Italian Soccer Training

Here's a video I came across of an Italian National Soccer Team practice.

Just file it under "funny because it's true".

Now with fixed-link goodness!

12 out of 16 isn't bad...

So, the round robin is over, and the round of 16 begins tomorrow. I successfully picked 12 of the 16 teams that went through. In Group A, Equador went through instead of Poland, in Group H, Ukraine (is STRONG!) went through instead of Tunesia, and I got E completely wrong as Italy and Ghana finished ahead of the Czechs and USA. So, here are my picks for the next round.

Germany vs. Equador - Germany wins. The home field advantage is just too much.

Argentina vs. Mexico - As much as I hate to pick them, Argentina is too impressive so far... They win handily.

England vs. Equador - I pick England, but they aren't looking great so far this tournament. But they should have enough to beat Equador.

Portugal vs. The Netherlands - Are you kidding? Portugal is a mere speed hump on Holland's path. Although, in seriousness, it'll be a good game since they're both strong teams.

Italy vs. Australia - I want nothing more (beside the Netherlands winning it all) than for Australia to win this one. I pick the Socceroos.

Switzerland vs. Ukraine - The Ukraine is not weak... The Ukraine is STRONG! (Hey! The same joke twice in one post... I'm getting my money's worth) However, kudos to the Swiss for finishing atop their group over France. The Swiss move on.

Brazil vs. Ghana - I think the African teams are the most entertaining to watch. However, the last remaining African team faces the defending champions, and Brazil should advance. Now, I'm off to locate Ghana on a map.... Hey! There it is, right between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo... That region had a lot of teams.

Spain vs. France - This could be the match to look forward to, but France certainly hasn't impressed. They certainly have the talent to win, but I'm going with Spain for this one.

It Begins...

About 5 minutes until the kickoff of the first game at the World Cup in Germany. To start with, the host country Germany will play Costa Rica. Holy crap, what a great tournament this will be. Personally, I've entered three pools: Two office pools and one online pool. Here's how the standings will pan out for each group (the first two teams advance from each group)... and you can take it to the bank.

Group A
Germany
Poland
Costa Rica
Ecuador

Group B
England
Sweden
Trinidad and Tobago
Paraguay

Group C
Netherlands
Argentina
Servia and Montenegro
Cote d'Ivoire

Group D
Mexico
Portugal
Angola
Iran

Group E
Czech Republic
USA
Italy
Ghana

Group F
Brazil
Australia
Croatia
Japan

Group G
France
Switzerland
Korea Republic
Togo

Group H
Spain
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia
Ukriane

That's right, I picked the USA to advance over Italy. You can't go with all the favourites, or you'll never win a pool. What are ya gonna do about it?

Anyway, the tournament ends on July 9th, with Holland defeating Brazil. Again... take it to the bank.

edit
Oh, and by the way, I've been watching the first 15 minutes of this first game and all I gotta say is that all the games in HD are going to be GREAT!

How About A Picture To Pass The Time?

I decided that after it rained yesterday, it was a good opprotunity to take a nice panoramic shot off my balcony. Here are the results.