Cup Crazy - 15 June

Day 7 saw a South American team not named Brazil or Argentina make some noise, another lackluster display from one of the favorites, and a potential elimination-saving goal from a certain underwear model. Brian explains...

Not Pretty
Let's not mince words - England was very, very lucky to survive today's game with Trinidad and Tobago and come out with a 2-0 victory. For the first sixty minutes, England once again was dull, boring, and out of ideas. Michael Owen is so bad right now it's painful to watch. The midfield was not linking up well. No one was running. Gerrard was invisible. But with a half hour to go, Sven made the two best substitutions of his England career. He brought on Wayne Rooney and Aaron Lennon. Rooney didn't do much while on the pitch, but the impact he had on those around him was evident. England suddenly had its confidence back. Short passes were being played from midfield instead of the usual long ball misery. Lennon, on the other hand, was superb. He was dangerous and fast down the wing. Beckham, dropping to a right fullback role, could sneak in behind Lennon and make crosses without much pressure. In fact, Crouch's goal came from just this type of play, with Lennon beautifully heading back a tough pass to an open Beckham, who crossed perfectly to Crouch. So far, the only dynamic play England could create was with the Cole brothers down the left. With Lennon, the Three Lions were dangerous down the right. I like what I saw. Football is about new ideas and new tactics. Long balls won't win you a World Cup. Quick, dynamic wingers, however, can.

Go Freddie Go
Sweden, like England, is counting its lucky stars tonight after winning it late against Paraguay. The Paraguayans battled tough throughout. The Swedes weren't nearly as dominant in attack as they were against Trinidad and Tobago, perhaps due to the injury and subsequent removal of Zlatan Ibrahimovich. But in the end, it was who else, but Freddie Ljungberg, who rose to the occasion, heading home the winner in the 89th minute. Say what you want about Freddie and his dip in production the last two seasons. But the guy is a battler and a big game player who comes up with big plays when it matters most. We're all set now for the winner-take-all game to decide Group B between Sweden and England on 20 June.

Swedish Fans of the Day
One of our new favorite features is our "Brazilian Fan of the Day," which we will bring to you after every Brazil game. Along those same lines, I think it's time we find the "Swedish Fan of the Game" after every Sweden game. We had a number of finalists, and there were just too many to choose between. So today, they are all winners. Enjoy.

Here are my new friends Greta, Inga, and Matilda posing for the camera.

Here's my pal Kerstin. We met a few years back at Ikea.

Frida and Charlotta sure are crazy! Watch out for those two.

Making It Count
Ecuador made Bryce come out smelling like roses once again by validating their 2-0 victory over Poland with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica today. The win moves Ecuador into first place in Group A on goal differential and sets up a showdown with Germany to decide the group winner on 20 June. Ecuador is quickly getting the distinction of being the team no one wants to face (hey, didn't some people think the US would be that team?). All three Ecuadorian forwards scored today in their decisive win over the Ticos. For the Ticos, it's another disappointing early exit in a World Cup. One can only wonder if they'll ever get over the hump and get back to the Round of 16, which they last did in 1990.

Tomorrow's Predictions
No gloating this time, I promise - but I was 3-for-3 today, and correctly guessed the scores of the England-T&T game and the Sweden-Paraguay game. Not bad. On to tomorrow:

Argentina 2, Serbia-Montenegro 0
Holland 1, Cote d'Ivoire 0
Mexico 2, Angola 1

Goodnight now.

Pics courtesy yahoo.com and fifaworldcup.yahoo.com. Get in on the fun at bookableoffense@gmail.com.