The Daily Bongo

Soccer



2006 World Cup Results and Standings


2006 World Cup Winners -- Italy

Sunday, January 14, 2007 -- Late Morning

It seems that Real Madrid is not going to have David Beckham play for the team. It seems that he will be used in practice only. At least that is what Fabio Capello, the coach for Real Madrid, is saying. It was news to Beckham when he was asked about it, and it makes everyone wonder if Beckham will be coming to the US early. Victoria Beckham arrived in LA yesterday--possibly to check out the area and look for suitable housing for the family. It makes you wonder what the motivation is in not playing Beckham for the rest of the season. Is it sour grapes on the part of the Real Madrid management?

Thursday, January 11, 2007 -- Afternoon

There have been rumors about David Beckham coming to the US to play for the LA Galaxy. Well, it was officially announced today that he will indeed be coming to the US. Beckham signed a $250 million deal with LA Galaxy for five years. Beckham will complete the current season with Real Madrid. The team has games scheduled through June. It is really a coup for the LA Galaxy to get Beckham. He is going to be a real draw for fans in this country. People who might not otherwise go to a soccer game might go just to get a look at Beckham. I checked out the Galaxy's schedule to see if they will be playing any teams around the Pittsburgh area. Right now, the team is scheduled to be at Columbus, Ohio playing the Crew on July 22 and in DC playing DC United on August 26. Now the question is will Beckham play this summer or wait until next season.

Tuesday, September 5, 2006 -- Afternoon

Finally, the truth is out. It appears that Marco Materazzi insulted Zinedine Zidane's sister right before the infamous headbutt. The whole thing seemed abit lame if you ask me. Materazzi grabbed Zidine's shirt. Zidine said that Materazzi could have the shirt after the game, and Materazzi said that he would prefer Zidine's sister. Boy, Zidine is really a wussy if this is the type of insult that warrants a headbutt. Geeze, what's the next step up? Calling each other poopie pants? Finding out the truth is very anti-climatic.

Friday, August 11, 2006 -- Afternoon

It seems that David Beckham's career as a player for England is over. He was left off the squad of the team that the new manager, Steve McClaren, formed for a August 16 friendly against Greece. Beckham said that he knew that the manager would want to form his own team. Supposedly, McClaren could call Beckham up later, and this does not necessarily signal Beckham's retirement from international play at the age of 31.

Tuesday, August 1, 2006 -- Early Afternoon

A song that has taken off in France is a song that mocks the whole Zinedine Zidane head butt incident. The song called Coupe de Boule was originally started as a joke, and took only 1/2 an hour to write. I have to admit that the song really does have a catchy tune. There are alot of headbutt moves in the song video. Check it out on YouTube.

Saturday, July 29, 2006 -- Evening

Ruud van Nistlerooy has moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid. Ruud was having problems with Sir Alex Ferguson, and was sent to the bench as a substitute for the second part of the season. There was talk about the move for a while now, and Ruud obviously thought that his would be in in his best interests. Sir Alex seems to have a real way of turning against some of his star players like Ruud and a few years ago, he had real issues with David Beckham, and famously kicked a shoe at him. Beckham pulled by his hair off his face so the stitches on his forehead would be visible to all.

Thursday, July 20, 2006 -- Afternoon

FIFA has heard all the evidence in the Zinedine Zidane headbutt incident and have decided that Zidane can keep his award for most valuable player in the World Cup, but he will be banned for three games and have to pay a $6,026 in a fine. Marco Materazzi was banned for two games and will have to pay a $4,012 fine for inciting Zidane. FIFA, Materazzi, and Zidane all agree that the comments made by Materazzi were not racial, and Materazzi insists that they weren't about Zidane's mother. Since Zidane is retiring, only the fine will really be in place. I think that Materazzi should not have had any punishment. Zidane was just a wussy baby.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 -- Evening

I hope this is the final word on the Zinedine Zidane situation. Zidane said that Marco Materazzi said things about his mother and sister--very hard things--that he won't elaborate on. What this tells me is that Zidane is just a ruffian trying to make excuses for his behavior by saying that Materazzi said something about his family. Even if Materazzi did say things about Zidane's mother and sister, that's no reason to headbutt. Zidane did apologize for his bad behavior to the children who may have been watching him.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 -- Early Afternoon

Zinedine Zidane should be commenting on receiving the red card this afternoon. He has an interview scheduled for 19:00 BST on French television. I wonder what he is going to say. It also appears that FIFA may be considering taking away the Golden Ball for the Best Player in the World Cup. The award isn't decided by FIFA, but by a committee of journalists. FIFA can, however, step in and take the award away based on poor sportsmanship.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 -- Morning

The Zinedine Zidane controversy is driving me crazy. What really irks the heck out of me are the stupid folks who say that the Italian team should have the Cup taken away from them! What the heck is that about? So Zidane headbutts someone because that's the sort of ruffian he is, and you want to blame the victim. Why? "He said something awful to me." Whatever happened to the phrase, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me?" It shouldn't matter what someone says. Not only that, but that's how sports are. You say things to others to get a psychological edge. If the person responds emotionally, it will affect his play. And in Zidane's case, he headbutts. Oh, obviously it is all Marco Materazzi's fault. After all, it's not like Zidane has done something like this before--oh wait, he has. In 1998, he was redcarded in the World Cup for stomping on a Saudi Arabian player, and five years ago, he headbutted someone from the Juventus team. So obviously, poor Zidane is blameless in this. Zidane is a hot tempered ruffian, and he is totally to blame for his actions. Only an idiot would blame Materazzi, or someone who wants to make the victim responsible for the action of the villian.

Monday, July 10, 2006 -- Afternoon

More stories about Zinedine Zidane. He was actually named the World Cup MVP. He did do a great job throughout the series--even though he did go crazy with that head butt. One of Zidane's people is claiming that Marco Materazzi said that Zidane was a terrorist, but Materazzi is denying that claim. I think that this is just a ploy on the part of Zidane supporters to point the finger of blame at the victim of the headbutt. Zidane is just a tempermental bugger and just made a stupid move. Watch the headbutt.

Monday, July 10, 2006 -- Morning

Who would have know that Zinedine Zidane was a mamma's boy. Obviously not Marco Materazzi! It seems that Zidane's agent is saying that Materazzai said something inflammatory about Zidane's mother. Zidane won't say what it was that was said, except that it would explain his headbutt. I figured something at the time, and said to my boyfriend that I'll bet Materazzi said something about Zidane or a family member. Granted, that's no reason to headbutt someone. I can't really talk myself, because if I am frustrated and angry, I want to find a way to retaliate physically, and Zidane did it the only way he knew. When I was a kid, I did a Zidane headbutt to a big fat kid who wouldn't get out of my way. It's amazing how the well placed head will knock someone off their feet.

Sunday, July 9, 2006 -- Afternoon

Boy, what a crappy move! France vs. Italy, and in less than seven minutes, the ref said that one of the French players was tripped up in the box. Watching the replays though, the guy wasn't even touched! It was a class act dive--and resulted in a penalty shot. Who took the penalty shot? Zinedine Zidane. Yep, France scored. 1-0. This is the first goal scored against Italy in the World Cup. Thank goodness that Italy came back to tie things up. I was starting to get nervous there because I am rooting for Italy. The refs seem to be definitely on the side of France. In the 62 minute, Italy scored a goal that was waved off because it was offside. On replaying the goal, Italy was definitely not offside. I think that the refs definitely have a prejudice to having France win. Zidane injured his shoulder in the last 10 minutes of regulation time, but he continued to play. The game ended in a tie in regulation, and went into overtime. Zidane did something really stupid in overtime. He headbutted an Italian player. It happened right after the play. Marco Materazzi had grabbed zidane during the play and then let Zidane go. Materazzi and Zidane were talking to each other--and then the next thing you know, Zidane took a few steps and headbutted Materazzi in the chest. The ref didn't see it and everyone was going crazy. Finally a linesman came up and said that he saw it, and the ref gave Zidane a red card. What a way to go in the final game of his career! The game came down to penalty kicks, and the Italians won because all of their players made the kick while one French kicker missed. Italy wins the World Cup for the fourth time in its history.

Saturday, July 8, 2006 -- Early Evening

The losers' match--excuse me--the third place match in soccer today had Germany win against Portugal with a final score of 3-1. Portugal shot itself in the foot with an own goal by Armando Petit. That means he accidentally kicked the ball into his own net. This match brought up a debate between me and my boyfriend because he said that he would rather win the third place match than to lose the final match. I don't know about that. I would think that it would be better to be second and compete for the possibility to win other than being third at the most. But as my boyfriend said, he would rather "win" third place, then to get second because he lost the final.

Wednesday, July 5, 2006 -- Evening

I am behind in finding things out obviously, because I just found out that it was possible to see the World Cup soccer games online. ESPN 360 has had free access to online viewing of ESPN shows and live events until July 19. So I was glued to the computer at work listening and watching the France vs. Portugal game. It was another thriller, with the sole score coming from a penalty kick in the 32 minute of the game. Zinedine Zidane put the ball in the net for France then based on the trip on Thierry Henry by Ricardo Carvalho--who had his groin stomped by Wayne Rooney. So we will have France and Italy in the World cup Final. I'm cheering on Italy. The game will be played on Sunday at 2 pm ET. Meanwhile, the two losers, Germany and Portugal, get to duke it out in a battle of the losers. I could never understand bronze medal games, and this is one of them. So you weren't good enough to win the Cup, but hey, you get to "win" third place. The loser game will be on Saturday, 3 pm ET. One of the things that I admire about the soccer players is that after the game, the players wander around on the field and congratulate or console the players on the other team. Then there is the shirt switch. Today, Zidane went up to Luis Figo and asked for his shirt. The two exchanged shirts, and Zidane put on Figo's shirt.

Tuesday, July 4, 2006 -- Evening

The German vs. Italy game was great today. As I said a few days ago, I am cheering on Italy and France, so I was getting quite nervous as the game was progressing into overtime with a scoreless tie. As the overtime progressed the game announcers were saying that German was unbeatable in shootouts--basically because the team goes into the shootout with a cold, bloodless, analytic viewpoint. The Italians, on the other hand, suck as shootouts because they are very emotional and don't hold together well under the pressure. I was starting to resign myself to a Germany win when Fabio Grosso scored a goal for Italy with one minute left in the final overtime stoppage time. The audience went wild. In the remaining minute, Germany got the ball back, and put some real pressure on the Italy goal, when Italy got the ball back. They had a breakaway with a sole Italian player, Alberto Gilardino, running strongly with a couple of tired looking German players running after him. Gilardino passed the ball to Alessandro Del Piero who scored the final blow with a goal at the 120 minute mark. The whistle blew a few seconds later, and the game was over. Italy goes to the World Cup finals on Sunday.

In other soccer news, it appears that the Football Association (FA) will be responding to the red card against Wayne Rooney. It seems that FIFA won't be receiving the apology that it is expecting from Rooney. It is evident from looking at the video that Rooney stamped Ricardo Carvalho in the groin. Rooney is a thug with an attitude problem. Yeah, he was frustrated, but his actions are what lead to the red card that put England at a disadvantage.

Sunday, July 2, 2006 -- Afternoon

The World Cup games yesterday were exciting and disappointing. Disappointing in light of the fact that I am a huge David Beckham fan. Yes, as you probably already know, England lost yesterday in the shootout phase of the game. The team was not playing well, and should have scored a goal at some point. However, the match with Portugal went to a 0-0 after 30 minutes of overtime. Beckham hurt his leg and left the game in the 52nd minute. The sad news for all of his fans is that Beckham announced today that he is giving up his role as England's captain, although he hopes to continue to play on the team. Another sore spot for England was when Wayne Rooney showed his thugish temperature by kicking one of the Portugal players in the groin. Rooney was ejected from the game in the 61st minute, and that left England with a one man disadvantage. Sven-Goran Eriksson has asked that the fans not be too harsh with Rooney, but it seems that this is the first time that he has let his temper get the best of him and act like a brute. The telling bit about Rooney is that he hasn't scored a single goal in the qualifiers and the recent games in the tournament--and he's a striker. His soul job is to make goals! Not only did he let his team down by not scoring and contributing, but by pulling a stupid move of temper that put his team at a huge disadvantage. Portugal went on to win the penalty kick round with 3 goals to 1. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the final penalty kick for Portugal.

The France vs. Brazil game was quite exciting, and Zinedine Zidane showed that he is very deserving of the title of footballer of his generation by delivering when it was needed. He fed the ball to Thierry Henry for the lone goal of the game. Ronaldo was a disppointment for the Brazilian team. The semi-finals will have German playing Italy on Tuesday and France playing Portugal on Wednesday. I think that I will be cheering on Italy and France. It would be interesting to have France win the Cup when they were almost out of it Stage 1 of the competition.

Friday, June 30, 2006 -- Late Evening

Today was an exciting day in soccer. First up was the German and Argentina game. Argentina took the early lead with a goal at 48 minutes. It was looking dire for Germany before Miroslav Klose (born in Poland, but a naturalized German citizen) scored the tying goal at 79 minutes. The game went to a shootout which Germany with 4 penalty shots to Argentina's two. The next game up was Italy against the Ukraine. Italy took the lead in the first five minutes. Luca Toni scored two more goals for Italy in the 58th and 68th minutes to make the final score 3-0 for Italy. The thing that sucks is that the only mar on Italy's record is the tie with the US team, and the only goal that the US "scored" was a deflection of an Italian player into his own net. The sad thing was that the US was so excited about this self goal that they didn't realize what losers they were. Germany will play Italy on July 4th. Tomorrow is the England vs. Portugal game and the Brazil vs. France game.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 -- Evening

France was the shocking winner of the game against Spain this afternoon. The final score was 3-1 with French legend, Zinedine Zidane, scoring the final goal for France at 91 minutes. I say that it was shocking because there was concern in the earlier round that France would be eliminated and not make it to the semi-finals. Now they have won against Spain who was undefeated in World Cup competition this year (3-0).

Tuesday, June 27, 2006 -- Early Afternoon

Brazil upped the level of their game today to win their match against Ghana by a score of 3-0. Ronaldo scored the first goal in the first five minutes of the competition. I guess that he is showing all of his nay-sayers that he isn't past it just yet. I'm disappointed because I was hoping for a win from Ghana, just to have the underdog continue on abit more. Ronaldo, however, made World Cup history by scoring his 15th goal since he started playing in the World Cup competitions. That makes Ronaldo the all-time leading scorer. Later this afternoon will be the Spain vs. Italy game.

Monday, June 26, 2006 -- Early Evening

What an exciting day in the World Cup matches. First up was the Italy vs. Australia game. The game was a scoreless tie past regulation time and into stoppage time. In the 95th minute, there was controversy over a penalty call when according to the Australians, it looked like Fabio Grosso dived over Lucas Neill. The Australians thought that there should have been a call of a dive, but the Italians got a penalty kick. From what I could see, it looked more like a trip to me! Francesco Totti scored the winning goal on that penalty kick, and then the whistle blew for the end of the game. The Ukraine vs. Switzerland game was more of the same. Regulation time ended in a scoreless tie. 30 minutes of overtime, and it was still a scoreless tie. That's when they went to the shootout. Switzerland was unable to score, but three of the Ukraine players, Artem Milevskiy, Serhiy Rebrov and Oleg Gusev, all scored to get the win for the Ukraine. They will move on to play Italy in the quarterfinals. Tomorrow's games should be equally exciting with Brazil vs. Ghana and Spain vs. France.

Sunday, June 25, 2006 -- Early Evening

The Portugal and Netherlands game was out of control. The referees lost control of the game by the second half, and there were several yellow cards and three red cards doled out. Portugal won and moved on to the next round with a score of 1-0. Ruud van Nistelrooy was not played in the game after the Netherlands coach, Marco van Basten benched van Nistelrooy because of his performance in the earlier World Cup games. Even though van Nistelrooy had a goal, he was substituted in all three games. Tomorrow's matches will be Italy vs. Australia and Switzerland vs. the Ukraine.

Sunday, June 25, 2006 -- Early Afternoon

This morning, England played Ecuador for a quarterfinal spot. There was alot of talk about how the heat would affect England and that the Ecuadorians would have an advantage because they were used to high temperatures. With the temperature in the mid 90s, the teams took the field. England wasn't doing well in the first half of the game. David Beckham was putting the ball in front of the net, but the others seemed to have trouble getting it into the net. The announcers were saying that part of the problem was that Wayne Rooney was the only striker on the field. England had a 5-5-1 formation. When the second half started, I was getting nervous because the score was still 0-0. Well, in the 60th minute, England had a free shot, and Beckham took it. He gave the ball a beautiful bend over the wall in front of the net and got the ball in the corner of the net for a goal. It was a beautiful shot. The goalie was guarding Rooney and was totally out of position for Beckham's ball. Beckham is the man! After the shot, Beckham was puking from dehydration from the heat. He was pulled out of the game at 84 minutes so he could rest and drink. England was able to hold off Ecuador and won with a score of 1-0. England will play the winner of the Portugal vs. Netherlands game later this afternoon.

Saturday, June 24, 2006 -- Late Evening

First up is the important sporting news. In the World Cup group of 16 matches today, German defeated Sweden with a score of 2-0. Both goals for Germany were scored by Lukas Podolski. German does seem like a powerhouse team, and they have yet to lose in the World Cup. The Argentina vs. Mexico match went into overtime because the score was tied at 1-1 after regulation. Ties are okay in the first elimination round, but now it is the winner of the match moves to the next round, so a winner must be found. The game will go into two overtimes of 15 minutes each. If the game is still tied after that, it goes to a shootout. Argentina won in the overtime. Final score 2-1. Tomorrow England will be playing Ecuador and Portugal will be playing the Netherlands.

Friday, June 23, 2006 -- Late Evening

France won today against Togo and have made it into the World Cup quarterfinals. Zinedine Zidane didn't play in today's game because of the two yellow cards that he received. His replacement, Patrick Vieira scored France's first goal, and assisted Thierry Henry with the second. Final score was 2-0. Tomorrow in the first day of quarterfinals, Germany will play Sweden and Argentina will play Mexico.

Thursday, June 22, 2006 -- Evening

Soccer today. Ghana beat the US in their matchup today with a final score of 2-1. Ghana is going to move on to the round of 16 along with Italy who beat the Czech Republic with a 2-0 score. The biggest shocker, in a sarcastic sense, is that Ronaldo scored two goals in the game between Brazil and Japan. The final score was 4-1. That was absolutely amazing because Ronaldo has been playing like the elder statesman of the sport. Brazil will play Ghana next in the round of 16 on June 27.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006 -- Morning

Michael Owen is out of the World Cup after injuring himself in the first second minute of the England vs. Sweden game. Owen twisted his right knee, and had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 -- Evening

England moves on to the next round after a tie with Sweden, and will meet Ecuador in the round of 16. Their match is going to be June 25. I am hoping that England makes it further in the World Cup. Germany and Poland also won although the win for Poland wasn't enough to get them anywhere since Ecuador won its earlier two games.

Sunday, June 18, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

There were some interesting matches today at the World Cup. Brazil won its match against Australia with a score of 2-0. Ronaldo was pretty useless again. The guy is really out of shape, and Robinho, who replaced Ronaldo in the 71st minute, really added a whole different enthusiasm into the game. The coach, Alberto Parreira, said that he is going to stick with Ronaldo. According to the coach, Ronaldo did better in this game than he did in the last. Australia is still an interesting story in the World Cup because this is the first time in 30 years that they made it into the World Cup. Some people think that the reason Australia has been doing so well this time is because of a software program that allows the coaches to analyze the play in matches. The NFL uses the same sort of technology to analyze the play in their own games. The big story though was that France again settled for a draw with Korea. It was a very exciting game, especially in the second half when Korea really started to put the pressure on France. Thierry Henry scored France's goal in the 8th minute. Park Ji-Sung scored the tying goal for Korea in the 80th minute, and the Koreas really kept up the pressure in the last 10 minutes of play. France is in a pickle because they may not make it into the next round. Zinedine Zidane got a yellow card in the game, and will have to miss the next match. If France doesn't win the next game, they may not make it any further in the World Cup.

Saturday, June 17, 2006 -- Evening

The US team tied the Italians today. I had alot of issues with this game because it's not that the US team actually did the work. Italy scored the first goal. Then the US team had a free kick. The ball was kicked in front of the net, but when Andrea Pirlo went to clear the ball, it went off his shin and into the net. The final score was 1-1, and the only reason for that is because Italy scored for the US. Yeah, you could say that the US team managed to keep the Italians from scoring again to get the lead. I'm not that impressed. I think that luck gave them a reprieve, and if the US goes to the next round, it's not right. But then some would say that is the luck of the game. There is also some controversy over the number of red cards in the game. Three were handed out--one to Italy and two to the US. Some want to criticize the referee for giving too many reds or for not giving cards when players asked for it with really rough play. There were alot of blows being thrown in the game. The US is still in the run for the next round because Ghana defeated the Czech Republic with a score of 2-0. The second goal for Ghana was scored by John Pentsil in the 81st minute. Pentsil also plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv, and when he scored his goal, he celebrated by whipping an Israeli flag out of his sock and waving it around. It seems that Pentsil has a history of waving either the Israeli or Ghanaian flag. Another interesting item of note is that three of the Ghanaian players also play in Israeli soccer clubs.

Thursday, June 15, 2006 -- Evening

England played Trinidad & Tobago today. It was not looking good for England at first because they didn't seem to be able to take advantage of any opportunity given them. However, they were able to score a goal at 82 minutes when David Beckham fed the ball to Peter Crouch. Beckham also had a hand in the second goal at 90 minutes when he fed the ball to Steven Gerrard. England won with a final score of 2-0, and Beckham was named Man of the Match for his efforts. Wayne Rooney came into the game at the 58th minute. My favorite has and always will be David Beckham though. There aren't any other players like him.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

The soccer games today were interesting. The most exciting and well played game was Germany vs. Poland. It seems that Poland has never beaten Germany in the past, and unfortunately, they didn't today. The game had gotten to the 90 minute mark, and there was still no score. There were three minutes of stoppage time, and one minute into it, Germany scored a goal. The stadium went wild, but I really felt bad for the Polish goalie, Artur Boruc. He made some spectacular saves earlier in the game, and just wasn't able to block that last shot. At the end of the game, he was just sitting forlornly on the ground. You really had to feel for him. Spain just whooped the Ukraine with a score of 4-0. Spain really was too much better than the Ukraine. The Saudi Arabia and Tunisia game ended in a tie.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Ronaldo was booed when he was pulled from the pitch in the 68th minute of the game today. He was pulled because basically the manager of the Brazil team didn't think that Ronaldo was pulling his weight. You could see that Ronaldo was limping all over the place. obviously those blisters from not breaking in his shoes earlier in the month. It seems that Ronaldo has a reputation for being a whiny baby, and the fans were booing him because of his lack of effort in today's game. Brazil won with a final score f 1-0. There were alot of players exchanging shirts--which is the thing that a player requests of another player that he respects.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -- Afternoon

I was off sick today with a sinus infection and bronchitis, but the good news is that I did nothing but watch soccer all day. First up today was the Korea vs. Togo game. Korea was behind in the first with Togo leading by a score of 1-0. Korea came back though in the second half to score two goals to win the game. The interesting thing is that France, the powerhouse that was expected to dominate Group G which has Korea, Togo, France, and Switzerland, is tied for second place with Switzerland because of a 0-0 tie with the Swiss today. The win today has put Korea in great position in Group G with three points and first place. Right now I am watching the Brazil and Croatia game. It is nearing half time in that game, and there is still no score. Brazil has not lost its opening game in the World Cup since 1930. They have 13 wins and 2 ties. I have to admit that the Croatia team needs to get a new uniform. They have a red and white checked shirt that looks like a tablecloth from an Italian-American pizzeria. Brazil just scored in the 44th minute.

Sunday, June 11, 2006 -- Early Evening

More soccer today. The most exciting match in my opinion was the Mexico vs. Iran game. The score was tied with around 16 minutes left in the game when Omar Bravo scored two goals in four minutes to enable Mexico to win by a score of 3-1.

Saturday, June 10, 2006 -- Evening

Updates on soccer today. England won its match against Paraguay with a score of 1-0. The second half was not the most stellar example of soccer. In fact, if England wants to get far in the matches, they will have to pick up the level of their play. I was watching some of the analysis on ABC, which showed some of the games today, and one of the announcers said that everyone is talking up Wayne Rooney, but he didn't even score a single goal in the qualifying rounds. That is true. It's all fine and dandy to have the talk, but you have to have some actions to back it up. In the other matches, it was a tie of 0-0 between Sweden and Trinidad/Tobago, and Argentina defeated Cote d'Ivoire with a score of 2-1. There was almost a controversy with the game when one of the Argentinian players looked like he knocked the ball into the goal, but the ref said that the ball didn't fully break the plane of the goal line. From the replays, it looked the ball totally crossed the line in the goalie's hands, but the goal was called off. Fortunately, Argentina won so the controversy is moot. Finally in soccer news, everyone, including Brazil's President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, have been wondering if Ronaldo is fat. It seems that Ronaldo is 6 feet tall and weighs around 189 pounds. According to the BMI Ronaldo would be considered overweight. Now if he weighed 180, he would be considered normal weight. It seems that the newspapers in Brazil have been making fun of Ronaldo non-stop with his weight, the blisters he got on his feet from having new shoes, and in general being a sicky. I think that the proof will be in the pudding, and if Ronaldo produces, the comments will stop.

Saturday, June 10, 2006 -- Late Morning

Who's a coward now? Delio Cesar Toledo, from Paraguay, called David Beckham a coward. According to Toledo, Beckham avoids getting into physical confrontations during the game. Toledo said that he knew how to take care of Beckham because he just needed to "raise my leg to him." Three minutes into the England vs. Paraguay match this morning, David Beckham scored a goal for England. It was a beautiful bend and was helped in by a header from Paraguay's captain, Carlos Gamarra. England played well in the first half, but things are abit slower in the second half. There are still probably around 25 minutes left in the game, so I'll have the final results later.

Friday, June 9, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

The World Cup started today. There were two games, Germany vs. Costa Rica and Poland vs. Ecuador. Germany won its game against Costa Rica by a score of 4-2. Miroslav Klose scored two goals for Germany. The goals were nice birthday presents for Klose who celebrated his 28th birthday today. Although Klose was born in Poland, he plays for Germany where his family moved when Klose was 9. The Poland vs. Ecuador game was abit livelier with two yellow cards Ecuadorian players and one against Poland. A goal scored by Poland was waved off. The final score was Ecuador 2, Poland 0. This game was abit of a shocker because it was assumed that Poland would beat Ecuador. I am keeping track of the scores and standings.

Friday, June 9, 2006 -- Morning

The World Cup starts today with opening ceremonies in Munich. The matches today are Germany against Costa Rica and Poland against Ecuador. Both teams are in Group A.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006 -- Evening

Wayne Rooney has his foot scan today and was given clearance to play in the FIFA World Cup. Rooney broke a metatarsal bone in his right foot in April during the regular season. Rooney normally plays for Manchester United. United!

Tuesday, June 6, 2006 -- Afternoon

Ronaldo should be ready to play for Brazil in the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Ronaldo has been plagued with a foot problem that might have been caused from new boots causing blisters. You would think he would have trainers or someone who would know to break in his shoes for him.

Sunday, June 4, 2006 -- Evening

The 2006 FIFA World Cup starts this coming Friday. My boyfriend found one of the worst commercials for the World Cup. It's a Pepsi commercial that features several star players, including my favorite David Beckham. The players want some Pepsi, but have to play a gang of Bavarian yodellers for the priviledge. The soccer stars managed to outdo the Bavarians with fancy footwork until a rather husky (meaning fat) blonde woman grabs the ball and the Bavarians move it down the "pitch" with their dance steps. It reminded me of an outtake of German Week from Are You Being Served? In preparation for the World Cup, I have been watching some clips from YouTube for David Beckham - A Footballer's Story. The documentary was originally shown on ITV in May of 2006. My favorite bit is the second part on YouTube where Beckham speaks Spanish.

Monday, May 29, 2006 -- Early Evening

I have decided to add a soccer page in honor of the upcoming World Cup. I'll put in some stories about various soccer personalities, the games, and track the results with the help of a template from Microsoft. The World Cup will start on June 9. As for news stories, first up is that Ronaldo, one of the stars of Real Madrid, might want to play for a team in the US in the future. Of course, it wouldn't make much sense for him to do something like that now because he has a contract with Real Madrid, and really the fans and the money are in places outside of the US. Another personality in the news is Wayne Rooney, the rising English star of soccer. He has a broken foot, and isn't very likely to play for the England team that David Beckham is captaining. Originally, he was scheduled t travel with the English team to German on June 5 for the World Cup, and have a scan of his foot a week later (on June 14). However, it has been decided to move the scan up to an earlier date, June 7. The reason for the change is because the England team will need to know by June 9 if Rooney will be able to play for them, or if they will need to make a change. All team changes must be in by June 9.