The Stage Is Set

"And the Ass Clown Award for Most Dives In The Tournament Goes to... Portugal!!!!"

First off, there was no controversy. Henry was taken down in the penalty box. It was a foul. It was a deserved penalty. End of story.

Besides, even if Henry DID flop (which he didn't), doesn't that just make Karmic sense? Portugal too often tried to influence the referee during games rather than try to win using their high level of talent and world-class coaching. It worked against England in getting Wayne Rooney sent off, but worked against them yesterday in a game where Larrionda (the ref from the USA/Italy match) was in complete control of the game and let the players decide the outcome rather than the officiating. Same thing for the Germany/Italy game Tuesday; the best referee is the one you don't notice, and I didn't see much of either in the semifinals, as it should be.

Although yesterday's game wasn't a thriller, it wasn't too bad. There were some good chances on both ends, and even though he was loudly booed every time he touched the ball, Cristiano Ronaldo was probably the best player on the field yesterday. It's too bad he got little if any help from anybody else in the attacking third of the field. Zidane had some moments of brilliance and some moments where he looked 34 years of age. Henry's touch still seems a bit off, but once again, Ribery, Vieira, and the rest of the supporting cast did a great job of playing defense and looking quite dangerous on counters.

As for the Germany/Italy game, wow, what fun! It was also proof that a 0-0 game can be riveting and feature plenty of thrills without a ton of chances. I thought Germany's athleticism would eventually prevail as the game wore on, but Italy really impressed me with their form and shape, and the fact that they really stepped it up in OT and possibly could have scored another goal or 2 if it wasn't for the post being Jens Lehmann's best friend. It was tough to see the hosts go out, but Italy deserved to win and play for the Final. I'll get to my more detailed prediction on Friday, but I don't see them losing on Sunday.

With that, I want to take a few moments to list some players for individual recognition. What follows is my list of 10 players in this Cup who really stepped up and made us take notice, and the next group of 10 who made us wonder what all the hype was about. Here we go:

Stepped Up:

Zinedine Zidane (France)- This one's a no-brainer. Practically willed France to beat Brazil in the quarters, made the winning penalty in the semis against a 'keeper known for stopping them, and was basically the most fun player to watch in this tournament.

Fabio Cannavaro (Italy) - Most of the emphasis on the Italian defense coming into the Cup was on Nesta, but when he went down with an injury, Cannavaro stepped up into the Captain's role, kept everybody organized, and believe it or not, hasn't earned a single yellow card in the 6 games he's played (and he's played every single minute).

Michael Essien (Ghana) - Essien was arguably the best player in the tournament during the group stage, as he led the Ghanians to impressive wins over more established powers like the Czechs and the U.S. He was everywhere, and showed he's going to be a force at the club and international level for the next several years.

Miroslav Klose (Germany) - Leads the Cup with 5 goals, and really carried the team offensively through its first few games as the team found it rhythm. He's a world-class striker who is finally getting his due.

Clint Dempsey (United States) - Come on, even though they bombed out, you knew I had to put 1 American on this team, and who better than Clint? After sitting out the first game, Clint showed no fear in either game against Italy and Ghana, running at players, hustling at both ends of the field, and scoring the U.S.' only goal (the own goal against Italy doesn't count) by ripping a shot in the all-important Ghana game. He's since kept that form coming back to MLS and New England, and I think he'll be in Europe by mid-fall.

Frank Ribery (France) - Kind of an afterthought at first on a team full of stars like Zidane, Henry, and Thuram, but the diminutive winger has wreaked havoc on opposing defenses the entire tournament, scoring a goal and an assist, and also leads the team in "fouls suffered," which is proof that he gets opponents in dangerous situations. Definitely one of the revelations of the Cup.

Ricardo (Portugal) - Leads the Cup with 24 total saves, and has only given up 2 goals in 6 games. One of those was the penalty kick yesterday. He came up huge in the quarters against England, stopping 3 pk's to propel his country into the semifinals. He didn't get as much press as teammates Figo, Ronaldo, and Pauleta, but Ricardo is the reason they got as far as they did.

Agustin Delgado (Ecuador) - Had 2 goals and as assist as he (along w/ Tenorio) was the primary reason his country made it into the 2nd round before being ousted by an overrated English side. Delgado displayed a great touch and presence on the field and proved that you don't have to only be from Argentina or Brazil to be a great South American footballer.

Arjen Robben (Holland) - I actually felt bad for him. He started out so strong in the first game against Serbia/Montenegro, scoring the only goal, but then his players actually chastised him for being a ball hog. In the next game against Ivory Coast, he wasn't as ferocious, but still played solid attacking soccer and picked up an assist. In the team's elimination game against Portugal, Robben was one of the few players on the Dutch side that showed any sense of urgency. Unfortunately for him, playing this well still might not get him more playing time at Chelsea, who have assembled an All-Star team to try and win the champions League this year.

Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine) - There are some writers who accused him of not playing well in this tournament. I wonder what sport they were watching? In their first ever World Cup appearance, they get to the quarterfinals, and Shev was a big reason for it. He scored twice, had an assist, led the team with 15 shots, suffered 15 fouls against, and, in a rarity for a pure striker, committed 11 fouls himself (and strangely was never carded). He's the reason why Robben won't get more playing time for Chelsea this year.

Now, for those who didn't exactly answer when their country came calling:

Ronaldinho (Brazil) - The World Player of the Year was the invisible man for much of the tournament, notching only 2 assists and mustering only 8 shots (3 on goal) in 5 games. Brazil's offense sputtered throughout the Cup, and a big reason was Ronaldinho's inability to put his stamp on the game. In the quarterfinals against France, it was Zidane who looked 26 years old and not 34. It'll be a long 4 years before Ronaldinho gets a chance to redeem himself.

Landon Donovan (United States) - Can't really add much to what has already been said by every other soccer journalist about him. He just didn't show up, save for that 2nd half against Italy. It's possible he's grown content with his perfect Southern California lifestyle, and that's fine. It's his life, and he doesn't have to answer to anybody but himself. However, don't just assume that he'll be the captain of this team whenever he steps on the field because Claudio Reyna has retired. If Landon wants the armband, he needs to earn it back.

Pauleta (Portugal) - My pick at the beginning of the Cup to win the Golden Boot. He made me look like a genius in the first game, getting a goal only 4 minutes in. After that, nada, zilch, squat. Not only did he fail to score again, but he wasn't even dangerous in the subsequent games. Maybe being the only forward drew too many defenders to him, and the rest of the offense didn't help him out. Still, a forward needs to at least create something, or be a distraction to free up someone else. Pauleta did none of this, and I'm surprised Portugal was able to go this far w/ so little contribution from him.

Jared Borgetti (Mexico) - I shouldn't be too hard on him. He was injured in the Iran game and then sat out the next 2. He had 1 or 2 moments in the round of 16 game against Argentina, but again, the lack of a certified 2nd goalscorer doomed Mexico to another early exit. Borgetti struggled with his fitness and was never able to put his stamp on a game as he's done so many times in CONCACAF.

Javier Saviola (Argentina) - Disappointing tournament all-around for this superstar. Was ineffective for much of the time he was on the field, and was replaced by Carlos Tevez for the quarterfinal match against Germany and never got a chance to get on the field to redeem himself. He and Hernan Crespo never seemed to be in sync, and the result was a lot of disjointed soccer between the 2. The rest of the Argentine offense looked good for large parts of the Cup, but Saviola was never the lethal player he was expected to be.

Raul (Spain) - I have to put part of the blame for his failure on Coach Luis Aragones (whom I'll mention in more detail when I get to my "bad coaching" column), who kept Raul on the pitch even though he contributed little to the attack (his specialty) or defense (his weakness). His only contribution really came in game #2 against the Tunisia, where he scored a late goal to ensure a 3-1 win. Unfortunately, he did little else, as he seemed to slow up the free flowing offense so effective w/ Torres, Villa, and Fabregas. This was probably his last World Cup, and, fair or not, he'll go down as one of the tournament's biggest underachievers.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Holland) - Wasn't effective in any of the 3 first round matches, scoring only 1 goal and getting only 4 shots. Was benched by Marco Van Basten in the round of 16 game against Portugal, and never came off the bench to get a chance to level the score. Rumors of he and Arjen Robben arguing frequently behind the scenes probably didn't help matters much.

Frank Lampard (England) - Another player who was expected to to lead the best English team in 40 years to the promised land, Lampard had an astounding 24 shots in 5 games, but not a single goal or assist in the tournament. He and Steven Gerrard teamed up to form the most disappointing duo of the Cup. His penalty miss in the shootout against Portugal was a fitting end to arguably the biggest disappointment of his career.

Henrik Larsson (Sweden) - A potentially explosive Swede offense was ineffective throughout the tournament, starting in game 1 against Trinidad and Tobago. Larsson looked every bit of his 35 years as he seemed a step slower than everybody else. In the knockout round against Germany and trailing 2-0 early in the 2nd half, Larsson attempted a penalty kick that, if successful, would have made the rest of the game quite interesting. Instead, he fired the ball up into the stands, and Sweden was finished. Not the way such a great player should leave the world stage.

Mateja Kezman (Serbia and Montenegro) - S&M was a team with an enormous challenge before the cup started, as they were in the Group of Death w/ Holland, Argentina, and Ivory Coast. The team was known for its defense, which meant Kezman would need to score a goal or two for them to have any chance. He had very few chances, and during the 6-0 embarrassment at the hands of Argentina, got himself ejected late in the game so that he couldn't even play in the final game against Ivory Coast, arguably the most winnable of the 3 games.

So, there you have it, the best and the worst. What do you think? Who was left off the list? Who should have been left off? Post your comments and let me know.

I'll be back Friday evening w/ a preview of the 3rd place and Final matches.