The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

For the round of sixteen, we have ten teams from Europe, three from South America, one from CONCACAF, one from Oceania and one from Africa. No team from Oceania had previously advanced to the second round, but Australia's an outlier in more ways than one. With their move into the Asian confederation, one wonders what will become of Oceania. Having a team from Africa in the knockout phase is becoming a trend, but most people wouldn't have expected Ghana to advance from Group E. Both the United States and Trinidad and Tobago had a sliver of hope on the final day, but Mexico alone represents CONCACAF. Everyone expected Brazil and Argentina to advance, but Ecuador surprised quite a few people. Asia, after having the co-hosts advance in 2002, is the only confederation watching the rest of tournament from the sidelines. There's been much said about the effects of playing on European soil, and perhaps with good reason.

Will there be any surprises in the next round?

My best pick for an upset is Ecuador. They played very well against Costa Rica and Poland, but didn't show up against Germany (resting players in the process). England is a different team when Wayne Rooney plays, but their defense was shaky against the Swedes. The game I am most eager to watch is Brazil v. Ghana. And, with all due respect, the game I am least eager to watch is Switzerland v. Ukraine. For what it's worth, here are my picks for the quarter-finals:

Germany, Argentina, Ecuador, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, and Spain.

Let the madness continue.

Where are you, Pierluigi Collina?

Yet again, we have a refereeing decision, or lack thereof, that is inexplicable. Costa Rica and Poland are playing for pride, but as one of the commentators stated, the referee should still treat this game as seriously as the Final. How could he not have seen the Polish player tripping Costa Rican goalkeeper, Jose Porras? It looked like a blatant trip no less.

I miss Pierluigi Collina.

I know he reached FIFA's mandatory retirement age, Everton and Juventus fans (who created a "I Hate Collina" website) may not view him so kindly, and his sponsorship deal caused some noise. But, objectively, he was one of the best referees. We hear about great teams that are missing from The World Cup, but what about great referees?

As the stakes, and $$$, continue to rise with The World Cup, teams, fans, soccer federations, will increasingly seek ways to address--and redress--referees' actions or inactions.