Home Field Advantage

Match 33: In the battle for first place in Group A both Germany and Ecuador were coming off of two victories. Ecuador had yet to allow a goal, and Germany had looked strong as the home crowd cheered them on. Germany was able to stain Ecuador's clean sheet for the match in the 4th minute when Miroslave Klose notched his 3rd goal of the tournament after burying a deflected cross in the net. In the 44th minute Michael Ballack flicked a beautiful pass to Klose and Klose how slid around a defender and past keeper Cristian Mora to slot the ball into the empty net and netting his 4th goal of the tournament in just three matches. Even though the Germans were now in control of the score, Ecuador was still able to outposess the home side 57/43. The third and final goal of the contest was notched on by a sliding Lukas Podolski who completely a cross from Bern Schneider in the 57th minute. The rest of the match saw Germany sub out its stars to rest and preserve them for the round of 16 playing the runner-up of Group B, while Ecuador will play the winner from the same group.............

Match 34: The final Group A match for this World Cup saw Costa Rica face a dejected Polish side that has had a miserable showing so far losing to Germany and Ecuador. This match was therefore rather unimportant by most accounts, and due to the fact that it played simultaneously alongside the Ecuador-Germany match. As a result Ramble On was only able to catch small bits of the contest. Costa Rica opened the scoring when Ronald Gomez sent a low shot through the Polish wall and through the legs of an embarrassed Artur Boruc to give Costa Rica a 1-0 lead. In the 33rd minute Bartosz Bosacki equalized for Poland. Finally Bosacki struck again with a header from the 6-yard line in the 66th minute. The match ended 2-1, and each team's tournament was officially over.

Euro Sweep

Match 30: Switzerland s. Togo. In the final day of round 2 games Switzerland was able to easily defeat Togo 2-0. In the 16th minute Alex Frei hammered home a cross from Ludovic Magnan to give the Swiss side their first world cup goal since 1994. Though both sides shared possession 50/50, it was clear that Switzerland had all the dangerous chances and opportunities. Switzerland put the nail in the coffin for Togo in the 88th minute when Tranquillo Barnetta struck a low ball past Kossi Agassa. Switzerland and Korea are both are tied atop the group table with 4 points in going into the final match...........

Match 31: Spain vs. Tunisia. The middle match of the day saw Spain take on Tunisia after routing the Ukraine 4-0 in their first match. Spain was the heavily favored side, but it was Tunisia who opened the scoring in the 8th minute when Jaouhar Mnari followed up his own rebound off Iker Casillas. The Africans shocked the Spaniards taking a 1-0 lead into halftime. While Spain dominated possession 64/36, Tunisia was still able to hold off the attack until the 71st minute when Raul took a rebound from keeper Boumnijel and placed it in from 6 yards out. In the 76th minute when Cesc Fabregas hit Fernando Torres with a perfectly timed pass, beating the offsides trap, and Torres took a few quick touches and flipped it into the net to put Spain up 2-1. In the first minute of extra time Torres earned himself a PK when he was pulled down in the box. Torres buried the PK, and Spain went on to win 3-1, securing a spot in the round of 16..............

Match 32: The final match of the day saw the Ukraine take on Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia drew with Tunisia 2-2 in their first fixture, and Ukraine was embarrassed by Spain 4-0 in their first contest. Ukraine was able to win three points in this match, and even out their goal differential by defeating Saudi Arabia 4-0. In the 4th minute Maksym Kalichenko deflected in a corner kick into the net. In the 36th minute Ukraine struck their second goal when Serhiy Rebrov struck a wonderful ball from 30 yards out. In the 46th minute Maksym Kalinichenko swung a free kick into the box and Shevchenko headed into the far corner. Finally in the 84th minute Ukraine finished the scoring as Shevchenko made a long run and squared a ball to Kalinichenko, who placed the ball into the empty net.

Samurai's, Samba, & French Somber

Match 27: The first match of Sunday saw Croatia take on Japan. Japan manager Zico was heavily criticized for tactics after losing 3-1 to Australia in its first contest after letting in all three goals in the final seven minutes. Croatia on the other hand lost their first to Brazil 1-0. This match would be another hard-fought back and forth contest. Japan surprised most by having a noticeable edge in time of possession, and looked to be in tight formation much of the game. Croatia created many dangerous opportunities early but never could capitalize, and by the 30th minute the tempo had picked up due to Japanese pressure on Croatia. As the match broke for halftime the second half picked up right where the first left off, with squandered opportunities for both sides. As the match remained deadlocked both managers needed to find offense, since a draw would not help either squad advance. Japanese attackers Junichi Inamoto and Keiji Tamada were subbed in, as well as Croatian striker Ivica Olic, and all three had dangerous chances that just missed finding net. Despite one late chance for Japan in the 89th minute the closing of the match ended without much excitement and both sides were frustrated with a draw................

Match 28: Brazil took on Australia in the middle match of the day, both sides were pleased to see the draw in the previous match, and the winner of this would be granted a spot in the next round. Brazil received criticism after their rather uninspiring 1-0 defeat of Croatia last week. Australia was still energized after a brilliant come back against Japan that gave them a 3-1 victory. The match started out with Brazil controlling the tempo and Ronaldo feeding Kaka a pass that was volleyed just wide of goal. Just minute’s later Australia countered with an opportunity of their own and Dida was forced to make a strong save from a Mark Viduka strike outside the 18. The half would end with each side creating dangerous opportunities in injury time, but with no score yet. In the 49th minute the Brazilians were able to break the clean sheet, Ronaldo played a square ball to Adriano who then cut inside megged a defender and played placed the ball inside the near post, 1-0. Throughout the remainder of the half Australia pressed Brazil hard, and had a number of opportunities, but could just not connect of finish. Then in the 90th minute Fred was able to tap in the rebound of Robinho's shot, and seal the fate of the match. Brazil clinched a spot in the round of 16, despite still not playing up to their potential...........

Match 29: France vs. Korea. In their first match France drew Switzerland 0-0, and Korea beat Togo 2-1. At a glance of the official match report, it is obvious that another tight match was played without one side completely dominating, even though France was heavily favored. In the 9th minute Thierry Henry scored the first world cup goal for France since the '98 cup finals as he collected a deflection in the box and calmly slid the ball past keeper Woon Jae Lee, 1-0 France. For the remainder of the half it seemed as though France had the clear advantage, but the never enjoyed another goal that many thought was due. After half time was when Korea stepped up their play out on the pitch. The match would go back and forth until the 81st minute when Ji-Sung Park equalized by poking the ball over Frenchman William Gallas sending the crowd into disbelief. The match would remain 1-1 as the whistle blew, and the Koreans were atop the group after two wins, while a dejected French side knew they blew an opportunity to pick up three points, instead they had a total of two after two draws.

Card Shark

Match 24: The first match of June 17th saw Iran take on Portugal. Iran had lost its first match to Mexico, while Portugal was able to dispose of Angola in their first match. A glance at the official match report shows this match as very lopsided with Portugal controlling 63% of possession to Iran’s 37%, and Portugal with 10 shots on frame, and only 1 shot on net for the Iranian side. Though Portugal was able to dominate play in the first half, Iran was able to hold them scoreless in the first half with a 0-0 draw. The second half opened with a frantic end to end pace, and finally in the 63rd minute Deco was able to take a pass from Luis Figo and shoot a rocket into the top corner of goal from 25 yards out. About the 70th minute Iran nearly equalized when substitute Rasoul Khatibi narrowly shooting wide of frame past Portuguese keeper Ricardo. In the 80th minute Iran defender Yahya Golmohammadi took down Luis Figo in the box leading to a PK that was slammed home by striker Cristiano Ronaldo to seal the match 2-0 for the Portuguese side, sending them into the round of 16 after two results………..

Match 25: The second match of the day saw the Czech Republic take on Ghana in a Group E match up. Ghana lost a hard fought game to Italy in their first match and Czech Republic embarrassed the United States in their opener. This however would be a match that would surprise many. Right off the bat in the second minute Ghana found the net when Stephen Appiah played a wonderful ball to Asamoah Gyan who chested it down and struck a low shot into the net past a shocked Petr Cech, the Africans struck first and enjoyed a 1-0 lead out of the box. The rest of the first half saw both sides exchange dangerous opportunities, but the score remained 1-0 into halftime. In the second half the pace remained very even, with each side sharing possession 50/50, and each squad had dangerous scoring opportunities. Then with the Czech noticeably worried, in the 82nd minute Ghana struck again as Muntari took a handled a pass from Gyan and blasted an amazingly accurate shot to the upper near post of Cech. Ghana never looked back, and the African nation celebrated in jubilation with their upset. This victory was important for the U.S. as well because it meant that they could be mathematically eliminated even with a draw or lose to Italy in the next game………….

Match 26: The final match of the day saw the U.S. trying to recover from the letdown against the Czech Republic take on European power Italy. This match would proved to be the most exciting of the day. It was hard-fought, foul-heavy, card-happy, and controversial to say the least. The match opened with the U.S. playing for redemption with an obvious chip on their shoulder. They came out on fire and showed a passion that was painfully absent in their opening fixture. By the 15th minute the U.S. had gained momentum and control of the match, and this was largely in part to the wing-play of Clint Dempsey, who started in the place of Beasley, and made a huge impact on the game. Dempsey was able to run at defenders and serve crosses into the box on numerous occasions. Though the U.S. dominated play up top, the back did look suspect at times, and Eddie Pope seemed to have another bad game. On a free kick won by Italy in the 22nd minute Andrea Pirlo served a cross into a diving, unmarked Alberto Gilardino who headed the ball pass Keller and gave the Italians an early 1-0 lead. The U.S. came back strong and then were helped in the 27th minute by and own goal from Cristian Zaccardo who’s clearance found its way in the back of their own net. Italy was noticeably shaken at the end of this and their frustration cost them a man. The next minute of play Daniele De Rossi threw a violent elbow between the eyes of Brian McBride, and his face immediately started bleeding. De Rossi was sent off, McBride received medical attention and a clean kit and the U.S. would then control the remainder of the first half until the 45th minute. Out of nowhere Pablo Mastroeni was sent off with an undeserved red-card. He was late on a tackle, however the Uruguayan official Jorge Larrionda seemed to want to even up the match and Pablo was punished for this rash and harsh reaction. The United States went into the half stunned with a 1-1 score. Later just moments into the first half Eddie Pope received another undeserved second yellow card of the match when he tackled Gilardino. Now the U.S. were down 9 men to Italy’s 10, and it was clear that the referee had lost complete control of the match, throwing out players on the biggest sports stage in the world on a whim. The remainder of the match was therefore an endurance competition for both sides with so much open field due to 3 red cards between the squads. The referees blew offsides calls, threw more cards (7 total), and were downright inconsistent throughout the match, leaving both sides scratching their heads, and allowing no real flow to develop. The U.S. was able to dodge many dangerous chances, and was able to create a few quick counterattacks as well. Ultimately the match remained deadlocked at 1-1, and the two sides limped off the field completely drained of energy and emotion. It was a hard fought game for the U.S. and we should be proud of their efforts during the circumstances of the match. Ramble On firmly believes that had the referee’s not handicapped both sides then the U.S. would have tallied a result and 3 more points, rather than the one we earned for the tie. As Eric Wynalda stated in the post-game show “players win matches, coaches lose matches, and referee’s ruin matches.”

Friday 2

Match 21: The first match on the second Friday of the Cup took saw Argentina take on Serbia & Montenegro in the group that most are labeling the group of death along side Holland and Ivory Coast. Argentina was the favorite in this match after beating the Ivory Coast 2-1; Serbia lost their first match to the Dutch side 1-0. From the opening minutes of the fixture, everyone watching the match knew that the outcome would not be who will win, but rather how big Argentina will win. In the sixth minute the South Americans opened up the scoring with a brilliant drive up field marked by fine play between Maxi Rodriguez, Javier Saviola, and Juan Pablo Sorin ended with Rodriguez tapping in a Saviola pass into the back of the net. Around the 20th minute Serbia & Montenegro were able to streak together a bit of possession, but it was short lived. During the 31st minute Argentina gracefully touched, flipped, and heeled the ball of field with such grace that it looked as thought Serbian defenders were mere wooden pegs in the pitch, and the wonderful interplay ended with a back heel from Hernan Crespo to Esteban Cambiasso who torched the helpless Jervic for the prettiest goal to date in the tournament. Ten minutes later Saviola was able to strip right back Mladen Krstajic and cut back to drive a low shot on net stopped by Jervic, the rebound however was volleyed back by Maxi Rodriguez for his second goal of the game. The match remained 3-0 into halftime, and though the Argentines held possession for most of the second half they did not find net again until the 78th minute. 18 year old striker Lionel Messi (Argentina's next Maradonna) subbed into the game to get some experience and three minutes later he found himself in the 18 then sent a low cross between the legs of a defender and right to the foot of a sliding Hernan Crespo to make the game 4-0. Then in the 84th minute substitute striker Carlos Tevez took the ball up pitch, attacked two Serbian defenders, and struck a brilliant ball low past a disheartened Jervic to go up 5-0. Finally in the 88th minute the Argentinian side saw Tevez feed Messi who attacked the net, and placed a wonderful near post shot into the back of the net, leaving the Serbians for dead 6-0. Finally just twenty seconds past the 90th minute the referee mercifully blew the whistle to end the match to a jubilant Argentinian side who clinched a birth to the round of 16, and a dejected Serbian side who's World Cup fate was sealed in horrific fashion. With a slew of strikers on their side, the rest of the field had better figure out how to mark these high powered South Americans who are firing on all cylinders, it will no doubt be interesting to see how the top rated Dutch defense will fair against them in the final group match..........

Match 22: Holland vs. Ivory Coast was the sandwich match of the day, and it proved to be a top-notch battle between two strong clubs. Holland had disposed of Serbia and Montenegro 1-0, and Ivory Coast lost a tough match against Argentina 2-1. In a back in forth match both sides were very evenly matched, Holland had 51% of possession to Ivory Coast's 49%. Meanwhile Ivory Coast put 9 shots on frame, while Holland had 8 of their own on net. In the 23rd minute Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie was fouled by his Arsenal teammate defender Kolo Toure and won a free kick for the infraction. Van Persie struck a beautiful ball over the Ivorian wall and past the outstretched fingers of keeper Jean-Jaques Tezie to give the brilliant orange an early 1-0 lead. Just 4 minutes later game 1 hero Arjen Robben drew three defenders as he cut across the 18 and then slid a beautiful pass to Manchester United's Ruud Van Nistelrooij who blasted a near post shot over Tezie to give the Oranje a 2-0 advantage. The Africans came back strong though, almost equalizing when Didier Zokora crushed a ball that struck the crossbar from 25 yards out. In the 38th minute Bakary Kone was able to gain possession beat two Dutch defenders and let go a rocket into the back of the net past keeper Edwin Van Der Sar cutting the Dutch lead in half 2-1. To start off the second half, the Ivorians were dead set on equalizing dominating play for the first 25 minutes. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba picked up his second yellow card of the 1st round, but he created many dangerous opportunities that the Dutch were fortunate enough that they never found the back of the net. With Dutch boss Marco Van Basten subbing defensive players in for strikers, the Orange army were able to endure an onslaught of attempts from the Africans en route to a hard fought 2-1 victory. Holland secured a spot in the round of 16; meanwhile the Ivory Coast tournament hopes were crushed after losing two hard fought matches to two of the best teams in the world. Had the Ivory Coast been in a different group they would have had made a strong run to advance, nonetheless they are by far the best team to be eliminated so far in the '06 cup........

Match 23: The final fixture of the day saw Mexico take on a strong Angolan side that barely lost to a strong Portuguese side in their opening match. Mexico was able to come back and barely beat Iran in the closing minutes of their first match. Like the game before it, Mexico and Angola was a hard fought and fairly even match. Mexico was favored to beat the Africans, and they did out-posess and out shoot them placing 8 shots on frame to Angola's mere 1 shot that was saved by keeper Oswaldo Sanchez. In the first 15 minutes Angola almost conceded an early goal as they had against Portugal, but despite a series of free kicks in their own third, they were able to survive the opening minutes unharmed. The last twenty minutes of the first half Angola was able to calm their nerves and gain possession of the pitch after the escaped early pressure from Mexico, and the match went into halftime 0-0. The second half began with a slow, lazy tempo that saw Mexico play with no desire to create strong offensive attacks. The two sides seemed happy to preserve a draw. Mexico had a few late opportunities, but could not capitalize. It was clear that they missed their star striker Jared Borgetti who is out for the group stage after injuring muscles in his left leg early in the 2nd half of their first match against Iran. Mexico needs to put on a strong display in their third match against Portugal, and hope that Angola does not beat Iran too badly if they wish too move on to the next round.

A Week In

Match 18: Costa Rica vs. Ecuador. Ecuador came into this match flying high after upsetting Poland in their first match, Costa Rica was also pleased with netting two goals against Germany in its first match, even thought they did lose. This match was never in question; Ecuador came out hard right out of the box, and never looked back. In the eighth minute Luis Valencia took the ball up the pitch and put a cross right on the head of Carlos Tenorio who placed it in the back of the net. The rest of the half saw no goals, but a few dangerous chances for both sides. For Costa Rica game 1 hero Paulo Wanchope just barely missed sliding a cross into goal, but the ball trickled away for a goal kick. Costa Rican manager Alexandre Guimaraes decided to switch tactics and withdrew a defender to insert forward Alvaro Saborio in order to create more offense. The second half saw more domination by Ecuador, in the 54th minute Agustin Delgado chested down a ball from Edison Mendez and blasted the ball in near post, making the score 2-0. The rest of the match saw Ecuador hold most of the possession and control the pitch. Then in 2nd minute of extra time Ecuador struck again when substitute Ivan Kaviedes volleyed home a cross to seal the match. With this victory Ecuador clinched a second round birth along with Germany, the two will play each other on June 20th so see who gets the one seed out of group A............

Match 19: England vs. Trinidad & Tobago. This match was originally billed as the most lopsided match of the cup, when the groups were announced a few months ago. England played very poorly in their 1-0 victory over Paraguay; meanwhile T&T shocked the world when they managed a 0-0 draw against Sweden thanks to veteran keeper Shaka Hislop. Many felt this mach could easily get out of hand with England running T&T off the pitch. This match was not at all lopsided, and England displayed another underwhelming performance. While England was able to hold possession and create many scoring opportunities. Frank Lampard seemed to be buzzing around the top of the box, and creating many open shots that he could never quite finish. England out shot the tiny island nation 23-7, but the match win scoreless into the half, but in the 45th English defender John Terry had to clear a ball of the line in order to preserve the shut-out for the three lions. The second half opened with more of the same uninspired English play, and not long into the half there was a resounding chant of "Rooney" that echoed throughout the stadium, English supporters pleading Sven-Goran Eriksson to put in the young star. Finally in the 58th minute the crowd got its wish when Rooney came on for Owen, who had just missed a golden opportunity to score off a Beckham cross. England then stepped up the tempo with the spark of Rooney, but was still unable to finish. With 10 minutes left it looked as though T&T might just hold on to preserve the draw. However in the 83rd minute England finally took the lead. Peter Crouch was able to leap way above Brent Sancho to blast Beckham's cross into the top of the net, and the English were finally relieved. They seemed to finally find their stride in the closing moments of the game, and in the 91st minute Steven Gerrard was able to seal the match with a cut back and left-footed shot into the corner of the net past a helpless Shaka Hislop. The match came to a conclusion with everyone wondering if England would be able to pick up their play for the next round. If England hopes to go deep, they must step up their play and become more inspired...........

Match 20: Sweden vs. Paraguay. Still smarting from the draw to Trinidad in the first match, Sweden knew that they must get a result against Paraguay to get the full three points going into their closing match with England. Throughout the first half it was clear that Paraguay was going to sit back and play defensively, while Sweden was going to press forward to find their first goal of the tournament. As the match neared halftime Paraguay was relying on the counter-attack for all of its offensive opportunities, and they took a draw into the locker-room. Paraguay came out of the half knowing that they had to score and secure a victory for and chance of advancing to the next round. They had a few early opportunities, but Nelson Valdez was not able to hit the mark. By the 80th minute Sweden was really starting to press hard and avoid another draw. The Swedes were able to dominate the last ten minutes, and finally in the 88th minute Arsenal striker Freddie Ljunberg was able to head in the ball flicked on by Marcus Allback, and Sweden was finally on the board. The match ended moments later, and Sweden was relieved to get a result.

A Wonderful bit of Theatre

Match 17: The second group of games got underway last night with at great opening match that saw the home team Germany take on border rival Poland. Germany had already secured 3 points easily disposing of Costa Rica, while Poland was looking to gain points after being upset by Ecuador last Friday. The entire match was back and forth with both sides playing strong defensively, and as the match went into halftime the score was 0-0, and as the sides emerged from the half there was a sense of restlessness among the German crowd. Polish keeper Artur Boruc was tested often and he was able to answer the call. Finally as the match entered injury time, the Germans were able to find the back of the net in the 91st minute. German sub Oliver Neuville was able to slide in a wonderful cross from David Odonkur, and crushed the hopes of Poland in this cup. This was a wonderful way to begin the second round of fixtures, and unfortunately from Poland they will need a miracle to make it out of the group stage.

Day 5

Match 15: Spain vs. Ukraine. This match was never in question, Spain came into this cup with high expectations, but then again they are a squad that has never lived up to high expectations on the biggest stage of the world, consistently underachieving. Today however there was no underachievement, just a severe thrashing handed out to the dismay of the Ukraine. Liverpool midfielder Alonso Xabi was able to put a head on the cross from the left corner and put Spain up 1-0 in the 13th minute. Just minutes later David Villa curled a free kick off the Ukraine wall that found the back of the net. By the 17th minute the match was already 2-0 Spain. The Spanish side would create more opportunities throughout the first half, but came up empty handed. The second half saw the tournament's first penalty kick when Vladyslav Vashchuk took down Fernando Torres in the box, and Vashchuk was sent off with a red card. David Villa smashed the PK off Oleksandr Shovkovskyi's hand and into the net. The match would remain one-sided, and in the 81st minute Fernando Torres netted a beautiful pass from Carlos Puyoi to seal the victory for Spain 4-0.......

Match 16: The final two teams to square off were Tunisia vs. Saudi Arabia. After watching Spain dismantle the Ukraine, both squads realized they could possibly advance along with Spain. The first half saw play dominated slightly by Tunisia who was the favorites to win the match. The Saudi's seemed to settle down a bit, but in the 23rd minute Zied Jaziri side volleyed a tipped cross hard and high into the net past a helpless Mabrouk Zaid. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia both seemed happy to take this score into half time. The second half saw a completely different story, the Saudi's looked re-energized, and refreshed taking an obvious possession advantage in the second half. Saudi midfielder Mohammad Noor slid a ball to Al Kahtani, which resulted in a beautiful flick into the net to equalize. The rest of the match saw Saudi Arabia dominate forward, and in the 81st minute aging Saudi hero Al Jabar was subbed in, and would then find net in the 84th minute off a 1v1 against the keeper. Saudi Arabia went up 2-1, and looked to have the game in hand. The 90th minute came and went with 4 extra minutes added for injury time. Tunisia would shock the Saudi's by netting a goal to equalize in the 92nd minute thanks to a powerful header that Mabrouk Zaid slammed into the net. This exciting match would end in a 2-2 draw and each team coming away with a point, and hopes of beating the Ukraine to advance to the next round.

Previous Champs

Match 11: The first match of day 5 consisted of S. Korea vs. another African nation making its World Cup debut; Togo. Togo had come into this match as the underdog, and this was multiplied even further when coach Otto Pfister resigned just days before the game over a pay dispute for his players. This matter was resolved just days before the match, and Pfister was managing from the sidelines for today's match. Togo seemed to excel at the first part of the match seeming to be quicker and more passionate then the Koreans, and in the 31st minute Kadar settled a beautiful ball off his thigh and then slid an excellent shot off the post and into the back of the net. Togo held the lead into halftime and looked poised for a possible upset. Things began to fall apart for Togo in the 47th minute however when defender Jean-Paul Abalo received his second yellow card, and Togo would be forced to play the rest of the match with only 10 men. The heat and humidity seemed to wear out Togo, and Korea was starting to find its shape, gain a possession advantage, and create dangerous opportunities. As Togo looked undisciplined and out of gas, Korea striker Lee Chun-Soo stepped up and spun a free kick over the wall, and down into the net to equalize. Then 2002 Korean hero Ahn Jung-Hwan was substituted on and showed that he still had some magic left in the 72nd minute and drove a diving ball from the top of the 18 and putting the Koreans in the lead for the remainder of the match, and grabbing 3 very important points in group play.........

Match 12: The middle match displayed European powerhouse France vs. underdog Switzerland. During World Cup qualifying these two teams met twice and drew twice (0-0, and 1-1). France has been picked by many to advance to the semi-finals, if not the finals. In the first half of play both the Swiss and French had dangerous opportunities but neither was able to capitalize. Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta came close to scoring as his free kick struck the French post, and then the rebound was sent way off target by Alexander Frei. French star striker Thierry Henry was also able to serve and strike a number of dangerous balls, but none were able to penetrate Pascal Zuberbuehler's line. The second half was much like the first with both teams deadlocked in a surprisingly even match. French captain Zinedine Zidane showed that he hasn't regained fitness yet since being injured during his season with Real Madrid. Much to the chagrin of Switzerland and the demise of France the match ended in a 0-0 draw, with both sides earning a point.....

Match 13: The final match of the day saw the much-anticipated Brazilians open up against a surprisingly strong Croatian squad who finished third in 1998's cup. Most of the world could not wait to get a look at Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and the rest of the Samba boys looking to defend their World Cup title. There was much speculation as to the health, fitness, and shape of Ronaldo who has missed most of the club season with various injuries. The controversy seemed to fester as Ronaldo looked horribly lazy and out of shape, spending more time walking about the field then looking to go to goal. Ronaldo's performance was truly underwhelming for a man looking to net three goals to tie the all time record for most goals in a world cup. While Brazil did play well minus Ronaldo, they did not dominate Croatia as many expected. Ronaldinho had a solid game, but did not dazzle the masses by running at the defense, instead choosing to do a good job of passing and creating instead. Kaka was the true star of the match creating more chances and plays then anyone else. Kaka also netted the matches only goal right before the half in the 43rd minute and Olympiastadion in Berlin erupted in celebration. The rest of the match was pretty back and forth with the advantage going slightly to Brazil. Dida did well to record the clean sheet for Brazil, propelling the to a record 8 straight World Cup victories. The remaining 31 teams can take solace in the fact that Ronaldo was a mere shell of himself, and the Brazilians did not appear to be invincible, their back line did look a bit suspect at times.

Red, White, and Severely Beaten

Match 9: In the first of Monday's matches Japan played Australia in a very entertaining, yet bizarre match. Australia showed the world that they play a particularly brutal and physical brand of soccer, which was complained about and noted by both Japan and Holland in friendlies leading up to the cup. Australia received 4 yellow cards, and Japan had 3 of their own throughout the match that was often choppy and wide open. Celtic striker Shunsuke Nakamura netted a goal for Japan on a controversial no-call when Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer was picked and bumped by two Japanese attackers inside the six. The score remained 1-0 into the 8oth minute and it looked as though Japan was going to endure. Then in the 83rd minute Aussie strike Tim Cahill netted the equalizer. Then in the 89th minute Australia did the unimaginable when Cahill netted another goal to put the SoccerRoo's up 2-1 after trailing for an hour. Finally in injury time John Aloisi scored the third unanswered goal to complete 3 goals in nine minutes time securing an unbelievable comeback.

Match 10: The much-anticipated U.S. debut against Czech Republic in the opening match for Group E. This match would finally tell if the U.S. side could live up to all the hype and beat a European team on European soil and finally become a force to be reckoned with worldwide. Much to the dismay of Ramble On, Sam's Army, and casual US MNT fans everywhere the United States decided to sit the first match out and let the Czech Republic play a warm up before the play Italy and Ghana. From the first whistle it was clear that the U.S. had no passion, desire, heart, and most of all leadership. Bruce Arena came out with a starting 11 formation that left many scratching their heads. With Landon Donovan and Brian McBride up top the midfield was only Reyna to control the field. The only players who showed any promise were Reyna, and subs Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff. Donovan was a non-factor generating only 1 quality scoring opportunity; he just never seemed to want the ball. Meanwhile wingmen Beasley and Convey had no confidence to go to goal 1v1, choosing instead to play the ball back to the defense and allowing the Czech defense to reset and prepare for all attacks. Onyewu was supposed to have a breakout tournament, and though he showed flashes of brilliance, he also committed many fouls, picked up an early yellow card, and left his man (6'8 forward Jan Koller) to be guarded by 6'1 Eddie Pope, which resulted in the first Czech goal that broke the spirits and back of the squad. The U.S. played a truly underwhelming, and uninspiring brand of soccer, and dug a hole that will be near impossible to allow them to advance out of the group stage with anything less than victory over the Italians, and Ghana. American soccer fans across the globe are truly disappointed with what transpired on the pitch this evening in Germany, not only does the loss hurt the team, but also puts a damper on any chance of mainstream acceptance of the beautiful game onto the radar of sports fan in the country.

Bravo

Match 7: The second game on Sunday saw the heavily favored Mexico take on an offensive minded Iranian squad. Mexico striker Omar Bravo was able to score his first of two goals in the 28th minute. Iran answered 8 minutes later as Yahya Golmohammadi netted the equalizer to the dismay of Mexican fans and coaches. By the 52nd minute Mexico had used all three of its subs as Jared Borgetti came off with a hamstring injury. After the exit of Borgetti both teams seemed to lose any sense of urgency to go to goal. Finally the slow play was broken when Bravo was able to find the back of the net after two sloppy clearances by Iran out of the back. Then just three minuets later Zinha added the third and final goal to seal a victory for Mexico........

Match 8: The final game of Sunday saw second game from Group D as Portugal took on their former African colony; Angola. Right off the bat it looked as though Portugal would run Angola off the field, as Luis Figo showed that he could still be one of the dominant players in the world even well into his thirties. Figo made a brilliant run, and unselfishly slide a beautiful pass to Pauletta who tapped the ball into an empty net and give Portugal an early 1-0 lead. Surprisingly enough though Angola was able to tighten up its back and not allow a goal for the rest of the match. There was a lot of back and forth play with Portugal showing that they were the stronger side, however the game would not see anymore goals and Portugal came out with the full three points, even though most believed they should have a had at least a goal or two more versus Angola. They will no doubt need to find net more in their next two fixtures against Iran and Mexico.

The Dutch Touch

After Argentina controlled most of the match against the Ivory Coast in last night's final match. Crespo showed why he is still one of the premier forwards in the world netting an early goal in the 24th minute. 14 minutes later Javier Saviola added another goal to put the South Americans up for the remainder of the match. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba spoiled the clean sheet by adding a late goal for the Ivory Coast in the 82nd minute. Ramble On was unable to watch this match in its entirety due to working......

Match 6 saw the Orange Army of Holland battle a strong Serbia and Montenegro team that did not lose a match in qualifying. Both of these squads had no trouble qualifying for the cup, and in most cases Serbia and Montenegro would be favored to advance to the quarterfinals had they not been placed in the "group of death" alongside Argentina, Holland, and the Ivory Coast. The Dutch sided displayed a clinical expertise of total soccer. This was by far the most aesthetically pleasing match of the cup for any true soccer fan. Holland was able to move the ball about the field with quick touches, letting the ball do the work. The outplayed, outposessed, and outscored a strong defensive Serbia and Montenegro squad especially in the first 45 of the fixture. Arjen Robben scored the match's only goal in the 18th minute easily beating the Serbian offside trap, with a well-placed ball from Robin van Persie. Robben was the man of the match creating many dangerous scoring chances up top along with Manchester United's Ruud Van Nistelrooij. While Holland may not be the most talented team individually, they have proven time and time again that their possession based, team approach while scare even the most skilled teams across the world. The rest of the field would do well to take a page out of the playbook of Holland if they wish to dominate their opponents.

Shocker

Shaka Hislop. Remember this name, so far he is the undoubted world cup man of the tournament. Hislop is the 37-year-old keeper for the tiny island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Hislop made key save after key save while maintaining his demeanor and composure, and is the reason why T&T were able to shock the field by earning a draw and 1 point vs. the heavily favored Swedish squad. T&T is the smallest nation ever to qualify for the World Cup, and now they are tied for second in Group B with Sweden, behind England, but in front of Paraguay. What was even more shocking was the T&T was shorthanded the entire second half after Avery John was sent off with his second yellow card. The finally 45 minutes showed T&T's tenacity and character pulling together to fend off the Swedes with only 10 men to their 11. Sweden had possession advantage 60/40, and out shot the Caribbean’s 18-6, but could not manage to penetrate the Hisop wall. On top of this Hislop was not slated to start the match until warm-ups when Kelvin Jack was injured and replaced. The 37 year old took control of the match even though he was tied for the oldest player to ever make his world cup debut at 37 years old. Another stand out was defender Brent Sancho who seemed to always be in the right spot to clear dangerous balls out of the air inside the box. Who knows what lies ahead for Trinidad and Tobago, but for tonight T&T will savor this draw almost as much as Sweden will rue the defeat Next, Argentina takes on the Ivory Coast in Saturday's last match.

After the First Three

After the first three matches of the world cup have taken place, much as gone as expected. Germany had their way with Costa Rica for the most part, Ecuador edged out Poland despite being outplayed most of the match, and England defeated Paraguay sans Rooney. The opening match saw the host team Germany take on underdogs Coasta Rica. Germany got off to an exciting start with left back Philipp Lahm cutting back at the corner of the 18 and driving a beautifuly bent ball into the upper 90 past a helpless Costa Rican defense. Costa Rica responded just minutes later as Paulo Wanchope netted the first of two goals beating the offsides trap of the German back and sliding one past a vulenrable Jens Lehmann. Then in the 17th minute Miroslav Klose netted his first of two goals deflecting a cross into the back of the net. Klose would then net another goal of a header in the 61st minute, and though Wanchope added another goal in the 76th minute, Germany would cruise to a 4-2 victory. The one main weakness that Germany had was not the absence of captain Michael Ballack in the midfield as many feared, but rather the shaky defense that seemed to try and trap way to deep in their own territory, and the speedy Costa Rican strikers seem to break it fairly regularly. In order for Germany to beat Poland and Ecuador, their defense must be stronger........

Match 2 Poland vs. Ecuador The second match of the WC saw a slightly favored Poland losing to a strong and speedy Ecuadorian squad. Poland seemed to dominate the match and had poseession 56% of the time to Ecuador's 44%. Ulises de la Cruz launched a throw in into the Polish box that was flicked on by Agustin Delgado and then headed past the keeper by Carlos Tenorio giving Ecuador a lead they would take with them into halftime. Much of the rest of play was back in forth as scoring oppurtunities seemed hard to come by for either team. Then in the 80th minute substitute Ivan Kaviedes slid a perfect pass to Delgado (who appeared to be offiside) who slid the ball into the empty Polish net. Fortune did not seem to be on the side of Poland who struck the iron twice in the second half but came away from the match without a point or goal. Ecuador surprised many with solid ictory over Poland, and they were able to take advantage of superior fitness and speed over the Poles.....

Match 3 England vs. Paraguay This much anticipated match saw England defeat Paraguay in a very sloppy and boring 1-0 result. In the third minute David Beckham struck a free kic from about 25 yards out that glanced off Paraguay captain Carlos Gammara's head for an own goal. Apart from this Beckham was basically nonexistent outside of freekicks for England proving again to be the most overrated player in the tournament. With Rooney out Owen played up top with the lanky 6'5 striker Peter Crouch. Owen made a few stong and dangerous runs, but he never really had it going with Crouch up top. Crouch's play also proved dissappointing, the only mark on his sheet was a 2nd half yellow card earned for whining and complaining to the official. No doubt the worst of the 11 for England today was the play of outside back Ashley Cole. Cole never seemed to be comfortable with the ball at his feet, giving the ball away mutiple times in the back and allowing Paraguay its only dangerous oppurtunities at pace. He lost his footing and fell with the ball at least three times throghout the match, and will need to step up his play considerably if England is to progress into later rounds. The men of the match would have to be Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, and John Terry. Joe Cole was able to maintain posession in the middle and distribute the ball well about the field. Lampard seemed to always be in a dangerous position to go to goal. John Terry lived up to his reputation as one of the best defenders and tacklers in the world. Having to cover for A. Cole on numerous occassions, Terry showed that he could play and win with sheer grit and determination. Overall both teams looked sloppy and will need to pick up their play against Sweden.

Secrets Make Baby Jesus Cry

Today the AP reports today that an investigation into the alleged secret flights that the CIA has used since 9/11 in the war against terror has now involved more than 14 European nations. Many of these countries have either turned a blind eye, or allowed use of airspace or underground compounds to transport or detain suspects illegally. Most of these countries are denying such allegations such as Prime Minister Tony Blair. This story first broke last fall when the Washington Post stated that secret fights and detention facilities mainly in Eastern European countries such as Romania and Poland were being used by the CIA to hold and question convicted terrorist and terror suspects. Many fear that these detainment facilities could be used as dens of torture that violate human rights abuses mainly the European Convention on Human Rights. With this new information Ramble On hopes that the EU, US, and other such agencies will act quickly to investigate and punish all involved in such violations. While no doubt security and intel need to be stepped up to curb terrorism in the post 9/11 world that we live in, this cannot be used to breach human rights off any organization even the CIA.

Tune-Up

The U.S. held its first open practice today over in Germany in the little town of Norderstedt, which is just outside of Hamburg. Norderstedt will be the United States official headquarters during the World Cup tournament. In an effort to show their appreciation for the town, they wanted to allow them to view their practice, a gesture that is rarely done especially this close to the the start of the tournament. Head coach Bruce Arena presented Mayor Hans-Joachim Grote with an official blue kit. Meanwhile USA goalkeeper Kasey Keller was awarded as an honorary member of the German police, an honor he has earned by playing many seasons of club soccer in the German Bundisliga. The tournament officially gets underway Friday June 9 at 12:00 EST with Germany taking on Poland. The US will have to wait until Sunday to open against the Czech Republic in Group E play. Ramble On encourages all to skip work, school, or any other commitments you may have to cheer on the Red, White, and Blue throughout the cup.

Excercise in Futility

Today President Bush held a national press conference today addressing the possibility of a Constitutional amendment that would protect the status of marriage. This amendment if passed by 2/3 of Congress (a formidable task in itself) would ban gay marriage. Many believe that this effort was a move to regain popularity and approval ratings from social conservatives that were responsible for Bush's re-election in 2004. While no doubt Bush is trying to boost his approval rating, critics argue that by addressing gay marriage, he is actually just putting up a smoke screen to take heat off of other more pressing issues such as Iraq, Iran, Katrina, and other such debacles. While the issue of gay marriage is no doubt important, Ramble On suggests that issues such as the horrific Indonesian earthquake, increased violence in Iraq, the recent terrorist cell detained in Toronto (with tangible links to the U.S.), and the issue of Iran and their nuclear development should all take precedent over the moral issue of gay marriage. In 2004 President Bush's backing of an amendment to ban gay marriage only had 48 supporters in congress, well short of the 66 needed to pass the bill. As of now there are 55 Republican seats in the Senate, and almost all moderate Republicans are skeptical of approving such legislature, this coupled with the fact that only 1 democrat (Ben Nelson, Nebraska) has openly stated that he will back this bill proves that this recent surge is no doubt a futile effort.