2006 HWCI World Cup Pool Update

Tuesday, June 25, 2006 [Rev A]
Issue # 9.2.2 "Heartbreak"
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EL SEGUNDO / CERRITOS, CA (smt) -- Something with the Italians and the refs as short-handed 1E-Italy (3-0-1) got a PK call with seconds left in regulation and Francesco TOTTI converted the PK to defeat a more than game 2F-Australian (1-2-1) team, 1-0. I do tend to agree with the commentators that although benign, AUS's Lucas NEILL really set up that PK by falling down in front of the attacker. It's like a 3-pt shooter faking a shot to get the guy in the air and then leaning into him to draw the foul. Opportunity knocks. This was as close to the beloved golden goal as we're going to get as the match ended after AUS kicked off after the goal. After that game, 1G-Switzerland (2-0-2) and 2H-Ukraine (3-1-0) ran around for the last 75 minutes in preparation for the penalty kick shootout (PSO). And for those who say a PK is like a free throw, then there must have been a lot of Shaqs taking PKs as four of the seven players missed, including all three Swiss players (albeit 2 were very weak shots). UKR, in its first WC, advanced to the Quarters winning the PKSO 3-0. So SUI doesn't allow a single goal in the WC and is out, the first team to ever to do so.

1F-Brazil (4-0-0) is very slowly hitting their stride shutting out Cinderella 2E-Ghana (2-2-0), 3-0. GHA played very well but fell behind early. Pudgy RONALDO became the all-time WC scoring leader with his 15th goal in the 5th minute with an awesome fake-out of the GHA GK. Thanks to France's flailings, we get the first Goliath v Goliath match-up. But once again, 1H-Spain (3-1-0) failed to live up to expectations, blowing a 1-0 lead to 2G-France (2-0-2), losing 3-1 and ending their 25-match unbeaten streak.

BYE-BYE: AUS might have played the last match OFC (Oceania) sees in a WC in a long time... AUS switched confederations on 1/1/06, moving from OFC to the AFC (Asia), but competed as an OFC member here... New Zealand is the only other OFC team to ever qualify for the WC (1982)... for the time-being, the OFC will keep its 0.5 allocation (playing 5th-place CONMEBOL winner) and compete in a six-team qualifying group (top 5 teams plus one of the remaining 6 nations) for 2010

MLS IN THE SHADOWS: I forgot it's still going on... how is CHIVAS USA at .500?... the Galaxy still haven't won at home???... I'll be back on track this Wednesday to work the press box of the Chivas USA match

DO AS THE CHAMPIONS DO: BRA, ITA, GER, ARG, ENG, and FRA have all won WCs... all six are in the Quarterfinals... URU is the only other team to win a WC and didn't qualify this year... GER-ARG is a rematch of the '86 WC and BRA-FRA is a rematch of the '98 WC

Twenty-four picked ITA (surprisingly, no one picked the lovable Socceroos... okay I didn't either but that doesn't mean YOU couldn't) and only 9 had a fate in the SUI-UKR match with 7 correctly picking UKR into the Last 8. Interestingly, only 35 picked BRA while SALSAKING tried to pick up 5 pts with GHA. In the Goliath match, 33 had ESP in their quarterfinal while 34 had FRA. Someone had to lose. And this prevented SWEET LOU from going 8-for-8 in the Elite 8 (tied with ELASTIGIRL with 7 of 8). He enjoyed first for a while but is now tied for 4th with HOFBRAU FUTBAL with 102 pts, just two behind leader THE MIGHTY MOBELFAKTA and a single point behind ELASTIGIRL and FUTBOL FABONE. Six players have 100 or more points. Last year, only two people finished with 100 or more pts.

ITA's win eliminated STUDENT (28th-Tied, 83 pts) and THE GHOST OF THE STEVE (42nd, 75). ESP also eliminated MR. WONDERFUL FC (24th-T, 86) from money, the only entry eliminated on Tuesday. Speaking of MR. WONDERFUL, Sam N became the fourth individual casualty of dual entries so far and none of the 3 remaining people with dual entries have both alive (including moi). The MIREAL experiment has died at 33 pts. But how can you explain RGLORI with just 61 pts? ESTEBAN Y ALEXI is tied for 38th place and 25 pts behind the leader, but can still win first thanks to his FRA champ pick.

ELASTIGIRL has the best chance for the top prize (28.1%) but three others have a better than 10% chance. THE MM still has the best chance for any money (52.3%) but five others are better than 30%.

WC STATS: 56 matches (12 ties)... 132 goals (2.36 per game)... 25 Red Cards (4-TRI, 14-TOG, 15-UKR, 17-POL, 21-SCG, 22-ANG, 25-ITA, 25-USA(2), 26-CZE, 39-MEX, 38-SCG, 38-CIV, 41-CZE, 44-CRO(2), 44-AUS, 48-TUN, 49-SWE, 52-POR(2), 52-NED(2), 53-ITA, 55-GHA); team with advantage (14 goals for, 1 against (53-ITA))... 15 PKs (11/15) (15-ESP (G), 24-POR (G), 26-GHA (LP), 28-CRO (S), 31-ESP (G), 39-POR (G), 39-MEX(H), 38-CIV(G), 38-CIV(G), 42-GHA(G), 44-AUS(G), 48-UKR(G), 49-SWE(H), 53-ITA(G), 56-ESP(G))... Scoring first: 36-8-6 (12-JPN, 14-TOG, 31-TUN, 34-CRC, 38-SCG, 43-JPN, 50-MEX, 56-ESP)... Shutouts: 41 (6 0:0 ties)... Leading at the half: 26-4-3 (12-JPN, 14-TOG, 31-TUN, 38-SCG)... Both teams scoring in the first half: 12 (1-GER-CRC 2:1, 7-MEX-IRN 1:1, 25-ITA-USA 1:1, 22-NED-CIV 2:1, 34-CRC-POL 1:1, 39-POR-MEX 2:1, 38-CIV-SCG 1:2, 42-GHA-USA 2:1, 43-JPN-BRA 1:1, 44-CRO-AUS 1:1, 50-ARG-MEX 1:1, 56-ESP-FRA 1:1)... Own goals: 3 (3-PAR, 25-ITA, 36-TRI)... ET/OT: 2 (50-ARG-MEX 1:0, 54-SUI-UKR 0:0)... PSO: 1 (54-SUI-UKR 0:3 [3+])

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Waldo v Arena... who do I pay for this fight?...
Scott