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Well, that was a fun day of soccer, yesterday, eh? The Netherlands gave Australia hope before ripping it away. Spain crumbled like to many diminutive midfielders against Chile's pressure. Alex Song lost his mind, and Cameroon folded against Croatia. Will we see anything like that level of drama today? I'm excited to find out.
Colombia vs. Ivory Coast
Kickoff Time: 12 noon EDT
Venue: Estadio Nacional, Brasilia
TV/Streaming: The usual - ESPN and Univision on the old-fashioned TV set, and WatchESPN and Univision's online outlet for the new-fangled online streaming.
Cliff's Notes: Les Elephants didn't look great in their opener against Japan - until Didier Drogba came on as a substitute. Then boy did they ever. So the question is whether Drogba will go from the outset in this one. Either way, Colombia are a strong side that will be well-supported in the Brazilian capital today. For more, check out SBN's preview.
Who Should I Root For? Do you want to see one of Africa's truly great generations of players actually make noise on the world's biggest stage? Or would you rather support the redemption story of a team only now recovering from 1990s-era drug lords despite the loss of their best player? You really can't go wrong here.
Uruguay vs. England
Kickoff Time: 3pm EDT
Venue: Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo
TV: Same. Same! ESPN, Univision, WatchESPN.
Cliff's Notes: Two teams with delusions hopes of glory will try to make up for first-game losses, telling themselves that maybe they can be this year's Spain (who, of course, won the 2010 World Cup after falling in their opener. Luis Suarez, still recovering from knee surgery, did not appear in Uruguay's shock loss to Costa Rica, and whether he returns to the filed could have a major effect on this game. The winner of this one will be favored by many to leapfrog the Ticos (who play Italy tomorrow) into the qualifying spots, but England still have a decent chance even if they can only manage a point today. Knowing that, we could see the Three Lions try to turn today's game into a dour affair - but then again, they don't really have the midfield to do that. So let's go running up and down the field, y'all! Here's SB Nation's preview.
Who Should I Root For? This one will be polarizing, and not just because England are a polarizing side. Adding Luis Suarez into the mix always generates controversy, ever since his name got top billing for a volleyball spike on the goalline four years ago. Suarez plays jumprope with the line between genius and crazy. Meanwhile, England are the same unlikeable bunch of lads they always are. I'll be rooting for Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo - Spain needs somebody to perform at a level higher than "ass" in this tournament.
Japan vs. Greece
Kickoff Time: 6pm EDT
Venue: Estadio das Dunas, Natal
TV/Streaming: It's another all day affair on ESPN and Univision, so you can guess where this one will air.
Cliff's Notes: Another matchup of two sides who lost their opener. Japan will hope to improve going forward, while Greece will be Greece and try to lock it down even more at the back. Here's SB Nation on the game.
Who Should I Root For?: For the love of all that is good about the sport of soccer, never Greece. So Japan.
Welcome to your open thread. Have fun with it today.