Germany and Brazil have met only once before in a World Cup, which is strange enough, but even more peculiar is the incredible role reversal since their World Cup final meeting 12 years ago.
Back then, the situation was simple: both sides lived up to the stereotype. Brazil had become more physical...
After a goal fest in the group stages, things have quieted down in the knockout rounds with tighter games and fewer goals in open play. One moment can change everything, and one individual battle can decide a game. Before this week's semifinals, here are four key individual battles that could det...
The World Cup quarterfinal stage boasts four European sides and four Latin American sides, and there's a bit of everything in the quartet of matches: two intercontinental fights, one all-European game, and one all-South American contest.
Of more interest are the individual matchups that will shape ...
This World Cup has not been so much about the United States falling in love with soccer, but about soccer falling in love with the United States.
A key reason was the fight and spirit the team showed toward the end of its round of 16 clash vs. Belgium. The second half of extra time was truly thrilli...
If the group stage was about shocks, the round of 16 was what we expected.
For the first time since the switch to a 32-team tournament in 1998, the World Cup's round of 16 games were won by the eight group winners, with the eight runners-up eliminated.
How predictable, you might think. We might as w...
Posted by Richard Jolly
BELGIUM 2-1 UNITED STATES
It was one of the great rearguard actions of the World Cup. Belgium's quest for a goal lasted 93 minutes and the United States defended defiantly. The sheer volume of clearances made by Jurgen Klinsmann's team -- and centre-backs Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler in particul...
