Haven't updated in a while

Since I last updated my two teams, USA and Mexico lost to Ghana and Argentina respectively. I really thought that this was the US's chance to make it to the semi-final. Because if they would have beaten Ghana they would've faced Uruguay and avoided the scary teams i.e. Brazil, Argentina, Netherlands, Spain until the semi-final. Mexico, I thought had a fighting chance but that was it, as history repeated itself.

I will continue blogging throughout the remainder of the world cup, however I will continue my hiatus until this weekend and the next round of games. Not only will I blog about those games but I will also chime in with my opinion of the direction US soccer should take in the coming months and years.

Preview: USA v Ghana

Today at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa The group C winners will face the group D runner ups in the Round of 16. As the knockout phase of the tournament begins the US finds itself in unfamiliar territory as winners of their group in the last 16 of the tournament. They will face Ghana, who have played solid defense but showed little offense as they scored only two goals (on penalties) during group play.

The starting lineups for each team can be found here.

Once again Oguchi Onyewu finds himself out of the starting XI and Ricardo Clark finds himself back in it. Robbie Findley assumes his starting spot after missing the Algeria game serving his suspension due to yellow card accumulation. Still no room for Edson Buddle which still baffles me and this is t one of the few times where I agree with the Ginger (Alexi Lalas).

Key Player for the US: Landon Donovan. He might not be the official captain but he's shown that he is the heart and soul of this team and the team follows his lead. If he disappears in this game it will be another repeat of the thrashing Ghana gave the US in the group stage in Germany 20006. But if he can avenge that poor display of four years ago and lead his team, the US will find themselves in the next round...the Elite Eight to put it in American terms.

Key player for Ghana: Asamoah Gyan. The scariest scoring threat I see in Ghana. Watch out for him having a breakthrough game and keep the hopes of the lone Africa nation still standing alive.

Prediction: I can see this going to penalties, and it is a toss up from there. However I will pick the US as winners in regulation 1-0.

Post Game: USA 1 - Algeria 0

Wow! Landon Donovan's strike on a rebound in the 92nd minute put the US on top of group C and into the round of 16.

Highlights from ESPN here

Preview: USA v Algeria

Today the Red, White and Blue will face the Desert Foxes in Pretoria for their third and final game of the group stage. The US will be assured of a place in the Round of 16 if they simply win. A tie coupled with an England loss also gets them in. The other scenario would be for England to tie without outscoring the US in their tie.

The Lineups
United States:
Goalkeeper: Time Howard
Defense (L to R): Bornstein, Bocanegra, DeMerit, Cherundolo
Midfield (L to R): Dempsey, Bradley, Edu, Donovan
Forwards: Gomez, Altidore

Algeria:
Goalkeeper: M'Bolhi
Defense: Belhadj, Yahia, Halliche, Bougherra
Midfield: Ziani, Lacen, Yebda, Kadir
Attacking Midfield: Djebbour
Forward: Matmour

Notable change in the lineup for the US: Oguchi Onyewu is not starting, in his place Carlos Bocanegra moves over and Jonathan Bornstein moves into the left back position. Robbie FIndley is suspended due to yellow card accumulation but in his place is not Edson Buddle but Herculez Gomez. Buddle has only seen a little bit of game time in this world cup , and that was in their first game against England. I cannot figure out why Bob Bradley continues to look past him.

Key player for the US: Jonathan Bornstein. IF he can prove his doubters wrong and show that he does have the pace and mental toughness to play at this level and if he can provide some early stability and put an end to the US giving up early goals, then the US offense will do the rest.

Key mathcup: US forwards against Algerian defense. England failed to create space and meaningful chances in their game against Algeria. The US forwards must have looked at how Algeria defended Wayne Rooney and should have found a way through. If they can open up and expose that defense it will lead to great result for the US. Jozy Altidore showed, in a couple of runs, last game against Slovenia that he is capable of holding the ball up.

Prediction: The US will score and give up a quick goal before they rebound and take the lead once more. The US will advance to the next round with a 2-1 win.

French Nightmare Over, South African Dream Crushed

France and South Africa were sent home packing today as Group A finished their group play today. South Africa's hopes of advancing were given a boost as they held a 2-0 lead over France at the half and Mexico trailed Uruguay 1-0 in the simultaneous match being played. South Africa's win brought them level on points with Mexico, who eventually lost but they were unable to make up the goal differential after a 2-1 win over France. Bafana Bafana end on a high note with a win over a once proud French team now in shambles but it now holds the distinction of being the only host nation to fail to advance to the second round.

Finally France can go home and think about everything that went wrong and hopefully put it all aside when Euro 2012 qualifiers begin in September. They will enter with the debacle of South Africa behind them as motivation and with a new coach and a new attitude. What is certain however is the status of French superstar Thierry Henry. He played little in his fourth World Cup and finished the club season on the bench for FC Barcelona. If a move to MLS is indeed in his future, who knows what kind of form the one time World Cup champion will be in once the qualifiers come around. It is just sad to see it end this way for Henry if this really is the end for Henry's career with Les Blues.

Post Game: Slovenia 2 - USA 2

This was a tale of two halves. The Slovenes very much dominated the first half grabbing a 2-0 lead going into the half. But smart substitutions by Bob Bradley to take out Jose Torres and Robbie Findley (who both especially Torres were disappointing) and brought in Benny Feilhaber and and Maurice Edu, and later switching to a 3-man defense by subbing in Herculez Gomez for Oguchi Onyewu.
The US played inspirationally well and they showed heart. It was sparked by a goal from the best US player ever Landon Donovan early in the second half. The US looked to have a goal in the 85th minute by Maurice Edu from a free kick from Donovan. It was disallowed by the worst referring job I've seen.

That was also a tale of a horrible referee. I have been applauding the jobs the refs have been doing during the World Cup. We can't dwell on this but everyone both on the English network and the Spanish network said there was nothing there to disallow the Edu goal. (Edu has a history of scoring late, important goals). If anything the ref could have given a penalty because of two separate instances in the box. There was no offisides or anything against the US upon seeing various replays. Its not like that was his only bad call against the US in that game. It was one of many for this guy making his World Cup debut as a ref.

Why did Bradley not start Buddle, I've been calling for Findley to sit forever and Buddle didnt even make an appearance off the bench. The US wasted another 45 minutes and showed their class in the second half. You have to wonder what the US could do if they concentrate in the first half.

Preview: USA v Slovenia

The US will face group C leaders Slovenia in their second game in the group stage. The US is tied with England for second in the group with 1 point apiece through their 1-1 draw and Slovenia leads the group through a 1-0 victory over Algeria.

Lineups:
USA:
Goalkeeper: Tim Howard; Defense (left to right: Bocanegra, Onyewu, DeMerit, Cherundolo; Midfield (left to right: Dempsey, Torres, Bradley, Donovan; Forwards: Altidore, Findley

Slovenia
Goalkeeper: Handanovic; Defense: Jokic, Cesar, Suler, Brecko; Midfield: Kirm, Radosavljevic, Koren, Birsa; Forwards: Novakovic, Ljubijankic


Key player for USA: Michael Bradley. He needs to be the man on the ball in the middle. When he's at his best he's a great holding midfield and a great passer who creates chances and also gets back on defense.

Key player for Slovenia: Robert Koren. He's their captain and best player and the goalscorer in last week's win over Algeria. Koren, who plays in England with West Brom, needs to be on his game for Slovenia to have a chance of beat the US.

Key matchup: Robert Koren v USA defense. Koren is Slovenia's biggest threat. The US shut down Wayne Rooney in their last game. If they can do the same for Koren the US will have an easier time getting three points out of this game.

Prediction: The US will step up on defense and keep a clean sheet. In the end the US attack of Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore will prove too much for Slovenia and they'll win 2-0.


For the US, it is the same lineup that faced England except for a change in midfield where Jose Torres replaces Ricardo Clark. It was Clark's mistake on marking Steven Gerrard that allowed England's first goal last week.

I still wonder why Robbie Findley is starting over Edson Buddle. Buddle had shown good form but is being relegated to a sub role. Findley's speed however should tire the Slovenian defense allowing for a goal for the US in the second half.

Slovenia might not be so easy

I buy into the notion that it is hard for a team to go from underdogs (v. England) to favorites now against tiny Slovenia. I do not however buy into the notion that the US will destroy Slovenia. I'm not confident, despite the draw, that the US can beat Slovenia, in what is a must-win game, assume England does its business against Algeria. The US has been very inconsistent and except for 1 and a half games last summer against Spain and Brazil in the Confederations cup they have not played like a team that should be heavily favored.

This is why some Americans will never be into soccer

Here's a horrible article from a one-time favorite writer of mine (at least when he was with Sports Illustrated, he's been garbage since joining ESPN.)Rick Reilly. Read it here.

I mean really Reilly? Come on now? Why must you be so American in wanting everything to change just because YOU don't like it. I was born and raised in America, so I consider myself American but I was raised in a Hispanic household. The rest of the world has NO PROBLEM with how the game is run! I love my the Red, White and Blue and I hope this sport grows here but seriously. There's a reason why the NFL and MLB aren't very popular around the world (and my favorite sport is baseball). The American mentality is to change something even if it's not broken, just because we don't like it. The World Cup is the world's biggest sporting event, bigger than the Super Bowl (yes my fellow Americans there is something in the world more watched than that yearly parade of new and expensive commercials). This is just flat out ignorance Reilly. I know you don't care much but you have officially lost a fan.

Post Game: USA 1 - England 1

Gerrard 4'
Dempsey 40'

A positive, albeit lucky result for the US thanks to England 'keeper Robert Green. Green will forever go down in not only England and US soccer history but in World Cup history for his horrible mistake just before the half on a Clint Dempsey shot to allow the Americans to tie up the game. This mistake will go down next to Diego Maradona's "hand of God" goal in English football lore and next to Joel Gaetjens' goal to beat the English in 1950.

From the way the English started and the way it appeared Tim Howard was down hurt, no one would've anticipated that the US would get out of the game with a point.

While the English owned the game early on it was the US that, while not taking control of the game, showed just how far US soccer has come over the years with their play on defense and on the counter attack. The best chance that the US had at taking the lead was in the middle of the second half when Jozy Altidore made a dazzling run on the left hide, cut into the box and made a nice shot into the near post that Green was able to deflect away.

Tim Howard's play today was sensational and he proved once again why he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Looks like he played hurt for much of the game but he was fearless and confident, by far my choice for man of the match.

Wayne Rooney was frustrated, and rightly so. So much expectation on him, and he was absent from time to time and the shots that made on target were saved by a spectacular Tim Howard. He did not have a bad game, but he certainly did not light it up.

Next up for the English in group play is Algeria and the US will face Slovenia. Algeria and Slovenia play tomorrow at 7:00 A.M. EST in the second match of group C. The US and England both will be rooting for a draw, a scoreless draw will be optimal.

Preview: England v USA

When: 2:30 EST
Where: Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa

Lineups:
England:
Goalkeeper: Robert Green;
Defense: Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Ashley Cole;
Midfield: Aaron Lennon, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, James Milner;
Forward: Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey


United States:
Goalkeeper: Tim Howard
Defense: Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra
Midfield: Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan
Forward: Jozy Altidore, Robbie Findley

Key Player for the US: Oguchi Onyewu. If the big defender can show that he is fit and shows some of the outstanding form he had last summer in South Africa, he will make life difficult for Wayne Rooney and England's attack. If he is sluggish and weak, England will run all over the porous US defense.

Key player for England: Wayne Rooney. Look for Wayne Rooney to have a big game, if Rooney displays something close to his form with Manchester United this season it will be an easy win for England

Key matchup: US forwards vs English defense. With Rio Ferdinand ruled out of the World Cup due to injury and oft-injured Ledley King in his place, with an Ashley Cole returning from injury and a John Terry who has not exhibited great form as of late look for the US strikers to take advantage if they want maximum points from this game

Injury Report: Rio Ferdinand is out of the tournament for England. Gareth Barry is still nursing an injury for England. Onyewu, Altidore and Bocanegra seem fit for the US.

Prediction: England will create opportunities and dominate much of the possession, the US will pack the box at times, but look for them to excel on the counter attack. In the end this will be a positive result for the US, a 1-1 draw.

I wonder why Edson Buddle isn't starting. He has shown excellent form of late and has been scoring goals in bunches. I guess Bradley chose Findley because of his excellent speed in order to wear out the older and oft-injured England back four. I'm sure Buddle will come on as a second half substitute. I wasn't impressed by Findley in any of the pre-tournament friendlies and I would have guessed Bradley would choose Herculez Gomez over Findley if he didn't want start Buddle. I hope Bradley is choosing Findley because of what he has shown at practice of late and not just based on a hunch.

Review of Early Games

Group B
Korea 2 - Greece 0
Argentina 1 - Nigeria 0

Korea dominated much of today's first match in South Africa. The defensive minded Greeks failed to create many chances. Lee Jung-Soo scored Korea's first goal in the seventh minute off a free kick from teammate Ki Sung-Yueng near the left corner flag. Korea captain and Manchester United player Ji-Sung Park scored in his third World Cup in the fifty-second minute off an intercepted pass and eluding two Greek defenders. Besides a couple of missed shots by Greece this was all Korea dominated and the Greeks failed to counter attack and played very cautiously and looked very much shell shocked after the early goal. This is Greece's second World Cup appearance, their last coming in USA 1994 and they are now 0-4 in four games with no goals scored (I said that they are defensive minded and that was not an exaggeration). Up next for Greece is Nigeria and Korea plays Argentina next week.

The second game was not nearly as close as the score indicated. The fact that Nigeria had a shot to tie it up late was thanks to their goalkeeper and man of the match Vincent Enyeama. Lionel Messi and co. played skillfully and seemed very much in-sync but shot after shot failed to find the net or was masterfully saved by the Nigerian 'keeper. The only goal of the game was scored early on off a corner-kick by defender Gabriel Heinze who was left all alone, like Rafa Marquez in yesterday's opening match.

It seems to me as if Nigeria respected Argentina too much and consistently crowded the box throughout the game to avoid giving up more goals. That weakened their counter attack, and the few chances they had on goal went wide of goal. Late in the game Nigeria seemed content to get out of there with a 1-0 loss and it seemed obvious most of the players accept that at least they weren't down 4-0 like they could have been.

Post Game: France 0 - Uruguay

This was an ugly, chippy, sloppy and dull game. It wasn't until Thierry Henry came in, in the last 15 minutes that this was a soccer game. Uruguay defended well but Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez failed to impress. France looked all the bit the uninspired team everyone has been talking about. This is a disappointment for France certainly and less so for Uruguay, although given the result of this morning's game each team saw an opportunity to grab a lead in the group. However, all four teams South Africa, Mexico, France, and Uruguay are all tied up at 1 point apiece.

Post Game: Mexico 1 - South Africa 1

Goals in the game were scored by Siphiwe Tshabalala for South Africa in the 55th minute and for Mexico in the 78th minute by Rafael Marquez.

This game was a tale of two halves. Mexico very much dominated the first half both with possession and approaches on goal. Bafana Bafana was lucky to to go into the break tied 0-0. The second half was all South Africa for the most part, except for a lapse after a corner kick in the final 15 minutes of the game.

The goal scored by Tshabalala was a wonderful left-footed strike into the top right corner past 'keep Oscar Perez. He hit that with authority and there was no doubt from the his first touch that he was going to score. It was a great through ball that left him essentially 1 on 1 with the 'keeper.

This goal seemed to make Mexico very tense and they panicked. South Africa gained some much needed confidence and displayed some surprising skill on passing and shooting. While the Mexicans were pressing, they failed to take long range shots, instead waiting until they were in or near the box to take a shot at goal.

The substitutes in the second half for Mexico were Guardado for Aguilar (52') Cuautemoc Balnco for Carlos Vela (69) and Javier Hernandez for Guillermo Franco (73').

The South Africans were very impressive and had a couple of clear shots at goal, and the score could have easily been 3-1 had it not been for Perez and a shot of the post. I liked how Steven Pienaar played, he held the ball up and made great passes. Tshabalala of Kaizer Chiefs was very impressive not only with his wonderful goal but during the entire match. However, the player of the game for Bafana Bafana has to be goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune. He played superbly and showed great reactions and a fantastic save on a close range Giovani dos Santos shot.

This can be nothing short of a disappointing result for El Tri. They were heavy favorites in this game and failed to capitalize on their play in the first half and failed to impress in the second half. Guillermo Franco dissapointed and his replacement Javier Hernandez didn't do better. Cuautemoc Blanco really showed his age and how out of shape he is. He had no business being on the field and didn't do provide anything off the bench. The oldest outfield player in the Cup may be done. One of the few bright spots for Mexico was Giovani dos Santos, he consistently pushing forward and creating chances as well as being one of the few that took shots. Rafa Marquez was another bright spot for the Mexicans as he was consistently in the right place and provided stability in the middle. He showed his experience with his perfect placement, all alone, in the box for his goal.

Up next for Mexico France on June 17 and up next for South Africa Uruguay a day earlier on June 16.

Opening Game: Mexico v South Africa

Who: Mexico and South Africa
Where: Soccer City, Johannesburg
When:10 A.M. ET

Key Player: Steven Pienaar. Everton midfielder and bafana bafana's #10 has to step up and play like he did all season long for Everton if the hosts are to have any chance of putting on a good display in front of the whole world.

Key Match Up: The young guns up to for Mexico, Giovani dos Santos and Carlos Vela against the South African defense. If they can link up like the did against Italy, a much better defense it's "thanks for being a good host buy see ya" for South Africa.

What To Watch For: The players and and even the referees will be amped up by the crowd and the fact that the whole world is watching, look for some tough calls in favor of the home side early on as the players' emotions might get the best of them and it starts to get a little physical

South Africa will win if: they get off to a good start and keep possession early on, and play off of the crowd's emotions. They cannot afford to let Mexico take control early and drain some energy from the crowd. They have a huge home field advantage and will get some calls in heir favor. If they take advantage and they sell a good penalty they should at least take a point.

Mexico will win if: the play like they have in their last couple of game, notable against Italy. They have to put in the easy balls that they've missed and they have to keep possession like they have. They cannot get intimidated by the home crowd. El Tri need to take advantage and approach goal early on and dominate like they should.

Prediction: Mexico wins 3-1. South Africa will be in it until the end, thanks to a penalty but El Tri will triumph in this one.

Starting Lineups: Mexico v South Africa

South Africa Mexico
G Khune G Perez
CD-L Khumalo CD-L F. Rodriguez
CD-R Mokoena CD-R Osorio
LB Lucas Thwala LB Salcido
RB Gaxa RB Aguilar
LM Dikgacoi CM Marquez
RM Letsholonyane LM Torrado
LCF Mphela RM Juarez
RCF Pienaar F vela
AM-L Tshabalala LF Franco
AM-R Modise RF dos Santos

Note: Usual starter for Mexico, Andres Guardado is not starting for Mexico, this is something to watch. Reports from Mexico are that he is in a dispute with Aguirre. Should he ocme on in the second half he would provide Mexico with some depth off the bench.

Predictions: Group Winners and My Pick

Here are my group winners and my pick to win it all.
Group: Winner, Second place
A: France, Mexico
B: Argentina, Nigeria
C: United States, England
D: Germany, Serbia
E: Netherlands, Cameroon
F: Italy, Paraguay
G: Brazil, Ivory Coast
H: Spain, Chile

Winner: Netherlands
Sleeper: South Korea could progress ahead of Nigeria
Disappointment: Portugal
Best Player: Wesley Sneijder
Best Young Player: Giovani dos Santos

Bad Blows and a Bad Time

Is it just me or have there been a huge number of injuries over the last few weeks leading to the World Cup? Just off the top of my head I can rattle out injuries to stars like Arjen Robben, Didier Drogba, Rio Ferdinand, Andres Iniesta, Andrea Pirlo, Julio Cesar among others. Even coaches can't escape health concerns, see Denmark coach Morten Olsen. Some, Ferdinand, have been ruled out of the tournament and others, Iniesta and Jozy Altidore, are not thought to miss any significant time while even some others, Drogba, have their World Cup hopes hanging on the thinnest of threads. But just exactly how big of a blow is one player out of squad of 23, that depends on the team.

You take an Altidore out of the US lineup and you have a vastly different team, however you take a Rio Ferdinand off the starting XI for England and you still have world class defenders in John Terry, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole and Glenn Johnson available. Yes Ferdinand was captain of England and it is a big loss but not a loss they cannot overcome. Take the reigning European champions in Spain. Losing a playmaker like Andres Iniesta is just as big a blow for La Furia Roja as it is for the Three Lions, but you can slip a Cesc Fabregas in his central midfield spot or any of there other world class playmakers that ride the bench, who would other wise be a starter on almost any other team and you still have a favorite to win it all.

By far the most significant loss (potentially) is Didier Drogba of the Ivory Coast. Already at a disadvantage by playing in the "Group of Death" with Portugal and Brazil and minnows North Korea (my sleeper pick to win A game...not advance, and having hired a new coach in Sven-Goran Eriksson at the eleventh hour for World Cup preparations this can hardly be anything short of a near national crisis for Cote d'Ivoire. Droga potentially being out for the tournament (although recent reports have him coming back in time for the game against Portugal, which would be miraculous) due to a broken arm is not only a huge blow for the Ivorians, but a huge blow for a fan of soccer (except if you're a Brazilian, Portuguese or North Korean fan) because of Drogba's shear skill, passion and brilliance on the pitch. Drogba isn't the teams only playmaker, but he is there most important. The Chelsea striker has the ability to be the best player on the pitch at any given moment and can change a game in an instant with his beautiful touch and thunderous finishes. The English Premier League leader in goals has such a thirst for the net that he takes it personally when not chosen to take a penalty (see Chelsea's FA Cup final this year) and carries that anger with him and churns it into explosiveness once the ball arrives at his feet.

Certainly if he were to comeback that would be a huge lift for a team that needs even a Drogba at 50% if they are to seriously contend for the Round of 16, but jsut what kind of impact can he have with an arm in at least one cast, giving him limited mobility. Sure it's football and an outfield player cannot play the ball with his hands, but balance is as crucial as pace if you're a striker. having a heavier arm, complete with a cast and screws and plates on the bone itself is going to a significant impact on his mobility and balance. As mentally tough as Drogba is, you can't help but feel that he's going into the game fearless, but will this injury make him skidish? Will he suddenly loose his aggressiveness in order to protect his arm from further damage? I hope not. Cote d'Ivoire is counting on Drogba and so are millions of soccer fans around the world hoping to catch Drogba, now 32, give us a dazzling performance on African soil in what will probably be his last World Cup as a player.

Staying in the group and on the same topic of injuries a Portuguese winger once signed by Alex Ferguson from Sporting CP in Portugal has been ruled out of the World Cup through a shoulder injury. No not THAT player, the other one of similar background and career path, Nani. (Cristiano Ronaldo is fine, though you know he will go down at an opportune moment with what he'll make look like a career ending ankle injury only to get up and make a dazzlingly run at goal moments later and wink at his bench.) I have Portugal fighting with Ivory Coast for the second spot out of that group, and given the lack of depth on Portugal this could be almost as bad as Ivory Coast losing Drogba (ALMOST) and seeing as how Ronnie has failed to step up for his country during qualifying and recent friendlies. The depth on Portugal is so bad that he is being replaced by a guy who has never appeared in a game for Portugal. Nani had a good year for Manchester United and was penciled in as a world cup starter and a key player behind Ronnie. Portugal is no depending on Ronnie more than Ivory Coast depends on Drogba.

The group of death could turn out to be the exact opposite for Brazil the way things are looking. The face a team with players no one has heard of, a one man show, and a team hoping its star returns.

Injuries change World Cup predictions

Following the world cup ending injuries of Rio Ferdinand of England, and the possibility that Didier Drogba could be out for at least a significant part of the cup, it seems as if I should change my predictions (which I have not posted yet) and post them after all the friendlies have been played and the intense practices have been finished. That should be sometime around Wednesday afternoon or evening.

Post Game: USA 3- Australia 1

Two goals by Edson Buddle, a goal by substitute Herculez Gomez and a goal by Tim Cahill on the other side sum up the scoring for today's game.

This is a confidence boosting game for the Red, White and Blue, certainly, heading into the final week of preparation and next week's match against England.

Game ball has to go to Edson Buddle for netting two goals and creating a few other scoring opportunities

The disappointment in this game has to be Robbie Findley. He wasted away a couple of clear cut scoring opportunities. On chances he created himself and on breakaways he either missed on goal with a man open, or made a poor pass to an open man.

Substitute keeper Marcus Hahnemann made a couple of nice saves, possibly solidifying his place as the number two behind Tim Howard.

The performance by Buddle along with Gomez's brief substitute appearance has to be encouraging for the US following Jozy Altidore's injury scare. Should Altidore be fit for next Saturday, I believe Bob Bradley will pair him up with Buddle, with Gomez coming off the bench. Findley has probably played himself down the pecking order.

One week from today we will be watching the US take its former colonizers, should be exciting and we'll see how the US stacks up. Taking at least a point from England should put the US in good position to advance should they do what is expected of them against Algeria and Slovenia.

Update USa vs Australia

Update 9:20 AM EST

The US grabbed the lead again on Edson Buddle's second goal off a nice cross from the right flank by Steve Cherundolo

US 2 vs Australia 1

Buddle 4' 31' Cahill 19'

Update 9:00 AM EST

Australia has tied it on a goal by Everton midfielder Time Cahill off a corner kick, into the left side of goal just beyond the reach of Howard.

US 1 - Australia -1

Buddle 4' Cahill 19'

Orginal Post:
The US lead 1-0 on a goal by Edson Buddle off a giveaway by Australian defender Brella, just outside the box. Buddle's first international goal.

US 1 - Australia-0

Buddle 4'

I'm glad to see Edson Buddle make some immediate impact on the game, for his first goal. I saw what he can do in MLS, and however it is an inferior league, he showed dominance there and hopefully some of that can carry over to next week when it counts.

I must say, listening to Martin Tyler is a really cool. I was introduced to his voice while playing the FIFA video games, and listening to him call games for the USA now and throughout the World Cup.

Preview: USA v Australia

A week before their World Cup opener against England, the US faces Australia today in a friendly in Rodenpoort. Jozy Altidore will not start but it is a relief to see him jogging around, however gingerly, during pre-game warm-ups.

The US will start wil Edson Buddl and Robbie Findley up top.

The rest of the US lineup is: Dempsey, Bradley, CLark, Donovan (all MF), Bocanegra (LB), Demerit, Goodson (CB), CHerundolo (RB), Howard (G)

Australia's lineup: Schawarzer (G), Chipperfield (LB), Moore, Neill (CB), Wilkshire (RB), Bresciano, Culina, Cahill, Grella, Garcia (MF), Kennedy (F).

The US is resting Oguchi Onyewu today, hopefully we can see him get some game action as a sub. I doubt we'll see Altidore as it is in all best interests to give that ankle as much rest as possible.

This is the US's last chance to gain some moment heading into their game against England. The Socceroos are a quality side and a possible Round of 16 opponent.

Jozy sprains right ankle

Jozy Altidore sparined his right ankle today while training with the national team in South Africa. X-rays were taken and it was diagnosed as a mild sprain. He is listed day to day and will be reevaluated tomorrow to see if he can play in the schedules friendly against Australia this Saturday.

With 8 days left until the USA v England match, this is certainly not good timing. At least it is a mild strain and nothing serious.

Update: Mexico 2 - Italy 1

Italy grab a goal back on a goal off a rebound after a shot on goal, from a corner kick. Leonardo Bonucci with the goal.

Mexico 2 - Italy 1

Vela 17' Bonucci 89'
Medina 84'

Update: Mexico 2 - Italy 0

Mexico up 2 nil over the world champions on a nice goal by substitute Alberto Medina, on a breakaway from a through pass, leaving him one-on-one with Buffon.

Mexico 2 - Italy 0

Vela 17'
Medina 84'

Update: Mexico 1 - Italy 0

Mexico takes the lead on a goal from Carlos Vela on a beautiful cross from Giovani Dos Santos from the right flank

Mexico 1- Italy -0

Vela 17'

Other International Friendlies

Defending European champions Spain play South Korea Innsbruck, Austria

A preview for the game can be read from ESPN here.

Germany plays Bosnia and Herzegovina today in Frankfurt. If you remember Bosnia and Herzegovina lost in the European play-offs for the World Cup against Portugal, after finishing second to Spain in their group which also included the likes of Turkey and Belgium.

A preview for this game can be read from ESPN here.

Preview: Italy v Mexico

The Azzurri face El Tri today in Brussels, Belgium for a pre World Cup friendly.

The defending world champions play their first official match since a nil-nil tie on March 3 against Cameroon. For Mexico, this is seemingly their twentieth friendly ahead of South Africa 2010 (8th official game since May 7). This is El Tri's last friendly before they open up the world cup on June 11 at 9:30 a.m. ET against host nation South Africa

The lineups:

For Mexico: Oscar Perez (G), Francisco Rodriguez (D), Ricardo Osorio (D), Carlos Salcido (D), Paul Aguilar (D), Gerardo Torrado (MF), Rafael Marquez (MF), Efrain Juarez (MF), Giovani Dos Santos (F), Javier Hernandez (F), Carlos Vela (F)

For Italy: Gianlugi Buffon (G), Fabio Cannavaro (D), Leonardo Bonucci (D), Domenico Criscito (D), Gianluca Zambrotta (D), Andrea Pirlo (MF), Daniele De Rossi (MF), Alberto Gilardino (F), Claudio Marchisio (F), Antonio Di Natale (AM), Vincenzo Iaquinta (AM)

Brazil warms up with a win

Ok...maybe is was against Zimbabwe (who?).

But a seleção easily won a friendly in Harare 3-0 with goals from Michel Bastos, Robinho and Elano. To expect anything less would have been foolish, same goes for the teams next and last warm up before the main event, on Monday against Tanzania.

Comparing Brazil's pre World Cup preparation schedule, with other national sides and it is obvious that Brazil is not looking into facing a quality opponent but basically a practice squad so they can iron out what Dunga has had them working on in practice in a real match situation..if you can call these real matches. It is interesting to see what sort of build up strategies work the best. On this side of the spectrum you have Dunga's approach and on the other side you have Javier Aguirre's approach with El Tri and its expansive friendly schedule which included games against Chile, England, the Netherlands and an upcoming game against Italy among others.

Brazil is the best team in the world and the favorite to win it all again in South Africa, so there can be no disputing the five time world champions. Except I feel that this is a different Brazil. With (commander) Dunga at the helm, there is no more jogo bonito, there is no more samba, there is no more Ronaldinho and his flair. Therefore it might've been wise to iron out any possible difficulties against stronger sides.

Then again, Brazil has nothing to prove. Dunga has been in charge since after the debacle (for Brazil's standards) in Germany 2006, and lead its continent in World Cup Qualifying and won last year's Confederations Cup using the same tactics it will use heading into South Africa, so they've had plenty of practice with this no nonsense style of play.

Brazil needs to win, because it wont pretty when they lose, This year's squad is changing the culture of previous Brazilian winning sides. It wont look pretty when the win, like has been the norm for decades. By eliminating this culture so popular not only among Brazilians but among fans all over the world, Dunga has to win to prove that his way is better. I would not like to be him if they don't at least make it to the semi-final or even the final.

Cannavaro Cashing in as his career comes to an end.

I read an interesting piece from Yahoo this morning

Apparently Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is leaving Italian giants Juventus for Al-Ahli of Dubai. Of course Cannavaro is going there as the world class defender that he is to sure up the clubs defense in pursuit of a title in another league right? One can only hope so, but somehow that doesn't seem right given he will be living in Dubai, the perfect place for a rich footballer to kick back, spend some...a lot..of his money and retire. Seems like Cannavaro is just using this as an excuse to retire without really retiring yet, and earn some extra money he might need to blow on whatever he does there. Don't get me wrong, I loved how Cannavaro lead to the Azzurri to the championship in Germany 2006. I'm not hating on the player, just the decision. An I'm not the only one, some of his teammates have questioned it as well, which you can read from Yahoo here. This is shades of the Beckham experiment here in the US, only now the player is going to an even smaller league, to a team in a richer city to kick around a soccer ball with even less enthusiasm. Let's just hope that Cannavaro's anticipated debut with Al-Ahli, wont come as an anticlimactic 78th minute substitute appearance, like his old Real Madrid teammate Becks did with his agonizing 12, injured minutes in his debut for Hollywood (LA Galaxy).

You can read more in that Yahoo story here.

He could've been a star for the USA

Italy forward Giuseppe Rossi is a surprise omission from the Azzurri's 23-man World Cup squad. Rossi, who was born in New Jersey but who's parents are form Italy, has always dreamed of playing for the Azzurri in a World Cup since childhood. Having dual citizenship, Rossi could definitely be the US's top forward in this year's cup. The 23 year old was in fact given an opportunity to fight for a place in the previous world cup for the Red, White and Blue when then coach Bruce Arena called him in for a pre World Cup training camp, but Rossi declined stating his desire to play for his parents' country. Having such great talent at a young age Rossi, this was hardly Rossi's last chance to play in the biggest stage for the Azzurri. Yet, he will be 27 by the time Brazil 2014 comes around, and one can only think that instead of playing in his first World Cup as just another player in powerhouse Italy's squad, he could have possibly been playing in his second or even third World Cup at the peak of his career as the star of Uncle Sam's team. There is no doubt that given his ability, had Rossi chosen to play for his country of birth he would perhaps be this country's superstar heading into South Africa.

You can read more about Rossi from ESPN Soccernet here and his omission here.

Another story from Yahoo can be found here.

Brother Separation Issues Ahead of Cup

"I can't play without my little brother" and "it's not fair that HE gets to play" are basically the thoughts that sum of the thinking of brothers Giovani and Jonathan Dos Santos, respectively. One has been included in coach Javier Aguirre's 23-man squad for the World Cup and the other is one of the last cuts made to the squad, also repsectively.

ESPN Soccernet has a link to a story about this which you can read here.