>>>>>Just wanted to let you know I will be cheering for Argentina today. Generally they are not one of the teams I cheer for, although there is nothing in particular I have against them. I figure what the heck, it will make Hugo happy. And I am not being sarcastic in the least. Enjoy the match!
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>>>>Last minute or what. great goal and Messi run.
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>>>Lots of late goals. What a great round of 16! All 8 teams who advanced to the quarters won their groups but every one of them had to work in the round of 16. With a few different bounces several of them could have lost. No one won with ease. From a competitive standpoint it's hard to imagine a better World Cup.
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>>>As far as the U.S., I have to admit I was much more impressed by them than I expected to be. I knew they had gone beyond doormat status but they took another step forward. Tim Howard yesterday, wow, he was a beast. His defenders left him hanging out to dry many times and he just kept making saves, many of them acrobatic. A lot of people in the U.S. fell in love with this team.
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>>You have reason to be proud of them - most of the experts over here that you have mastered the physical and willpower part and have gained in the instinct part, which needs to be honed by playing in a high level league. And you were smart smart enough grow/replant an american trainer with the help of sun and a female ;-)
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>I really like Juergen Klinsmann. Everyone knows he has been a big part in the national team's rise. There was an excellent article about him in one of the periodicals I read (don't remember for sure which one). One thing that really came through was that he is not the nostalgic type who enjoys living in the past. It recounted a gathering of one of the great German teams. It said he attended but mostly as a show of solidarity with his teammates, not to wax nostalgic about the glorious past. He focuses on the present and future, which we all know is an excellent trait. He is also willing to make hard decisions. He cut some long time stalwarts on the U.S. team as well as his assistant coach, and was criticized for that. He took a chance on a 19 year old kid who many were shocked to see make the U.S. cup team. Well, we know what Mr. Green did yesterday.
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>There were a couple of amusing sideline moments yesterday, to me anyway. The ball was kicked out of bounds right near where Klinsmann was standing. He caught the ball with his foot, popped it up slightly to get it off the ground, popped it up again into his hands, and underhanded it to the player who was going to make the throw-in. What was cool was it was done so nonchalantly, almost unconsciously, like you or I would pick up a glass of water. I'm sure many players can do the exact same thing but it was a reminder that he used to be one of the top soccer players in the world. Not that he would want to talk about that ;-)
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>I also read (separately) that he ruffled the feathers of some German journalists by conducting a press conference entirely in English. I don't think he is angry with Germany. He has just moved on.

Ironically during his playing career Klinsmann was a notorious diver.

He certainly has done an excellent job with the USA team, though some commentators here noted the number of hamstring injuries they suffered and suggested they may be over training