best player on the World Cup champion. Sneijer is playing for history here and it won't overwhelm him.

2. Arjen Robben has finally overcome his injury issues. Robben has been very well thought of for a long time except for injuries that he finally seemed to get past at Bayern Munich this last season. While not 100 percent early in the tournament, he has rounded into form looking especially dangerous against Brazil and Uruguay. His runs from the flanks could be the thing that finally breaks the Spanish defense.

3. The Dutch defense is actually competent. Remember the great Dutch attacking teams of the 90s. What was their problem. The defense was awful. The Dutch attack had to be great even for survival and when it lagged just a little bit in 2001, the Netherlands missed the World Cup entirely. This unit, while not great, is finally good enough to prop the offense up i the case of a bad day and it doesn't even need a superhuman goalkeeping performance like it needed in years past either. Spain will not find this team easy to break down.

Reasons why the Netherlands could lose to Spain
1. The Spanish midfield is simply incredible. Being able to leave Andres Iniesta on the bench to start games is a incredible luxury. The Spanish have incredible depth. This also means they can mix and match at forward to determine the best course of action whether that be David Villa, Fernando Torres, both, or someone else (not likely save for injury)

2. The Dutch always choke. Scoring just two minutes into the game on a penalty against West Germany in the 1974 final then not threatening again despite some of the best offensive talent ever. The 1998 loss to Brazil where they dominated the game and looked like Brazil, except in their finishing. Blowing countless European Championships despite having the best team. I could keep going, but I won't. Just know that they have tried and won despite themselves this time. Late goals conceded and un-Dutch like defensive postures have made things more difficult than it really has had to be and expect this to be the same. It could be the undoing.

Final Prediction: Netherlands 2, Spain 1 (Extra Time, no penalties)

Weekend in Review - July 4 Weekend

Yes I know the weekend isn't over but that doesn't matter to me. The only things left are baseball and the Wimbledon mens final and I will be in Mexico by that time and unable to watch.

Top three weekend stories

1. European revival at the World Cup - Coming into the quarterfinals, the talk had been South American teams this and South American teams that and some were starting to look forward to an inevitable Argentina-Brazil final. Oops. The South Americans finally found their match in the three remaining European powers that had looked fairly strong entering the tournament. The Netherlands don't play traditional Dutch 'Total Football' but they win. Spain finally slayed the quarterfinal bogeyman and Germany suddenly looks like an offensive powerhouse the likes of which we haven't seen at the World Cup in quite some time.

As for the South Americans, the Brazilians needed to finish the job when they had the chance in the first half. Paraguay was outgunned and Argentina finally met a team with some offensive firepower and a defense to match. Only Uruguay survived and it took the most insane of events to do it as will be examined in story number three.

2. Brock Lesnar - The UFC heavyweight champion evidently has a granite chin too after surviving the onslaught in round one from Shane Carwin. Many referees would have stopped the match and credit to Josh Rosenthal for not stopping it when Lesnar was still defending himself but was being dominated. Lesnar submitted Carwin in round 2, improbably to retain his title and move to number one in the heavyweight rankings.

3. Uruguay-Ghana - What a game and what a heartbreaking ending for Ghana. Props to Luis Suarez for his game saving save even if he misses the next game because of his redcard. He did exactly what he should have done. At that point in the game, saving the goal and giving yourself a chance, even a small one is better than being finished off. Poor Asamoah Gyan with his stunning penalty miss. I can't think of a more pressure packed penalty, even in a shootout and he wasn't up to the task.

World Cup QF Preview + Rankings

We have our World Cup quarterfinals set to begin in the morning with Brazil-Netherlands in the match that I believe will produce the tournament winner. In these quarterfinals, we have a good mix of traditional powers and interlopers with one former power resurgent.

Let's get to the power rankings. Remember that these are to this point in the tournament. I believe the Netherlands are going to win the tournament, but they haven't been the most impressive team meaning they aren't number one here... yet

1. Argentina - The machine rolls on. Despite getting a controversial goal to open the scoring against Mexico, Argentina was clearly the better team and deserved to win. Messi has been driving this team despite not scoring. What happens if he starts to find the bag of the net?
2. Brazil - Only a meaningless, scoreless draw with Portugal stains the records of the Brazilians who did their usual job of taking Chile apart (just the same as in qualifying). In Brazil, the question if this team wins the tournament is will they be beloved like many of their predecessors or looked upon with disdain like the defensive minded 1994 champs?
3. Netherlands - This has not been a typical Dutch tournament. No massive goal scoring barrage in the group stage and no displays of 'Total Football' yet the Dutch are in the quarterfinals with no blemishes on the record. Can this team really do what its much more heralded predecessors failed to?
4. Germany - Quarterfinals for Germany and now the tournament really starts. This is 13 trips to this stage in a row for the Germans who looked very strong in two of their four games and average at best in the other two. Which German team will show up for the Argentina challenge?
5. Spain - Spain seem to not really have it all together. They aren't scoring with their usual panache but the defense looks nearly impenetrable. Only Chile with its super power attack and Switzerland with one of the flukiest goals scored in the tournament have even managed to score so far.
6. Uruguay - Looked shaky against South Korea and somehow managed to gift France a point with a 0-0 draw at the start of the group stage. Should continue to enjoy living on the easy side of the bracket.
7. Ghana - Fortunate to survive the United States, Ghana seems to be on borrowed time. Only the lack of a true powerhouse in the next round gives the Black Stars a chance.
8. Paraguay - That game against Japan was pathetic. Can we send them home with the Japanese? Too bad someone had to win, even on penalties. After that display, one can only hope they go home soon. Welcome in the tournament: OVERSTAYED

Weekend in Review - June 26-27

The three big stories of the weekend past

1. Fedor loses - For those who don't follow MMA, let me give you an idea how big this is. This is the MMA equivalent of Notre Dame beating UCLA basketball to end the winning streak in the 1970s, Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson in boxing or Appalachian St. over Michigan in college football. Fedor put together a winning streak that will never be matched with 27 wins in a row all as a heavyweight and finishing most of the fights. Props to Fabricio Werdum for managing to be the guy to finally beat Fedor, but the big story is Federo's loss and what it does to the MMA landscape (a topic for a much larger post)

2. USA out of the World Cup - USA gave a good effort against Ghana, at least once Ricardo Clark was out of the game after the first half hour and really deserved better in the second half but a lack of quality finishing in front of net did them in. While coach Bob Bradley made good adjustments in this game (and every other), his starting lineup was unforgivably bad. Robbie Findlay should not have seen the field except maybe as a sub where his legs could have been even more useful and Ricardo Clark is completely useless as an offensive player at his position combined with bad giveaways and occasional defensive lapses. Had those two been relegated to the bench to start, I think we get a different result.

3. World Cup Referees - The only reason Sunday wasn't a terrible day to be a referee is because the refs are so protected by FIFA that they don't have to answer for their calls after matches. England, while not the better team and beaten mercilessly in the second half should have had a goal and that might have changed the game. Mexico gave up its first goal because Argentina was two yards offside. Then the video screen in the stadium showed the goal and the Mexicans went ballistic. Then the Mexicans melted down after a promising start to that point. With both incidents, the referees had a bad day. This isn't higher on the story list in part because the right team won both games anyway.

Where was the urgency for Italy?

As many of you know, Italy lost 3-2 to Slovakia and crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage today. I covered many of the reasons why Italy was in trouble the other day and while those certainly played a role here, they are not the reason Italy is going home right now and Slovakia advancing.

Today, Italy played with no urgency or intensity until it was too late. At the end of the game trailing by two goals, Italy looked dangerous and managed to score twice while giving up a goal, looking truly dangerous offensively for the first time in the tournament.

Where was that Italy early in this game when they trailied by one knowing they needed at least a tie? Where was that Italy in the game against Paraguay when they pressed forward but didn't really look dangerous and needed a goalkeeping blunder to tie? Where was that Italy while holding the ball 72% of the time against New Zealand?

The answer to all of those is the offense had no real heart. The Italians seemed to think they were the defending champions in an easy group and could just coast through. They played as though all others were beneath them and that might have worked had the team been at usual Italian standrads, but as I wrote the other day, this team was not. It was old and creaky on defense and lacked target forwards in the event it fell behind leaving Italy with grave problems when a lack of effort and focus is added to the mix.

World Cup Final Group Games Review, A & B

Group A - Uruguay 1, Mexico 0 ans South Africa 2, France 1

The big story here is of course the continued French meltdown. The only thing that went right for 10-men France was the goal they got to at least go home better than 2002 when they failed to score a goal. Of course some people saw this coming see here where I said France would "collapse in a mass of infighting and egos behind their hated coach" back in early May.

For the South Africans, the win was huge despite becoming the first host to crash out at the group stage. They can hold their heads high after a nice draw against Mexico and a win against France. A good showing for a team that was clearly outmanned and outgunned, particularly defensively.

In Mexico, fans are excited despite the loss and I don't know why. Failure against Uruguay equals another second round match with Argentina, just like four years ago. The result will likely be the same and Mexico will crash out in round two again, just like in 2006, 2002, 1998, and 1994. At least they are consistent.

For Uruguay, the draw has opened, possibly all the way to the semifinals. They should defeat South Korea as heavy favorites and the US offense may stand as the most imposing possibility in the quarters. If you had told Uruguay when they qualified they would win their group, play South Korea in round 2 and then play a traditional minnow or an out of form England or Germany to reach to quarters, they would have probably called you crazy but that is what is likely.

World Cup Power Rankings

Rankings all the teams at the World Cup 1-32 based on performances so far

1. Argentina - still all sorts of questions at the back, but have only conceded one goal so far while dismantling South Korea and Nigeria
2. Brazil - still the most talented team and probably the favorite to win, the defensive lapses allowing late goals in both games is a bit of concern
3. Netherlands - Haven't really gotten it going but have gotten two wins. If this team improves its form throughout the tourney, my pick to win has a really good chance
4. Chile - against both Switzerland and Honduras, the Chileans had the two most dominating 1-0 wins anyone will ever see. Neither team seemed to belong on the pitch with the Chileans
5. Spain - Here is the proof of this tourney's mediocrity. I am rewarding Spain's possession and acknowledging their dominance earlier today in the easy win over Honduras. Nobody has really had better results and the Swiss were incredibly lucky.
6. Denmark - Yes, I know the Danes lost 2-0 to the Dutch, but the attacking display they put on against Cameroon was stunning and the loss to the Dutch isn't really punishable in these rankings considering I picked the Netherlands to win the whole tournament
7. Ghana - No they haven't been impressive and should have gotten more than a draw against 10-man Australia, but they are atop a difficuklt group with one game to play. Results do matter here.
8. South Korea - The first game against Greece was a clinic. The second against Argentina was a clinic against them, but they showed well until the avalanche at the end.
9. United States - The US is getting a bump up for the terrible call that went against them, but they have played smart, strong soccer, at least in the second half of both matches, which is more than can be said of most teams.
10. Paraguay - Had a beautiful set piece goal against Italy and dominated Slovakia. With only New Zealand left, passage to round two seems assured
11. Portugal - One awful 0-0 draw and a destruction of a team leave many thinking Portugal is on track. I beg to differ though they will be progressing to round two barring a catastrophe.
12. Germany - Ranked higher than their results dictate because the result against Serbia was a loss because of bad refereeing. They might now make it out of round one despite being the best team in the group.
13. Uruguay - Considering they won a match 3-0 they probably should be higher, but 0-0 against France in the state they are in leaves them ranked here.
14. Mexico - The Mexicans have been fine in the tourney but a 1-1 draw against host minnow South Africa is concerning, espcially the lack of detail defensively late in that game.
15. Slovenia - Lucky to have not blown a two goal lead against completely against the United States, Slovenia needs just a draw to advance
16. Serbia - Beaten by Ghana and lucky against Germany, Serbia still is in good shape. Just win against Australia and go through to round two
17. Japan - An upset of Cameroon was nice, but a 1-1 goal differential after two matches is throughly average and boring
18. Greece - Terrible against South Korea and better against Nigeria, the Greeks are still in huge trouble: Argentina is next
19. Switzerland - Yes they beat Spain, but they looked awful against Chile and basically didn't want to have the ball against Spain. This ranking is as much about their negative football as it is their form
20. England - Pretty much awful since Gerrard's goal early against the USA. They are not in full meltdown mode like their French neighbors, but  the tabloids will be fun to read if they fail to advance
21. Australia - Unfortunate victims of two red cards thus far, they need lots of help to advance because of the shoddy goal differential from the 4-0 beating at the hands of Germany.
22. Slovakia - The Swiss with less defense and no big upset to prop them up
23. Ivory Coast - Unlucky. Probably going out of the tourney no matter what unless they can score at least 6 against North Korea
24. Algeria - Awful offensively, but a goalkeeping howler away from total control of own destiny. Likely needs at least one goal against the attack happy United States
25. Italy - Old and tired, read my last post and it will explain everything
26. New Zealand - No talent but still a couple of 1-1 draws. At least entertaining on the way out of the tourney
27. Nigeria - Somehow still have a chance to get out of their group despite playing terrible football all tourney long.
28. South Africa - The hosts just don't have the offensive horses. Probably will get a win against France though to save face.
29. Honduras - No real chance to get out of the group, but the Swiss do offer a chance at a win.
30. Cameroon - Out of the tourney in a rash of awful defending. While the attack was strong and a victory would have been taken with better finishing, really should have lost to Denmark by a score of 8-6. Yes, the defense really was that bad
31. North Korea - Great showing against Brazil keeps North Koreans out of the cellar despite 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Portugal
32. France - really who else could it be. This is exhibit A in bad team chemistry, selfishness and bad coaching in soccer for generations to come. I'm rooting for them to somehow go through only so the entertaining infighting can continue

What is wrong with Italy?

Italy is the defending World Cup champion. They are one of only two nations to win at least four World Cups (Brazil has five). They rarely play well in the group stage before rounding into form later in the tournament and they are old. Despite the age, they were expected to do well here as the core of the team returns from their Cup triumph in Germany four years ago. Right now, they look terrible, as they have pretty much from the moment they stepped on the field at the Confederations Cup against Egypt after clobbering the United States last year. So what is wrong with the team?

Italy is really old - The Italians look even older than they are. They seem to have no energy early in games and can't get themselves going. They are lucky to be in a weak group where they still have a chance to advance despite lackluster play thus far, but any team with a stable of younger athletes will run circles around these guys on the way to an easy win in the knockout stages. I would pick the US 3-1 against this crew right now.

The defense is not up to Italian standards - Italy was old four years ago and won the tournament, mostly because of a suffocating defense that gave up just two goals in the tournament (and one of those was an own goal against the United States). Now, both Paraguay and New Zealand have scored on free kicks. Giving up set piece goals is a hallmark of average to bad defensive teams. Other deficiencies have yet to surface, but Paraguay without its two best strikers and New Zealand (along with Slovakia in the next game) are hardly the teams to expose those deficiencies.

The offense can't do anything right - The blame here lies with the coach. The old guard was left at home for this World Cup leaving a lack of experienced, respected target man. The young guns were also left at home as they were either not in top form because of injury or lacked the experience necessary. The result is an in between group that has some experience but lacks the necessary talent to do any damage in the attack. In the Paraguay game, the strikers did not register a shot on goal. There is no excuse for that particularly while Paraguay was in a defensive shell for much of the second half. The only saving graces have been a penalty awarded to the Italians (which they didn't screw up) and a goalkeeping howler against Paraguay allowing for draws in both games.

Despite the problems, Italy still has a good chance to advance. All they need is a win over Slovakia. Am I convinced they will get it? No, and even if they do, the Italians aren't going to last long into the knockout stages in this tournament.

Do you think there is anything Italy can do to fix their problems, or is it too late?

Postgame Thoughts: USA-Slovenia

We just saw the best match of the tournament - This is just proof great matches can involve nearly anyone. Highly anticipated matches between quality teams have disappointed so far, but attacking ingenuity reigned supreme here. Slovenia, while playing a largely negative possession game made the most of its chances, particularly the first one, a rare shot in this tournament on net from distance. The US, with no real defense to speak of, threw everything they had at Slovenia in the 2nd half culminating in Michael Bradley's goal from the little seen 3-2-3-2 formation. If only every match had this level of attacking or even the will to attack, this tournament would be much better for it.

Slovenia got the result it wanted, just not how it wanted - If anyone had told the Slovenians they would score twice in the first half, they would have taken it and said the game was done with a win in the bank considering the record of giving up just four goals in 10 qualifying matches in the group stage and one in two matches against Russia in the playoff. Slovenia had a 2-0 lead. They blew it and now they have legitimate reason for concern. Goal differential very well may come into play and the Slovenians with only a 1-0 win over Algeria could be in some trouble.

The referee was awful - Yes the US got screwed at the end and should have had a third goal that was disallowed by a phantom call. Most outside Slovenia probably agree that the disallowed goal was a terrible goal but that doesn't even begin to get into the bad refereeing today (on both sides). It seemed all day long the whistle was blowing for marginal calls. On a regular basis, both captains were appealing to the referee after dubious decisions and the yellow cards flew today for seemingly no reason at all. While many want Robbie Findlay benched for the next game (and he will be because of suspension), the yellow card he received for a handball that was clearly incidental and may have hit him in the face and not the shoulder was quite harsh.

What's next for the USA - The Americans need a win against Algeria, preferably by more than one goal. A two goal win likely sends the US through no matter the results in other matches as the US would go through directly or win the goal differential battle with either Slovenia or England if it came to that.

Daily World Cup Update - Day 1

Game of the Day: South Africa 1, Mexico 1
Obviouslywith a fairly boring 0-0 draw as the only competition, this game would win game of the day, but it was a game that will stand on its own as an entertaining match to open the tournament. The game was an up and down attacking feast even though only two goals were scored.
Player of the Day: Giovani dos Santos of Mexico
No goal for dos Santos but he was threatening from the start being denied in the second minute and had a screamer of a shot saved midway through the second half
Goat of the Day: Nicolas Lodeiro of Uruguay
Entering as a sub and being sent off with a red card after just 18 minutes in a scoreless draw is a sure way to end up on this list. Honorable mention to France coach Raymond Domenech who, as usual, did nothing right and saw his team get some sort of result in spite of him. France will be much better for it as soon as he is gone after the World Cup.
Future Outlook for Group A: Everyone is on level pegging at this point. The advantage will go to whichever coach can make the best adjustments going forward. That spells trouble for France while Mexico coach Javier Aguirre needs to realize Blanco isn't going to help anything at his age. While the attack gets stronger with him in the game, the already weak and inconsistent defense gets exposed to counterattacks because Blanco is too old and slow to get back on defense. It's really anyone's group now.
Outlook for tomorrow: There are two highly anticipated matches and one dog with flees. Those of you living on the West Coast shouldn't feel any need to wake up at 4:30 am to watch Greece and South Korea play a boring game with even less excitement than the Uruguay-France snoozefest earlier today. Argentina-Nigeria will be very interesting because of what Maradona might try to do. The final game of the day is the highly anticipated US-England game where the US has a very good chance to win, particularly if Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are forced by injuries in the England team to play as a tandem in central midfield. In case you didn't know, the two of them don't particularly like each other and they have a very similar skill set that tends to negate them both when they are paired together.

World Cup Predictions - Netherlands finally

Yes the headline says it all. The Netherlands are going to finally win the World Cup after being close at many stages (losses in final in 1974 and 78, semifinal loss in 1998) and squandering some of the est attacking team in soccer history. With that out of the way, the question is how we get there?

Group A - South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
The French are in disarray heading into the tournament again, but this time there is no ZInedine Zidane to rescue them. Combine that with the lack of talent from South Africa and Mexico and Uruguay will book passage to round 2 with Mexico topping the group.

Group B - Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
Argentina are heavily favored but Maradona is insane as the coach. They will advance, but not until after a shocking loss to South Korea which will send the Koreans through over Nigeria. Greece, while a decent team is one I can stand to pick because of their negative football. They will not go pointless, but they won't advance. Not enough offense.

Group C - England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia
Ho hum. England and the US will play a close, tense match where the result really won't matter. England through in first and US through in second.

Group D - Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
The most difficult group to predict, any combination of teams from this group is viable with Germany weakened by the absense of Michael Ballack and the strikers not in good form. Ghana would have also been a serious threat here but for the injury to Micheal Essien. Serbia while getting a lot of hype is not a team I trust, and Austrailia didn't look very sharp against the United States last week. When all else fails, go with the proven commodity and the suprise. Germany first and Australia second.

Group E - Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
The Dutch are going through easily here. The only question is if someone (Denmark?) can muster a draw. Of the remaining three, Cameroon has the best player in Samuel Eto'o but Denmark has the best defense. Japan is just here at this point. Netherlands first and Denmark second by marking Eto'o, Cameroon's only real goal scoring threat out of the game.

Group F - Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Lets just write New Zealand off now. They may take a draw somewhere here but they aren't going to win a game and they certainly aren't going to advance. That leaves Italy, Paraguay and Slovakia. Italy is old and usually doesn't round into form at major tournaments until the knockout stages begin while Paraguay has been a consistent qualifier for awhile now. Slovaki will be the odd team out with no real experience to speak of. Paraguay first and Italy second as the Italian succumb to the New Zealand draw.

Group G - Brazil, North Korea, Portugal, Ivory Coast
Call this group the avoid Spain invitational. Second place here likely draws the Spanish team and that means there is every possibility of an early exit from one of the pre-tournament favorites. Also, poor North Korea. They are likely to get scored on a lot as the group could come down to goal differential if the others all split their games with one another. Ultimately, goal differential will be the key. Brazil, despite a loss to Ivory Coast will go through as will Portugal who defends much better than the Ivory Coast squad.

Group H - Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile
Please let there be something on the line for both teams when Spain and Chile play just so we can see the 6-3 shootout that could occur. Chile throws caution to the wind and attacks like no other team in this tournament. It will get through in second place after the beatdown coming from Spain in the final group game. The reason for the beatdown is Spain's attack that has more firepower than any other team in the tournament. They will cruise here but need to play their starters to in the final game to avoid Brazil in round 2. Honduras and Switzerland are just here for window decorations.

Knockout stage matchups
Mexico vs Argentina - We see this matchup every so often in some tournament whether it be the Copa America or the World Cup. The result is always the same: Argentina wins.
England vs Australia - Australia doesn't have the firepower to hang with England unless the notoriously bad ENglish goalkeeping rears its ugly head (which it usually doesn't until later the tournament)
Netherlands vs Italy - Italy's old creaky defense is finally going to collapse here. Dutch through after a battle
Brazil vs Chile - Qualifying Results: Spetember 7, 2008 Brazil over Chile 3-0, September 9, 2009 Brazil over Chile 4-2. No more needs to be said
South Korea vs Uruguay - The South Korean run ends here against Uruguay's high-powered attack
Germany vs United States - Upset, Germany is highly vulnerable and doesn't have the offense to exploit the vulnerable American defense
Paraguay vs Denmark - Paraguay also has offense problems and Denmark will highlight those in a low scoring victory
Spain vs Portugal - Ronaldo is not good enough to beat this team on his own

Quarterfinals
Argentina vs England - We've seen this game in the World Cup a few times and it generally ends with England losing, usually on a goalkeeping gaffe or penalties (though Hand of God would be acceptable too). No change here.
Netherlands vs Brazil - Brazil has seemed off form for awhile now. Something has been missing despite their success in qualifying and in the Confederation's Cup. The Dutch will expose whatever that is.
Uruguay vs United States - This matchup will produce a highly unlikely semifinalist. It would also likely produce entertaining attacking end-to-end soccer as neither team has much of a defense to speak of and both teams are strong offensive teams. The tiebreaker here is in goal. Tim Howard is the difference
Denmark vs Spain - The Danes runs ends here as they capitulate to the Spanish deathstar.

Semifinals
Argentina vs Netherlands - Maradona finally gets in the way again and the Argentines blow it again the Dutch who seem ready to fall apart at the first sign of prosperity as usual. They can thank Maradona when they win the tournament
United States vs Spain - A rematch of a Confederations Cup semifinal from last year, the Spaniards won't underestimate the Americans this year and also won't have Charlie Davies speed to worry about. Even with that SPain outshot the US 29-9 last year. Another game like that and we are looking at a 3-1 Spanish win

Final
Netherlands vs Spain - A guaranteed first time winner of the World Cup here. Expect fantastic attacking soccer out of these two teams and a Dutch upset.

I've posted my picks, what do you think?

Note on the United States in the semifinals - No I don't think the US is really that good. The draw just works really well for them. In fact, Germany is the only one of the seven seeded team I believe the US has a chance to beat under knockout round pressure at this tournament. Also, if the Argentina group goes to form this all changes as the Americans would face Argentina in the quarterfinals and say goodbye (of course Mexico is another option as is France depending on how things play out)

Why the USA will never win a World Cup Part 2

Let me preface this by saying there is nothing wrong with the education mentality in the United States. It is just different and lends itself better to other sports when put under this microscope. The system of play through high school and then go to college before entering the draft works fine in football and basketball and a hybrid of the soccer system and the college sports system works great in hockey and baseball. Soccer is a different animal entirely.

Let me also state that last night's loss to the Czech Republic, while helping prove my point (the Czechs fielded their second class players except in goal and will not be in the World Cup), I had already planned this piece before that game.

Why the USA won't win the World Cup anytime soon - Part 1

Way back in the mid-1990s after the United States hosted the 1994 World Cup and exceeded expectations by reaching the knockout stages and MLS was formed soon after, soccer was riding high in the United States. US soccer created a plan to win the World Cup by 2010. While the US has greatly improved, a World Cup title is not going to happen this year and its not going to happen anytime soon. Here is a look at some of the reasons why the Americans remain at a disadvantage compared to the rest of the world in soccer.

People in the US play sports other than soccer. In much of the rest of the world, kids play soccer first and everything else 2nd.

More after the jump

World Cup Preview – Group A Breakdown

Teams in Group A: South Africa, France, Mexico, Uruguay

Brief Overview: South Africa has draw the most difficult group for a host nation at least since the USA's group in 1994 (and that team could advance in 3rd place because it was a 24 team tournament with only six groups), a surprise given what normally transpires for host nations, none of whom have ever failed to qualify for round two. France, while controversially in the tournament after the Theirry Henry handball goal in the playoff against Ireland has recent World Cup success on their side despite not having been in good form since the 2006 final. Mexico overcame a disaster of a start in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying to ride into the World Cup on a wave of momentum and small little Uruguay will bring its usual all-out attack offensive game for another attempt at recreating the past glory of two World Cup Championships in the tourney's early days.

Questions for each team and group prediction after the jump