USA-Slovenia, England-Algeria

Had the pleasure of watching both Group C matches in full today. My thoughts:

- The phantom foul on the goal was on Bocanegra. I'm not saying it was right -- it wasn't -- but I'm nearly positive that's what the ref saw. He hooked his arm around the defender and I think from the ref's angle it looked like Bocanegra was the aggressor.

- The inflated expectations for this game, the size of Slovenia (the nation-state), and the fact that no one could name a single Slovenian player are what have us disappointed in not getting the W today. The fact is that Slovenia is not that bad and we're not that good. Most of their players play in top European leagues. They made it through a tough qualifying process. Not the toughest qualifying group, but would the US have picked up 20 points against Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and San Marino? Somehow I doubt it.

- The US is not that good. Our backline is slow and prone to really bad position play, especially Gooch and Demerit. We've gotten better at keeping the ball, but we make so little out of our possession. Not enough shots on goal. Slow starters. Tactically naive. Not sure what Bradley was thinking with the Clark for Torres switch. I like Torres, but it really underestimated our opponent to think we'd just own the ball all game.

- I thought Edu was awful in his time on the field. Very shaky on the ball.

- McNamaman was wrong and Lalas was right: England just aren't that good. The English game suits these players, and when they play with their clubs in Europe, they're surrounded by more talent, more sophistication, more creativity. I do think Gerrard is really trying to push them, to make those surging runs, but it hasn't happened for him (beyond the 5th minute of the US game). Lampard and Rooney have been worthless and, frankly, look kind of disinterested. Carragher's yellow was a blessing in disguise, as he has looked a little out of his element (which pains me to say as a 'pool fan); he'll sit the third game and I think Upson would be a better option (I'm not the only one).

- Algeria will be every bit as difficult as Slovenia was. If I'm not mistaken, if Algeria win and England and Slovenia draw, Algeria go through. I'm not sure, but if England win I don't think Algeria can advance, even if they win (they'd be tied with Slovenia, who beat them head-to-head).

More later. Gonna be a wild final day in this group.

Best Goal of the World Cup So Far (Day 5)

Who would've guessed that after 5 days of matches, we'd have seen only two goals from outside the penalty area and both of those (Slovenia's winner against Algeria and Dempsey's now-infamous shot that England keeper Robert Green spilled in the USA's 1-1 draw) were pretty ugly. Sure, they all count, but everyone wants to see a blast from thirty yards fly into the net beyond a diving goalkeeper.

Worse still is the lack of goals. Those who know me know that I love defense. In football, in basketball, and in soccer, I appreciate a tactical chess match where two sides punch each other in the face a few times in a low-scoring, intense affair. I thought the Mexico-South Africa game was a fine game - not high scoring, but with plenty of attacking and great last ditch tackles by defenders. All these complaints about the ball being used, the playing surface, and the vuvuzelas in the crowd add up to one thing: quality is down. The quality has been poor. Of the big teams to play so far, only Germany has truly impressed. England and France were downright disappointing, and the Netherlands were unusually dull yesterday despite the attacking talent they have to offer.

I'd still take South Africa's opening goal as the tournament's finest, simply because of the sheer perfection of the far upper corner ("upper V", as we used to say) finish. But for the sake of posting some new material, I'm posting my runners-up below:

Cacau - Germany 4, Australia 0


Alcarez - Italy 1, Paraguay 1

US - England prediction

Writing this just minutes before they kick off.

Alexi Lalas is nuts and predicted the awful Greeks to advance to the second round. He just called 2-1 to the Yanks. I wish. I'd love to see a draw, but I think England is too talented. Remember, this is a team that didn't seem to have any chemistry problems as they coasted through qualifying. Capello is about as tactically shrewd as they come, and England will be ready to exploit US weaknesses, of which there are many (3/4 of the backline, holding midfield, possession play in the final third).

England 2, USA 0. I don't want to see it happen but I think it will.

The key is for the US to make it to the thirty minute mark scoreless. No early goals allowed. I'll also wager that Bradley gets second guessed on this Onyewu-DeMerit partnership, but we'll see.

Goal of the World Cup (so far)

Not too much to choose from, thanks to a lame French team and an even lamer Greek team.

But the best of the bunch so far is, beyond doubt, Tshabalala's opener for the host South African team. A wonderful past and an inch perfect finish, the kind of finish kids dream about.

Have I done this before?

I'm finally done with the semester and back to blogging, which I've been looking forward to. I hope the coming months involve a lot of posts, particularly with the World Cup on the way and some interesting road trips ahead for JGC and I.

Here's a little video for you loyal readers out there. I pose the question: is this the most joyous moment in the history of pop music the twenty seconds that Ed Sullivan spends introducing the band? You can hear the audience just waiting to go freaking nuts. The anxiety of anticipation is palpable.

Now the Beatles actual set is really good, though not great. "Til There Was You"? Absolutely not a rock and roll choice, but these guys were pop stars at heart, and they were playing their way into the hearts of millions of Americans who had previously listened exclusively to Pat Boone. Also, "She Loves You" is one of the most roaring singles of the entire decade -- they kinda hide it in the third slot. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" lags too, unfortunately. In short, they'd play better and sharper, but there's just nothing like this for pure enthusiasm and joy. I'd advise anyone down in the dumps to watch it daily and tell me with a straight face they don't feel better.

There's even great irony in the performance, when Sullivan shares the telegram from Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker -- as Elvis began to lose it, the Fab Four reported that Elvis later tried to get the Beatles kicked out of the country.

Enjoy, and maybe I'll post their second night on Sullivan later.

There's a room where the lights won't find you

I have mixed feelings about Ted Leo. Blasphemy in DC, I know, but I just don't really love him that much. Seen him twice, both were good, not great performances. I like maybe a half dozen of his songs, but in fairness to him, haven't really heard either of his last two discs. Does seem like both a really funny and really nice guy though, so right on to that.

So Ted Leo covering Tears for Fears? Well, actually I've always had a soft spot for Tears for Fears. My dad, who has excellent taste in music on the whole, used to be a big fan of theirs, and once claimed that "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was one of his favorite songs of all-time. I'm not kidding about this. He also would probably tell you that "Neon Rainbow" by the Box Tops is his favorite Alex Chilton song, but hey, to each his own. I shouldn't judge. After all, he's the man I owe for all most of my important, lasting allegiances anyway. For those keeping score at home that includes the Redskins, the Beatles over the Stones which is really a no brainer in my opinion, and pork, rather than beef, when it comes to barbecue.

A long-winded introduction, but anyway...here's Ted Leo and the Pharmacists very ably doing "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" on this cool new thing AV Club is doing called "Undercover". Check 'er out:

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Degree of Separation: Antoine Walker and Neil Young

If I asked you how many degrees of separation there were between rock and roll legend Neil Young and Kentucky hoops great Antoine Walker, what would you say? Much like that Kevin Bacon game from way back when, but better -- I can connect them in one move. Ready?

Kentucky Wildcats basketball fans may remember this name: Geno Ford. Back when 'Toine was a highly-touted but unproven freshman, Ford was the Ohio University point guard. Ohio, led by Gary Trent, were expected to have a great year and the Cats brought them to Rupp for an early season nonconference game.

At some point in the second half, Walker was defending Ford man-to-man at the top of the key. He pounded the floor to signal his dedication to the cause, and then Ford promptly blew by him, scored, and got fouled for the old-fashioned three point play. We cruised to victory -- that was the OU team that had Gary Trent, I believe -- but that was a memorable moment and kinda put the freshman (who would go on to dominate most others who crossed his path over the next two years) in his place.

So anyhow, Geno Ford is the Kent State head basketball coach now. Who knew?

So if someone asks you how many degrees of separation there are between 'Toine and Neil Young, the answer is one:

Antoine Walker > schooled by Geno Ford, who is currently the coach at Kent State > site of 1970 protest and shooting, immortalized in Neil Young tune "Ohio"