HWCI World Cup Pool: 2010

Got back at 11 pm, leaving at 4 am. Hopefully, after this, I'll be able to close out the pool with my final comments...

Are these the final Pando! or Gordos? Only Sammy knows. In the meantime, read what he had to say about the 3rd place match and the ugly final match.

Updates will come tomorrow night as I'm off to Virginia and then teaching Monday. Savor the victory and post any final thoughts on the blog or the discussion board.

Spain is sporting their traditional red jerseys for the trophy presentation and their jerseys already have a yellow star on top of the crest! I guess the poor African kids will be wearing the orange NED jerseys with a star on them when those jerseys are discarded.

NED playing down a man, who is NED's leader to compose the team after the goal? All NED is doing is holding their hands up in frustration. Poor Torres pulls his hamstring running down the field. One last header in the box doesn't produce anything and the whistle blows! Spain are champs! They are the 8th different champion. They outplayed their opponent in all 7 matches (including the 1-0 loss to SUI) and won their 4th straight 1-0 match (all goals after the 1st half). Incredible. Only 8 goals scored in the 7 matches. Incredible. NED's third final wasn't a charm, and they will have to wait another four years. An ugly game that could've ended uglier in PKs, the better team won.

As for the pool, here are your winners (like Spain, Joseph D was the leader after every round and held on for victory):

1st ($310):      Forza Pazza (Joseph D)

2nd ($160):      Corner Kick Kid (Albert H) 

3rd ($100):      Dime 23 (Joseph T)

Tied-4th ($30):  Soccerbix (Fernando B)

Tied-4th ($30):  Former MLS Writer (Damian C)

Bonus ($40): Big Tex (Stephen R)

121': ESP picked up the match's 14th card.

115:54 (116'): NED couldn't clear the ball and ESP's Fabregas collects and lays off a nice ball to Andres Iniesta who slots it home past the GK into the left side of the net. He takes his shirt off in the celebration so that will be the 12th card, but I don't think he minds. It was funny because after 116 minutes of scoreless soccer, nobody seemed really sure the goal counted.
Four minutes til glory for Spain. NED picks up a yellow for dissent (their 9th) before Iniesta picks up his. So that's 13 for the match. Ugly.

That goal also means there have been 6 goals in the 3rd+Final which means right now, Soccerbix and Former MLS Writer will split the $60 4th place prize and Big Tex has wrestled away the Bonus from BigRedMessi.

115': Sneidjer's deep FK after some distraction deflects off the wall, but the ref gives a goal kick! But ESP doesn't kick the ball back to NED like NED did earlier :-)

113': Robben nearly got his 2nd yellow for kicking the ball after being called offsides. Close.
111': Another yellow for NED. That's eight for them and 11 for the match. NED's ejection was the 17th player this WC to be red-carded.

109': NED's John Heitinga pulls down a ESP player at the top of the arc for his 2nd yellow card (10th of the match; 7 on NED) and is ejected. He's taking the long walk off, wasting time. No doubt, NED is now playing for PKs. Xavi wastes the free kick, hitting it high. He's no URU's Forlan.

ESP has been the better team with the more creative chances, but NED has disrupted them with their physical play. At the break, ESP's David Villa comes out for Fernando Torres, hero of the '08 Euro Final. Can Torres redeem himself? BTW, Spain has missed both PKs they have attempted this WC.

104': ESP's Fabregas dribbles through five defenders but his weak shot goes wide right... again, no pass.

101': ESP misses another chance and again no pass once the ESP player enters the box. The ball deflects and goes just wide right.

This is the third time in the last five WCs that we've gone to Extra Time (hopefully not another 0-0 tie like in '94). In the first three minutes, good non-call by the ref as one ESP player dives, one runs into a NED player, and Xavi kicks a NED player. The lack of goals has kept things status quo for those involved in tiebreakers. Remember, only goals scored in Extra Time count... no PK shootout goals count. Not a good sign that neither team has ever scored a goal in Extra Time in the WC.

95': ESP's Fabregas misses a point blank opportunity. I think if he would've passed it, it may have been offsides so good decision with the shot. Great save. NED then nearly scores on a CK.

98': Another great chance by ESP... it's like ESP is afraid of passing the ball and this time they don't even get a shot off as NED's Giovanni Van Bronckhorst stops the play.

83': Wow. The one time Robben doesn't take a dive, he gets into the box but the GK takes it off his foot. If he falls, he could've gotten a close FK but he did the right thing by going for it. The fact the ref didn't give him the FK just reinforces the reason why players take dives. It's better to dive than to try and not get the call. BTW, he got the 9th card of the match for dissent.

Too bad the great Japanese ref (NED-BRA) is only a 4th official, but this ref is doing pretty good (just about every card was deserved).

77': Big missed header by ESP. Wide open look.

70': Big missed opportunity by David Villa as NED misplays the ball but while on his rear end, blocks the point blank shot. Was that Torres with a slight smile on the sideline (like I wouldn't have missed that)?

67': 8th card! Good tactical foul by ESP stopping a potential break. I really hate FIFA's rule of suspending a player for 2 yellows over X amount of games.

62': Wow, Robben just missed as the ESP GK just got a boot to it going the other way. Interesting the GK went to favor Robben's right foot when Robben always shoots with his left. Maybe the GK psyched himself out.

Not quite what we had in mind, as the record 7th card was handed out. The last was pulled late after David Villa rolled around three times. Half hour left.

Once again, ESP's Gerard Pique is bleeding. That guy has been getting knocked around this WC.

Both teams have pulled Gordos, whiffing on a ball deep inside the box.

Spain has started to control possession now. Upon HD replay, it looked like the ESP GK may have nicked the ball as it went over his head so it's even more curious why NED gave the ball back.

I think I heard chanting ("Oranje"?) and drums for the first time ever over the Vuvuzella noise. Disappointed Spain isn't wearing red, but I guess on non-HD sets, orange and red would make for a clash of colors.

No goals is helping those who are in the tiebreaker with 5 goals.

Interesting... you don't see this too often. On a ball played by NED from midfield, the ESP GK misplayed the bounce and went over his head (luckily not in goal) and out of bounds. For some reason, the linesman/ref called for a CK. On the CK, NED sportsmanly (is that a word?) played the ball back to the GK, effectively correcting the bad call by the ref. Can you imagine if the GER GK after ENG's goal was not called decided to correct it and kick it into his net (on second thought, I don't think you can intentionally kick the ball into your own net (with Gordo, it's sometimes hard to tell if it was intentional or not) so the GER GK would have to just lay the ball down for ENG to kick in. 33'.

The yellows continue with NED's Neigel De Jong kicking ESP's Alonso right into the chest. Wow. Looks worse in HD replay. And worse than Zidane's headbutt in last year's final (though that was away from the play). I'm sure we'll be seeing flash animations of De Jong's kung fu kick now. 28th minute.

eta: Kinda puts a new twist to The Flying Dutchman :-)

Some careless tackles in midfield have resulted in four unnecessary yellow cards in the first 22 minutes. Maybe both teams are still tired? NED had one great clear (it was like a Gordo shot when he missed... but on the offensive end; yes the Galaxy are blessed) and both teams have about even possession.

La Furir Roja vs the Orangje! No longer quite the Flying Dutchmen of old, the Netherlands have shown great consistency and have won every World Cup qualifier and World Cup match (6-0-0) (and unbeaten in their last 25) leading up to today. Spain (5-0-1) was riding a 35-match unbeaten streak before the USA got to them last year but then ran off 10 more matches before being upset by the Swiss in the first group stage match. While France and Italy fizzled, Spain rebounded and have every match since, including the last three 1-0 and four straight one-goal matches. Both teams are looking for their first World Cup title in what should be a great match. I'm watching from home as I have to pack for a trip to Virginia (flying into Baltimore, though) tonight, but I hope Spain wins but will just be glad if Holland, which I traditionally have loved over the past few World Cups, get the trophy.

Will Wesley Sneijder or David Villa come out ahead in the Golden Boot chase? Will the refs reward or punish Arjen Robben's dives early?

More importantly, however, is the eight people who are fighting for the four money spots and the seven who are hoping for the $40 Bonus. Good luck to them!

The five goals scored today on Germany's 3-2 win means that only three can win the Bonus if NED wins tomorrow and only four are alive if ESP wins. Soccerbix is now going to need Spain to win in PKs after a scoreless match to win 4th or a 1-0 Spain win to tie for 4th with Former MLS Writer.

It's almost over! Good luck to the 8 vying for the four money spots (Congrats to Joseph D, who has clinched either 1st or 2nd) and the 10 vying for the $40 Bonus. Read the latest newsletter now!

Note that I inadvertently reversed the order of the tiebreakers for the Bonus1. It was never the intention to just award the 5th place person a prize. There is a reason why total goals should be the first tiebreaker and standings placement is 2nd. That being said, depending who wins, 10 have a chance to win the $40 Bonus.

Check here to see if you are one of 10 with a chance (Hint: It's not me). While most are in the upper half of the standings, I Hate Vodka is the lowest entry (57th) but wins only if there are 2 or less goals in the two remaining matches and NED wins (he splits if 3 goals).

Sammy felt it was an odd semifinal. Read what he has to say!

Some of you aren't paying attention :-) I inadvertently left off Dime 23 and the points were mixed up if SPAIN beats NED. Either way, my Zulupalooza is paloozed out. Corrected below:

If NETHERLANDS beats SPAIN then…
	LB	127
	Forza Pazza	118
	FC Spermicidals	117
	EEChick1400	110

If SPAIN beats NETHERLANDS then…
	Forza Pazza	132
	Corner Kick Kid	123
	Dime 23	122
	Soccerbix	121	(Tie 5.5)
	Former MLS Writer	121	(Tie 6.5)

Even after the goal Spain had most of the possession. In the three minutes of stoppage time, Germany only had one ball in the box and no shots. Boy, Germany missed Mueller. One soft yellow was all it did to keep him out. Now, either the Dutch or Espana will host the World Cup trophy for the first time.

When you can sub Torres for Villa, that its one stacked team. Also in one of the more selfish plays you'll see, Spain blows a chance to go up 2-0.

Spain finally breaks through on a great header. Can the young German team come back?

Spain had the better of the play but still no score with a half hour left in regulation. Btw, why is one of threw German players wearing a FIFA logo on his crest?

What makes a shot a PANDO? Read Sam's recap of the 1st semifinal.

Wow, URU made it interesting in the end, scoring in the 90'+2 as the ref rightfully added an additional two minutes beyond the announced three and the Uruguayans had several chances. It's interesting though, you can tell NED's Robben cause he's the one always trying to go left and you can tell NED's Sneijder because he always has both hands up calling for the ball.

Fourteen picked NED (no one had URU) which allowed Baba and LB (both 2nd-Tied, 104 pts) to charge up the standings with the latter the one having NED as his champ. FC Spermacidals (4th, 103) also has NED as his champ. The last NED champ pick that has a chance to win money is Zulupalooza (I don't know how I'm still alive) who moved from 30th-T to 13th-T (95) and the last of 11 still alive to win money.

Forza Pazza remains in first (109) holding a five-point lead. He's in every possible outcome but if he loses the tiebreaker if NED beats GER in the final, he will finish 5th and out of the money. LB will win outright if NED wins the title while Forza Pazza will win outright if ESP beats NED and will battle Number 10 via tiebreaker if GER beats NED.

If NETHERLANDS beats GERMANY then…
	LB	118
	FC Spermicidals	117
	Zulupalooza	109	(Tie: 5.5)
	Forza Pazza	109	(Tie: 6.5)
	Number 10	109	(Tie: 8.0)

If GERMANY beats NETHERLANDS then…
	Forza Pazza	109	(Tie: 6.5)
	Number 10	109	(Tie: 8.0)
	Baba	104	(Tie: 5.5)
	LB	104	(Tie: 8.0)

If NETHERLANDS beats SPAIN then…
	LB	127
	Forza Pazza	118
	FC Spermicidals	117
	EEChick1400	110

If SPAIN beats NETHERLANDS then…
	Forza Pazza	127
	Corner Kick Kid	118
	Former MLS Writer	117
	Soccerbix	110

NED has just scored again, Arjen Robben this time. All three NED goals, I think, have glanced off the post, this time the left post. 3-1. And this will put South America to bed. After getting five teams in the Round of 16, none remain. And after an all-time low of six European teams in the Round of 16, two will make the final.

Wow. NED just scored off a shot that deflected off a URU defender and did not deflect off the NED player who was questionably in an offside position when the shot was taken. Tie goes to the runner, I say.

Sign these players up! Forlan from way outside the box fools the GK to tie the game at 1. Suarez may be out but Forlan is still there. Halftime (in my delayed world)!

OK, I'm not exactly sure how I went the whole day without finding out who won. Watching (my god, that hour-long pregame was excruciatingly long) on DVR now. An incredible rocket of a shot (why can't MLSers do that?) 30 or so yards away puts NED ahead 1-0. We could have two teams who have won the cup before in the final (URU and GER) or two teams who haven't (NED and ESP) or a split.

Details of the Bonus Prize are up. It's only $40 and it's only for those entries who won't finish in the money. See if you're still alive. Note that final standings placement will matter, so if you're Coin Tossed, that's just an allusion you're still alive (it just means you could pick the correct Winningest Group). After the semifinals, I'll factor in the possible final placements and we'll see who is really alive. Good luck!

What did the Brazil papers have to say? Also, do you agree with Sammy's Pando! All-Star team thus far? Read all about it!

Forza Pazza has a chance for at least 3rd in all 8 remaining outcomes. The bad news is that if NED beats GER in the final and the total goals in 3rd+Final is 5 or less or 8 or more, he goes home with nothing. Also, despite his champ BRA gone, Number 10 still has a chance to win first in 3 possible outcomes. The bad news is that in all three he is tied with Forza Pazza so no guarantees. My Zulupalooza still has a chance for 3rd in one outcome but that same outcome I could lose the tiebreaker and finish 5th and out of the money.

See below or this link for all possible outcomes (note: this is manually written, so hopefully I didn't mistype anything):

If NETHERLANDS beats GERMANY then…

Spain hit the right post and then the rebound shot hit the left post and ricocheted all the way off the right post before dribbling in. The European Union has come back strong placing three teams in the semis.

eta: Spain also hit the post after their PK was saved.

Both teams have missed PKs. 15 minutes left in regulation.

No jumping? No screaming? Maradona just looked sullen. I thought GER was 4 years away from doing something great but they're ready now. A clash of the titans and it's 4-0? Crazy cup.

GER's win was picked by just 16 and 20 lost ARG as their champ. That means the top 2 of the top 3 teams (BRA and ARG) picked to be champion are gone. Will Spain be next? This was a key game for a lot of entries as 5 were eliminated (leaving 18) but more importantly six were eliminated to win 1st, leaving just FOUR. And it now guarantees Forza Pazza, who has now built an 8-point lead, will be in the money (unless there is a tiebreaker for 4th) and a 10 in 16 chance to win 1st. Number 10 has a 6 in 16 chance for 1st, LB has a 25% chance for first, and Stewart W has a 12.5% chance for first.

A great finish by Klose... with his feet again! I do miss his great headers, though. 4-nil!

The ARG defense is nowhere to be found and GER scores their third goal with 15 minutes left. So, BRA tried a new tactic and ARG tried an outspoken coach and both are going to be out of the WC. Uruguay seems to be the saving grace for South America with Paraguay playing later today against Spain.

After bashing Miraslov Klose with his feet, Klose did have trouble settling the ball with his feet but he then had the easy tap in to give GER a 2-0 lead. His 100th international goal and SECOND in the WC not using his head. Maradona can't be happy. Can't wait for the soundbites.

Sammy also agreed with me in his newsletter that there shouldn't have been an own goal on the first NED goal yesterday, and today, FIFA announced they have changed the official scoring from an own goal to a goal by Wesley Sneijder.

In the meantime, watching delayed, Germany once again scores early and holds a 1-0 lead at the half. Klose didn't use his head and missed a golden opportunity skying a ball high with his feet (though he did score one goal with his feet in the WC). And ARG figured it worked so well against MEX, they tried FOUR players offside for their goal, but the linesman was actually playing attention this time, so no goal.

Both games PANDOs! What a great day for soccer. Read Sam's recap here.

And as a BONUS, Sam recaps the USA's performance and why he is on Fantasy Island and who he thinks will start in 2014...

Before the Macross Frontier concert (featuring Megumi Nakajima and May'n and awesome secret guest Yoko Kanno), I watching live on my Droid Incredible the Verizon VCast ESPN broadcast of the URU-GHA match in the Nokia Theatre. Drew a little crowd and "how are you doing that" comments. But the concert, delayed by 20 minutes, started right after the 1st overtime period tied at 1 (I'm almost glad the USA didn't make it because then I would have to miss the match for this concert). After the truly amazing, most awesome concert ever, I tried viewing the video highlights of the match. But although you can watch live ESPN TV, the highlights are extremely delayed (only had the NED-BRA highlights). Frustrated, I drove home. Turned on the DVR.

The most amazing 120th and last minute of the URU-GHA match, the very last free kick of the match. Wow. Thank goodness I didn't hear or read about it. The ball bouncing everywhere in the URU goal box with GHA getting three point blank shots, one saved, one blocked, and one saved by a deliberate handball by Suarez. Desperately deliberate. If Suarez lets the ball go in, Ghana wins 2-1 and the game is over right then and there. So goal-scorer Suarez sacrificed himself... he was red-carded and out of the possible PK round and possible semifinal round (at least; maybe so deliberate FIFA would kick him out of the Final as well?). So it seemed Africa would finally get a team in the semifinals. Asamoah Gyan, who had already scored 2 PKs in the WC already, lined up. But like in Japan's only PK miss, he hit it hard but it hit the crossbar, silencing the Vuvuzelas. The URU GK saved two PKs (one on a weird soft one step take by the captain, easily saved) and Sebastian Abreau sealed it with a cheeky soft kick to win the PK shootout 4-2. So heartbreaking for Ghana. But the match did feature two mind-bending goals by GHA and URU where the GKs guessed wrong as the ball swerved from right-to-left-right (or vice versa). Crazy ball.

El Chileno was the only one to pick URU so he is still alive and moves from 4th-Tied to 3rd but more importantly, from 9 points down to just two (93). Forza Pazza and EEChick1400 were shut out and remain at 95 and 94 pts, respectively. With NED's win, Baba moved from 13th-T to 4th and FC Spermacidals (1 of 6 to pick NED to win it all) moved from 20th-T to 5th-T. Samersig (42nd-T, 75), who was already eliminated, missed a chance for a moral victory by picking GHA in the semis. There are just 23 alive and 10 can win 1st.

Forza Pazza still has the best chance with a 11 in 32 (34.4%) chance for 1st and 65.6% for money. EEChick1400, El Chileno, Lionelmessi (5th-T, 87), Number 10 (7th-T, 86), Ghost of Ireland (28th, 80), and Flying Elvi (32nd-T, 78) had BRA as their champ but are still alive. They'll need more upsets to help them out (e.g. ESP losing). Not so lucky was Doughboy who is tied for 13th (83) and now elimianted.

Smartest handball ever.

NED are through! They are now unbeaten in the last 24 matches. It's amazing that BRA are out. After holding off North Korea 2-1, BRA seemed to have found their stride. But NED, after somehow allowing a goal down the heart and middle of their defense in the 10th minute and being outplayed in the first half, got a lucky cross that went in and NED gained momentum getting the 2nd goal then having BRA get a red card.

24 had BRA as their champ. Forza Pazza (95 pts) still holds his one point lead over EEChick1400 despite not picking NED but 35 have moved up on him with a key 7 points. 23 still have a chance to finish in top 4 while only 10 now have a chance to win 1st. Seven have a 1 in 4 or better chance to win money. Baba (88) and FC SPermacidals (87) have moved up to 3rd and 4th-Tied, respectively. LB is now the lowest entry (21st-T, 81) to still have a chance for 1st and Flying Elvi is now the lowest entry (32nd-T, 78) to still have a chance for money (4th).

NED will have to do something that has never been done in the WC... defeat a BRA team that has never lost when leading at the half. NED has blown two golden opportunities to put the game away including a weird 2-on-none.

The ref is doing a great job managing the game. He isn't falling for all the diving taking place (maybe giving a foul but not a yellow card) and he somehow saw own-goaler Melo step on Robben (who wasn't faking for once) and gave him a straight red. Then on some silly play at the sidelines, the ref ran up to give a yellow card to NED and accidentally pulled out the red (he had it down and never raised it up) and gave a big smile when he realized his mistake. Now, BRA is down a man and there are only 10 minutes left.

(Watching delayed) Just like that, Holland has scored two goals and lead Brazil 2-1. A double-header which you rarely see lead to the second goal. On the first NED goal, a quick restart after Robben tried to shameless draw a yellow card. The ball crossed in the box slightly deflected off BRA's Felipe Melo's head as he interfered with his own GK. They gave it an own goal and upon watching on HD replay (HD is soooo nice), it's a 50/50 call. If we were watching on the small curved, crummy Home Depot monitors, I wouldn't give the own goal since the ball just slightly deflected, the ball was still going in the same basic direction even after the deflection, and it would've gone in even without the deflection. But in HD replay, Melo was trying to head it away and he interfered with the GK and the ball was definitely a cross, not a shot.

The eight R16 matches are done and when the dust settled, EEChick1400 has cut Forza Pazza's (95) six-point lead down to one thanks to he being one of six to correctly pick Paraguay's quarterfinal march. All six went 2-0 with only I Hate Vodka Alot (64th-Tied, 61) and Hobbes (25th-T, 78) not picking Spain. Hobbes has the distinction along with AnybodyButEngland (who had POR & ESP in his quarters) (25th-T) to go from a chance for 1st to start the day to eliminated.

There are now only 12 who could win the $310 first-place prize led by Forza Pazza at 37.5% (3 in 8) and Number 10 (4th-T, 86) at 21.9%. Forza Pazza also has a 65.6% chance to win something with EEChick1400 at 59.4%. A total of 34 entries (just over half) still have a chance to win money, which is quite amazing to me. LB and Serrano still have a chance for 1st despite being tied for 45th (74) and Eek and Reckin Crew still have a chance for money (3rd) despite being tied for 53rd (71). Coin Tossed remains in last with 38 pts and is one of three (I Hate Vodka Alot and Da Fermo (66th, 60)) to only get 2 of the 8 quarterfinalists while five got six of eight (Forza Pazza, EEChick1400, El Chileno (4th-T), Number 10, and Stewart W (8th-T, 83)).

So there are 4 South American teams, 3 European teams, and one African team left. The Uruguay-Ghana is the least sexy match but one of those teams will be in the semis.

Finally! There is a break in the schedule. After 19 straight days of matches, there is now a 2-day break. I don't understand how Ghana (along with the U.S.) only had two full days rest for the R16 but now have five full days rest for the quarters. Seems unbalanced somewhere. I do wish they had a 2-day break after the group stage. It would give me a chance for a breather!

Did Sammy think the PAR-JPN match was a gem? What does he mean by "entertainment chasm"? Read all about it in his 24th issue of Pando! or Gordo?.

In the battle of two of the top three teams looking for their first star on their jersey, Spain prevails. Only the USA won their group and didn't make the quarters.

Not a good angle on the straight red but Portugal is now down a man and still down a goal.

Japan and Paraguay are heading for the penalty shootout in the scoreless match... nice chances for each but no one dominated. Six have picked PAR and Source is the only one to pick JPN... let's see who wins...

PAR goes first... GOAL!... JPN's Endo... GOAL!
Guessed right, but PAR GOAL!...JPN GOAL!! (2-2)
PAR scores!... JPN defender hits the crossbar! (3-2)... oh no! PAR controls destiny!
PAR under the crossbar for GOAL! JPN needs the next one! Honda has scored twice and on the PK he cheekily sneaks it in (4-3)...
If PAR scores, they win! A slow windup and he scores! (5-3) PAR makes the Quarters for the first time ever!

Great job Japan! After the disastrous pre-WC prep, you came together and delivered!

Just the second match to go to extra time (GHA beat USA 2-1) and will we see PKs? JPN holding their own against PAR, part of the South American contingent who are so far 13-2-4 with 30 goals to 11 against.

Why is Japan kicking free kicks in the box instead of on goal (where they scored twice last match)? Nice to see FIFA's Shep Blatter admit two mistakes by the refs (MEX, ENG) but what about USA's??? Goal line technology is necessary because the linesmen and ref are never going to be in the best position to make that call. That blown offsides call was just that... a blown call by the ref.

Is Sam impressed by NED's win? What headlines did he pull from the English newspapers? Find out!

I was at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Torrance (my new favorite market!) on Sunday and found some dark chocolate. Wasn't until I got home that I saw the name of the dark chocolate: Ghana! Still doesn't mean I'll root for them, but the chocolate (if it ain't dark, it ain't chocolate) is excellent. BTW, great prices on sashimi (including the please-don't-hate-me-for-eating-it-but-it's-so-tasty $50/pound blue fin tuna) and American Wagyu.

Poor Chile. The only R16 team to not score thus far.

Well, 52 of 67 entries picked both NED and BRA today. For some reason, my main entry (Futbol Fabone Four (51st-Tied, 66 pts) was not one of them. As such, I am eliminated. I still have slim hopes for my last entry, Zulupalooza (49th-T) which is only a point ahead of my eliminated pick. 60 picked NED and 58 picked BRA. I Hate Vodka Alot (64th-T, 56) was the only who picked Slovakia and El Ruso (25th-T, 73) the only one to pick Chile. Almost.

As usual, Coin Tossed (33) was the only one to go 0-2 today but she is not the only one to get only 1 of 6 Quarterfinalists correct... I Hate Vodka Alot and Da Fermo (66th, 55) also have picked just one thus far. If Holland wins it all (I'll be rooting for them since that is what I picked for Zulupalooza), I am waiting for Warner L (Da Fermo) to complain about how he picked the correct champion and was left out of the money. He finished 7th last time despite picking Italy to win it all. If all you had to do was pick the correct champ, then why should I let you guys pick the other 62 matches??

LB and Serrano, tied for 45th (69), both still have a chance to win first. Reckin Crew now holds the distinction for still having a chance while being placed the lowest: 51st-T (66). Lionelmessi can't win first despite being in 3rd (82). How frustrating must that me (probably not as much as being eliminated). Neither can Corner Kick Kid (4th-T, 81) and Dime 23 (6th, 80). I'm surprised there are still more than half the entries (39 of 67) are still alive for money and 16 still have a chance for 1st.

Forza Pazza (90) still has his six-point lead and has a 32.8% to win 1st and 59.8% to win money. He is one of two (El Chileno (4th-T)) to pick 5 of the 6 quarterfinalists. The top 11 entries have picked either Spain or Brazil.

Chile's used all three subs already and Brazil has taken a 3-nil lead with 25 minutes left. The first of 5 South American team to fall and that's because 2 teams played each other. That's what Chile gets for not winning the group like the other four.

After holding their own with Brazil for more than a half hour, Chile had quickly surrended two goals.

Sammy writes (and don't forget his Pando!orGordo? daily newsletter):

FOMI ON THE NEXT US MNT MANAGER .. .. If there is one thing that the cataclysmic ENGLAND disaster, and to a smaller extent the RUUD GULLIT experiment, shows us is that you MUST have someone familiar with the US Soccer environment at the top, or near it .. .. I do think in 2014 the US MNT players will need to hear a new... voice, but it would be criminal to allow Coach Bradley's knowledge, expertise + work ethic go to waste > Make him a very lucrative offer to become a TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, or DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS .. .. That then allows you to get a younger, vibrant coach with a grasp of the INT scene .. .. Stick an experienced head next to him on the bench (Sarachan?) along with someone like Marco Etcheverry, Cabrera, Sorber or Jones .. .. If we can keep somene like Coach B in a position to oversee the program, then USSF can gamble a wee bit on a young coach .. .. Any suggestions?

Unfortunately, SVK's Vittek's PK goal in extra time was the last play of the match and NED still wins 2-1. SVK missed some point blank goal opportunities in the middle of the box. 63 picked NED to advance. There have been 18 goals scored in the 5 R16 matches (3.6 goals per match) and all 10 teams have scored.

The Dutch have taken a 2-0 lead over underdog Slovakia. A quick free kick caught SVK napping. With the way the "big" teams are playing, this is playing out to be a great WC. URU, ARG, GER, and NED have been dominating and all except NED (who are usually dubbed the best team to never win the Cup) are multiple-WC winners.

Germany's win eliminated six more entries but more importantly, now only 20 can win 1st (was 29). One of those eliminated was Big Tex, who despite being for 8th place (68 pts), can't win money. England doomed him. Argentina's win eliminated just one person and only 18 can win 1st.

Thirty-three went 2-0 while four went 0-2. All five who lost their champ (1 USA, 1 ITA, 3 ENG) have been eliminated. Forza Pazza (80) maintains his six-point lead while I R Winner! Part 2 (67) falls from a tie for 5th to 14th and can't finish higher than 3rd. Forza Pazza now has a 63.4% chance to win money and 36.9% chance to win 1st. Hobbes (8th-T), Number 10 (16th-T, 66), and El Chileno (4th-T, 71) all have a 11-14% chance to win 1st. 2nd place EEChick1400 (74) has a 44.2% chance for money. Remember when there were 29 within 10 points of first place? Now there are only 6.

At the bottom, Krispy Kicker is the only one who picked GER as his champ and thus, still has a chance for 3rd despite being tied for 63rd place (51). I Hate Vodka Alot is also tied for 63rd and can still win 4th (Sam's only entry that is still alive -- Vodka cursed him again!). Coin Tossed remains forever in last with 33 pts but normal picks Princessa and Da Fermo are tied for 65th with 50.

Serrano and LB are tied for 48th with 59 pts but both can win 1st!

The USA-Ghana match drew the most viewers for a USMNT game which was shown on ABC. That means that almost 15 million saw the USA miss a golden opportunity to advance. But for the casual fan, it sounds like this game was exciting while for the more die-hard fans were disappointed. It's all good.

Has Sam recovered from yesterday? Does he believe the refs are doing great ;-) Read all about it!

MEX had a ball cleared off the goal line (no replay yet to see if it was in like the ENG non-call) and minute later scored to pull within two.

Boy, GER and ARG are impressive. Carlos Tevez just had a world class strike from outside the box to put the Argentines up 3-0. Maybe USA didn't do so bad after all...

Missed offsides leads to ARG having a 2-0 lead at the half.

Meanwhile, as of yesterday, Forza Pazza has a 23.1% chance of winning the first place prize of $310 and a 44.9% chance to win money. But he doesn't have the best odds. EEChick1400 has a 63.8% chance to win money. You can now click on the "Possibilities" tab and see how much of a chance you have (if you weren't one of the 12 eliminated). This will be updated tonight to include the GER and MEX/ARG wins.

Would ENG have come out strong in the second half if the game was tied at 2? Don't think so. GER dominated through and through. Did ENG give up on GER's fourth goal in the 70'? Great run and way too easy. And GK James let one through his legs and guessed wrong on another goal (ENG's Robert Green must be smiling). And Klose scored without using his head??

40 picked GER and three had ENG to win it all. Oh, well. Don't forget to look at the standings (it is from yesterday) to see if you were still alive before this match.

... that 12 entries are eliminated from the top 4 spots. That still leaves 55 in contention, even I Love Vodka's pick and he had USA winning it all. Check out that Standings to see if you're still alive and whether you can finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th.

BTW, behind so I'm still watching the GER-ENG match (62'). I can't believe they missed that goal (that hit the crossbar and hit at least 3 feet inside the goal)... if FIFA doesn't go to goal line technology for big events (or at least another two sideline officials specifically at the end line), all the goodwill we earned will be lost as FIFA will just be a laughingstock because there is no way the two sideline (who are looking for offsides) can tell from their angle if it was a goal or not.

maradona and carlos tevez sharing a tender moment

How is Sam handling the USA defeat? So bummed that there wasn't even a BBC ticker today? Check out his latest newsletter now!

BTW, just like that, HWCI.com is back up. Also, let's welcome Albert (A to the Z is his author name, O Fabuloso is his entry nickname) to this blogsphere with his first post today.

Hopefully it's just a midnight thing and hopefully HWCI.com will be back up in the morning. Standings are posted below in the meantime. I had to stop the 32,000+ scenario runs so it's like you are all still in it (even though not all of you are). Running the 8,000+ scenario case (after today's 2 matches) right now which still takes hours. In the meantime, only four correctly picked URU (Forza Pazza, El Ruso, El Chileno (7th-Tied, 61), Stewart W (12th-T, 58)) and only Samersig (going from 54th-T to 29th-T, 55) pegged GHA. So Forza Pazza (70) actually increased his lead from one to six points and El Ruso moved from 10th-T to 3rd-T. Note that Forza Pazza (Joseph D) was also first after the Round of 16 last time (2006) (maybe it's about goalkeeper saves??) and didn't finish in the money. Maybe it'll be different this time.

So I Hate Vodka (18th-T, 57) lost his USA champ and two others lost USA in the final. We thank you for your patriotism and your ten bucks. BUT, they might not be eliminated yet. Boy, I need a faster computer.

Here are the current standings:

HOME	BLOG	RESULTS		FORUM
	DATE OF STANDINGS:	26-Jun-10
	RND1- # NO TIE/TIED:		34/14							1ST-	$310	4TH-	$60
	MATCHES PLAYED:	50 of 63	48	(16)	2	0	0	0		2ND-	$160	BNS-	$40
	PICKS PER ROUND:		48	16	8	4	2	1	79	3RD-	$100	Total Goals: TBD
	POINTS PER PICK:		1	3	5	7	9	14
	POINTS PER ROUND:		48	48	40	28	18	14	196		Pred
Rnk	NAME	Correct->	RND1	ADV	R16	QTR	SEMI	FINAL		PTS	Chmp	TIE	WIN GRP
1	Forza Pazza	Pick	26	13	1	0	0	0		70	ESP	6.5	D4H4
2	EEChick1400	Pick	25	13	0	0	0	0		64	BRA	7.5	G4
3	Big Tex	Pick	24	13	0	0	0	0		63	ESP	6.0	C4H4
	El Ruso	Pick	22	12	1	0	0	0		63	ARG	8.5	B4

I have been meaning to write something just never got around to it since I must have slept through most of the matches lol

Anyways , I sad to inform everyone that unfortunately the dreaded Vuvuzelas have made to the states.

The ear drum torturing weapons of MASS ANNOYANCE are in full buzz here at the Home Depot Center for the restart of MLS action after the World Cup break.

The worst part is that they are been SOLD INSIDE THE STADIUM

It feel like theres a freaking bee stuck in you ear

Out of gas. Couldn't win any 50/50 balls and Dempsey missed every shot except when the goalkeeper let it go through his hands. Looked like we quot but they were just gassed. Good for Ghana who put in a great performance.

Every pass is short. When did this become MLS?

Why do we do this to ourselves? 25 minutes to try to tie.

Does the USA have enough gas and how much more bruising can Dempsey take?

Much deserved PK and I didn't see Landon do his ritual and his shot actually went off the post. Whew.

Or at least have a chance to. Findley is out!

He just dribbled the ball on a break out of bounds.

Blows a one on one opportunity. Someone please take him out!

Once again we are down in the first few minutes. Sigh...

Uruguay, behind Suarez's two goals including the GWG in the 80', holds of South Korea 2-1. URU, probably the least remembered WC champion (the four stars are for 2 WC and 2 Olympic titles, I think, none since 1950), reaches the QF for the first time since 1970. The pitch and weather were bad and while URU should've gotten a PK, KOR missed a golden opportunity for the tying goal in the late minutes.

For my update that is. Standings are updated but the elimination macro I'm using is running very, very , very slowly. Maybe I need a new laptop. Still running from late last night. So all 67 still have hope until that finishes!

Also, Sam's newsletter have all been converted to HTML so the Pando! or Gordo? link now has the latest.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Monday, July 12, 2010

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Friday, July 9, 2010

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Friday, July 2, 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Monday, June 28, 2010

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Saturday, June 26, 2010

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