Cup Crazy - 14 June

Day 6 saw the Spanish show they came to play, a scintillating all-Arab battle, and the hosts take on their neighbors to the East. Brian tries to make sense of it all...

Thanks for Making Me Look Smart, Spain!
I got a lot of funny looks around town when I told anyone who would listen that I thought Spain would go very deep into this tournament. Today, the Spanish let the world know that they came to play at this World Cup. Spain thoroughly dominated Ukraine today with a convincing 4-0 victory. There were so many bright spots for Spain that I hardly know where to begin. The attack was superb: 19 shots, 10 shots on net, seven corners, and four goals. David Villa and my boy Fernando Torres formed a lethal partnership up front. Dare I say, Luis Aragones would be wise to keep Raul on the bench. Marcos Senna was a surprise inclusion along with Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia, and Man-of-the-Match Xavi in midfield. The quartet was absolutely buzzing with energy, flair, and precision passing. The defense was hardly tested by the feeble Ukrainian attack. Andriy Shevchenko was clearly off the pace in his return from a knee injury. Frankly, I expected a lot more from Ukraine. And true, they didn't deserve a red card early in the second half. But even at that point the game was beyond reach. The bigger story was the dominance of the Spanish. Watch out for this team!

Good Show!
Sometimes in a World Cup, the games you are least looking forward to turn out to be incredibly entertaining games. Such was the case today with Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. It's not that I have anything against either team, it's just that I don't know much about them and neither have very recognizable names even for the most astute football fan. After a decent first 45, the second half was riveting. Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't the prettiest football. But it sure was fun to watch. Instead of pressing for a second goal, the Tunisians sat back and invited the Saudis to attack. Well sure enough, Saudi Arabia finally carved up Tunisia's defense to equalize in the 57th minute. On 84, the Tunisians fell asleep again and the Saudis scored on a 2-on-1. But wait, there's more! Instead of killing off the game in the final minutes, the Saudis went for it on a free kick and missed, and Tunisia went on a break that led to a goal - one which the Saudi defense left Radhi Jadhi completely unmarked for a free header. So, not great defense, but good viewing. I still think Ukraine can rebound to take second in Group H, but the Arabic nations showed they belong at this World Cup.

Hosts Make Their Case
Match of the Day honors go to the nightcap, Poland versus Germany. The Poles played a with a lot more confidence and held their shape much better than they did in their opener against Ecuador. The Germans weren't able to play at top speed like they did versus Costa Rica. But both teams played very well and attacked each other throughout the contest. The game changed in the 75th minute when Radoslaw Sobolewski was sent off for a second bookable offense (hey, that's the first time I used the term "bookable offense" properly on our website!). After the Poles went down to 10 men, it was one way traffic going towards the German goal. Polish goalie Artur Boruc put on a heroic display, and got a lot of help from the woodwork, but in stoppage time German substitutes David Odonkor and Oliver Neuville linked up for a lovely goal that sent the German fans into a frenzy. With six points after two games, the Germans are poised to take Group A. The Ecuadorians will try to keep pace tomorrow against Costa Rica.

Rooooooooooooooooney
The "Big Man" might be back in town, but will he be back on the pitch tomorrow? That is the $64,000 question. Two days ago England manager Sven Goran Eriksson strongly hinted that Rooney would see some action against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday. Yesterday, the English FA backed off a bit, saying that Rooney won't play until he is evaluated by a specialist, which won't happen until Friday at the earliest. Today, no one wanted to tip off England's hand one way or the other. Eriksson did say that Rooney was fit and needed action. So a nation will hold its breath on Thursday to see if its savior can make it onto the pitch. As Rooney goes, so goes England. It might be time to give the boy a run out and see what happens.

Tomorrow's Predictions
I got none of the scorelines right today, but I picked correct winners with Spain and Germany. Here's what's on tap for tomorrow:

Ecuador 3, Costa Rica 1
England 2, Trinidad and Tobago 0
Sweden 1, Paraguay 0

I will be keeping a running diary of the action during tomorrow's England-Trinidad and Tobago match-up. Keep an eye out for that. And maybe, just maybe, Bryce will check in from Berlin. One could only hope. Goodnight now.

Photos courtesy yahoo.com and fifaworldcup.yahoo.com. It's Day 4 of "Where's Bryce." If you've found him, give Brian a shout at bookableoffense@gmail.com.