World Cup

This Thursday, the USA will play Ghana in a first-round matchup between two teams that really ought to win if they want to advance. The US need to beat Ghana and hope for Italy to beat Czech Republic. If the confidence the Americans gained from getting a draw with Italy carries over, then we've got a pretty good shot. Now let's get to the important stuff. The favorites Brazil have won their first two matches, though they've looked very vulnerable along the way. As I mentioned here, Brazil have a player boringly named "Fred" in their lineup. I was listening to the radio on Sunday and heard Fred score a goal against Australia. Indeed, beware the dreadful footballing might of FRED. Brazil have now won nine straight World Cup games, which is really remarkable. They won all seven four years ago and two so far this year. When you consider that two teams of greatly unequal talent and/or skill often play to a tie, the fact that they've been able to keep winning in regulation against this level of competition is really impressive. Argentina used a 6-0 beatdown over Serbia & Montenegro to claim the label of most impressive squad so far. With a 3-1 comeback over Tunisia, Spain look like #2. The biggest surprise so far could be Ecuador, who sits atop their group with Germany. They've each scored five, but the Germans have allowed two.

The best part about FIFA's website that I've found is the Flickr Gallery. Fans can email their photos in to the site and give links to more that they've taken at the World Cup. My favorite so far is here.