World Cup Roundup Elf.

Okay, so my numbering on the World Cup posts has been from the numbers 1-10 in Zulu. I wasn't able to find how to count in Zulu beyond 10, so I switched to Afrikaans, another official language of South Africa, and realized something interesting. Afrikaans is a language derived from Dutch, and is almost completelty the same. Does this bode well for Netherlands?

Netherlands v Brazil

I think we were all hoping the Dutch would come out on top without completely believing it. Andrew had his Ruud jersey, my cousin grasped his bracket with Netherlands winning it all in his fists, Brandon watched closely in his PJs, and I got paid to watch the game via ESPN mobile at work. Boy, were we stoked. Trying to knock the Dutch out like they did in 1994 and 1998, the 'Zillians were pushing hard. Robinho had a chance called for offsides before he connected with just 10 minutes gone to send the Rio fans into a frenzy. They were thinking blowout, and rightfully so, as Netherlands looked like they had a hard time regrouping for the first 45. It ended up being Brazillian Felipe Melo who gave life to the Oranje. Melo allowed an own goal in the 53rd and the tide turned. Andrew's boy Wesley Sneijder confirmed the complete momentum swing 22 minutes from full time on a brilliant goal, and a red card to Melo in the 73rd put Brazil down a man and eventually out of the tournament. Just like that, the Dutch are the first squad into the final four.

Ghana v Uruguay

Who the heck do you root for? Ghana because they have a chance to be the only African team to reach the Semifinals in history? Or, Uruguay because you still hate Ghana after their 2-1 knockout of our boys? Unsure, I decided to simply enjoy some good football. After an evenly played 44, Ghana's Samuel Muntari decided to make good on the final kick of the half. He blasted a brilliant stike from 39 yards out to send the entire continent into bedlum. The Ghana team celebrated on the pitch long after the South Americans were in the dressing room. Could it be? Not so fast. Uruguayan super star Diego Forlan equalized the game just 10 into the second half. I think if they did testing, Forlan would actually turn out to be Italian, but whatever. After his goal, there was a solid back and forth that ended even after 90. The extra time would end the same way, but it was intense getting there. In the final minute, Luis Suarez got sent off for blocking a ball with his hand on the line. Ghana, with a chance to end it there, saw Gyan hit the bar on his free kick, damning the squads to the penalties. Two misses from Ghana sealed the deal, and Uruguay are off to the final four with the 1-1 win.

Semifinal predcitions:

Netherlands v Uruguay

Anything can happen, but I think the Dutch are through to the finals rather easily. Are you stoked, Daniel?

The other quarters predictions:

Germany v Argentina

Wow. This game is going to be crazy. Let's be fun and pick Germany for my wife's heritage. Argentina are good, but Germany has just been smashing fools in this tournament. It'll be a fun freaking game.

Spain v Paraguay

I don't want to sound like a front runner, but I don't see Spain losing this game. Paraguay beat Japan on penalties after a 0-0 battle, and I think have something like 3 goals in the whole tournament. The interesting thing is: If Spain wins, could Germany get to the finals by beating England, Argentina, AND Spain, or is it just too much?

Enjoy tomorrow's soccer. Especially the Chivas/Philly game at 7:30 pm.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē