World Cup: My Final 8 predictions

Posted on Categories Personal

Well, no one on the face of the earth following the tournament would have picked this group. But here we are, with two matches beginning late Thursday night (PST) and two more late Friday to get to the final four. Germany, Brazil, England, and Spain, no big surprises in that group; South Korea, Turkey, Senegal, and USA, not a single one was given a chance to reach this stage. Short and sweet, here are my predictions in order that the matches will be played:

Quarterfinals

  • England-Brazil: Best game of the tournament, make it Brazil in OT 2-1 or 3-2, though I’ll be rooting for the Brits

  • Germany-USA: 2-1 Germany, making me cry, happy as I am that our boys got so far–just wait and see how well we do at Germany 2006!

  • Spain-South Korea: The co-hosts continue an amazing run, 1-0 or 2-1 over Spain

  • Senegal-Turkey: No clue really but give it to Senegal because they beat France and ought to have the crowd on their side since the Turks put Japan out

Semifinals

  • Germany-South Korea: The dream is over, just barely, and I expect to see a number of the South Koreans in MLS and some top European leagues

  • Brazil-Senegal: Samba rules and the Africans can’t dance fast enough, so the Brazilians make their third straight appareance in the Finals

Third Place

  • South Korea-Senegal: No question the home side (this game is to be played in Korea) will be the ones with juice left in the tank

Finals

  • Germany-Brazil: So hard to pick this one, so many good players on each side, both with great scorers and playmakers; it has to come down to the goalkeepers, Kahn and Marcos and their key defenders and therefore to Germany, with Brazil again falling one game short and the Germans their fourth trophy.

Notes

  • Backup pick: If England can find their way past Brazil, I’ll take them over Senegal and Germany to win the whole deal. They match up well against the Germans and beat them badly just a few months back in a friendly.

  • The Math: Just coincidence, sure, but the German team seem due for the trophy. They won previously in 1954, 1974, and 1990; that is, 20 years apart, then 16, and this time would be 12. If they win watch out in 2010!

  • Automatic: For the first time, in the next Cup only the host nation will get an automatic bid when until now the defending champ got one too. A German win on the 30th would resolve that.