Italian coaches are infamous for calling tournaments like the World Cup and the UEFA Champions League "two tournaments in one." As Carlo Ancelotti once explained, the first round is all about winning points, the second round is about winning games. In Italian minds, the second phase, which starts tomorrow, is the real tournament. Perhaps this why the Azzurri are sitting at home right now...
Again, for those keeping score at home, my own predictions for Round Two have come in at 69% while the FIFA rankings are also running at 69%.
Round Two Match-Ups And Predictions
Uruguay v. South Korea - One of the few cases where I predicted neither of teams. Given that Uruguay had South Africa and France in their pool, it's hard to get an accurate assessment of where they're at, but Diego Forlan is playing extremely well. Still, South Korea is playing a well-disciplined game that Uruguay will have difficulty exploiting. Korea.
USA v. Ghana - I think just about everyone not living in the USA wants to see Ghana advance, if only for an African team to go deep in the tournament. Ghana should give the Americans plenty of trouble, but this could be the chance Team USA has been waiting to show the rest of the world they're taking soccer seriously. USA
Argentina v. Mexico - Diego Maradona fielded four strikers in the match against Greece, and kept the Greeks, already a defense heavy team, bottled up for the better part of an hour. While Mexico is more likely to provide a stronger offensive threat, I don't think their defense is anywhere near the calibre of Greece. Argentina
England v. Germany - It's hard to decide which game will draw more viewers, this one or Spain v. Portugal. On paper, I think Germany has been playing better than England and ought to carry the day, but the psychological pressure of this particular match will be huge and the older, more experienced English players will prevail. England
Netherlands v. Slovakia - Arjen Robben is the kind of player that Italy lacked in their own game against Slovakia and ought to be able to help the Dutch dictate the pace of the game. While the Dutch have proven that they can be rattled and drawn into some technical fouls in the past, they should still prove more than a match for Slovakia. The only real question is whether they remain calm enough to keep enough of their players going forward. Netherlands
Brazil v. Chile - Chile have proven to be surprisingly resilient and stingy, even in their game against Spain. However, I think that match cost Chile too much in terms of yellow and red cards for the team to present much of a threat to a Brazil team that has admittedly only shown flashes of brilliance this World Cup. Regardless, it should still be enough to see Brazil through. Brazil
Paraguay v. Japan - Who knows? The Japanese are playing exciting, aggressive soccer and it would be fantastic to see them through. Other teams have admitted to being bewildered by the Japanese disregard for defense, so maybe it will surprise Paraguay too. Japan
Spain v. Portugal - This is the only match-up I called correctly. I stand by what I said. Portugal.
And yes, we're still on pace for a Brazil v. Argentina final.
