Exactly as Predicted...

Just as everybody predicted after two games:

Spain out
England out
Costa Rica on to the Round of 16
Brazil with three goals


French celebrations

Les Bleus had plenty of chances to celebrate in their 5-2 thrashing of Switzerland.  This first one merited a yellow card.  This one by Valbuena in which the tiny Frenchman, possibly shorter than Napoleon, gets a piggy back ride from teammate Olivier Giroud, is a candidate for the weird celebration of the tournament; I was going to say "in which Valbuena mounts Giroud" but you guys would all take that the wrong way.  This match also featured a goal from Newcastle's Moussa Sissoko. Two more and he will equal his season output for the Magpies.  There is much talk in the Newcastle fan publications that Sissoko's disappointing 2013-14 season was in large part due to Alan Pardew playing him at right wing rather than as a box-to-box midfielder.  Maybe, and Sissoko started in the middle vs Switzerland, but he scored after he was moved out to right wing.

The Mouse That Roared...Again

We suggested that you take Costa Rica lightly at your own peril.  Italy did not take advantage of the warning that should have been evident after the Uruguay match and they fell to Los Ticos 1-0.  Goal line technology made sure the Costa Rican tally was properly called.  Costa Rica's defense was well-organized, leading to 11 offsides calls against the Italians.  Was that Bob K racing down Germantown Avenue madly waving his sombrero?  Here you go Bob, play this to your heart's content; vive Los Ticos! At least Italy are still alive; England, after being dispatched by Uruguay, are out of the tournament.


An American [Ref] in Rio

MLS referee Mark Geiger distinguished himself again, this time in Wednesday's match between Spain and Chile.  This was a high stakes match, it's importance amped up after Spain lost their opener to Holland (btw co-editor Dennis did predict that the Dutch would advance out of this group).  By all accounts, he handled the pressure well; I thought he was a bit better in his first match but was still very solid in this one.  You figure he's going to get one or two more assignments, including one in the knockout rounds.


Cyber Spoiler Alert

 While I am merrily managing the Chester Blues to heights never seen in club history, Football Manager is busy simulating results from leagues and tournaments around the world, including...the World Cup.  It is now July 21, 2014, which means that the 2014 World Cup is in the books.  In this universe, France beat Argentina 3-1 in the final match. That's not entirely unlikely but the other semi-finalists were Russia (long shot but still a possibility) and Cameroon (already eliminated in the real tournament).  Remember that this is the 2010 version of the game so it has been divorced from reality simulating without knowledge of the real world for over four years now, retiring players and making up new ones, etc. In other words, you might not want to bet the house on this result.


And Another Thing...

The wave? Really?  I thought that went out with the 1979 Oakland Athletics.

The Women of 6911 (now there's a new reality series begging for a producer) have nominated Costa Rica's Bryan Ruiz for Best Hair ("look how it bounces even in that humidity") of the tournament so far.  To dispel any notions of stereotypical female viewers, they also commented on how Costa Rica's high defensive line frustrated the Italian attack, leading to all those offsides calls.  Nothing gets by them (the women of 6911 that is).





Planning to do a post Sunday night outlining the scenarios for the final set of first round games that start Monday and to explain why the final games in each group have the same kickoff times.  Also, to comment on the fortunes of the US (vs Portugal) and Belgium (vs Russia).