Goals Gone Global

While the United States has exited the World Cup tournament, there is still plenty of great soccer to watch and the quarter-finals boast a pair of powerhouse match-ups. Please see our World Cup Soccer Bars Directory for a list of venues where fans will gather to watch the games. On Friday, July 2, at 9 a.m., five-time World Cup champions and perennial favorites Brazil meet the Netherlands who have neither drawn a game or been defeated in this tournament, nor in their European qualifying matches that preceded it. This is a quarter-final match-up that is worthy of a final. Also on Friday, July 2, at 1:30 p.m. two-time World Cup champions Uruguay play Ghana, Africa's sole remaining representative in the continent's debut hosting of the tournament. On Saturday, July 3, at 9 a.m. two-time World Cup champions Argentina face three-time World Cup champions Germany in another quarter-final match-up worthy of a final. Indeed, the two nations contested successive World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990, with Argentina prevailing in the former and the then-West Germany winning the latter. Argentina is led by mercurial manager Diego Maradona, considered by many the greatest soccer player of all-time, who is vying to become only the second person to win the tournament as both a player and coach. Franz Beckenbauer, a German, is the only one to have managed that feat to date. Also on Saturday, July 3, at 1:30 p.m. pre-tournament favorites and reigning European champions Spain meet Paraguay, one of four South American teams among the final eight contenders. As all four are in different parts of the tournament bracket, it's possible that the semi-finals could be an all-South American affair. Following a couple of rest days, the semi-finals take place at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 6, and 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 7. Tuesday will feature the winners of the Uruguay/Ghana and Brazil/Netherlands matches, while Wednesday showcases the victors of the Argentina/Germany and Spain/Paraguay games. The third place match happens at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 10 and the grand final occurs at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 11.
June 11-July 11, 2010