Goal Pt. 2
Any predictions on WC 2006? I would like to see either Argentina, France, Iran or the Italians (pictured above - predicted in some circles to win against Brazil or the Dutch) take it this time, and any of those could do so especially since England’s best striker is out. Also...the USA is still rated in the top 5… Hmmmm...Mr. Wilson...have a nice trip to beantown, and a thousand congrats - hope you can catch some of the games. 
The Comments
D.M.B. June 2, 2006 at 8:52pm
thanks for the blog about the WC Mr. T.
I am no where near qualified to handicap the field.
I’ll be cheering for the US. that’s about it.
Dave K June 5, 2006 at 9:18am
I started writing my predictions/thoughts about the World Cup, but brevity was not possible. So I’ll just come out and say them:
(I haven’t checked to see if this is possible, with the way the different groups play each other in the knockout rounds, but this is who I think will play the best):
Semifinalists: Brazil/England/Ivory Coast/Germany
Finals: England over Brazil
United States: 2nd in group, loss to Brazil in Round of 16.
Mr. T June 7, 2006 at 6:16pm
United States: 2nd in group, loss to Brazil in Round of 16.
I just realized I will be holed up in a hotel room for a conference during much of the final 16. Hotel + Conference = plenty of time to watch ESPN.
I agree. U.S. and Italy will take that group, but not sure in which order. U.S. tends to “out-perform” as many commentators say when it comes to the cup. Would it not be nice if we get into the quarter-finals?
D.M.B. June 7, 2006 at 8:58pm
As I have said I’m not much of a soccer fan but with the US playing so well at the last WC I had a lot of fun watching the US make their run to the quarters. And with ABC’s coverage leading up to this years cup, I forgot about the screw job we got on the hand ball in front of the goal.
I’ll still be cheering on the US and as soon as they’re eliminated...I’ll stop watching.
Dave K June 7, 2006 at 9:54pm
It would be nice if the US got to the quarterfinals. But in order for that to happen, we would have to beat one of the following three teams: Brazil, Czech Republic, or Italy. My reasoning here is that in order for us to avoid Brazil in the round of 16, we have to win our group. Winning the group will probably mean we have to win one of our first two games (and also beat Ghana). That means we have to beat one of the aforementioned teams. I watched the draw live, and this scenario is what came to my mind first. If it happens, great, but I’m not going to be surprised or depressed if it doesn’t. I’ll be ecstatic if we get out of group play, but also won’t be surprised if we don’t. It’s the draw that sucks, not our team. Had we been seeded (which we should have been instead of Mexico), we’d have been playing a relatively weak Portugal team, a mediocre Iran team (a game with Earth-moving political implications), and probably the weakest team in the tournament, Angola.
Regardless, I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr. T June 8, 2006 at 8:59pm
I’m betting that the US is banking everything on the scenario you just described, to give it all in group play and take first so they can play against, say the Japanese. That would be the only way they could last until the end of the month. Trouble is, Italy and the Czechs are thinking the same thing.
I concur...what a crappy draw for the US…