Here we are for anyone who has been following on the morning of the start of the knockout phase. Group play is over and there are no more round robin formats where you get 3 points for winning, 1 for tying, etc. Starting this morning with the Uruguay vs. South Korea game, it is now win or go home. No more ties!!!
There are 16 teams left in the field with our Patriot boys set up at a better than average shot at making a final four run. We play my other favorite team Ghana this morning at around 11:00 our time. This is going to be a tough matchup considering the size and extreme speed that Ghana brings to the table but the US is a much more highly skilled team. When it comes down to putting the ball in the net, we have that ability with 4 or 5 guys while Ghana has trouble finishing.
Should we beat Ghana, which will be very bittersweet for me, we will face the winner of the South Korea vs. Uruguay match that is played before our match this morning. This is thought to be one of the weaker matches of the knockout round, with neither country being a traditional power. Should we be fortunate enough to get to that game let alone win, that would put us pretty much in the Final Four and looking up at the big boys like Brazil, Spain, Portugal, etc. (Notice no Italy or France).
Anyway, thanks for dealing with my soccer updates. This has been so fun for me to keep track of and actually keep my mind on something other than continuous health updates and issues. What do you guys think of the tournament from here on out? Can we do it? Can we pull a couple of huge upsets like we did last summer in the Confederation Cup in South Africa where we almost knocked of Brazil in the Final for our first major tournament victory ever? It all starts today.
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