Osler's Razor

Deutschland ueber alles.
 

Spain 1
Spain 2
Brazil
Germany

Spain looked so good in their warm-up against Poland that it made me believe they could almost put together two teams (kind of like bobsledding) that could win the World Cup. They are crazy good.

Brazil is always a favorite, and Germany can just plain score goal.

Biggest disappointment:
France--way too much talent to struggle so much
 

I have but one hope for this World Cup: for Germany to brutally and forcefully avenge themselves upon the body of the Italian team. Bunch of flopping nancies.

Spain is good, but Germany's performance against Australia was masterful.

I was also pleased that the USA squeaked by against the Limeys. Admittedly, we did so because their goalie fumbled the ball right into the net for us, but a goal is a goal is a goal.
 

Enjoying soccer is great. But supporting another country in any match against the US is treason and will be treated as such. They don't let them watch the World Cup in Guantanamo Bay.
 

U! S! A! U! S! A!
 

I actually thought the USA acquitted itself quite nicely against England. I think they were the better team for long stretches at the end of the 1st half and beginning of the 2nd half, and certainly deserved a goal and a draw in that game. Frankly, England is only as good as Wayne Rooney is going to allow them to be, and right now he looks exactly like a guy that just got done playing 60 games and has struggled with injuries for the last 2 months should.

Brazil is going to win. Germany, Spain, and probably Italy for the semifinals (shocking), but Brazil seems to be a team peaking at the right moment. Plus, world cups held outside of Europe, always gotta like Brazil.
 

Brazil.
The Brazil- Portugal game should be very good. Brazil is just an intense soccer machine.

The US-UK game really came down to goalies. Howard was just great, Greene gave us that goal.
 

RRL would say that Brazil is gonna win. I have it on good authority that RRL has Brazil in a pool
I, on the other hand, will say with objectivity that Spain is going to win.
The U.S. got a good result. And Germany (granted, it was against Australia, who played down a man most of the second half) looked VERY good.
I'd have to say:
1. Spain
2. Brazil
3. Germany
4. Argentina (as long as all Maradona does is cheerlead on the sideline and leaves the coaching to his assistants.)
 

Woody speaks the truth, but only half of it. Yes, I have Brazil in a pool. Woody is also in that pool. Before we picked teams I told him I thought Brazil would win, he told me he thought Spain would win. I picked Brazil, he picked Spain. Now he is spouting on and on about the virtues of Spain. Shocking. So, do we have rooting interests, sure we do. Lucky for me, mine is based in reality while Woody's is based on wishful thinking.

Another example of this can be found in Woody's Argentina pick. Maradona almost crippled the team by leaving a number of world class players off the team completely. But, leaving that aside, anyone that watched their match against a completely disorganized, young, and spotty Nigerian team saw two things: 1) Argentina couldn't close them out; and 2) Maradona was jumping around and acting like he was still on the Bolivian marching powder that forced him out of the game. I don't think you want your coach doing lines at halftime if you want to win the World Cup.
 

All for the glory of der Vaterland.

And sign me up for a double-wide at Gitmo, as long as there is a Montecristo, a glass of rum and a television with which to watch Germany win waiting for me as well.

Until then, I shall sustain myself on the tears of the British, as so many of my ancestors did in ages past.
 

I'm confused Lane, the Germans
sustain themselves on the tears of
the British? Is that what those
2 world wars were about? Or that
world cup final the Brits won over
the Germans?

RRL
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

No, no further back than that. My Germanic/Scandinavian ancestors that would raid the coast of England in longships. They fed on the tears of the British peasantry whose homes they burned.

Unfortunately, I don't think Finland or Norway have soccer, or any other recognizable sport that must be played on level ground not covered on permafrost and reindeer poo.
 

I looked it up, and the only sport that I could find played widely in Norway was Kyorögraskkennr, a rather vague game involving socialized medicine and Saab automobiles somehow.

Oh yeah, and there's only one team that could win the World Cup: Canada! Brazil might have great players and Britain might have invented the sport, but Canadians have grizzly bears and whatever the plural of moose is!
 

You are a Lego fan, but are you a soccer lego fan. This odd recreation of the England v. US match might be just your thing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXo2nm2ODF0
 

This comment has been removed by the author.
 

and the winner is......
ADIDAS and the screwy 'football' that all the players are complaining about. It has a mind of its own.

Apparently the ball was to blame for the US goal against England.
 

RRL,
Brazil looked pretty mighty eking out a win against the lowest-ranked team in the competition. N. Korea is so bad, they even listed their best striker as a goalkeeper, rendering him ineligible to play in the field during this cup. Nice.
And as for my "spouting on and on about the virtues of Spain," allow me to point you to the entirety of my comment about Spain: "I, on the other hand, will say with objectivity that Spain is going to win."
You're a slug on the tracks and the Spaniards are chugging your way. Choo-choo, baby, choo-choo.
 

Brazil may not have looked great beating North Korea, but they certainly looked better than Spain did losing to the Swiss.

Hahahahahahaha...nice pick.
 

Oh, I am so glad RRL commented after the Spain loss. I scrolled all the way down just to see it.

The upsets and the crazy emotions are the only thing about World Cup that I'm interested in. You couldn't pay me to watch more than a few minutes on TV.

I do like the Vuvuzela drone though