The extraordinary gifted and petulant Ronaldo loses a soccer game and declares himself to be "a broken man"...this from a 25 year old who makes $17 million dollars annually and dates the hottest supermodels on the planet.

Ha. "A broken man". Wait, where have I heard that before? Oh yes, right here, in this cheery little ditty. Maybe it can become his theme song...

Holland through to the quarters in an unsurprising development. The game itself was a bit tepid, but Robben did make a triumphant starting comeback. Van Persie disappointed for the 4th straight game, and his attitude towards van Marwijk at being subbed off makes me hope they start him on the bench against Brazil. Other than that, some people are satisfied, while others clearly are not. Me? Hey, it's the quarterfinals against Brazil this Friday. What's not to like?

So Holland are through, as if there was ever any doubt. Robben got back on the field. They surely must like their chances against Slovakia. Unfortunately, Brazil will be the likely quarterfinal opponent. But did I mention Robben got back on the field?

The Dutch depth in attack is just stunning. They have a world class center midfielder who has to play out of position to make room for the other world class center midfielder. The out of position world class center midfielder usually gets subbed off to make room for a world class up & coming talent. The world class striker has been a little off form so they sub on another world class striker. And the best player on the team is just coming off injury and tuning up to start against Brazil in the quarters.

Yep, I'm ready to call it: It'll be a Holland - Germany final. 1974 redux. Revenge.

You read it here first.

Landy-cakes saves US soccer, sends an email home telling his story...

"Peace out. One Love. America."

Watching Holland in the World Cup at the Not My Fault domicile...

Good grief but that was ugly. With the exception of a brilliant moment from Sneijder, it was pretty much unwatchable dreck...Still, take the three points and move on, as Holland are now virtually guaranteed a place in the round of 16, which has been the objective all along. I'm actually taking a perverse satisfaction from Holland's seemingly weak showing for long stretches during these opening games. In past years Holland have started like a house on fire, and then fizzle out when it matters most. I'm thinking the reverse will happen this time...

In other World Cup news, the US tied Slovenia 3-2. Have you heard? Maybe you have...

Also England lost to Algeria, 0-0.

So finally time for some quick impressions of Holland's opening match. It's a shame that Sneijder and van der Vaart essentially play the same positions for their clubs...it means if they both want to be on the field at the same time someone has to play a different position. It looks like Holland have committed to Sneijder in the middle (and really, why not?), which pushes van der Vaart to the left. All well and good, until you see what a true wing midfielder like Elia can do when he's introduced as a sub. And how do you justify sitting Kuyt when Robben returns (presumably) from injury? Frankly, he looked better at the striker position when Affelay came on for van Persie and Kuyt moved forward. And I'm sorry, but de Jong is going to make a reckless challenge at some point in this tournament and he is going to put Holland in deep, deep trouble.

You read that last part here first...

So how about this: move van de Vaart into de Jong's spot (a more natural central position for him, albeit more defensive) and let's see more of Elia and Affelay until Robben comes back. No?

And that's why I should be coach of Holland.

Great match and behind the scenes analysis here...

More Dutch drama here...

And here we go...

So the opening weekend at the World Cup is finished, and I'm set to make some predictions for my main boys, Oranje. But before I get to that, I'd like to share some observations on the opening weekend.

There's been some terrific play, and the opening game between South Africa and Mexico was riveting entertainment. Most impressive performance? Germany, predictably. And Argentina were quite impressive as well. Least impressive? Greece. Good grief how did they manage to get through their qualifiers? They are completely out of their depth...

US vs England? Meh. US enjoyed brilliant good luck at the expense of the England keeper, and then were unlucky to not score on Altidore's effort in the late stages. England, as often happens, just didn't seem to bring any joy, looking like they were carrying an unnatural weight. This happens to them quite a bit, as if the expectations of the last 44 years have left them unable to find happiness on a soccer field.

My opening weekend dark horse to take a run at the final 8? South Korea. Not saying they'll do that, just saying don't be surprised if they do. Then again they were playing the hapless Greeks, so maybe it's a hasty assessment. But still...

So Holland starts tomorrow. I was set to predict a deep run for the Dutch, but it wasn't going to be easy. If they win their group (quite likely) and Brazil win their group (hugely likely), the stage would be be set for a Holland vs Brazil quarter final after both dispatch their round of 16 opponents (Paraguay & Chile in all likelihood). If ever there is a year the Dutch could overcome Brazil, its now. Except Holland's best player (arguably) had a slight mishap on the way to South Africa. He's allegedly recovering ahead of schedule, but these hamstring injuries can linger quite a while and can come back with a vengence on any turn or burst of speed.

So I need to hedge my prediction somewhat. Without Robben, Holland crash out to Brazil in the quarterfinal in what will be the match of tournament. With Robben 100% fit and unaffected, they get past Brazil and advance to the final.

You read it here first.

"Thinly repressed, wing-tipped rage..."

A brief interlude from World Cup commentary...

Pop-masters Phoenix showed up at the NPR offices in DC a couple of weeks ago and offered up an outstanding unplugged set in what looks like a library. Could you even imagine how amazing it would be to go to work and find a band like Phoenix setting up in your cafeteria? And the set they played is just fantastic...