Soccer, Summer, Suprises

So I have to say there were more than a couple surprises at the 2010 World Cup games in South Africa. My speculations proved mostly wrong in terms choosing the teams for the Round of 16.

Group A: Uruguay France (Winner), Mexico Uruguay (Runner-up)

Group B: Argentina (Winner), Republic of Korea (Runner-up) 

Group C: United States of America England (Winner), England United States of America (Runner-up) 

Group D:  Germany (Winner), Ghana Serbia (Runner-up) 

Group E: Netherlands (Winner), Japan Denmark (Runner-up)

Group F: Paraguay Italy (Winner), Slovakia Paraguay (Runner-up) 

Group G: Brazil (Winner), Portugal  (Runner-up) 

Group H: Spain (Winner), Chile (Runner-up) 

So my speculations only went through for Group B, G, and H... and I was correct for a handful of other teams or with an inverse of finishing order (U.S. finishing ahead of England in Group C). This makes for quite a different set for the Round of 16, which in turn changes speculations for the quarter-, semi-, and final games: 

Round of 16 Predictions:

URUGUAY - KOREA REPUBLIC
USA - GHANA
NETHERLANDS - SLOVAKIA
BRAZIL - CHILE
ARGENTINA - MEXICO
GERMANY - ENGLAND
PARAGUAY - JAPAN
SPAIN - PORTUGAL

Quarterfinals:
URUGUAY - USA
NETHERLANDS - BRAZIL
ARGENTINA - GERMANY
PARAGUAY - SPAIN 

Semifinals: 

USA  - BRAZIL
GERMANY - SPAIN

Finals:

Third Place Game: USA - GERMANY

World Cup Game: BRAZIL - SPAIN

It's now the start of summer vacation for me. No more school, no more work, no more exams... I'm just planning on hitchhiking to the micro states next week before heading to Scandinavia for my birthday. I'm a little sad that I might have to celebrate the 4th of July all alone in a foreign country where people don't speak my language. 

Today's Random Picture:  
Hypothetical situation, kids fighting off kid zombies?

FIFA 2010 World Cup Games

Four years later, the World Cup is taking place for the first time on the African continent, with a series of month-long soccer games in South Africa. I thought I'd have a go at predicting the outcomes, just for fun. 

So the group arrangements this year are: 

Group A: France (Winner), Uruguay (Runner-up)

Group B: Argentina (Winner), Republic of Korea (Runner-up) 

Group C:  England (Winner), United States of America (Runner-up) 

Group D:  Germany (Winner), Serbia (Runner-up) 

Group E: Netherlands (Winner), Denmark (Runner-up)

Group F: Italy (Winner), Paraguay (Runner-up) 

Group G: Brazil (Winner), Portugal  (Runner-up) 

Group H: Spain (Winner), Chile (Runner-up) 

Round of 16 Predictions:

FRANCE - KOREA REPUBLIC
ENGLAND - SERBIA
NETHERLANDS - PARAGUAY
BRAZIL - CHILE
ARGENTINA - URUGUAY
GERMANY - UNITED STATES
ITALY - DENMARK
SPAIN - PORTUGAL 

Quarterfinals:
FRANCE - ENGLAND
NETHERLANDS - BRAZIL
ARGENTINA - GERMANY
ITALY - SPAIN 

Semifinals: 

ENGLAND  - BRAZIL
GERMANY - SPAIN

Finals:

Third Place Game: ENGLAND - GERMANY

World Cup Game: BRAZIL - SPAIN 

I could be wrong, of course, since one thing that goes wrong in a game can change the outcomes dramatically, so these are just rough estimations. I'll definitely be watching the games with lots of anticipation and enthusiasm =). 

Today's Random  Picture: