Brief Implications for This Week's Games

DIENSTAG
9am (US Central)
Costa Rica v Poland
Germany v Ecuador

The Poland-Costa Rica game has no implications whatsoever outside Costa Rica and Poland. I guess the city of Hanover might have an interest in a calm, uncontroversial Poland win, since they'll have a huge number of Polish fans in the city. The big game is in Berlin, though, and Germany needs an outright win to take the group. Both teams advance anyways, and their opponents won't be decided until around 4pm. The draw doesn't dramatically improve either way. Winner goes to Munich, loser to Stuttgart.

2pm
England v Sweden
Paraguay v Trinidad & Tobago

Again, the Paraguay game is for last place, with Trinidad needing only a draw to finish third and give the finger to everybody who said they shouldn't be at the tournament. England v Sweden decides who plays Germany and who plays Ecuador, and thanks to a little help from Trinidad, England only needs a draw to finish first. Winner goes to Stuttgart, loser to Munich.

MITTWOCH
9am
Portugal v Mexico
Iran v Angola

Angola has an outside shot of taking second in this group, but they need to beat Iran to do it, and they need Mexico to lose, and they need to make up a few of goals on top of it. Mexico can also take 1st away from Portugal with a win. Whoever finishes on top goes to Nuremburg, and second place to Leipzig.

2pm
Holland v Argentina
Cote d'Ivoire v Serbia

The CIV-SCG game is possibly for dead last in the tournament, since Serbia has a two goal lead on dead last, and owns the tiebreaker. The Holland-Argentina game is for the group lead, and because of the 6-0 thumping Argentina put on Serbia, the Dutch need to win outright. BTW, what a disapointing Group of Death, the worst record in the tournament might come out of this group and it was all over after two matches. Winner goes to Leipzig, loser to Nuremburg.

DONNERSTAG
9am
Czech Republic v Italy
USA v Ghana

God only knows how this will all shake out in the Diet Coke of Death (just one calorie), the only team that can't win it is the US. Winner goes to Kaiserslautern, second place goes to Dortmund, and trust me, you don't want to go to Dortmund (see below).

2pm
Brazil v Japan
Australia v Croatia

I'm totally looking forward to Australia facing the country that provides a third of their players (by ancestry, they didn't have a yard sale in Split or something). The Croats need to win outright to stay alive, and even that may not help. Brazil can win the group with a draw, Australia can clinch second with a win (or first if the Japanese go nuts and wax Brazil by 3 goals or something), the Croats and the Japanese both need wins to pass up the Australians for second. Realistically, Brazil will go to Dortmund, and the winner of Australia v Croatia will go to Kaiserslautern.

So to the person most likely to call me everyday and ask this stuff, here you go. I'll get to Friday when I finish watching Spain v Tunisia, so go get an ottoman or something.