World Cup 2010: The Hand of Suarez

Depending on your point of view, Uruguay's Luis Suarez made the headiest play in World Cup history or is one of the game's all-time cheats. In the final seconds of extra time, Suarez's blatant hand ball prevented what would have been the game winner for Ghana. Suarez was immediately shown the red card and Asamoah Gyan missed the ensuing penalty kick. From there, Uruguay's shootout win was fait accompli.

I fall in the camp of people who commend Suarez for his heady play. Many think he's a cheater which distorts the definition of cheating. A cheater makes an effort to deceive the official; he tries to get away with something. There was no element of deception to Suarez's move; just pure desperation. Was it a penalty? Absolutely. And the obvious foul was correctly called. Not every penalty is necessarily cheating.

Suarez paid an immediate price with a red card ejection. Ghana were rewarded with a penalty shot. The fact that the PK was missed is irrelevant to the punishment given to Suarez, although certainly not irrelevant to the result of the game. Furthermore, he'll miss Uruguay's semifinal match against Holland. I would advocate changing the rule to immediately award a goal on a hand ball as obvious as that one, but that's a different discussion.

Others say that Suarez's play was the ultimate in unsportsmanlike behavior. A fair point, but if you want to see sportsmen, you better switch over to golf. From diving to milking injuries, the World Cup is hardly a showcase for great sportsmanship. I thought Samuel Inkoom flopping on the ground in mock agony towards the end of the US-Ghana match to kill time was a far more glaring example of unsportsmanlike behavior. If you want to say an unsportsmanlike act knocked Ghana out, then I'd counter that a bit of karma is involved. Either way, if Luis Suarez was my teammate, I'd be the first to give him a pat on the back.

World Cup 2010: Quarterfinals Preview- July 2

After 20 straight days of World Cup action, a two-day break felt like a week. Thankfully the Cup returns tomorrow with the first two quarterfinals- Brazil vs. Holland and Uruguay vs. Ghana. I hit seven out of eight Round of 16 picks, nailing the exact score on half the matches. Let's see if I can keep the hot hand going.

Brazil vs. Holland
In 1994 these sides met at this stage in what was, in my opinion, the best match of that tournament. (Check out the fantastic game open.) In a five-goal second half, Holland rallied from 2-0 down, only to be ousted by Branco's 81st minute goal. Four years later in the semifinals, Brazil took the rematch, advancing in a shootout after a 1-1 draw.

The rosters have changed since those 1990's clashes, but Brazil-Holland still promises to be a showcase match. Team in-fighting has dashed previous Dutch hopes. Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder are anything but best buddies, but with Arjen Robben returning to form, Holland has the talent to overcome their personal issues.

Brazil has some concerns in the midfield. Felipe Melo and Elano are nursing ankle injuries, while Ramires is suspended. But with Luis Fabiano, Kaka and Robinho all on the roster, Brazil have little reason to worry. In net, Julio Cesar has conceded only one goal through four matches.

Holland are 4-0, but their play has been more workmanlike than dazzling. Brazil, meanwhile, looks as though they approaching the form of previous championship sides.

Prediction: Brazil 3, Holland 1

Uruguay vs. Ghana
At the African World Cup, Ghana look to become the African side to reach the semis of a World Cup. Cameroon (1990) and Senegal (2002) reached the quarters, and if the Black Stars are to do what their predecessors could not, they'll need to bottle up Uruguay's dynamic duo of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan.

Ghana took advantage of some shoddy American defending to win their last match, despite being outplayed for most of the second half. Uruguay features a tighter defense and more effective strikers than the U.S. did, two aspects that could tip this one in the South Americans' favor. But Ghana, the only group runner-up to win their second round match, will have the crowd at Soccer City in their corner. If Asamoah Gyan and his teammates can channel the energy, they'll make history with a win.

Prediction: Uruguay 2, Ghana 1

World Cup 2010: Round of 16 Previews- June 26

Uruguay vs. South Korea
The Round of 16 begins Saturday in Port Elizabeth as Group A winners Uruguay face Group B runners-up South Korea. The match-up pairs two well-drilled sides agains one another. Uruguay did not concede a goal in three matches against France, South Africa and Mexico, with Diego Forlan contributing two of the team's four goals. South Korea will look to duplicate their semifinal run of eight years ago after a 1-1-1 trip through Group B. A win over Greece was followed by a loss to Argentina and a clinching draw against Nigeria. Lee-Jung Soo leads the teams with two goals.

Look for an early goal from Uruguay to open up the flow of the match. The Koreans will scrap back, but in the end, Uruguay moves on to the quarterfinals.

Prediction: Uruguay 2, South Korea 1

United States vs. Ghana
You might have heard that the United States won a fairly important soccer game Wednesday. Their reward is a trip to Rustenburg and a rematch with Ghana, the squad that KOed them from the 2006 World Cup in the group stages. The Stars and Stripes came from behind twice, drawing with England and Slovenia before posting a 1-0 win over Algeria to win Group C. Ghana finished second in Group D, defeating Serbia and drawing with Australia to earn four points, before falling 1-0 to Germany.

Have Landon Donovan and company put the euphoria of Wednesday's match behind them? With just a two-day break, the opening minutes, always a dicey time for the U.S., will be critical. Survive those, and Bob Bradley's team will find a way to scratch out a win.

Prediction: USA 1, Ghana 0

World Cup 2010: Breaking Down the Groups- Part 1

32 group stage games down, 16 to go. As we head into round three of matches, 30 of 32 teams still have a chance to reach the knockout stages. Those teams range from a 2-0 side in precarious position to an 0-2 side with a very realistic chance to advance. Let's breakdown the scenarios and my predictions, starting with Groups A-D.

Group A
Standings: Uruguay- 4 points, +3 goal differential; Mexico- 4 pts., +2; France- 1 pt., -2; South Africa- 1pt., -3
Match-ups: Uruguay vs. Mexico; South Africa vs. France
The situation: Uruguay are part of the South American juggernaut that has eight wins and two draws in ten matches. Diego Forlan is one of the emerging stars of the Cup with two goals in the win over South Africa. While a draw guarantees both sides advance, Mexico will want to avoid a second round meeting with Argentina, so look for El Tri to go on the attack. If there's any justice, the French collection of prima donnas will get blasted by South Africa. The hosts will likely miss the knockout stages, but a well-deserved win would allow them to finish on a high,
Prediction: Mexico wins to top the group as Uruguay holds on to second.

Group B
Standings: Argentina- 6 pts.; +4; South Korea- 3 pts.; -1; Greece- 3 pts., -1; Nigeria- 0 pts., -2
Match-ups: Argentina vs. Greece; South Korea vs. Nigeria
The situation: 0-2 may seem like a bleak position, but Nigeria are surprisingly in good shape to advance. A win over South Korea coupled with a Greece loss to Argentina will see three teams tie for second at 1-2. Regardless of the scores on Tuesday, Nigeria are ensured of winning the goal differential tie-breaker. Argentina need only a draw to lock-up the top spot, and it's hard to see them failing to capture a point.
Prediction: Argentina take first and Nigeria sneak in behind them.

Group C
Standings: Slovenia- 4 pts., +1; USA- 2 pts., E; England- 2 pts. E, Algeria- 1 pt., -1
Match-ups: Slovenia vs. England; USA vs. Algeria
The situation: It's win and advance for Slovenia, the U.S. and England, while Algeria needs a win and some help from England to move on. Oddly the fourth-place side is the only one entering their match on a positive note. Slovenia coughed up a two-goal lead to the U.S., a match the Americans left thinking they should have won. Meanwhile England are just grateful that the French are in town, otherwise they'd be the poster children for team disharmony and underachievement.
Prediction: A pair of 2-0 wins sees the U.S. and England advance, with the States topping the group on the second tiebreaker, goals scored.

Group D
Standings: Ghana 4 pts., +1; Germany 3 pts., +3; Serbia 3 pts., E; Australia 1 pt. -4
Match-ups: Ghana vs. Germany; Serbia vs. Australia
The situation: A quick look at the standings, and you'd say Group D leaders Ghana are Africa's best hope of reaching the knockout stages. They might, however, face a tougher task than winless Nigeria. The Black Stars will need at least a point against Germany to ensure passage. If they lose, Serbia will pass them with a win over Australia. While a win advances any of the top three teams, only Ghana are assured of moving on with a draw. Australia needs to show that it can play without getting a star player red carded, following the dismissals of Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell in their first two matches.
Prediction: Germany plays like, well, Germany and gets the win to put them on top of the group. Serbia join them in the second round.

World Cup 2010: Group D Preview

Group D shapes up as another pool with a clear-cut favorite and three teams that will vie for the second spot. Germany are by all accounts the class of the group, but second place could fall to Australia, Ghana or Serbia, three sides returning for a second-straight World Cup. Here's a breakdown of the group.

Goalkeeping has been the trademark of recent World Cup success for Germany, with Oliver Kahn in 2002 and Jens Lehman four years ago. This year youthful Manuel Neuer (that's right Seinfeld fans, it's Ma Neuer!) mans the net, fresh off a second-place finish in the Bundesliga with Schalke. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski will be asked to resurrect the form they showed in Germany's third-place finish in 2006. While the Germans will miss injured captain Michael Ballack, they should still win the group.

Another team missing a key player are Ghana, who will have to cope without midfielder Michael Essien. Kevin Prince-Boateng will be an interesting storyline. The German-born midfielder earned the ire of fans there when his challenge on Ballack in the FA Cup caused the injury that will keep Ballack out of the World Cup. Serbian born coach Milovan Rajevac should provide insights on one of the teams the Black Stars will battle for the group's second spot.

Four years ago, the Socceroos escaped the group stages and only a dubious late penalty against Italy ended their tournament run. Can Australia find the second round again? Their unbeaten efforts in their first trip through the Asian qualification process provides hope. Everton's Tim Cahill has a knack for scoring off of set pieces, while veteran keeper Mark Schwarzer arrives on the heels of a trip to the Europa League final. Australia won't have the managerial magic of Guus Hiddink this time around, but they are lead by his protege, Pim Verbeek.

Serbia will be looking to improve on their 2006 World Cup trip when, as Serbia & Montenegro, they lost three matches, including a 6-0 drubbing by Argentina. No Serb arrives with more confidence than captain Dejan Stankovic, a member of Inter Milan's Champions League and treble winners. A pair of rugged Premier League defenders anchor the defense with Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.

Predication: Top to bottom, this could be the tournament's strongest group. Germany are by no means a lock, but should finish ahead of Ghana, who will ride the home-continent support into the round of 16.