Sports Articles

2010-06-24 | Jim Murphy

One of the marquee matchups of the World Cup group stage is this clash between Brazil and Portugal, but with both teams assured of a place in the final 16 it could be more of an exhibition game than anything else. Brazil struggled a bit with North Korea before finding their form against the Ivory Coast. Portugal opened with a draw against the Ivory Coast, but exploded in their second game with a 7-0 drubbing of North Korea that has given them an almost insurmountable goal differential advantage.

2010-06-22 | Jim Murphy

Argentina is dominating Group B play, but with no other team stepping forward to claim the runner up spot the race is wide open for the second ticket to World Cup knockout rounds. South Korea has the inside track at advancing and they can clinch the #2 spot in group play with a victory over Nigeria. Oddly enough, Nigeria is also still alive for the knockout round as well despite losing their first two games—in fact, they’ve got a very realistic chance of advancing if they can earn a victory here. All they need is for Argentina to beat Greece by more than one goal—a very likely scenario—and a win will see them though to the next round.

2010-06-22 | Jim Murphy

Germany’s loss to Serbia really shook things up in Group D and the fight to move on to the second round is wide open. Serbia and Germany are tied for the #2 spot with 3 points apiece, Ghana leads with 4 points and Australia brings up the real with 1. Nevertheless, all four teams are technically alive heading into the final game in group play. Ghana/Germany will take place at the same time as this game, meaning that nothing will be settled before this matchup begins.

2010-06-15 | Jim Murphy

Slovenia held of a feisty challenge from Algeria before striking late to secure a 1-0 victory in the World Cup opener for both teams. Algeria’s Abdelkader Ghezzal was ejected in the 72nd minute of play, and Slovenia quickly took advantage of their undermanned opponent to set up Robert Koren’s game winning goal in the 79th minute. With the United States and England playing to a 1-1 draw on Saturday, Slovenia finds themselves atop the Group C standings following the opening weekend of play. With a population of just over 2 million, Slovenia is the smallest nation in the entire World Cup field.

2010-06-14 | Jim Murphy

Heading into the 2010 World Cup, the biggest concern among England fans was their goaltending situation. That proved to be prescient as the USA took advantage of a blunder by goalkeeper Robert Green to salvage a 1-1 draw in the Group C opener for both teams. England got on the board quickly with Steven Gerrard’s goal just four minutes in to give his team a 1-0 advantage. They held that lead until Green’s miscue allowed the USA to even the score on Clint Dempsey’s goal right before halftime.

2010-06-07 | Jim Murphy

After falling short of the money winnings needed to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, the Bill Mott trained Drosselmeyer gained some degree of vindication by pulling an upset victory in the Belmont Stakes. With Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith aboard, Drosselmeyer outlasted a hard charging Fly Down to take the win in the third leg of the Triple Crown by ¾ of a length. First Dude finished third, while Game On Dude took fourth. Prerace favorite Ice Box was never in contention and wound up finishing 9th.

2010-06-07 | Jim Murphy

There’s an old saying that ‘money isn’t everything’ and that’s apparently the case for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. Reports indicate that Manchester City is prepared to offer Torres the richest contract in European soccer history, but that he’ll decline their offer in hopes that he can work out a deal with Chelsea. Every indication is that Manchester City will be willing to outbid any offer that Chelsea tenders, but Torres is hoping to play a key role in Champions League action. Torres is currently in South Africa with Spain’s national team preparing for World Cup action.

2010-06-01 | Jim Murphy

England will head into World Cup play having won both of their tune up matches, though neither victory provided the team or their fans with much confidence. This weekend England struggled with an overmatched Japan side, but escaped with a 2-1 victory in a bizarre contest in which all three goals were scored by the Japanese—two into their own net. The win over Japan followed an uneven 3-1 victory over Mexico at Wembley Stadium.

2010-06-01 | Jim Murphy

The United States soccer team has arrived in South Africa and is preparing to start World Cup play. This may be the most talented US team in recent history, but there are plenty of questions after a couple of uneven efforts in warm up games. The 23 man roster and a host of coaches left Washington-Dulles International Airport on Sunday and after a day of rest will resume practice. The US will open Group C play on June 12 against the stiff challenge of an England team that is considered one of the favorites to win the tournament.