Day -2 (6/17) Sunup!

HABIT BURGER, EL SEGUNDO, CA - A 65-minute thunderstorm possibility delay (or was it because no one showed up?) didn't stop #97 F4-Mamelodi Sundowns from snatching 3 points from #276 F3-Ulsan HD to surprisingly lead Group F with an 1-0 win.  That is because #71 F1-Fluminense held #9 F2-Dortmund (BVB) to the tourney's third 0-0 draw.

#51 E1-River Plate took care of business beating #373 E2-Urawa Reds, 3-1, while #6 E4-Inter Milan struggled in the heat to tie #125 E3-CF Monterrey 1-1 at the Rose Bowl.  

CFM's tie put CONCACAF with a 0-2-2 record with H3-Pachuca playing tomorrow.  MSU's win put Africa (CAF) in the win column (1-1-1) while Asian countries (AFC) (0-2-0) and Oceania (0-1-0) have not picked up a point yet.  South America (CONMEBOL) finished undefeated (3-0-3).

Just a day and half left to enter (deadline 9 am PDT Thursday) and note the new URL for the Web Entry: https://www.hwci.com/worldcup/2025/w_entry.html.  Only a handful of entries thus far, but that means you have a better chance to win!

When I was going regularly to Santa Barbara for work, that was the home of Habit Burger.  This one was near work in El Segundo and wore my 2007-08 Inter Milan 100th anniversary jersey.

Day -3 (6/16) Seeing Red

KING TACO, PICO RIVERA, CA - A high kick to the face put favorite #17 C4-SL Benfica down to 10 men trailing 2-1 but took advantage of a CK opportunity to tie #95 C3-CA Boca Juniors, 2-2.  BOC picked up 2 red cards as well, one in each half (the first leading to a SLB PK goal) and blew a 2-0 lead.  Another MLS team played well, but #356 D4-Los Angeles Football Club couldn't put away their second half chances and fell 2-0 to heavy favorite #12 D3-Chelsea FC.  #27 D1-CR Flamengo got an insurance goal late in the second half to beat upstart #101 Esperantce de Tunisie, 2-0.

There have been no surprises other than A4-Inter Miami holding to a 0-0 draw and B2-Atletico de Madrid getting trounced.  16 more teams will play in the next two days.

The deadline to enter the pool is 9 am PDT Thursday and you can do Web Entry or fill out a PDF/Word form.  Good luck!

I wore my 2024 LAFC home jersey which has the cool pinstripes and visited a King Taco for the first time in a long while (in the old days at the Rose Bowl, King Taco would be served in the press box for us).

Day -4 (6/15) 10-0 + Web Entry is now LIVE!

FATHER'S DAY IN ROSEMEAD, CA -- Well, a dumb push by B4-Seattle Sounders gave B3-Botafogo a dangerous free kick which they capitalized on to break a 0-0 tie.  #423 SEA nearly tied the match in the final seconds but #58 BOT came away with a 2-1 win in Seattle.  While MLS teams have played tough, neither A4-Inter Miami nor SEA came away with 3 points and they will only face better teams in their next two group matches.

In the battle between the #2 team in the world and a team of semi-pros and amateurs, C1-Bayern Munich jumped to a 6-0 halftime lead before winning 10-0 over OFC's lone rep, C2-Auckland City.  Jamal Musiala had a hat trick in 23 minutes in the second half.  The #1 team in the world B1-Paris Saint-Germain continued to roll blasting another top 10 team, B2-Atletico Madrid, 4-0.  PSG were coming off their UEFA Champions League's 5-0 rout over #6 Inter Milan.

In another evenly matched game, #24 A1-Palmeiras and #47 A2- FC Porto battled to a 0-0 tie.  All four Group A teams are scoreless and tied with 1 point each.  

Ten teams have played, 22 more to go.  You can now enter the pool via the Web Entry and remember the deadline is 9 am PDT Thursday (before the 2nd group matches are played).  The same rules apply as always, $10 per entry and up to 3 entries per person.  You can the Rules and FAQ on this website if you are new.  Good luck!

I wore my 2023 home Palmeiras jersey for our Father's Day celebration with lots of food, of course ;-)

Day -5 (6/14) No Goals!

HOME, CA - Well, it's started.  The 1st expanded FIFA Club World Cup got started in Miami (Day -5 for the pool) and saw two teams who desperately needed a victory considering the competition coming up and ended in a very entertaining 0-0 draw.  The first half could have easily been 2-0 Al Ahly or 2-0 Inter Miami or 2-2.  A PK save by MIA was equaled by a goal-mouth kick out by a AHL defender.  It's always amazing to watch Messi when he actually moves and his touches and shots are always spot on, with the last from far out would've squeaked by in the upper right corner if not for a tip save by the outstretched AHL GK.

I guess if you go tips.gg's club rankings, #538 (!) MIA held their own against #55 AHL but MIA had their chances to win after the first 10 minute onslaught from AHL.  

The web entry form is almost done and you will be able to enter until 9 am PDT Thursday (June 19).  By Wednesday evening, you will have seen all 32 teams play one match and we can see how accurate tips.gg rankings are.  

Live! Spain v England (8/20)

(refresh for latest)

WAITING FOR TROPICAL STORM, CA - A new country will hold the WWC title and either one will also be able to brag that they have won a Men's and Women's World Cup (Germany the only country to do so).  2C-Spain didn't win their group but learned from their 4-0 dubbing by Japan and found late goals to make their first final (and first-ever knockout wins).  1D-England struggled to score but continued to win to reach their 3rd straight semifinal and first final.

Tom J has won our 3rd HWCI Women's World Cup pool but which entry will it be?  Kds911-2 will win if ESP wins and will bring Brian B's 3rd entry The Naomi Girma Era, Rob C's CarinJennins-IsGOAT, and Tony N's Lavelle Lover into 2nd/3rd/4th place positions.  Kds911-3 will win if ENG wins, pushing Kds911-2 to 2nd place (a Tom J double!), Paul T's 3rd entry Jolly Old England, and Mark H's Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! to 2nd/3rd/4th.  Tiebreakers don't play a part for the top 4 money spots but it currently stands at 2 goals.

3:23 am:  Got a couple hours sleep and now watching on my iPad to slowly wake up.  0-0.

24': Ah, "the fan runs on the field" play.  Yellow security guards hopefully tackling hard.  No Laruen James for ENG (3 goals, 1 foot on back of player) to start, coming back after 2-match suspension.

25': So ENG hit the crossbar earlier.  And ENG is wearing a light baby blue jersey which is ironic, since I was wearing my baby blue 2012 ESP away jersey while my kids and I helped my Mom put up tarps on her old house.

29 (28:33)': ESP scores!  1-0.  A turnover leads to a switchback and a great one-time finish by Olga (Carmona)!  Brian/Rob/Tony jumping for joy.  BTW, five picked ESP and 5 ENG to win today.

45'+1: 1 minute added and and ESP hits the right post, which could have been a morale breaker for ENG.

Half:  ESP has a 53/33% possession (63% if adding to 100%) and 6-3 lead on shots.  Each has 2 of them on goal (posts and crossbars don't count).

55': First yellow for ESP which looked worse but was not much of a foul.

62': ESP's wind-up shot is just high.  ENG did bring James in at halftime (1 of 2 subs).

64': Scramble and ESP shot deflects wide.  Calls for handball and ref will check (65:20).  And after a long look at the fingertips, ESP will get a PK (67:25)!

69:03: ESP PK by J. Hermoso... saved!  No rebound, just gobbled up.  Why almost 90 seconds to take a PK?  Gamesmanship as Hermoso placed the ball forward of the spot and ref makes her move it back, but just inches further. 

78': Blood!  Yellow for ESP.  Knee to head coming together.  Interesting long delay, since there was a yellow, player does not have to come off the field (but will change off field anyway).  Thanks, Fox TV for the interesting tidbit!  Back playing in 82'.

87': It's the 87th minute but doesn't feel like it with all the injuries, VAR, and subs.  No panic or urgency yet.  Crowd also very quiet.

90':  13 min of stoppage (29% of the normal 45)!!!  1 more than the 12 given at end of Netherlands-Spain Round of 16.

90'+2: Great ESP possession for a couple minutes leads to a kick save.  No urgency by ENG yet, but 11 more min of stoppage still to go.

90'+7:  Still 7 min to go.  Very odd atmosphere, very quiet crowd.  But Brian/Rob/Tony don't care if it stays this way.

90'+10:  In stoppage, time, ESP leads on shots 4-0 as ENG can't get possession.

104:18: ENG finally makes it into the box and gets a corner but the CK is smothered by the GK. Whistle blows!  ESP wins first WWC and adds hardware to their U17 (2018 & 2022) and U20 titles (2022).  And without some of their best players in protest.  Young team will only get better.  Congrats to Tom J, Brian B, Rob C, and Tony N for winning money!  Paul T and Mark H will wonder where was ENG all second half?  Did they know they were down 1-0?

Host Pushed Aside (8/19)

PREPARING FOR TROICAL STORM IN LA MIRADA, CA - Even with no corner kicks (their forte), 1G-Sweden still easily took care of the hosts, 1B-Australia, 2-0 in the 3rd place match.  Both teams took it seriously with strong starting lineups and a lot of chippiness including a great two-handed shove by AUS on the SWE player.  SWE gets their fourth 3rd place medal to along with a 2nd place finish.  5 semifinals in 9 tourneys is pretty good, but still no trophy to show for it.  

The hosts survived a 2nd match shock loss to Nigeria before shocking France in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.  Record TV ratings supported the team throughout the tourney though AUS tied for the most losses (3) with four other teams (AUS played 4 more games).

Lots of soccer news with USWMT needing a new coach, Messi mania as he goes for a trophy in Leagues Cup, and MLS's LA teams postponing Sunday matches due to tropical storm (from Hurricane Hilary) set to hit Sunday (really, with LAGvLAFC postponed earlier this year, both LA teams have two home games moved due to weather).

Tiebreakers do not matter for the top 4 spots but the total goals tiebreaker is at 2 with one match to go.  Will Tom J win with Kds911-2 (ESP wins) or Kds911-3 (ENG wins) and can he place both in 1st and 2nd (ENG wins)?  7 entries vying for the final 3 money spots.

Kerr-fuffle (8/16)

EL SEGUNDO, CA - In front of a sellout crowd of 75,784, 1B-Australia's injured superstar Sam Kerr walloped a 22-yard strike in the 63' to level the match with 1D-England at 1.  But a bad shielding play allowed ENG to poke one in 8 minutes later en route to a 3-1 final score.  Kerr had several more opportunities but tired legs (it was her first start) skied one high from close range.  The will-she or won't-she start put Kerr in a bad spot of playing the whole match, where the first 45 was uneventful.  

ENG makes its first WWC final and hope to raise a second trophy after winning the Women's Euros last July.  Hopefully host AUS will soon realize that going after that 3rd place finish will reward the tremendous fans with one final victory lap.  ENG v ESP should be high-quality passing and entertaining soccer with two giants battling it out.

21 entries had ENG making the Final with Kds911-2 (1st, 131) and The Naomi Girma Era (2nd-Tied, 119) getting both ENG and ESP.  21 had neither.  ENG and ESP were each picked by 5 entries to win it all, behind USA's 26 and GER's 6.  Thus, we don't know which entry will win the pool.  But we do know it will be Tom J, as he wins with either Kds911-2 (ESP win) or Kds911-3 (4th, 118) (ENG win).  An ENG win will give him 1st and 2nd!  And his main entry, Kds911 is tied for 2nd but is eliminated while Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! is 11th but can still win 4th.  The Naomi Girma Era is tied for 2nd but can't win the pool while Kds911-3 is 4th but can still win the pool.  7 entries are alive but only Kds911-2 is guaranteed money, leaving 7 vying for the final 3 money spots.

Deja Vu (8/15)

HOME, CA - I know it was past 2:30 am and I have been traveling with little sleep and just got back to the West Coast, but didn't I see this before?  Once again, 2C-Spain scored in the 81' like they did against the Netherlands.  Once again, ESP relaxed and allowed their opponent to tie it very late as 1G-Sweden took 7:01 to strike back in the 88', like NED tied it in the 90'+1.  And once again, ESP scored the game-winner, this time just 90 seconds later in the 89' instead of in Extra Time.  The 2-1 win put ESP in their first Final and SWE is now 1-4 in WWC semifinals.  Of all things, a corner kick led to the game-winning goal and this time it was from ESP, not SWE.

For a team where 12 players sat out of the WWC to protest the coach, ESP's 1.5 team is pretty good.  SWE, who had goal line technology and the crossbar on their side this tournament (GLT for game-winning PSO goal vUSA, GLT for no goal off JPN's PK off the crossbar), could not escape this time as the ball off the crossbar bounced easily inside the goal.

7 had ESP making the final while two lost SWE as their champion, leaving 8 entries alive and just 3 who can win the pool.  Although 3 entries can win, it's actually between two people.  Rob C (CarinJennings-IsGOAT (2nd, 117 pts) wins the pool if 1B-Australia wins their semifinal and Tom J (Kds911-2 (1st, 122) or Kds911-3 (6th, 109)) wins if 1D-England wins their semifinal.  Only Kds911-2 has clinched at least a tie for 4th place so 7 entries are vying for the final 3 spots.  Lavelle Lover is 3rd (113) but can't win the pool while Kds911-3 can win it.  Kds911 is 4th but is eliminated while Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! is 12th but finish 4th.

And Messi scored again - he's scored in six straight matches.

Thrillers (8/12)

OTTAWA, ON - Missed the 3 am and 6 am EDT matches due to IEEE Sections Congress here at the Shaw Center and was spoiled on both matches.  However, watching the replay of the entire 1B-Australia and 1F-France penalty shootout was crazy.  The tourney's 10th nil-nil tie saw a record 10-round PSO with AUS coming up on top, 7-6. AUS's GK made back-to-back saves (the first she was off her line too early, the re-take, guessed right again), 4 posts were hit (only 1 bouncing in for a goal), and another GK took a kick (AUS's game-clincher hit the right post in the 5th round).  Host AUS's win prevented an all-Euro semifinals.

1D-England rallied to beat 1H-Colombia, 2-1, the 6th time a team allowed to first goal and won.  The Euro winners got a lucky game tying goal right before halftime (7th minute of stoppage) as the GK fumbled for an easy tap in.  No one will forget the great fans of COL making every game a home game or their purple jerseys.  COL outshot ENG 15-9.

Wore my IEEE Rising Stars jersey promoting our 10th anniversary in front of the Ottawa sign in ByWard Market area going to a restaurant Somewhere.  No, seriously, the place is called Somewhere Dine Bar.

AUS's win guaranteed Kds911-2 at least a tie for 4th place as 18 picked AUS to make the semis.  26 picked ENG as 13 both both games correct while 16 got none.  Two lost FRA as their champ.  10 got 3 of 4 semifinalists while 7 got none of the teams correct.  Tom J's three entries are the top 3.  Kds911-2 still leads with 113 pts with Kds911 second with 110 pts (but can't finish higher than 4th), and Kds911-3 third with 109 pts.  

7 other entries are still alive and five can still win the pool.  CarinJennings-IsGoat (4th, 108) has the best chance to win the pool (37.5%).  More$ is 7th (105) but is eliminated while The Naomi Girma Era is tied for 12th and can finish 2nd.  The aforementioned Kds911 can't win the pool while Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!! is 11th (103) but can still win it all.

The Final Four scenarios are below:

If SPAIN beats AUSTRALIA in Final…
1st	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	140
2nd	Kds911-2	136
3rd	Lavelle Lover	127
4th	The Naomi Girma Era	124
If AUSTRALIA beats SPAIN in Final…
1st	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	126
2nd	Kds911-2	122
3rd	Eggman 2	116
4th	Lavelle Lover	113
If SPAIN beats ENGLAND in Final…
1st	Kds911-2	145
2nd	The Naomi Girma Era	133
3rd	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	131
4th	Lavelle Lover	127
If ENGLAND beats SPAIN in Final…
1st	Kds911-3	132
2nd	Kds911-2	131
3rd	Jolly Old England	129
4th	Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!!	126
If SWEDEN beats AUSTRALIA in Final…
1st	ShrimpOnTheBarbie	127
2nd	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	117
3rd	Eggman 2	116
4th	Kds911-2	113
If AUSTRALIA beats SWEDEN in Final…
1st	CarinJennings-IsGOAT	117
2nd	Eggman 2	116
3rd-Tied	ShrimpOnTheBarbie	113	Tie:	2.5	Wins 3rd if <=5, 4th if >=6
3rd-Tied	Kds911-2	113	Tie:	8.0	Wins 4th if <=5, 3rd if >=6
If SWEDEN beats ENGLAND in Final…
1st	ShrimpOnTheBarbie	136
2nd	Kds911-2	122
3rd	Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!!	121
4th	Kds911	119
If ENGLAND beats SWEDEN in Final…
1st	Tiocfaidh Ár Lá!!!	135
2nd	Kds911-3	132
3rd	Jolly Old England	129
4th-Tie	ShrimpOnTheBarbie	122	Tie:	2.5	Wins 4th if <=5
4th-Tie	Kds911-2	122	Tie:	8.0	Wins 4th if >=6

Switchback (8/11)

PARC DE LA GATINEAU, CHELSEA, QC - So confused.  Where was this 1G-Sweden team who were crisp and creative in the first half instead of the defensive-minded team vs USA with just one shot on goal in 120 minutes?  And where was this tentative 1C-Japan team who were without a shot for 67 minutes instead of the clinical attacking team vs 2C-Spain and Norway?  

And then just like that, they switched back as SWE survived a missed JPN PK, got another ball goal line technology go their way (no goal for JPN off a wicked direct free kick), and weathered a late surge.  And then just like that, JPN's passing was short and crisp which led to 11 shots in the final 22 minutes+ and several chances for game-tying goal, but eventually fell short, 2-1.  Credit to SWE who outplayed JPN at their own game in the first half and then at the end, got their passing game back to waste time in stoppage.  The short JPN passing is so fun to watch and it's too bad they waiting too long to turn it back on.  SWE's GK came up with another clutch save in stoppage time and the one goal she allowed, she was slightly injured after that wicked free kick went off the crossbar and JPN recovered and put two shots in quick succession.  

ESP got a PK in the 81' but 1E-Netherlands fought back with some life finally and tied it in the 90'+1 (of 12 (!) minutes of added time).  NED then had two great chances in extra time but didn't get it on frame either time and then shortly thereafter ESP came down and scored the game-winner in 111'.  So we won't get a ESPvJPN rematch but we get an all-Euro semifinal (maybe the 1st of 2 depending on 1D-England and 1F-France results).  While in Ottawa, Subway had a CAN WNT promo with Christine Sinclair so had to get one (not hers, but the Canadian Classic) wearing my second Japan fan shirt, a 2022 Ukiyo-e version, which is a great blue wave combination.

18 got ESP and 16 SWE in the semifinals.  But no one got both as 34 went 1-1 (cause, USA should be in the semis, right?).  No change at the top with Kds911-2 still leading with 99 points with More$ 98 and Lavelle Lover 97.  But it's ShrimpOnTheBarbie (13th-Tied, 90) with the best chance to win the pool at 28.1% while Kds911-2 moves closer to money (71.9%).  More$ is 2nd but can't win the pool while ShrimpOnTheBarbie is tied for 13th and can win the pool.  Flying Elvi is tied for 13th and is eliminated while Sebastian is tied for 30th (83) and can still win 2nd.  Tiny Destroyer is still last (58).

Issue #8.2.1 "Early Exit Polls" (After Round of 16)

 Archive

Tuesday, August 8, 2023 

Dailies: Aug 5-6-7-8 

CHAMPS DOWN; ENGLAND SURVIVES; TOP TEAMS DAZZLE
Kds911-2 maintains 1-point lead but Lavelle Lover has best chance to win pool

HOME, CA (smt) --  Showing that their 4-0 loss to 1C-Japan was just a fluke, 2C-Spain exploded to a 4-1 halftime lead (scoring all 5 goals since 1A-Switzerland's goal was a Spanish own goal) to reach the quarterfinal in a 5-1 rout while JPN methodically broke a 1-1 halftime tie in a comfortable 3-1 win over 2A-Norway in a battle between #11 JPN and #12 NOR.  A potential rematch between JPN and ESP in the semifinals looms but they will have to win their quarterfinal matches first. 1F-France easily beat #72 2H-Morocco 4-0 and host 1B-Australia took care of business winning 2-0 over 2D-Denmark, that saw the brief return of Sam Kerr.  1E-Netherlands took advantage of winning the group beating #54 2G-South Africa, 2-0.

What wasn't a fluke?  2E-USA not being able to score.  Despite more controlling play, a stifling defense that only allowed one shot on goal, and lots of opportunities (21 shots, 12 on goal), USA went a full 120 minutes against 1G-Sweden scoreless (extending the goalless streak to 238 minutes) and then missed (not saved) three penalty kicks to lose 5-4.  A goal line technology "goal" showing the whole ball crossing the line by a hair was emblematic of USA's story this WWC.   That the highly reliable Meagan Rapinoe skied a penalty (years since she missed?) shows this WWC just didn't fit right with the USWNT, with odd substitutions, soft second yellow cards (not in this match though, the ref let them play), and talent on the field that looked more like an all-star team playing for the first time rather than a team.  If you look at it, USA only allowed two shots on goal the whole tournament.  Only allowed one goal (tied for best).  They tied and lost in the PSO to the #3 team in the world (not Nigeria, not Colombia).  #3.  They will finish 9th in this WWC as the best of the R16 losers but it doesn't make it any better (though Germany, Canada, and Brazil will say what about us?).

Back to Normal? (8/8)

HOME, CA - #5 1F-France scored four more goals and #25 1H-Colombia finally beat a team worse than them.  FRA left no doubt building a 3-0 halftime lead in beating #72 2H-Morocco, 4-0 including a wicked shot past an offside player who didn't interfere but watched the ball bounce off the left post and in.  MAR was ranked 67 spots worse than FRA but MAR had beaten #17 Korea Rep (55 spots better) and COL (47 spots better) but back to normal reigned supreme.  The aforementioned loss to MAR meant COL had only beat teams better than them (#2 Germany & KOR) but managed to squeak out a 1-0 win over #43 2F-Jamaica.  JAM allowed their first goal of the tourney and it cost them (they finished an odd 1 goal for-1 goal against in 4 matches).

So 7 of the 8 group winners made the quarterfinals (sorry, 1A-Swiss) which is why USA, you needed to score goals and win the group.  All 3 African and both CONCACAF teams lost while both Asian/Australian teams advanced with 5 Europeans and South American COL.  Wore my 2019 away France hexagon-dot jersey with rose pink logo in front of the sprawling Downey Kaiser hospital campus.

39 got FRA and GenX99er (21st, 81 pts) got COL.  40 went 1-1 while 7 went 0-2.  For the Round of 16, eight got 6 of 8 teams and two (Pink Penguino (45th, 66) and Rutin4Putin (46th, 64)) got just 2 of 8.  Kds911-2 maintains the one point lead (92 pts) over More$ with Lavelle Lover and Vlatko Better Win tied for 3rd (90).  Leader Tom J also sits tied for 5th (Kds911 (89)) and tied for 8th (Kds911-3, 88).  Tiny Destroyer is still last (58) but Rutin4Putin is the only entry that can't pick up any more points.

Despite picking COL, FRA winning eliminated GenX99er from the money along with two others, leaving 25 entries still in the running.  While leader Kds911-2 has the best chance to finish in the top 4 (51.6%), it's Lavelle Lover with the best chance to win the pool now (14.8%).  9 entries have a better than 1 in 5 chance to win money and 13 can still win the pool as the #3, #4, #5, and #6 ranked teams are still alive.

Hawkeye is tied for 10th (87) but can't win the pool while Jota is tied for 18th (82) and can still be champ.  Flying Elvi is tied for 16th (83) but is eliminated while Sebastian is tied for 34th (76) and can still win 2nd place.

One Step Forward, One Step on Back (8/7)

KAISER HOSPITAL, DOWNEY, CA - Like the #1 USA, #4 1D-England has had trouble scoring, barely beating #53 Haiti and #13 Denmark by 1-0 scores.  An outburst against China PR gave fans hope, but once again ENG struggled, not scoring in 120 minutes vs #40 2B-Nigeria.  NGA at one point outshot ENG 6-0 but NGA also had to settle for their 3rd 0-0 match.  Despite being a player up for 33 minutes due to a bonehead stomp by ENG's Lauren James on a downed NGA's player back that VAR correctly notified the ref "nope, that's a definite red, not yellow", NGA couldn't find the game-winner.  In penalties, 3 of the first 4 players missed (1 ENG, 2 NGA) before ENG nailed the last three, downing NGA 4-2.

Talk about being the focal point of the game, VAR intervened on a judgement call in the box and prodded the ref to change her call in the 31', negating the foul and penalty kick.  It didn't seem like a suggestion, but an order from up high.  Not clear and obvious and too bad the VAR officials wanted their 15 minutes of fame.

Meanwhile, co-host 1B-Australia weathered an early 2D-Denmark attack and got a goal in each half to advance to the quarters, 2-0.  Sam Kerr entered this WWC for the first time in the 80' after the brouhaha of her injury status at the start of the first match.  Wore my 2008 home AUS jersey when the cartoon kangaroo was in the logo.

46 had ENG making the quarters and 32 AUS and 27 got both while Rutin4Putin missed both.  Six R16 matches in, ten have gotten 5 of 6 teams and four only got 2 of 6.  Kds911-2 leads with 87 points with More$ second with 86.  Lavelle Lover and Vlatko Better Win are tied for 3rd (85).  Just 4 entries were eliminated leaving 28 alive and just one can't win the pool, leaving 16 with a chance to win the pool.  Kds911-2 has the best chance at 1st (15.6%) and money (59.8%).  Hawkeye is tied for 10th but can't win the pool while GenX99er is 26th but can still win it.  Sieger is tied for 13th (80) but is eliminated while Sebastian is tied for 34th and can still finish 2nd.  Tiny Destroyer is last with 53 pts (but can get up to 72 pts).

Unforced Errors (8/6)

HOME, CA - Half the quarterfinal field is set and it will be without '95 champion Norway, 2-time champion ('03 and '07) champion Germany, and now, without 4-time champion ('91, '99, '15, and '19) 2E-USA who were ousted 5-4 in the penalty kick shootout to 1G-Sweden.  Only '11 champ 1C-Japan is still alive.  There was no switch to turn on as USA went the last 238 minutes without a goal and missed four penalties (3 in the PSO).  They played much better against #3 SWE and lost in the most bizarre way, a goal line technology on the last kick indicating the entire ball crossed the line by a hair, giving SWE the win.

For me, tie goes to the runner so even if you can't see the hair between the ball and line, I'm good calling it a goal. USA outshot SWE 21-8 but couldn't get it past GK Zecira Musovic, who made 11 saves but ironically, none in the 7-round penalty shootout, because the U.S. completely missed the goal in 3 of their last 4 kicks.  Bizarre.  

Who didn't miss for the U.S.?  Alyssa Naeher who had one save and scored one goal in the PSO.  The bright spot for the Americans is the defense as they limited SWE to just 3 CKs (SWE had 4 goals off corners) but geez, why is a SWE free kick near the mid-field circle so much more dangerous and nerve-wrecking than a Megan Rapinoe corner kick or free kick outside the box.  Poor set piece deliveries and skying high a penalty kick will be the last moments of her stellar WWC career.  

An entertaining first half with saves galore saw 1E-Netherlands get two fortunate goals, one off a rebound and one that went through the GK's hands to make the 2-0 win more comfortable than it should be.  This was the first time 2G-South Africa didn't take the lead (or score) but tried in having more shots (14-12) and shots on goal (7-5) with just 27% possession.  RSA's Thembi Kgatlana had 5 of her 7 shots saved by NED's GK.

Of course, by not winning their group, the SWEvUSA was a 2 am PDT kickoff vs a 7 pm kickoff (NEDvRSA).  And of course, this was the one game the past two days going to extra time, making it a 3-hour game.  Wore my red/white/blue 2014 USA away jersey while casting to my brand new 3-laser short throw projector upstairs (had to move down to my OLED since my son was sleeping upstairs.

34 had SWE and 9 had NED making the quarters but 46 lost USA (including 26 who pegged them as champions).  43 went 1-1 with 4 going 0-2.  No change at the top with Kds911-2 in first (77 pts) and More$ is second (76).  Tiny Destroyer still in last (48).

Finally, I have the possibilities table.   With 11 matches left, just 15 entries have been eliminated, leaving 32 vying for one to the top 4 prize spots.  We don't have enough entries to do a Bonus but should be an interesting finish.  17 can still win first, despite USA (picked by 26), GER (6), and BRA (1) out.  ENG (5), ESP (5), FRA (2), and SWE (2) are still in it.  Leader Kds911-2 has the best chance to win the pool (18.5%) and win money (52.5%).  Of those who can't win the pool, 3am Down Under (22nd-Tied, 69) has the best chance to win money (12.6%).  Flying Elvi is tied for 10th (73) but can't win the pool while GenX99er is tied for 28th but can still be champion.  Panama Red and The Ghost of Mia Hamm each have 67 pts (25th-T) but are eliminated while, ironically, Rapinoe's Last Stand is tied for 39th (62) but can still finish 2nd.

Is it Possible?

Yeah, USA... That was highly improbable.  But what about winning money in the pool?  There are 4 spots up for grabs (no Bonus) for the $470 pot.  Just 15 entries have been eliminated as 32 can still win something.  Despite the top two choices, USA and GER eliminated, three teams (ESP, ENG, SWE) are still alive to win the title which means 17 entries can still win the pool.

There is now a tab above for "Possibilities" and you can see what percent of the 2,048 possible outcomes you can win something.  Kds911-2 (1st, 77 pts) has the best chance to win the pool (18.5%) and money (52.5%).

Trying different ways to speed up Excel but didn't quite work out, thus, this is the debut of the Possibilities table (usually, it's after the Round of 16 when 32,768 possible outcomes are run).