A Beautiful Day of Soccer

Germany continues to play elegant, flowing, and highly effective soccer. Jürgen Klinsmann had a nice touch as a striker, and it seems that as a manager, he's conveying some of his artistry to his team. In 2002, Klose basically disappeared after the first round. While he didn't score in the game against Sweden, he was absolutely instrumental in both goals, with Podolski being the fortunate recipient of Klose's hard work and deft passing. Ballack kept pounding shot after shot at Swedish keeper, Isaksson, who kept the scoreline low. Anyone watching the Germans' soccer showcase must have been impressed.

Just ask the Swedish midfielders and defenders, who seemed as equally impressed as the fans. They were guilty of ball watching and not closing down space on German players. After some speculation about their defense in their first game against Costa Rica, Germany has recorded three shutouts. But there's no time to rest on their laurels. Argentina awaits them in the quarter-finals, offering a highly anticipated matchup.

A matchup that almost didn't happen because of an inspired, wonderful performance by Mexico. The first half, in particular, of the Argentina v. Mexico match offered soccer at its finest. Both teams were surging forward with their attacks, playing end to end soccer. The offside call against Messi during stoppage time was questionable. But having that goal waved off gave us the opportunity to see what must be the best goal so far. Maxi Rodriguez's shot was one for the ages.

Argentina showed an important resiliency in this match. Even as Mexico continued to assail them, they showed a calm resolve that ultimately paid dividends. Perhaps Riquelme's deliberate approach to the beautiful game is the ideal soothing effect for this team. Both Germany and Argentina have shown us the elegance of soccer. It is a shame that one of them will be out after Friday. These two teams met in the finals in 1986 and 1990. In 1986, some questioned whether (West) Germany was a worthy finalist; in 1990, some questioned whether Argentina was a worthy finalist. I think most soccer fans would agree that both of them would make worthy finalists in 2006.