Stubborn ol' T&T...

Well, another day of fun and excitement in the Cup. I was able to get over to the ESPN Zone for lunch and watch the 1st half of the England/T&T game w/ my brother and a sizeable contingent of English fans. My brother's not a huge soccer fan, but even he was getting excited, especially on John Terry's clearance off the line for what would have been a sure goal for Trinidad. And yes, Mr. Terry is also on my fantasy roster. In case you couldn't tell, I'm doing okay in that regard. :)

England FINALLY breaks through w/ 2 goals in the last 10 minutes to get the win, although I'm still not real happy with their play right now. Defensively, they're sound, not giving up many chances. The midfield does a good job of possessing the ball, but the forwards, particularly Michael Owen, have been abysmal. Sure, Crouch scored today, but he was in a position to get 1 or 2 more and choked. Owen didn't even have an opportunity for the 2nd straight game. Good to see Rooney get on the field, as he brings better skill and pace to the frontline.

Once again, hats off to T&T for giving another Euro power all they could handle. Even if they go 0-3, I think they've been one of the better stories of the tournament, playing hard, clean, and with spirit. This could be a big breakthrough in their future program. Hats off to the "Soca Warriors" for being so easy to cheer for.

And yes, in the words of Chandler Bing, could I BE more wrong about Ecuador? I said they probably wouldn't get a point, and would be lucky to get a goal, but to win the 1st 2 games, scored 5 goals, and have yet to give up one, that's just amazing! They're in the driver's seat now in Group A, as they only need a draw w/ Germany next Tuesday to win the group and avoid England in the round of 16. I expect them to play a little more cautious against Germany, but this team's confidence has to be sky high. Good for them, and another example of a great World Cup story.

Costa Rica, like Poland, now goes home after the two battle for 3rd place next Tuesday as well. CR really disappointed me, as I though they actually had enough talent to get out of the group. Looks like I was wrong on that one as well.

And Sweden finally scores, thanks to Mr. Ljungberg. Wow, they're not exactly playing inspired and beautiful soccer, but the win means they're pretty much into the 2nd round barring a total collapse against England and a huge T&T win over Paraguay on group match 3. Not happening, although I wouldn't be surprised to see T&T get the win. Paraguay just might be the most boring team in the tournament.

That's all for today. sorry these have been getting put up so late this week. It's that stupid "real job" thing. I'm off for a few days from it, though, so I'll try to be more insightful. I'm also expecting some reports from some friends and colleagues who are over in Germany as we speak. Once I get those, I'll be happy to post them here as well.

Until tomorrow...