S&M Gets Spanked

Some headlines write themselves, and were I a more mature person, I would have resisted the obvious. But I'm not, so there you go.

What can one say about a game that ends 6-0? Argentina seems the class of this WC and should easily win this group and move on. Although the Dutch are also 2-0, they've struggled against these same teams that Argentina beat rather convincingly.

As for the other games yesterday, I will say that the IC are likely to be the best team not to advance. They play with heart and with speed and skill and have been a pleasure to watch. As for Mex-Angola: I'm not sure what to make of this game. Mexico had chances but Angola's keeper played splendidly. They also hit more than a few off the woodwork -- bad luck and all.

One of the things that concerns me at this point in the tournament, and I'll write more on this later, has to do with the poor showing of the CONCACAF teams: USA, Costa Rica, Mexico and T&T. So far, the conference is 1-4-2. I think only Africa has fared worse, winless so far in the WC. Not only does this showing underscore the totally unrealistic nature of FIFA rankings (Mexico is 4th, US 5th), but it give ammunition to those who think awarding 4 spots to the conference unfairly penalizes either Europe or South America. More on this later (and let me know what you think).