Italia.

Not that Ukraine is any great shakes, but Italy is going to the semi-finals and so far the United States are the only side to record a goal against them.

"This is not a team."

Simon Kuper has the best piece I've seen on what's been happening with Brazil, and in particular with Ronaldinho:

This is not the football [Brazil coach Carlos Alberto] Parreira wants to see. But he doesn't aspire to "joga bonito" either. Instead he wants Brazil to pass the ball around for long stretches. "When we put the ball on the ground, we have a technical advantage that is superior to any opponent," he says. But to pass, you need players willing to run into space to receive the ball. Ronaldinho ran in 2002, when he was the team's junior member. This year only Robinho - currently injured - has budged much.

Ronaldinho has grown so frustrated that against Ghana on Tuesday he actually stopped smiling. Several times after passing into nothingness, he turned to the intended recipient (usually Adriano) and demonstrated with his hands how the player should have run: hook sideways, then sprint deep. Once, after crossing a ball that Adriano could have headed in had he but moved, Ronaldinho made an even simpler gesture: he nodded an imitation header. Presumably Adriano understood. Ronaldinho excels at Barcelona where Samuel Eto'o and Ludovic Giuly chase his passes, but with Brazil he is helpless.

Ladies and gentlemen: Coco Crisp!

C's draft

Simmons doesn't like it. And neither does SI's Kelly Dwyer. I'll wait to pass judgement until I see whether AI, KG or Jermaine O'Neal end up in a C's uniform.

By the way, from what I've read about Leon Powe (can't retrace the links at the moment, sorry) he's a very good player who got the Golden Bears into the NCAA tourney, but has had 2 knee reconstruction surgerys which scared teams off. He's supposed to be a solid inside player with good defense and rebounding, excellent short-offense and a developing mid-range shot. Averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds this past year.

And now, Leon Powe

Those with Golden Bears loyalties will be glad to hear that Ainge just moved a future second round pick for sophomore forward Leon Powe.

Rajon Rondo

Henry Abbott spent a bunch of time pulling together summaries of different draft prospects in the hours leading up to the draft. His compilation on Rondo is here.

Telfair.

Sebastian Telfair, anyone?

Wynalda.

The ESPN and ABC commentators for the World Cup are crappy enough. And then there's Eric Wynalda, gunning from the studio for Bruce Arena and just about everyone else on a US team that did far better than the team Wynalda led -- and I do use that term loosely -- to a last-place finish in France in 1998. If Wynalda had shown up for that final game against Iran, he might have a little more standing to bitch and moan now.

Coulda, woulda, shoulda

Peter May's column from today's Globe is an exhaustive look at what's gone wrong with the men in Green since their last championship 20 years ago.

Suffice it to say, there's more than he writes, but this is a good place to start. Ugh.

Not to toot my own horn...

...but what the hell. It's never stopped me before, so why start now?

The final paragraph from John Powers' gruesome post-mortem on the U.S. soccer team's meltdown at the World Cup pretty much sums up what I said at the beginning of the tournament.

The last team went to the quarterfinals, the best US showing in 72 years. Maybe this one could have knocked off Brazil, maybe not. One thing, though, is certain. When you score one goal with your own feet in 270 minutes, you're on the early plane back to Newark.

Here's what I said on June 3rd in response to T.S.'s concerns over Claudio Reyna's health:

I wouldn't worry so much about Reyna. He's an important player, but the key for the Yanks will be how their forwards and attacking midfielders play. Reyna's a playmaker, but if Donovan et. al. can't put the biscuit in the basket, it will be a short tourney for us.

Could Donovan have played a worse final game? How many corners and free kicks were off target? Overall, could the U.S. attack have had a worse cup? And how furious is Taylor Twellman (2005 MLS MVP and leading scorer) that he didn't get a chance on this team, while teammate Clint Dempsey was one of the few (if inconsistent) bright spots on the team?

For the record, I thought the U.S. team had a real chance to advance. Again, from June 3rd:

I think they advance out of the first round and if they really get on a roll, possibly make the semis.

If they won their group, I believe their 2nd round opponent was going to be Australia, and then likely France or Switzerland after that -- all beatable teams.

Count me one very wrong observer.

Or "futbol," if you prefer.

Rather than try to figure out who is starting for the Red Sox tonight, I have been watching the World Cup like it won't be on again for another four years, and even blogging a bit over at the personal mothership. (N.B. -- Simpsons footage included.)

TS: Your faith in Reyna...

...was well placed.  He was one of the few who had a decent game yesterday.  But as I pointed out in my earlier post, the key for the U.S. team is how much offense their "stars" can generate.  Donovan et. al. didn't do much yesterday.  They've got to play better if the U.S. has a chance to advance.

World Cup kickoff

20 minutes into the Germany/Costa Rica game, the score is already 2-1 Germany. Or, if you prefer American football scoring, that would be 14-7 before the end of the first quarter.

How to say "w00t!" in Dutch.

I can't stop watching this clip from the Holland-Argentina quarterfinal in 1998. As the action picks up, the game is tied 1-1 in the 89th minute....

Ronaldinho

If you've ever wondered why Ronaldinho is considered by many to be the best soccer player in the world, this little Q&A with SI's Grant Wahl is a pretty good place to start. It comes complete with a couple of nifty links to some of Ronaldinho's greatest hits. Or you could just do a YouTube search for Ronaldinho and start there.

June 9 is coming.

The U.S. team is gettting ready for the World Cup in Hamburg, which reminds me that I need to get that new TV, pronto. Meanwhile, the important news is that "Claudio Reyna, the only player with a significant injury, said his strained right hamstring 'feels pretty good' and that he hopes to be available to play in Monday's closed scrimmage against Angola."

Been away so long it looks like up to me.

Jay Williams is ready to come back to the NBA three years after his motorcycle accident, and he's been working out with the Toronto Raptors. However, it appears that there's still something wrong with his head:

"The thing I like about Toronto is the winning atmosphere," said Williams.

Or maybe he's just desperate.