World Cup Opening Weekend

I'm back in town after another weekend in Pasco for the LPTs. My daughter's team fought valiantly, but in the end did not have enough to qualify for one of the state leagues.

Like Wayne Rooney, though, the World Cup started without me. An interesting first suite of games. I caught most of them in the hotel room and have the rest taped to watch (including Germany v. Costa Rica). Ecuador is my surprise team so far. I was impressed with the spirit and purpose they played with in beating Poland (a team that looked like they had played in so many WCs that they'd become jaded and would've rather been home watching Dream Team or talking to their financial analysts). It's hard to imagine a team getting to the WC finals and looking as uninterested and uninviting as Poland did. Hopefully, their next result is better.

England is right about where I expected them. Strong midfield. No front line to speak of. They controlled posession against Paraguay (and hey, David Beckham looked like a footballer again) but the margin of victory was a very, very thin line. They're going to win their group, but they'd better have WR for the Knockout round.

I thought Holland looked very good. Arjen Robben is a terror. If he can keep healthy, he will be a force in this tournament. If the Orangemen begin to get Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Robin Van Persie involved, the men with the ugly kits could go far.

Argentina looked very strong. Ivory Coast did not. A big shout out to T&T for their heroic tie with Sweden, a team that doesn't look bound for glory. After watching the tape of Mexico's game last night, I am an even bigger believer that they're going to travel deep into the heart of the WC jungle. They're not a perfect side, by any means, and they had an off-game passing the ball. But they play a smart, probing game of football, keeping patient while knocking on the door. When they find a weakness as they did with Iran, the goals pile up in a hurry. If Mexico plays strong and catches a few breaks I think they'll make it to the last four.

Today - in less than 2 hours, actually - Team USA opens against the Czech Republic. I'm rooting for our guys all the way, but I just don't believe they've got the goods this time around. If they do make it out of group play, I think they need the result today. At the very least, a tie.

Let's go USA. Bounce the Czechs!