So here's my plan for June and early July

We just need HD before June 11!!!

2010 World Cup Daily Schedule
All Times EDT
FIRST ROUND
Friday, June 11
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
South Africa vs. Mexico, 10 a.m.
At Cape Town, South Africa
Uruguay vs. France, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 12
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
South Korea vs. Greece, 7:30 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Argentina vs. Nigeria, 10 a.m.
At Rustenburg, South Africa
England vs. United States, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 13
At Polokwane, South Africa
Algeria vs. Slovenia, 7:30 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
Serbia vs. Ghana, 10 a.m.
At Durban, South Africa
Germany vs. Australia, 2:30 p.m.
Monday, June 14
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Netherlands vs. Denmark, 7:30 a.m.
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Japan vs. Cameroon, 10 a.m.
At Cape Town, South Africa
Italy vs. Paraguay, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 15
At Rustenburg, South Africa
New Zealand vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m.
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Ivory Coast vs. Portugal, 10 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Brazil vs. North Korea, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 16
At Nelspruit, South Africa
Honduras vs. Chile, 7:30 a.m.
At Durban, South Africa
Spain vs. Switzerland, 10 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
South Africa vs. Uruguay, 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 17
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Argentina vs. South Korea, 7:30 a.m.
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Nigeria vs. Greece, 10 a.m.
At Polokwane, South Africa
Mexico vs. France, 2:30 p.m.
Friday, June 18
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Germany vs. Serbia, 7:30 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
United States vs. Slovenia, 10 a.m.
At Cape Town, South Africa
England vs. Algeria, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 19
At Durban, South Africa
Netherlands vs. Japan, 7:30 a.m.
At Rustenburg, South Africa
Australia vs. Ghana, 10 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
Denmark vs. Cameroon, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 20
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Paraguay vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m.
At Nelspruit, South Africa
Italy vs. New Zealand, 10 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Brazil vs. Ivory Coast, 2:30 p.m.
Monday, June 21
At Cape Town, South Africa
North Korea vs. Portugal, 7:30 a.m.
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Switzerland vs. Chile, 10 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Spain vs. Honduras, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 22
At Rustenburg, South Africa
Mexico vs. Uruguay, 10 a.m.
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
France vs. South Africa, 10 a.m.
At Durban, South Africa
Nigeria vs. South Korea, 2:30 p.m.
At Polokwane, South Africa
Greece vs. Argentina, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 23
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Slovenia vs. England, 10 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
United States vs. Algeria, 10 a.m.
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Ghana vs. Germany, 2:30 p.m.
At Nelspruit, South Africa
Australia vs. Serbia, 2:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 24
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Slovakia vs. Italy, 10 a.m.
At Polokwane, South Africa
Paraguay vs. New Zealand, 10 a.m.
At Rustenburg, South Africa
Denmark vs. Japan, 2:30 p.m.
At Cape Town, South Africa
Cameroon vs. Netherlands, 2:30 p.m.
Friday, June 25
At Durban, South Africa
Portugal vs. Brazil, 10 a.m.
At Nelspruit, South Africa
North Korea vs. Ivory Coast, 10 a.m.
At Pretoria, South Africa
Chile vs. Spain, 2:30 p.m.
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Switzerland vs. Honduras, 2:30 p.m.
———
SECOND ROUND
Saturday, June 26
Match 49
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Group A winner vs. Group B second place, 10 a.m.
Match 50
At Rustenburg, South Africa
Group C winner vs. Group D second place, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 27
Match 51
At Bloemfontein, South Africa
Group D winner vs. Group C second place, 10 a.m.
Match 52
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Group B winner vs. Group A second place, 2:30 p.m.
Monday, June 28
Match 53
At Durban, South Africa
Group E winner vs. Group F second place, 10 a.m.
Match 54
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Group G winner vs. Group H second place, 2:30 p.m.
Tuesday, June 29
Match 55
At Pretoria, South Africa
Group F winner vs. Group E second place, 10 a.m.
Match 56
At Cape Town, South Africa
Group H winner vs. Group G second place, 2:30 p.m.
———
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, July 2
Match 57
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Match 53 winner vs. Match 54 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 58
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Match 49 winner vs. Match 50 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 3
Match 59
At Cape Town, South Africa
Match 52 winner vs. Match 51 winner, 10 a.m.
Match 60
At Johannesburg, Ellis Park
Match 55 winner vs. Match 56 winner, 2:30 p.m.
———
SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, July 6
At Cape Town, South Africa
Match 58 winner vs. Match 57 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 7
At Durban, South Africa
Match 59 winner vs. Match 60 winner, 2:30 p.m.
———
THIRD PLACE
Saturday, July 10
At Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Semifinal losers, 2:30 p.m.
———
FINAL
Sunday, July 11
At Johannesburg, Soccer City
Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m.

Note to self

Never, ever go cover high school soccer after watching UEFA Champions League that afternoon on TV.

For you non-soccer fans, imagine going from watching the best movie you've seen in the past five years and then going to see the local high school do a production of the same story.

Brutal does not begin to describe it. Yes, yes, they're just kids. But geez it was painful to watch.

Havant & Waterlooville

I love soccer. And one of my favorite things about it is the FA Cup.

For you non-soccer fans, England's FA (Football Association) Cup is a nationwide tournament staged every year. And a few hundred teams enter it each from from the heavyweights like Manchester United, Chelsea and the rest of the famous top division teams to pub league teams (the English version of our rec league softball teams). This year 731 teams entered it.

Today, Liverpool (a legendary, top-flight club) beat Havant & Waterlooville (a semi-pro team) in a tournament match played at Liverpool's Anfield Stadium.

H&W's starting goalkeeper works construction during the week. Another starter is a school teacher, one's training to become a London taxi driver, one is a delivery driver, one's a garbageman and another is a janitor. Liverpool's average starter makes more money playing one soccer match than these guys do in a full year of work. Liverpool's captain told a newspaper he'd never heard of the team before seeing they'd have to play against them. Liverpool is ranked more than 100 places above H&W.

Liverpool won 5-2. But that's not the story. The game was tied at halftime, 2-2. In fact, H&W led 1-0 and then 2-1 in the first half. Bookies in England gave 60/1 odds that wouldn't happen.

Can you imagine the feeling the H&W players had at the half? I'd have paid cash money to have been in that locker room.