Road to South Africa World Cup 2010

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Thank you Denmark!!!

Portugal should be all but in the playoff round. They beat Malta 4-0 away, so they should be able to take care of business at home. If they don't beat Malta, then they don't deserve anything. They've had a terrible campaign thus far, but that will all be forgotten if they find a way to get into the WC.

Not sure how people were complaining earlier about the Sweden Denmark match. Sweden needed the win. A draw would have given Portugal's destiny back in their hands. It would have come down to differential. I was watching that game and both teams were going after that first goal.

Portugal weren't great today, there were plenty of close calls for Hungary when it was 0-0 and 1-0, but they finally got the insurance they needed. Something they haven't been doing dating back to Euro 08 qualifying.

Got the day off Wednesday, hopefully, I'm in for a minor celebration.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

If the following 8 teams make it into the playoffs this would be the seeds (by FIFA Rankings)

Upper Seeds

6. Russia
10. France
12. Greece
17. Portugal

Lower Seeds

25. Ukraine
38. Ireland
46. Bosnia
54. Slovenia

If Croatia gets in ahead of Ukraine, they are #9 which would drop Portugal into the lower seeds.

There will be a new ranking on October 16 and that's what they are basing the seeding on.

[Bagor]

Updated list of qualified teams. 16/32 now in.

HOSTS
South Africa
AFRICA
Ghana
Ivory Coast
ASIA
Australia
Japan
North Korea
South Korea
EUROPE
Denmark
England
Germany
Netherlands
Serbia
Spain
SOUTH AMERICA
Brazil
Paraguay

And as things stand the 2nd place teams in UEFA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FI...A_Second_Round

I think it's safe to say that the 2nd placed teams aren't going to change with the last game so that leaves with the rankings at they are now (which I can't see changing significantly next month).

Seeded: Russia, Greece, France, Portugal
vs
Unseeded: Ukraine, Slovenia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Ireland.

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by KTown

Not to mention there powerful offence with that 1 goal. Well with the way it stands now there is about a 0.00001% chance the Czechs will finish second, so with that said I'd love to see Slovenia win the group and the slovaks finish second and then faulter in the playoffs. When you lose 2-0 at home like that after a good campaign, that is embarrasing.

Considering that Slovakia:

- has a very young, internationaly inexperienced team
- has no stars from top clubs
- has no strikers AT ALL (Vittek in the starting lineup is equal to JF Jacques on your top line)

they've done very well eventhought of course this loss sucks big time. Slovakia needs to win in Poland and if they blow it - then the word emabarasing would be warranted...

[arloiginla]

Go Germany!!! They could do it this time.

[CrusaderPi]

Honduras had a big opportunity to tie the US late, but sailed a penalty kick over the crossbar. Looks like the Americans are in.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by CrusaderPi

Looks like the Americans are in.

Yup. That's them there.

You can also add Chile and Mexico to the qualified list.

Argentina get a break as Ecuador beaten at home. 4th spot is going to go down to the wire as they play Uruguay away with the winner taking the spot. Draw does it for Argentina.

[The Special One]

Portugal, Greece, France and Russia will be the seeded teams.

Slim but possible chance it could be the Swiss instead of the Greeks.

[Locke]

I watched the Germany/Russia game, now that was a good game, I gotta hand it to the Ruskies though, they really carried the play and had the better chances, if not for some mistakes from their strikers and the spectacular playe of GK Rene Adler they could have easily won that game.

Germany had 1 really good scoring chance all game and Klose cashed.

I think Russia really will be the team to beat in the playoff round, I hope they go up against Portugal, that would be a great, great game, but I dont think the seeding will allow that.

[The Special One]

Originally Posted by Locke

I watched the Germany/Russia game, now that was a good game, I gotta hand it to the Ruskies though, they really carried the play and had the better chances, if not for some mistakes from their strikers and the spectacular playe of GK Rene Adler they could have easily won that game.

Germany had 1 really good scoring chance all game and Klose cashed.

I think Russia really will be the team to beat in the playoff round, I hope they go up against Portugal, that would be a great, great game, but I dont think the seeding will allow that.

Portugal, Greece, France and Russia will be the seeded teams.

[Cactus Jack]

Originally Posted by Bagor

You can also add Chile and Mexico to the qualified list.

Argentina get a break as Ecuador beaten at home. 4th spot is going to go down to the wire as they play Uruguay away with the winner taking the spot. Draw does it for Argentina.

WOOOOOOOO! Chile qualified for the first time since 1998, I can't wait to see them give a good team a scare and perhaps win an elimination game. VIVA CHILE MIERDA! They'll probably end up as the weak sister in a group of death though.

Argentina and Uruguay will be a dog fight tomorrow. I'll be home to watch that, as the winner will get an automatic birth. The finish to the Argentina Peru game was unreal:
- a 91st minute tie
- a rainy, windy, cloudy stadium that was so grey you could barely see the pitch
- a dramatic 94th minute win for Argentina to keep their WC hopes alive

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Cactus Jack

WOOOOOOOO! Chile qualified for the first time since 1998, I can't wait to see them give a good team a scare and perhaps win an elimination game. VIVA CHILE MIERDA! They'll probably end up as the weak sister in a group of death though.

Argentina and Uruguay will be a dog fight tomorrow. I'll be home to watch that, as the winner will get an automatic birth. The finish to the Argentina Peru game was unreal:
- a 91st minute tie
- a rainy, windy, cloudy stadium that was so grey you could barely see the pitch
- a dramatic 94th minute win for Argentina to keep their WC hopes alive

I wonder how Argentina will approach this. A draw gets them in but a loss may knocked them out completely if Ecuador win in Chile (Chile might not care anymore). Maradona doesn't have a clue and I can't see them doing anything against a good Uruguay team.

I've seen Chile a couple of times in this campaign and they're just plain fun. They play 3-4-3, totally offensive. In the World Cup they'll need a decent group and one that's not too physical. They a smallish team and if they draw an African team like Ghana for example, they might get pushed over.

[CrusaderPi]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I wonder how Argentina will approach this. A draw gets them in but a loss may knocked them out completely if Ecuador win in Chile (Chile might not care anymore). Maradona doesn't have a clue and I can't see them doing anything against a good Uruguay team.

I've seen Chile a couple of times in this campaign and they're just plain fun. They play 3-4-3, totally offensive. In the World Cup they'll need a decent group and one that's not too physical. They a smallish team and if they draw an African team like Ghana for example, they might get pushed over.

I have some Chilean friends and they've describe the national squad thusly., "A bunch of, uh latinos, running around trying to show each other up". Chile is entering into a so called "golden generation" of players. They should be extremely competitive for the next 5-10 years.

[Locke]

Maradonna is going to be an absolute Villain in Argentina if they fail to qualify for the World Cup....not looking good, if they hadnt miraculously won that last game they'd already be dead and buried.

As it stands, an Ecuador win and an Uruguay win and Argentina is on the outside looking in. They have to beat Uruguay.

I would love for Argentina not to qualify!

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Locke

Maradonna is going to be an absolute Villain in Argentina if they fail to qualify for the World Cup....not looking good, if they hadnt miraculously won that last game they'd already be dead and buried.

As it stands, an Ecuador win and an Uruguay win and Argentina is on the outside looking in. They have to beat Uruguay.

I would love for Argentina not to qualify!

Me too, their campaign has been a disaster. To be fair the team was already struggling, that's why they fired the coach and hired Maradona to begin with. But it takes some kind of manager to make Messi look totally useless.

Uruguay against Argentina at the 1930 World Cup stadium. It's going to be unbelieveable. A friend mentioned to me this would be like England having to play it's final qualfying game in Scotland with the Scots needing a win to knock England out.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Me too, their campaign has been a disaster. To be fair the team was already struggling, that's why they fired the coach and hired Maradona to begin with. But it takes some kind of manager to make Messi look totally useless.

Uruguay against Argentina at the 1930 World Cup stadium. It's going to be unbelieveable. A friend mentioned to me this would be like England having to play it's final qualfying game in Scotland with the Scots needing a win to knock England out.

Pretty much, its going to be a war, my concern were I a fan of Argentina is their decisive inability to show up to big games.

Maradonna has sapped a lot of the life out of that team.

[Cactus Jack]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

I've seen Chile a couple of times in this campaign and they're just plain fun. They play 3-4-3, totally offensive. In the World Cup they'll need a decent group and one that's not too physical. They a smallish team and if they draw an African team like Ghana for example, they might get pushed over.

Originally Posted by CrusaderPi

I have some Chilean friends and they've describe the national squad thusly., "A bunch of, uh latinos, running around trying to show each other up". Chile is entering into a so called "golden generation" of players. They should be extremely competitive for the next 5-10 years.

The thing about Chile is that are masterfully put together. They have no dominant players (although they hope Alexis Sanchez will develop into one) but rather great coaching, play a good team game and have many solid players (Bravo, Carmona, Medel, Fernandez, Suavo, Beausejour, etc.). Their golden age was 10 years when inexplicably a country of 15 million people (less back then) had 2 of the best strikers in the world in Marcelo Salas and Ivan Bam Bam Zamorano. Those 2 carried the team despite few good support players, whereas this team is like the New Jersey devils getting far with a good team game and awesome coaching.

They do need to tighten up a little defensively and can be exploited against tall, physical teams. Either way, just to have them there makes me happy! Vamos Chile!

[Locke]

A more casual game from Germany, I have never seen....

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Locke

A more casual game from Germany, I have never seen....

Which is surprising. You'd think the youngsters would go full out in a nothing game to impress the manager.

[vennegoor of hesselink]

1-0 slovakia

they win they are in right?