World Cup Roundup - Day 7

Time for our daily World Cup roundup. Day 7 featured Argentina with a Grade A performance, a rush of blood to the head from Nigeria (love that phrase), and El Tri getting the best of Les Blues in what seems to be a massive upset... if it was 1990 and not 2010. So, without further adieu, let's laissez les bon temps rouler!

1) Biggest Winner - Mexico

-I can't believe I'm saying this, but I was actually cheering for Mexico today! As an American it seems just wrong to root for El Tri. It's like a Yankees fan cheering for the Red Sox in the World Series or an Ohio State fan rooting for Michigan in the Rose Bowl. But, I couldn't help myself from sending good vibes towards the Mexicans today. Their mix of youth and experience, their open and quick passing style, and a disdain for the French all led to me getting a little excited when Chicharito opened the scoring with a perfectly timed pass from Rafa Marquez.

This was Mexico's first ever win against a European team in the World Cup, and I think it shows another step from the CONCACAF region where Mexico doesn't just play with a big country like France, but beats them soundly. With a win against Uruguay, El Tri can get out of Group A with the #1 seed, draw one of South Korea/Greece/Nigeria, and be favored to get to the quarterfinals.

2) Standout Performer - Gonzalo Higuain

-Yesterday we featured another striker when Diego Forlan rocketed to the top of the goal scoring charts with his 2 goals against South Africa. And now the World Cup has been shaken to the core by Gonzalo Higuain's hat trick today! I guess that Jabulani ain't all it's cracked up to be. He scored two with his head and one on a rebound off of a Lionel Messi shot. Higuain was right where he needed to be and benefitted from a great team effort around him. With this Argentine succes, maybe Diego Maradona is crazy... crazy like a fox, oh second thought, no he still is crazy.

3)Biggest Loser - Raymond Domenech

-Speaking of managers... there's not much left to say when it comes to piling on the clueless Inspector Clouseau - Raymond Domenech. When you've lost Zinedine Zidane, you've lost France. Also, when your captain is referring to you as a small nation and... hello... you are FRANCE... you know you've hit rock bottom. Oh, and I haven't taken French since 8th grade, but I'm sure this isn't a glowing review.

4) Best Game - Argentina 4 South Korea 1

-It was hard to watch Greece just eat away at Nigeria and get a less than deserved 2-1 win. Mexico's win over France was satisfying but not necessarily a spectacle. Argentina won 4-1, but the game was probably the most enjoyable of the tournament thus far. Both teams played an open style, and South Korea had a chance to tie in the second half before Higuain completed his hat trick. See, we told you the goals would come!

5) Biggest Regret - Sani Kaita's Kick Out

-It's a shame that Nigeria's hopes of advancing out of the group stages basically disappeared in about 2 seconds. One bit of reaction and overaction from Sani Kaita sent Nigeria down to 10 men with a 1-0 lead. The Super Eagles looked the best team for the first half hour and were on their way to an easy win. Then, Kaita lost his head and Greece managed 2 goals to win. It would be nice to have some leeway in situations like this and just give out a yellow card - you see the instant regret and sadness from Kaita... but I guess you don't want players going Bruce Lee on each other either.

6) Highlight - Higauin's Hat Trick

-Argentina scored 4 today and Gonzalo Higauin got the first hat trick of the 2010 World Cup and vaulted himself to the top of the Golden Boot race. But, the prettiest goal was indeed the last, set up by wonderful movement and passing by Messi and Aguero. Simply brilliant!

7) Extra Time - Quick Hits

*Group A Scenarios - Uruguay and Mexico (4 PTS) are in with a tie with South Africa and France at 1 point. RSA is actually in the best position to pull off a miracle with a -2 goal difference and France at -3. Basically, France needs to make up 5 goals on either Uruguay or Mexico to advance and RSA needs a similar result. It ain't happening - Mexico and Uruguay will go through. If their game ends in a tie, Uruguay will get 1st place in Group A with a +3 GD.

*Group B Scenarios - Argentina is a cinch with 6 pts and miles ahead on goal difference - each of the other three remaining teams are still alive. Greece (3 PTS, -1 GD) plays Argentina and is unlikely to even beat a B squad. South Korea (3 PTS, -1 GD) plays Nigeria (0 PTS, -2 GD). If South Korea wins or draws, they're likely in even if Greece matches their result based on goals scored and head to head. But if Nigeria wins - things get crazy. Nigeria would advance with a win and Greece loss via a superior goal differential. Even with today's crazy events, they're still in an ok position.

*The commentary and analysis was excellent again today from ESPN, one of their strongest efforts as a network in recent memory. I'm particularly enjoying the 4th string team of Derek Rae and Robbie Mustoe, who did a great job with Nigeria and Greece today. They're a couple of the ESPN regulars, but they prove they belong with the hired guns brought in.

*On the other hand though, what is up with the insane amounts of slo-mo replays from the world feed? I mean, some of them are cool when they are actually on the field. But, do they really need several slo-mos of fans in the stands, coaches, vuvuzelas, and everything in between?

*With Nigeria and South Africa both looking on their way out, the African hope falls to Ghana and Cote D'Ivoire to get at least one team to the knockout rounds.

*We had the French jerseys pegged 31st in our Jersey Power Rankings and they showed why today, what was up with those black x's duct taped on the jerseys? Yipes.

Friday Preview

Group D

Germany (3 PTS) v Serbia (0 PTS)

-Germany was the star of the opening round of games as they waxed Australia 4-0. Serbia was one of the disappointments in falling 1-0 to Ghana. We'll see similar results tomorrow - Serbia will be harder to break down than Australia, but Germany played so well that you would expect nothing less than a win tomorrow.

PICK: Germany 2 Serbia 0

Group C

USA (1 PTS) v Slovenia (3 PTS)

-This isn't a must-win game for the USA as much as it is a must not lose game. With Tim Howard healthy, I would expect a solid defensive effort against a team that didn't look like doing much against Algeria. Going forward, I'd like to see us string some more passes through the midfield and involve Dempsey and Donovan more in the attack. The US should be able to use their athleticism to scratch a goal somewhere and play solid defense throughout.

PICK: USA 1 Slovenia 0

England (1 PTS) v Algeria (0 PTS)

-England. Big.

PICK: England 3 Algeria 0