I was under the impression that the World Cup semifinals didn't start until tomorrow, but I was wrong about that. So here's a hastily-posted Open Thread for discussion of the games. Will Uruguay manage to carry the honor of South America into the final game? Or is South America doomed to be the Big East of FIFA?
I'm not as enthusiastic about today's game, which looks likely to be a dull defensive match, as tomorrow's, which ought to involve some scoring. Unless the loss of Thomas Müller to accumulated yellow cards (the last a puzzling one, given that his alleged handball was more or less identical to what Messi did a half-second earlier) proves crippling for Germany.
Spain is the last team in the tournament with a forthcoming edition of How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, so I kinda-sorta have to root for them. Germany is next on the list, because two of their stars are Polish-born, and my father's family is Polish (my mother's family is German and Irish, but less strongly identified with either). I really don't care about Uruguay or the Netherlands, which probably means a Dutch win on penalty kicks in the final.
Tom Spencer has all but locked up the Uncertain Principles World Cup Pool, for what it's worth-- all four of the remaining games would need to go to penalty-kick shootouts for him to lose now.
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I will be supporting my country as I succesfully did up to now: by not watching the game :) I'll hear it when there's a score anyway.
It's BIG here. Outdoor screens, public-life-grinding-to-a-halt big. 75% of the population watched last Friday's game live...
Oh, there's a goal now. :)
I embargoed myself and watched it on about a 90min delay. Great match; I think the Dutch deserved to win but Uruguay just would not quit. I think it'll be remembered as a classic.
Now to pull for Spain over Germany. I just can't root for die Manschafft, despite their Polish connections. Klose and Podolski should be playing for Poland!
But I don't know if Spain have enough to beat them. I'll give them credit: Germany have been playing a very attractive, dangerous game, and have been the class of the tournament all the way. But I'd like to see either Spain or Netherlands take their first World Cup trophy.
Here's hoping for a great game tomorrow!
I'm not as enthusiastic about today's game, which looks likely to be a dull defensive match, as tomorrow's, which ought to involve some scoring.
...today's game...Holland 3 Uruguay 2
...tomorrow's...Germany 0 Spain 1