Group B Finales

It was good to see both England and Sweden show up today. Both teams played to win--perhaps knowing that Germany awaits the second place team had an impact. Perhaps England just wanted to build up some momentum, and Sweden wanted to find the offense that helped them qualify for The World Cup. Joe Cole had a great game for England, with the best individual goal so far, and a great pass to set up Gerrard's goal. It's unfortunate to see Michael Owen helped off the field, well before he had much of a chance to get going. ESPN commentator Marcelo Balboa wondered why Sweden didn't press its one man advantage while Owen was getting treatment. As one of my wise soccer buddies mentioned during the game, maybe the Swedes did the sporting thing and let England deal with Owen, bring in Crouch and restore the balance. No team should be criticized for not taking advantage of an injured player. If Owen is hurt badly, and Rooney needs more time to get fit, are we going to see Theo Walcott? How many players get their first national cap before they even play for the club team?

I wasn't terribly impressed by Paul Robinson's performance. He seemed confused and indecisive at times, especially during Sweden's second goal. Why didn't he come off his line and grab the ball? Of course, the backup is David James, who's had some rather interesting moments as England's keeper. Both teams looked better, but neither still looks like they could challenge the top teams that are already clicking.

Trinidad and Tobago's dream ends. It was great to see their fans celebrating, even when their team was behind. They did not suffer from expectation escalation. No team wants to leave with zero points, and Paraguay was no exception. Brent Sancho looked devastated with his own goal. Let's hope he doesn't forget his heroic performance against Sweden, and dwell on this one unfortunate moment. I was surprised that Beenhakker played Kelvin Jack in goal, but he probably wanted Jack to get his World Cup opportunity. I don't think it would have mattered if Hislop had played instead, and Hislop has his World Cup memories. It seemed that both managers wanted to give some players recognition and a chance to play on the World stage. Both teams can leave with a sense of pride and accomplishment, and for ending their World Cup experience with an energetic performance.