My World Cup Viewing Schedule: Part 2

The World Cup has begun, and while few of the games thus far can be described as "classic," it has been very enjoyable unless you're Glenn Beck, or if a little buzzing makes you freak out. (Note: this is why the rest of the world makes fun of the United States.) So let's get to more excitement.

There were few surprises until today when Switzerland beat Spain, throwing a wrench into that group. Now that the groups' second games have started, we'll start to get a better picture of which games matter and which don't, but I'll still let you know what I'm planning to watch at this moment in time.

Thursday, June 17
7:30 AM ET: South Korea v. Argentina
I didn't watch South Korea's first match, given that it was before I woke up on a Saturday, but from what I can see in their highlights and stats, they pretty much dominated Greece. That said, Argentina is a much stronger opponent and looked strong in their 1-0 victory over Nigeria, which would have been 3- or 4-0 if not for some great goalkeeping. This could end up being a battle for top of the group and should be a good game, so DVR it.

10:00 AM: Nigeria v. Greece
Nigeria has a mountain to climb, but they can still recover from their loss to Argentina with a good showing in the other two games. Losing by just one point helped for sure, as this is the kind of tight group I could see coming down to goal differential* or even further tiebreakers. Nigeria has much more quality than Greece though, so Skip this one.

*The tiebreaker after the group stages are, in order: 1. Goal differential. 2. Number of goals scored. 3. Points in head-to-head games, 4. Goal difference in head-to-head games, 5. Drawing of lots. I don't think it has ever happened, and it would be difficult for it to happen, but how much would it suck to miss out on the next round due to the drawing of lots? With only three games in the first round it does seem possible at the very least—say if two teams tied their head-to-head game, lost one other game 2-1, and won the final game 2-1.

2:30 PM: Mexico v. France
This is an important game, especially for France. Both Mexico and France have one point, but since France didn't score against Uruguay and Mexico scored once against South Africa, Mexico currently holds the edge if Mexico and France were to draw in this game (confused yet?). Uruguay is leading the group in points and goal differential, so they look to be the front-runners...unless they lose to Mexico, of course. In any case, both Mexico and France will be looking to put their underwhelming first game behind them. Watch this one.

Friday, June 18
7:30 AM: Serbia v. Germany
Germany was very strong in their first game (though Australia was also incredibly disappointing), and Serbia were probably slightly outplayed by Ghana and lost on a penalty kick. While Serbia is likely stronger than Australia I think the Germans will cruise here. They're fun to watch, but I'm not going to get up early. Skip.

10:00 AM: USA v. Slovenia
While the USA drew their match with England on the English keeper's mistake, I felt that after the first goal they allowed, the USA had a great game and fully deserved a goal. My Man of the Match was right-back Steve Cherundulo. I'll certainly be watching this one, though I don't really know anything about Slovenia.

2:30 PM: Algeria v. England
England is fun to watch, even if I dislike most of their players for their roles on their English club teams, and they may need this game to keep pace with the rest of the group. I'm going to watch Manny's return to Fenway that evening, so I may have to leave early, but I'll try to watch this one.

Saturday, June 19
7:30 AM: Japan v. Netherlands
Japan won their first World Cup match outside of Asia, so good for them. I'll DVR this and hope the Netherlands can take care of business.

10:00 AM: Australia v. Ghana
I know they just run the matches pretty much in alphabetical order of the groups, but you'd think they could come up with something better for this slot than this game. The Socceroos need to greatly improve on their awful showing against Germany, but I really doubt they will, especially with Tim Cahill suspended due to a red card. Skip.

2:30 PM: Denmark v. Cameroon
I thought Denmark played pretty well against the Netherlands, but if they don't get the three points here they'll likely miss out on the next round. I was disappointed with Cameroon's showing, so hopefully they can improve upon that. I'll check this one out. Watch.

Sunday, June 20
7:30 AM: Paraguay v. Slovakia
I don't know anything about either of these teams. Paraguay did play quite well against Italy, but they were helped by Italy playing defensively. Since Slovakia tied their game against New Zealand, I'd have to favor Paraguay in this one. But it's still not an attractive match. Skip.

10:00 AM: New Zealand v. Italy
I don't expect New Zealand to even attempt an attack. This'll be a stinker. Skip.

2:30 PM: Brazil v. Ivory Coast
This game should make up for the previous two lackluster games on Sunday. The Ivorians didn't score against Portugal, but they also received only 25 ineffective minutes from their best player, Dider Drogba. If he has recovered more from his broken arm, he should be able to help and maybe the Ivory Coast can pull off a surprise. In any case, Brazil is a great team to watch and it should be fun seeing them attempt to break down the Elephantine defense. (See what I did there?)

Monday, June 21
7:30 AM: North Korea v. Portugal
North Korea played a very defensive game against Brazil, and Brazil wasn't able to break through until the 55th minute. Expect more of that against another talented team offensively, and another snoozer. Skip.

10:00 AM: Switzerland v. Chile
Switzerland didn't have the better of the game against Spain, but they played excellent defense and got a surprise goal to pull off the win. I doubt their luck can hold out two games in a row, but Chile isn't quite Spain either. Watch this one, as this group is really anyone's for the taking.

2:30 PM: Honduras v. Spain
Well, Honduras probably won't take the group, but who knows? I'll note that Spain only brought on Cesc Fabregas as a sub in the early parts of the European tournament in 2008, but when it became apparent he was their most dynamic player they started playing him more and more and he won them the tournament. I am not sure why, two years later, they forgot that, given he has only improved in his games with Arsenal since then, especially his goal-scoring. If he spends the entirety of this game on the bench, it will be a mistake. DVR this.

There's my schedule for the second set of group play matches. Hopefully we'll see a few more surprises that will make the final set even better.

Photo courtesy of whatleydude via Creative Commons License