Cup Crazy - 10 June

Brian checks in again after Day 2 with his thoughts...

Same Old England
England might be topping Group B after day two of the FIFA World Cup, but there's more concern than there is joy among England supporters (myself included) after the Three Lions' 1-0 victory over Paraguay. Following last weekend's demolition of Jamaica, we were all feeling great about England. But against Paraguay, it was back to business as usual under Sven. After a good first five minutes that resulted in an own goal that gave England the lead, the remaining 85 was filled with bad passes, absolutely no fluidity, disappearing players, and a negative, defensive mindset that would make a crusty old Italian proud. Gerrard was awful, as was Owen. Beckham disappeared after his early free kick that led to the goal. Crouch tried hard but didn't do much. Only Joe Cole and Frank Lampard contributed anything worthwhile. Sven once again showed what a brilliant football mind he has. Downing and Hargreaves on as subs? Please. Why are Lennon or Walcott on that team? It's not like Sven has the stones to actually make an offensive substitution. In the final minutes, England sat back so deep defensively that they were practically begging the timid Paraguayans to push forward for an equalizer. England were so poor that even Posh couldn't help but be worried. You better get it together, lads.

Don't Worry, Sweden
Yes, of course Sweden's draw today with Trinidad and Tobago was surprising. But there's no reason for the Swedes to panic. This is all part of the World Cup. Minnows will always take points off of the big fish from time to time. What's important for Sweden is that it builds off of the positives from today's match: 18 shots, six shots on net, eight corners, and 60% of the possession. Sweden was dangerous throughout the contest, and if not for a heroic performance from Shaka Hislop and a little bad luck, the Swedes would have walked away with three points. My lovely new Swedish lady-friend (she let me take a pic of her) isn't worried, so I won't worry either. A win against Paraguay and a draw with England should see Sweden into the Round of 16. As for Trinidad and Tobago, well done. The Soca Warriors put up a brave fight and should be very proud of their accomplishment. They didn't create enough offensively to let me think they have a shot getting enough points to move past the group stage, but who knows - stranger things have happened.

Group C Is For Real
The "Match of the Day" award goes to Argentina-Cote d'Ivoire, hands down. Les Elephants were very game and put a real scare into the Argentinians, particularly after Didier Drogba pulled the Ivorians within a goal. If not for a serious defensive lapse on Argentina's second goal, the Elephants had a chance to take points off of the Albiceleste. Unfortunately, our suspicions about the Cote d'Ivoire midfield proved to be true. The midfield four had trouble linking the defense with the forwards. The Ivorians were only really dangerous when their fullbacks began bombing forward on runs. Still, they will give the Dutch and Serbians fits. As for Argentina, they put in a quality performance against a good team, even though they faded in the last half hour. Riquelme finally showed up in a big game. Sorin was outstanding. And Saviola, a player I've slagged off on in the past, played well, particularly when he came back to midfield to get the ball early. I can't wait to see what Holland and Serbia-Montenegro come up with for us tomorrow.

Goleo? No!!!!!
What's next - are you going to tell me Santa Claus doesn't exist?


More Thoughts On Our Friends at ESPN/ABC Sports
We got a great comment yesterday from a reader called ForzaItalia in response to my remarks about ESPN and ABC's coverage in the United States, and specifically about announcer Dave O'Brien, the lead World Cup announcer for English-language coverage in the US. ForzaItalia took me to task for my criticism of O'Brien, pointing out the preparation and professionalism he exhibited in preparing for this assignment made him a solid choice for the job. In response, let me just say that I have nothing personal against O'Brien. In fact, he's a fantastic baseball announcer. But I have a real problem that ESPN has chosen someone without real soccer announcing experience for this important role. This is the equivalent of assigning someone who has only been exposed to American football or baseball for nine months behind the microphone for the Super Bowl or World Series. Today, O'Brien made a number of comments that irked me. He felt it necessary to explain how points are awarded for wins and ties at length. He also reminded us about a dozen times that David Beckham is a "great crosser of the ball." Are these comments really necessary? I know he's new to the game, but don't assume that there are so many soccer novices viewing that you have to explain common soccer knowledge to all of us. He's also previously referred to Oliver Kahn as the "Golden Boot" winner and proclaimed Kasey Keller as the best keeper in the world, just to name a few of his faux pas. ESPN has a number of experienced announcers, including Derek Rae and JP Dellacamera. Why weren't those gents given the chance to be the lead announcer? While we're at it, why does ESPN seem to have a policy of relegating non-American soccer announcers to minor roles in their coverage? I have many other gripes with ESPN/ABC, but I'll save those for another day.

Tomorrow's Predictions
I nailed the Argentina-Cote d'Ivoire game today (2-1). I got the result right with the England-Paraguay game, but missed the Sweden-Trinidad game, like most everyone else. Here are my predictions for tomorrow:

Holland 1, Serbia and Montenegro 0
Mexico 2, Iran 1
Portugal 2, Angola 0

Goodnight now.

Pics courtesy yahoo.com, fifaworldcup.com, and yankees.mlb.com. Let Brian (and Bryce, if he figures out how to use a German computer) know your thoughts at bookableoffense@gmail.com.