"The Sweet Sixteen"

Well, the first two weeks of the 2010 FIFA World Cup are in the books.  The tournament is about halfway over now, as there are little more than two weeks left.  We've already seen some beautiful goals and dramatic endings, but the best is surely yet to come.  This is where it really begins to get exciting.

Half of the teams have been eliminated.  Among the fallen are some surprises, like Italy and France.  But at the expense of some of the ousted favorites, some exciting underdogs have advanced like Japan, South Korea and Slovakia. 

Now 16 teams remain, and they will battle it out for the trophy and title of World Champions in a single elimination tournament.  There will be no more tie games now- if a match is tied after 90 minutes, two 15 minutes halves of extra-time will follow.  There is no "Golden Goal" rule anymore, so all 30 minutes will be played, no matter what.  If the match is still level after that, it will be decided by the dreaded penalty kicks.  After the last matches finished this afternoon, the round of sixteen bracket was complete:

The USA's Path to Glory 

The dramatic goal by Landon Donovan in the 91st minute of the Algeria game may have done more than save American hopes (and send the nation into raptures), it gave them a shot at making a run in the knockout round.  The American team was only 3 or 4 minutes away from an early flight home before Donovan's goal not only ensured them passage into the knockout round, but also helped the Americans top Group C.  While it's definitely a source of pride to win a group featuring England, there are real tangible rewards as well. 

By finishing first in the group, the Americans have a much easier path in the bracket, as you can see above.  England has to get through Germany and (likely) Argentina to make the semi-finals, while the Americans play Ghana and then (if they win) South Korea or Uruguay.  There are certainly no pushovers in the knockout round of the World Cup, but it could have been a whole lot worse!  One could be forgiven for already looking far ahead- for example Spanish star Cesc Fabregas is already penciling the USA into the Semi-Finals!  I wouldn't look that far ahead myself, the USA needs to focus on Ghana first.

The matchup against Ghana (11:30AM PT, Saturday) will be challenging.  The USA are the better team on paper, but not by much.  Ghana is the last African team left in the tournament and many expect them to have massive support in stands, and maybe even special backing from FIFA or the officials.  The Americans will be looking for revenge against the African side who knocked them out of the 2006 World Cup under controversial circumstances (see a theme here?).  Most American fans seem to anticipate Ghana proving little resistance:

The Ghana match on Saturday morning is obviously one to watch, but at this point, every game is pretty much a "must watch" game.  Here's the schedule of the eight sweet-sixteen games (all times Pacific):


Saturday June 26th

7:00AM Uruguay vs. South Korea
This is probably one of the least attractive first knockout round games, and might have been one to miss, if not for the fact that the United States' next opponent will come from this matchup.  It's worth watching just for that.  I like Uruguay to win this one, close. 

11:30AM USA vs. Ghana
You can get plenty of build up and analysis for this one everywhere- just turn on SportsCenter, check out ESPN.com or SI.com.   Obviously this is one to watch.  I like the US to win it, but it won't be easy.  The Americans will be facing a new sort of pressure, favored to win in the knockout round.  Will they be able to handle the pressure?  Traditionally they perform best as underdogs.


Sunday June 27th

7:00AM Germany vs. England
This is arguably the marquee matchup of the second round.  Well worth getting up at 7AM for, this one will be full of drama and tension.  England and Germany are perhaps the two most fierce rivals in Europe, with the rivalry going back over 50 years.   I like the Germans to win this one, on penalty kicks (as usual). 


11:30AM Argentina vs. Mexico
Another relatively tasty matchup, a rematch of the 2006 second round.  Argentina won then, and I expect them to do the same in South Africa.  Mexico have some attacking talent, but haven't really played any strong teams yet, and Argentina looks like one of the 2 or 3 best teams left.  Messi surely won't let them crash out this early.  


Monday June 28th

7:00AM Netherlands vs. Slovakia
Slovakia have been a nice story so far, and have gotten some great results.  They beat Italy 3-2 on Thursday, to eliminate the defending champs and advance to the knockout round.  The Dutch are a different class however, and have been improving in every game.  I expect Holland to take this one, breezing through to a comfortable victory. 


11:30AM Brazil vs. Chile
A fascinating early round matchup.  Brazil were the pre-tournament favorite of many (including yours truly) and won two of their three group stage matches (drawing the third). Yet even so, something has looked a bit off.   Everyone knew this wasn't the same flashy and beautiful flowing Brazil as years past, yet their play has still left something to be desired.  For a team built on defensive organization, they conceded some surprisingly sloppy goals to North Korea and Ivory Coast.  Against an organized Portuguese defense, they struggled to create chances and were held scoreless.  Will they pick up their play in the knockout round, or crash out early?  Chile likely won't provide a true test, but are an overwhelmingly offensive side, and could cause the Brazilians trouble.  I like Brazil to start playing better and take care of business in this one. 


Tuesday June 29th

7:00AM Paraguay vs. Japan
Along with South Korea vs. Uruguay, this is one of the least glamorous of the sweet-sixteen matchups.  Often however, it is these games that turn out the best.  I can't look past Japan with their amazing free-kicks and rising star Keisuke Honda.  


11:30AM Spain vs. Portugal
The first knockout round will close with a flourish, as these two Iberian rivals clash in Cape Town.  Spain bounced back well to win their group, after shockingly losing to the Swiss in their first matchup.  They were the favorite of many before the tournament, and would be hugely disappointed to go out so early.  But Portugal will give the Spanish side a serious test.  Star Cristiano Ronaldo hasn't had a signature game yet this tournament, and could be waiting for the right moment to break out.  This game is the hardest of the eight for me to pick, but in the end, I have to go with the Spanish.