divKicks off 19:30 (span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"BST/span), 14:30 (EDT), 11:30 (PDT). I think I have the times right this time, but the aforementioned "love of my life" from the a href="http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/06/egypt-v-usa.html"previous post/a on the Egypt match did take a certain delight in my public span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"embarrassment/span./divdivbr //divIn my a href="http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/06/usa-v-italy.html"first post/a on the Confederations Cup back on June 15, I said one thing that appears prescient in retrospect, " . . . who knows, with just a bit of luck, maybe they make it out of the group." As Paul points out, by the final group stage match, a href="http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/06/biggest-upset-in-major-sports-history.html"luck was definitely required/a. divbr //divdivI also stated in that first post that the "Smart money's on Spain to win this thing, of course." I still have to agree with this initial assessment of the tournament. Indeed, if Spain draw or win, they a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/8114585.stm"will set a record/a of 36 straight matches without defeat. For such record book purposes, if a match goes to penalties, which this one would do in the event of a draw, it counts as a draw even if Spain were to lose the penalty shootout. Thus when I argue with my British / European friends and colleagues that the USA were the only side to take a point off of Italy in the 2006 World Cup, it's technically not true, as France held Italy to a draw in the final. When I make this claim, I oddly fail to elaborate on such pedantic details./divdivbr //divdivspan class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"Bocanegra/span should be fit, and Sacha span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"Kljestan/span is back from suspension, thus well rested. While span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"Kljestan/span may well be correct in a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=656779amp;sec=usamp;cc=5739"his assertion/a that it is "time for them to lose one", this loss by Spain is more likely to be Brazil in the final than the USA in the semi-final. I look forward to a third-place match between the USA and the hosts, South Africa. It's this degree of optimism that prevented me from heading to the bookies before the Egypt match with £10 for the USA to advance . . . /divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7163938-2325361527141048868?l=lefarkins.blogspot.com'//div
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Spain v USA
divKicks off 19:30 (span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"BST/span), 14:30 (EDT), 11:30 (PDT). I think I have the times right this time, but the aforementioned "love of my life" from the a href="http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/06/egypt-v-usa.html"previous post/a on the Egypt match did take a certain delight in my public span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"embarrassment/span./divdivbr //divIn my a href="http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/06/usa-v-italy.html"first post/a on the Confederations Cup back on June 15, I said one thing that appears prescient in retrospect, " . . . who knows, with just a bit of luck, maybe they make it out of the group." As Paul points out, by the final group stage match, a href="http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/2009/06/biggest-upset-in-major-sports-history.html"luck was definitely required/a. divbr //divdivI also stated in that first post that the "Smart money's on Spain to win this thing, of course." I still have to agree with this initial assessment of the tournament. Indeed, if Spain draw or win, they a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/8114585.stm"will set a record/a of 36 straight matches without defeat. For such record book purposes, if a match goes to penalties, which this one would do in the event of a draw, it counts as a draw even if Spain were to lose the penalty shootout. Thus when I argue with my British / European friends and colleagues that the USA were the only side to take a point off of Italy in the 2006 World Cup, it's technically not true, as France held Italy to a draw in the final. When I make this claim, I oddly fail to elaborate on such pedantic details./divdivbr //divdivspan class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"Bocanegra/span should be fit, and Sacha span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"Kljestan/span is back from suspension, thus well rested. While span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"Kljestan/span may well be correct in a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=656779amp;sec=usamp;cc=5739"his assertion/a that it is "time for them to lose one", this loss by Spain is more likely to be Brazil in the final than the USA in the semi-final. I look forward to a third-place match between the USA and the hosts, South Africa. It's this degree of optimism that prevented me from heading to the bookies before the Egypt match with £10 for the USA to advance . . . /divdiv class="blogger-post-footer"img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/7163938-2325361527141048868?l=lefarkins.blogspot.com'//div
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