Early Bracket Predictions and Surprises

EruditeHobo · May 7, 2010

I'm not disagreeing, I've been watching both England and Liverpool for the past decade so I'm pretty well aware of what he's capable of. I'm just saying the goal numbers in specific aren't indicative of his value to the team, especially compared to Rooney.

He's always been a good player, if limited as you said.... but the thrust of the statement wasn't coming under fire. Braces in friendlies, and against Andorra... sort of skew the numbers is all I'm saying.

At the end of the day all he can do is score when he's put out on the field, so good for him. Just saying.

lordantwarrior · May 7, 2010

tehGEO said: ↑

I'm not disagreeing, I've been watching both England and Liverpool for the past decade so I'm pretty well aware of what he's capable of. I'm just saying the goal numbers in specific aren't indicative of his value to the team, especially compared to Rooney.

He's always been a good player, if limited as you said.... but the thrust of the statement wasn't coming under fire. Braces in friendlies, and against Andorra... sort of skew the numbers is all I'm saying.

At the end of the day all he can do is score when he's put out on the field, so good for him. Just saying.
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Exactly. All I care about is that he keeps knocking them in for England

vancity eagle · May 10, 2010

My predictions a month out

group a

france 5
mexico 3
uruguay 3
s africa 2

group b

argentina 9
nigeria 4
s korea 2
greece 1

group c

england 9
usa 4
algeria 3
slovenia 1

group d

germany 5
ghana 5
serbia 3
australia 1

group e

holland 7
cameroon 4
denmark 3
japan 1

group f

italy 7
paraguay 5
slovakia 4
new zealand 0

group g

brazil 7
portugal 5
civ 4
n korea 0

group h

spain 7
chile 5
switzerland 2
honduras 1

OriginalAEK · May 12, 2010

Here is how we will shape up....only a month away!

Group A:

South Africa 1-1 Mexico
France 1-2 Uruguay

France 1-1 Mexico
South Africa 1-2 Uruguay

South Africa 1-2 France
Mexico 2-1 Uruguay

Table:

Uruguay 6
Mexico 5
France 4
South Africa 1

Group B:

Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
South Korea 0-1 Greece

Argentina 1-0 South Korea
Nigeria 2-1 Greece

Argentina 2-1 Greece
Nigeria 1-0 South Korea

Table:

Argentina 9
Nigeria 6
Greece 3
South Korea 0

Group C

Germany 2-1 Ghana
Australia 1-1 Serbia

Germany 2-2 Australia
Ghana 2-1 Serbia

Germany 0-0 Serbia
Ghana 1-1 Australia

Table:

Germany 5
Ghana 4
Australia 3
Serbia 2

Group D:

England 3-0 USA
Algeria 0-1 Slovenia

England 1-0 Slovenia
USA 2-1 Algeria

England 4-0 Algeria
USA 2-1 Slovenia

Table:

England 9
USA 7
Slovenia 3
Algeria 0

Group E:

Netherlands 3-0 Japan
Denmark 1-1 Cameroon

Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
Japan 1-2 Cameroon

Netherlands 2-0 Cameroon
Japan 1-1 Denmark

Table:

Netherlands 9
Cameroon 4
Denmark 2
Japan 1

Group F:

Italy 1-0 Slovakia
New Zealand 1-2 Paraguay

Italy 2-0 New Zealand
Slovakia 2-2 Paraguay

Italy 2-1 Paraguay
New Zealand 0-0 Slovakia

Table:

Italy 9
Paraguay 4
Slovakia 2
New Zealand 1

Group G:

Brazil 2-0 Portugal
Ivory Coast 3-0 North Korea

Brazil 3-2 Ivory Coast
Portugal 2-0 North Korea

Brazil 2-0 North Korea
Portugal 1-2 Ivory Coast

Table:

Brazil 9
Ivory Coast 6
Portugal 3
North Korea 0

Group H

Spain 2-0 Honduras
Chile 1-0 Switzerland

Spain 2-1 Chile
Honduras 0-1 Switzerland

Spain 2-0 Switzerland
Chile 3-1 Honduras

Table:

Spain 9
Chile 4
Switzerland 3
Honduras 0

Last 16

1A V 2B
1C V 2D
1E V 2F
1G V 2H

1B V 2A
1D V 2C
1F V 2E
1H V 2G

1) Uruguay 1 v Nigeria 1 (Penalties - 4-2 to Uruguay)
2) England 2 v Ghana 1
3) Netherlands 2 v Paraguay 0
4) Brazil 3 v Chile 1

5) Argentina 2 v Mexico 1
6) Germany 1 v USA 0
7) Italy 1 v Cameroon 1 (Penalties - 3-1 to Italy)
8) Spain 2 v Ivory Coast 1

Quarter Finals

1v2
3v4
5v6
7v8

England 2 v Uruguay 0
Brazil 1 v Netherlands 1 (Penalties - 4-3 to Brazil)
Germany 1 v Argentina 1 (Penalties - 3-1 to Argentina)
Spain 2 v Italy 0

Semi-Finals

England 1 v Brazil 2
Argentina 1 v Spain 3

Final

Brazil 1 v Spain 2

tarvinodos · May 12, 2010

Basically right but Brazil does not get past Netherlands. Netherlands to final and beat Spain. But there is a good chance Spain with injuries to Torres can't make semifinals. Then Netherlands over Argentina.

QuakeAttack · May 18, 2010

My prediction:

Group A

Mexico 9
France 4
Uruguay 4
South Africa 0

Group B

Argentina 7
Korea Rep. 6
Nigeria 2
Greece 1

Group C

England 7
USA 6
Slovenia 2
Algeria 1

Group D

Germany 7
Ghana 6
Australia 2
Serbia 1

Group E

Netherlands 7
Denmark 4
Cameroon 3
Japan 1

Group F

Paraguay 9
Italy 6
Slovakia 3
New Zealand 0

Group G

Brazil 7
Ivory Coast 7
Portugal 1
Korea DPR 1

Group H

Spain 7
Chile 7
Switzerland 3
Honduras 0

1/8 FINALS

Mexico - Korea Rep.
England - Ghana
Argentina - France
Germany - USA
Netherlands - Italy
Brazil - Chile
Paraguay- Denmark
Spain - Ivory Coast

QUARTER FINALS

Mexico - England
Netherlands - Brazil
Argentina - USA
Paraguay- Ivory Coast

SEMI FINALS

Mexico - Brazil
Argentina - Ivory Coast

3th/4th GAME

Brazil - Argentina

FINAL

Mexico - Ivory Coast

1. Mexico
2. Ivory Coast
3. Brazil
4. Argentina

While I hate Mexico, I don't see any strong teams that will get in their way. They will beat England in the Quaterfinals (England will have too many injuries), beat Brazil (always play well against them), and gets past Ivory Coast in the final.

US is going to shock Germany, but just can't hang on against Argentina in the quarterfinals.

Heh, it's easy to pick Brazil and Spain, but I see both them beat-able.

lordantwarrior · May 18, 2010

Mexico!?!

I admire your optimism

EruditeHobo · May 18, 2010

Jesus that's almost as crazy as picking the US to win the cup... wow. Bold. You have a chance to win a lot of tournament bracket money with that prediction.

Mexico past England in the knockout stages of the cup, then Brazil... wow. Just wow.

I doubt they'll even win their group...

Juanele · May 18, 2010

tarvinodos said: ↑

Basically right but Brazil does not get past Netherlands. Netherlands to final and beat Spain. But there is a good chance Spain with injuries to Xavi and Iniesta can't make semifinals.
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Fixed.

Torres is and has been a non-factor for the national team.

lordantwarrior · May 18, 2010

Juanele said: ↑

Fixed.

Torres is and has been a non-factor for the national team.
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Word. As good as Torres is, Villa has been the better of the two for the NT in the past few years.

QuakeAttack · May 18, 2010

lordantwarrior said: ↑

Mexico!?!

I admire your optimism
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One too many headers over the past 35 years...

Hell, I have no idea. I do believe that there are many teams that can win it. The traditional strong teams (Italy, Germany, Brazil) are beatable and the second tier (Argentina, Holland, Spain, England) have been inconsistant enough, have injury concerns, or just aren't mentally tough enough to win it.

Frankly, I picked Mexico so they will be guaranteed to lose.

Utd16 · May 18, 2010

These predictions shows some people how ignorant they are...

QuakeAttack · May 20, 2010

Utd16 said: ↑

These predictions shows some people how ignorant they are...
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We bow to the Korean Overlord...

EruditeHobo · May 20, 2010

QuakeAttack said: ↑

We bow to the Korean Overlord...
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lol

Pingudo · May 27, 2010

Group A:

Mexico
Uruguay

Group B:

Argentina
Nigeria

Group C

Germany
Ghana

Group D:

England
USA

Group E:

Netherlands
Cameroon

Group F:

Italy
Paraguay

Group G:

Brazil
Ivory Coast

Group H

Spain
Chile

Second Round:

Mexico 2-1 Nigeria
England 3-1 Ghana
Netherlands 2-0 Paraguay
Brazil 4-1 Chile

Argentina 1-0 Uruguay
Germany 1-0 USA
Italy 1-2 Cameroon
Spain 3-1 Ivory Coast

Quarter Finals:

Mexico 1-2 England
Netherlands 3-2 Brazil

Argentina 2-1 Germany
Cameroon 0-2 Spain

Semi Finals:

England 1-2 Netherlands
Argentina 1-0 Spain

Final:

Argentina 3-2 Netherlands

graywolfe81 · Jun 25, 2010

graywolfe81 said: ↑

In honor of the amazing NCAA's going on right now I thought it might be fun to do a preliminary bracket for the cup, before the official prediction competitions/threads start in two months or so and talk surprises or two.

So without further ado:

Teams that could Surprise:

Mexico: They are ready, they have a friendly path.

Uruguay: May play better than France:

Slovenia: Defensive cohesion could put them in knockout rounds.

Serbia: Could shock Germany

Ghana: Could also shock Germany

Ivory Coast: Not much of one, but i have them knocking out Portugal

Chile: With a better draw, could have been a quarterfinalist, could still be one.

France: I see them losing group A to Mexico and Uruguay, even if they advance, they are likely to be squashed in the R16's, I expect them to fail in group play.

Argentina: Terrible coaching, not maximizing their talent at all, they will crash out early.

Denmark: With just a slightly better draw, they'd be a R16 lock and have a shot at the quarters, instead, they're dead.

Portugal: While I have them going out in the group phase, they are capable of a run to the semi's again, but the coaching isn't there, and they are playing pretty mediocre in soccer.

Group A:

*Mexico wins the group. Mexico replaced two ineffectual coaches, with a very good one, brought in some veteran leadership, and completely turned around a moribund qualification campaign and played like powerhouses in the second half of qualifying. In a group with an ineffectual France, the worst host side probably ever, and a Uruguay side that Mexico is familiar with and can handle, Mexico looks like a good bet for group winner, and their best tournament performance since 1986.

*Uruguay steals second. Maybe a little loony, but Uruguay played pretty well in qualifying, 5 crummy performances in a very difficult 18 game schedule, and played well at Sapprisa. I'm not convinced that France did much of anything of note in qualifying. France should take first or second on talent, but something huge is missing, and with world cup '02, world cup group phase '06, and euro '08 showcasing 3 lousy group phase performances in their past four major tournaments (they played solid ball in the '04 Euro group stage), combined with poor play in '05 and '09 qualifying, I'm thinking they pay a penalty for moribund play in a deceptively difficult group (the host, admittedly weak, but w/the crowd behind them, a Mexican side at the top of their game and a Uruguay side wanting to not blow the opportunity they had in '02, and knowing that with the cup off Euro soil, they have a chance, and the firepower at forward to do it). The one problem, not a great midfield, and I like France's midfield, that could prove the difference. But for now, I'm thinking Uruguay pulls a stunner.

Mexico 1st, Uruguay 2nd.

Group B: One of the two hardest groups to predict. Not one single bad side in the bunch. Argentina should win the group easy, but the clown is coach and they play awful under him. S. Korea never quits, Nigeria will be determined to take advantage of playing in Africa (and they are playing well now), and Greece, well they just get the maximum out of their players.

Argentina has too much talent to crash out, and I see Nigeria grabbing runner up.

Group C:

England is the cream here. USA is the assumed favorite, but with a weak coach and severe injuries are in danger, and what better teams to take advantage of a coach that tends to neuter the attack, then a Slovenia side that allowed the 2nd fewest goals in UEFA qualifying, and an Algeria side whose strength is in their defense.

Group D:

Germany is the cream of crop here but a surprise may be in the offing, as there is not a single poor team in the bunch, much like with B.

1. Serbia 5
2. Germany 4
3. Ghana 4
4. Australia 1

Group E

The debate is between Denmark and Cameroon for runner up.

Group F:

There's always at least one joke group and here it is. Not one great team in the group, other than an old Italy that technically probably isn't great.

Group G:

The battle is for runner up, will an Ivory Coast squad finally live up to the love it gets, or will Portugal play up to its talent, or below it due to coaching and ego issues.

Group H:

The Battle is for runner up, and Switzerland simply doesn't have enough..

Knockout Bracket:

Left Side:

Round of 16:

Mexico over Nigeria

England over Germany

Holland over Paraguay

Brazil over Chile

Thoughts: No surprises, and the crusher is Chile. I honestly believe Chile could have been a quarterfinalist if they'd been drawn into group A, B, E or F, unfortunately they drew one of the four groups that linked them up with a killer, in this case probably Brazil, Chile can beat Brazil in Conmebol qualifying and tournaments, but not in this.

Right Side:

Argentina over Uruguay

Serbia over Slovenia

Cameroon over Italy

Spain over Ivory Coast

Thoughts: I'm picking Slovenia over USA for now due to the US injuries, and coaching issues. I'm picking Cameroon to knock out Italy, some African side needs to make a run.

Quarterfinals:

Left Sides:

England over Mexico

Brazil over Holland

Right side:

Serbia over Argentina

Spain over Cameroon

Thoughts: No surprises on the left side, on the right, I'm picking Serbia in a minor surprise (quality organized team, over a superior team with bad coaching and poor cohesion.)

Semis:

Brazil over England

Spain over Serbia

Thoughts: no surprises

Final:

Spain over Brazil

Great Final, obvious prediction.

What are your thoughts?
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Interesting, three months later almost to the day, looking at this:

Right about:

10 out of 16. A lot of my surprises were on, and I ended up switching to Portugal due to the Drogba injury. The only totally nuts prediction I had was Cameroon. Not so bad, and going out on a limb w/Uruguay and Mexico proved prophetic, I also rightly propped slovenia to some extent, though they should have only gotten 1-3 points, rather than their four. Overall, somewhat reasonable beyond the hideous pick for Cameroon and the deep run for Serbia.