Therefore, we get Brazil vs. Ghana, the ultimate favorite vs. underdog matchup. Each team is missing one of its best players, but the loss of Michael Essien should hurt Ghana a lot more than Brazil will miss Robinho. But hey: One never knows.

Your live-blogger today is Robert Weintraub, a freelance writer whom you probably know best from his work at Slate. Follow along in the comments. We like both these teams, so hey, everybody's a winner. But Brazil: They're actually going to be the winner.

Wow, that went super-fast. Thanks again to Will for the opportunity, I had a blast. Off to ice my carpal tunnel. Enjoy the rest of the Mundial!

Ronaldo gets the American Idol version of Man o' the Match—I give it to Dida myself. Honorable mention to the Lion of Ghana, Appiah.

So classic, clinical Brazil—they don't play well for long stretches, but in the end a comfortable victory. Give Ghana all the credit, they played their typical fast, strong, close control game, and got oodles of chances. They clearly missed Essien early, and there will always be the what if? factor. But Brazil sniffed out the Ghana gameplan, knew they would be vulnerable to through balls beating the offside trap, and got the result they needed. Ronaldinho played his best game so far, which isn't saying much, and El Gordo nicked a classic sniper's goal with flair—a worthy one to pass Muller and get the record. It's just a shame Ghana can't be allowed to play a loser's bracket match with Australia—that would be a fun one to watch. it's Africa's misfortune to always wind up with a sympathetic side having to match up against a world giant before they can really make some noise.

How come the fans don't swap their crazy get-ups with opposing fans? I know I wouldn't want to drag some of that costumage on the 14 hour coach flight back to Accra.

AND THERE"S THE WHISTLE! 3-0 BRAZIL. THEY ADVANCE TO THE QUARTERFINALS

92' Brazil wins a corner. C'mon, stop pressing for the rub it in goal! Ghana deserves better. But AGAIN Kingson comes out to save the day, after Juninho gives Juan a gorgeous flick in.

91' Another chance for Appiah, you know what happens.

90' Another superb save by Kingson, as he is single-handedly keeping this one respectable. Ronaldinho was crying for a square pass, to no avail. Balboa is only just coming around to the idea that the Brazilians aren't best buddies. Gee, a bunch of multi-millionaires who all think they're the shite don't sing and samba together? Those Nike ads are BS?? I feel so used.

89' Pentsil gets off a skidding shot that Dida again is on top of, with no rebound off a tricky hop.

88' It's Tachie-Mensah's turn to find space but put one right at Dida. On the counter Ronaldo does a good job holding off the defender, and unleashes a shot that Kingson gets an extended arm on to deny another Ronaldo brace. He'll wind up with the most goals in the tournament, just wait.

87' We're into looking ahead to the quarterfinals mode, as Spain or France awaits the Selecao. Roberto Carlos bangs one from distance, a bit cheeky given Ghana's excellent effort today.

86' Ghana wins a corner as they play for a goal they deserve. But Muntari's corner is over everyone.

84' GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG—I'm a stutterer. But another offsides trap beaten, and Ze Roberto flicks past Kingson brilliantly then taps in for a 3-0 Brazil lead. He's had a tough time in the midfield today against Appiah, but give Ze Roberto credit for a super run and classy finish. If only Ghana could've finished so well.

84' Brazil just slowing it down now, toeing it around, to loud derisive jeers.

83' That will do it for Kaka, he's off, Ricardinho is on. Nice to bring that kind of skill off the bench. I still have Argentina beating them in the final, though.

81'' Yellow card given to Asamoah for diving, which is his second, and his day is over. Pretty obvious dive in the area—can't really fault him at this stage, anything to sneak a goal and give his team a shot. But it's now a ten-man Ghana, and now they are really hard done for.

80' Pantsil almost heads one past his own keeper, with a much too potent header given the space between him and Kingson. The keeper prevents a road gang from taking the machete to Pantsil back home.

79' More nice Ghana play, as Aasmoah is set free after a Ronaldo turnover. But the omnipresent Dida comfortably grabs it.

78' He can't be hurt too bad—a nice Muntari turn results in a shot, but again his long range shot is nowhere close. Ghana simply can't penetrate, and Brazil is like a basketball team zoning up, allowing a bunch of perimeter shots.

76' Balboa opines that the best players show their stuff at the national team level, not at the club, in reference to Ronaldinho. Bet the good folks at Barcelona who pay his enormous salary just spit up their aperitifs. Meanwhile, Dida slides out to grab a loose ball and catches Muntari at an awkward angle. He's up and limping.

75' This is a recording—Appiah builds up some steam and uncorks one, but again much too high. He screams in frustration, which I think they heard on the Gulf of Guinea.

74' Kingson comes scurrying out to head away a speculative ball toward Ronaldo.

73' Asamoah finds yet another small crease and fires, but is way off. They've given a heroic effort but good keeping and some poor finishes have let them down.

69' OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!! Another fab save by Dida to deny Asamoah, and he dives on the rebound. Dida has been called the weak link at times, but he is having a man of the match type game. Last Ghana sub, Alex Tachie-Mensah in for the weary Amoah.

67' Iffy foul goes against Ghana, they look like they might be tiring having to chase the game. The cure—Pimpong! Muntari goes down without a Brazilian influence—looks like more fatigue.

63' Ronaldo wants to put some distance between himself and Herr Muller, and Ronaldinho supplies him with a chance, but the shot is blocked.

62' Ghana needs to get Pimpong in there! If only to provide O'Brien yet more opportunites for corny puns.

61' Cafu long overlap run, but his cross is easily parried.

59' Unconfirmed confirmation from ESPN that Ratomir was indeed booted. Love to see Ghana come back so we can show how useless managers are come gametime. Meanwhile, Ghana continues to press, forcing a corner. Eric Addo is subbed out for Derek Boateng—Addo has taken a beating. The corner gets Pantsil a back of the head flick that sails wide. Now Juninho, who scored against Japan, comes in for Adriano. Oh, how we miss Robinho here...

57' Another perfect Ronaldinho dime to Roberto Carlos, whose toepoke is denied by Kingson. Adriano waves in frustration, alone at the far post. He looked like Ronaldo frantically tryting to flag down the hot dog vendor (OK, enough!)

55' Gorgeous Ronaldinho look is bungled by a clumsy Adriano touch. Looked like a Ghana handball wasn't called. Then Draman hacks down Lucio, who has spent a lot of time grabbing various parts of his leg.

53' A PA announcement worthy of Leni Reifenstahl is blaring over play, to the point where the players are looking up and around in confusion. Probably Beckenbauer left the lights on in his Mercedes.

52' Draman gets an opportunity off a gorgeous couple of touches in the area, but is wide and high again.

51' They're saying Ghana's manager Ratomir Dujkovic of Serbia, may have been tossed for arguing the Adriano goal. On the other hand, the guy used to coach the Rwandan national team, so perhaps he understands the benefits of laying low when behind.

50' Asamoah is Gyan to be a handful all day, it appears—another chance off a nice flick goes wanting wide and high.

49' Ronaldiniho looks for Adriano but it goes right to the keeper instead.

48' Ghana could really use a quick goal for a jumpstart, and they're pressing, but Asamoah just picked up a yellow for a frustrated kick of the ball into the stands. If a Ghana fan came all the way to Dortmund for this clash, he should get to keep the ball, it says here.

46' And we're back! ESPN just flashed a stat that reveals Brazil hasn't lost a halftime lead at the WC since 1950. No problem. Marcelo says a buddy from MLS watching at home says Adriano's goal was indeed offsides, which says it all about MLS, actually.

Halftime sub—Gilberto Silva comes on for the gimpy Emerson, no shocker there.

This scoreline isn't promising for further glimpses of throngs gathered in Ghana watching their heroes go down to expected defeat.

Ghana has outplayed Los Canarinhos for most of the game so far, and all it gets them is 2-0 down, which against Brazil is nearly insurmountable, let's face it. Appiah has regrouped from a shaky start, and he and Amoah are a handful inside. Brazil are content to play the counterattack game, and have beaten offside traps twice for goals. It won't get them many plaudits, but this is how Brazil always approaches World Cup play—build up slow, don't get overextended, and turn it on starting with the quarterfinals. It's a testament to their extreme skill that they can get away with often lifeless play, yet still cruise ahead.

Looking again at the goal, a nice play of advantage ny the ref started it, then Lucio alertly plays wide rather than to the clearly offsides Adriano. He looked onside from the pass from Cafu—actually Shilla the Ghana defender got a piece of it before Adriano kneed it home. That is the sort of flowing open play that makes the game "beautiful"—refs get slagged a lot but his refusal to stop play on a foul in the Brazil half allowed the play to develop.

HALFTIME 2-0 BRAZIL.

46' Correction—that was Cafu on the cross to Adriano, Kaka gave it to him on the overlap.

46' GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—you know the rest. Adriano on a classic counterstrike, a tap-in from Kaka's cross that might have gone in on its own. Ghana is screaming for offsides—and Adriano was definitely in an offsides position but Lucio I believe played it wide, making it passive offsides, so it looked legal at first blush.

44' Juan picks up a yellow for a severe challenge on poor Eric Addo. Free kick from 25 yards, golden chance for Ghana—but Appiah is well high on his attempt. But Ghana is dominating the action!

42' OOOOOOHHHHH! Somehow Dida gets a foot on a powerhouse Mensah header looking for the equalizer off a corner. Kick save and a beauty as Marv Albert would say. Best pure reaction save—you know he'll be claiming credit for working on that sort of save since boyhood in the post-game interviews. But it was pure luck—could just as easly gone through his legs.

41' Longest span of time without announcer commentary—:07. Hey, I said I would lay off, sorry.

40' Eric Addo gets used as a stepladder by Ronaldinho, who should have been booked but he's Ronaldinho. So Addo writhes around without a hint of sympathy.

37' Lucio returns to a chorus of whistles from the Ghanaian ER interns. Adriano hauled down, Eric Addo (in for Essien) whistled. No reaction from the Ghanaian supporters, although it looked like a dive. Free kick by Ronaldinho well off the mark, standard for his WC so far. The canary jersey is like Kryptonite for him.

35' Juan makes a hash of a clearance, after getting away with a handball in the box. Asamoah almost gets free but Emerson clamps him down. Now Lucio is down grabbing at a thigh. Ghana is very strong, they are winning the collisions, if not the game.

33' Ronaldo (Deadspin login: JennyCraig9) has been invisible since his goal. Maybe he's looking for Kingson's dropped 'T'?

32' Dida fouled as he leaps for Pensil's cross—good call, Amoah led with the 'bow.

30' Ronaldinho's first good shot gets a lot of curve, good stop by Kingson. Corner then results in a near post chance stuffed again. Quick counter by Ghana, excellent pace results in a shot for Draman, who skies it high. Emerson down on the pitch, allowing everyone to catch a breath. Great action!

28' Dangerous ball into the Brazilian box results in a loose change attempt but Amoah right at Dida. Ensuing counterattack results in a yellow on Pensil for getting too much lead into Kaka.

27' Good one-touch passing enables Muntari to break free but offside flag is up. Ghana is having free rein between the center line and the box—Kaka and Ronaldinho will always allow the opposition some space as they are always thinking attack. Emerson and Ze Roberto need to clamp down a little further upfield.

25' Muntari slide tackles Kaka after a 30 yard run. Brazil gets it back and Ronaldinho sends Roberto Carlos on a long sprint down the right—but RC sends into the stands.

24' Amoah gets a ball right at the top of the box all alone, but duffs a grounder wide of the net. Ghana has controlled the action the last 5-7 minutes.

22' Emerson stuffs an attack on the left—Brazil's D looks open but comfortable they can dispossess anyone before trouble strikes.

20' Mensah with a scary back pass to Kingson that almost gets picked off by Kaka—shades of the Kaffour gaffe against Italy.

19' Ghana's best sustained attack results in an offsides on Asamoah, after a bicycle kick duel won by Lucio inside.

18' A Cafu foul gives Ghana a free kick for Muntari from the left—easily cleared but Draman recollects and lashes one that Dida puts over the bar for a corner.

17' Ghana looks real shaky—a quick Brazil goal was like sugar in their collective gas tank. C'mon Appiah, rally the boys, for the sake of the continent!

16' Cafu called for a shove as he tries a long run toward goal.

13' And another yellow, this one on Adriano for diving. A square to Ronaldo would have been 2-nil. Adriano looking to deny Ronaldo another goal? Rumors Adriano is headed to Real may be in the back of their minds? Nah—too cynical. Give Kingson credit for aggressive play there, but where is the back 4? Playing way too forward.

11' Another yellow as ref Lubos Michel from Slovakia looks to seek control, unlike some other (Russian) refs we could name.

10' O'Brien relates that several Brazilians tried to cheer up a disconsolate Essien on the bench. Hey, the Brazilians want him out there—their ultra-cynical press will be sure to note his absence regardless of how well they play.

7' Another look at the goal shows where Essien will be missed—an acre of open space in the midfield for Kaka to operate. How did we ever liveblog before the advent of the DVR? Oh, that's right....

7' Yellow for Muntari—he must have dug the view from the stands.

5' Oh man! Ronaldo must have known we wanted early goals after yesterday's debacle, and he get's it done—a perfect thru ball in from Kaka to El Fenomeno, who leaves Kingson grasping at broken dreams with a sick move. Bye bye Muller!

4' Darman with a nice overlap, but his cross goes to a wide open space. That's the key—getting in behind the fullbacks and look for the box.

3' Muntari works his back into the swing of things by fouling right off the bat, Ze Roberto milking it.

1' Ronaldo quickly offside by about a slab of ribs. He's up front in the standard Brazil starting XI, with Adriano.

0' I was going to make a joke about live pictures from the ESPNZone in Accra, but there are live shots from a dusty looking village.

0' So we got Dave "Here's the 2-2 pitch" O'Brien and Marcelo "That's not a card!" Balboa on the call. Pity, I prefer JP Dellacamera and John Harkes, even though Harkes sounds disconcertingly like Anderson Cooper. Plenty has been said (all of it bad) about ESPN's lead announcers, so I'll refrain from piling on.

These two teams met several times in Under-17 and Under-20 tournaments over the last several years, including in 2001, when nearly a dozen players between the rosters were on the pitch. Ghana won that quarterfinal game 2-1, on a goal by John Mensah. Will history repeat itself? Did Santayanna get a bet down? Thanks to Will for the opportunity, and let's do this—Brazil-Ghana, it's on-ah! (I gotta calm down)

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PREVIEW: The final day of the Sweet 16 round and what a mouthwatering contest we have on tap! Everyone's second favorite team, Brazil, against the tournament darlings of Ghana. The defending champs against a nation making its World Cup debut.
Gimme a Hoo-hah two times Tuesday!! Let's take a closer look...

BRAZIL: The Selecao buried Japan 4-1 in their last Group F match, which got a lot of Brazilians to drop the butcher knives aimed at the team and brandish them instead at tourists foolish enough to venture into the flavelas. A lot was made of "Who Ate All The Pies?" Ronaldo breaking out of his stupor to bang home two goals, tying him for the all-time WC lead with Gerd Muller, who wasn't exactly playing with a sprinter's physique himself. Key to El Fenomeno's resurgence was the insertion of Robinho into the lineup, both for his sublime skillz and his not being Adriano, who meshes with Ronaldo like tunafish meshes with gravy. Sadly for everyone, Robinho strained a thigh in training and is unavailable. So the "Magic Square"—as the quartet of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Adriano, and Kaka are called—will have to stop making fluid offense disappear, as they did in the first two matches.

Meanwhile, the leaky-looking Brazil defense will be under heavy pressure from what promises to be a go-for-broke Ghana attack. Forward-thinking wingbacks Cafu and Roberto Carlos will need to be aware of counterattacks catching them upfield.

GHANA: Ironically, the team called the Black Stars list as their official colors white shirts, white shorts, and white socks. Sadly, the African debutantes' bid for a monumental though definitely conceivable upset will have to be done without talisman Michael Essien. The Chelsea midfielder fell victim to the Weisser Engel, Markus Merk, the German dentist who didn't even ask Essien "Is it safe?" before handing him a harsh yellow against the red, white and blue (this entire World Cup has been one long Marathon Man reference). Essien came in carrying a yellow, so he'll be watching the game in the finest tracksuit $47 million can buy.

But Africa's lone remaining hope will have Sulley Muntari and Asamoah Gyan back from their suspensions. Muntari in particular is key, as he needs to hold possession and build the attack while simultaneously ensuring Kaka doesn't go off. Ghana took the game to both Italy and the Czechs (not so much against the US—we were kind enough to hand it over to them). Should they do so against Brazil, figuring they need to get some goals to have a shot, the defense—in particular the "Rock of Gibraltar" John Mensah, will be key.

I'm still in shock. It's inconceivable to me that a team with so much talent, and with their World Cup lives on the line, couldn't raise their game and pull out a W. It was that simple: Win and you're in.

I'm speaking, of course, of the Czech Republic, a team that just two weeks ago I thought was destined for the semis — at worst. But I guess that's what happens when you put too much stock in a World Cup tune-up against a tiny nation like the United States.

Ah yes, the US. Apparently they played today as well, although I was busy following the Larry Brown euthanasia at the time. Is it just me, or does Bruce Arena seem like a natural to replace Isiah when the Dolans tire of him by Thanksgiving?

Thanks to Eric Wynalda — who didn't even wait for the teams to exchange jerseys before showing his firm grasp of the obvious and declaring Arena dead meat — we now know that Cousin Brucie has a bright soccer future behind him. Honestly, even Ozzie Guillen would have handled that with a little more sensitivity. Because let's face it: While Arena certainly didn't remind anyone of the second coming of Alf Ramsay (look it up), it's hard to coach players whose command of soccer's rudimentary skills is worthy of, well, the MLS. Whatever you think of the egregious penalty kick call, it is undeniable that the US were outplayed, outhustled and outthought by a Ghana team that clearly had something to prove.

Show of hands. Other than Freddy Adu's mom, who took Ghana in their office pool? If you were Brazil, wouldn't you rather face the mercurial Italians than a team that even stripped of its best player — Michael Essian picked up a second yellow and will have to sit out — has that giant killer glint in their eyes? The World Cup now has its Gonzaga, and, come to think of it, Ghana and Gonzaga even sound a little alike, if you insert the word "zaga" into everything you say.

As for me, I won't be joining the cast of "CSI Germany" in their autopsy of the American team, because I'm too busy booking my aisle seat on the Ghana bandwagon. At least until they get their asses kicked by Brazil.

David Hirshey will return on Tuesday.

Yeah! Soccer! Reading through the comments from the United States-Ghana live blog — the United States lost, by the way, if you didn't hear — pretty much prepared us for the postgame comments of ESPN analyst Eric Wynalda (whom we've actually enjoyed thus far): "Bruce Arena screwed up this World Cup for the U.S. team. He should be fired."

So, yeah. That'll sum that up. Hey ... there's some baseball this afternoon.

Ghana 2, United States 1 [Deadspin]

But yeah: It's the United States vs. Ghana. We think it would be funny if the winner of this game gets the right to have Freddy Adu on their team from now on.

Your live-blogger today is Adam Baruchowitz, of Heeb Magazine. He's got the marquee role today, and he's up for it: He was in attendance for both of the U.S. games in Germany. Follow along in the comments, and, you know ... U-S-A!

(UPDATE: Hey, the US lost. Did you see that?)

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While I have a public forum i would like to give a bit of a wrap up of the state of US Soccer. This world cup appeared to be over 5 minutes into the first game when Jan Koller nailed home a header against us. The US appeared to be overmatched both on the field and on the coaching side. All the US has to take home from the world cup is a gutsy match against Italy. Arena didn't react to any of the needs of his squad and failed to instill an urgency and confidence that is necessary on the international scale. Not to mention how the US could have had the Mexican draw if Arena played the qualifying matches differently. He is gone in my mind. It is obvious that the US lacks star power. They didn't have anyone who stepped up. Donovan is clearly not the answer. He was dominated in so many ways. Maybe the expectations were too high coming after a remarkable showing in 2002 but the US growth seems stunted. If there is one thing i think we could work on its our theatrics. For a country that prides itself on the entertainment industry you would think our players could take advantage of the poor refereeing the way the other countries had. Maybe it's because we pride ourselves on toughness as well, and don't want to look like pussy cats. The US is out and i feel now i feel bad for the ESPN executives. How will they keep the general population interested? i'll be watching!

[LOST SOME WORDS HERE BECAUSE OF THE BAD BAD GAWKER MEDIA SYSTEM]

Tachie mensah in for Draman

78' Most of the game is being played in the midfield with a lot of back and forth. Not much real action to speak of.

Time is becoming a factor. 15 minutes left.

Convey in for Lewis

72' Appiah gets an opportunity but his shot is blocked by conrad

68' The pressure is on...the invisible man Donovan was offsides.

67' Onyewu heads a corner just over the crossbar. He was wide open.

65' Mcbride hits the post on a great near side cross by Lewis. US is stepping up the offense. I am hearing chants of Oy Vey, Oy Vey, Oy Vey from my neighbors

62' It is a back and forth game right now with no one dominating the ball. The US needs to step up the pressure

Eddie Johnson comes on for Cherundolo—-FINALLY!!!!

59' Olsen gets tripped up in the midfield

Eric Addo comes in for Amoah. Ghana goes on the defensive.

57' Nice long ball from Onyewu to Dempsey but his cross is intercepted by the keeper.

56' Appiah takes a free kick from 40 yards out and sends it wide left of the net.

54' Ghana counters with numbers and Amoah rips one on net. Beautiful save by Keller!

52' US gets a free kick from the left side, cleared for a corner.

49' Arena still apears content with his squad out there. but players are warming up.

47' Essien laying on the ground but no foul called.

Ghana substitutes Addo in for Boateng

The referee's have been way too involved in this world cup. I have said it before both teams seem to be taking the sit back and wait approach to this game. Let the other team come to them and counter. Besides the goals there hasn't been a whole lot of action. Beasley showed the spark needed from him and Dempsey nailed one home but US opportunities have been few and far between. US will have to find a way to put more pressure on the Ghana defense who have not been impressive. I imagine Coach Arena will finally toss away his defensive minded game plan and put in Eddie Johnson and maybe John O' Brien. The US is getting help from the Italian squad now we will see what they are made of in the second half. For the US, this will be one more instance of the Nuremburg trials..

HALFTIME

Extra Time' Goal Ghana...Appiah tucks the penalty kick away upper left side...There goes my breath again.

45' In extra time the referee awards Ghana a penalty Kick off a BS call on Onyewu. Unbelievable!

43' GOOOOOOOOOOOAL USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Beasley steals the ball from Boateng who gives back the gift that Reyna gave to Ghana. Beasley sends a perfect cross to Dempsey who buries it in the back!! I feel like i can breathe again.

41' Free kick by Appiah but nothing comes from it.

40' Olsen substitutes for Reyna who is obviously hurt. This might be the last match for the long time captain. If it is, Thanks for the memories Claudio!

38' Slow roller across the box from Lewis but no one is there.

38' This has been a game of sitting back and counter, Ghana has been more successful so far.

35' Cherundolo picks up a foul on the right wing. Free kick from outside the box. Hit out of bounds by the goalie.

34' McBride passes it over the top to Donovan who shoots it over the net

31' US playing very sloppy on defense but Ghana doesn't want to take advantage. US doesn't seem to realize the importance of a win. They have still not shown any creativity on offense. Seem to have reverted back to quality of play in the first game against Czech.

28' Reyna back in and gives the ball away again to Pimpong who shoots it wide.

Sidebar—-Italy scores to take the l;ead against Czech.

25' bringing out the stretcher for the Ghana goalie who collides with Bocanegra.

22' GOAL Ghana! Draman picks Reyna's pocket who stupidly tried to dribble out of the back. Draman puts one in the side netting on the breakaway....Reyna down, knee looks hurt but ego probably hurts a lot more.

21' ESPN shows people in Columbus going nuts...that is once they realize the camera is on them

20' Corner for Ghana off a cross by Appiah

19' Donovan called for a very close offsides

Back to the Game

BREAKING NEWS—Knicks fire Larry Brown—-What a shocker! 50 million not bad for one year!

16' Dempsey gets a soft header on net off a corner.

15' Lewis has some blood streaming from his eye....man, are we showing our true blood or what!

14' No dangerous attacks yet for the US but they have made the goalie touch the ball a couple of times at least.

12' US is playing our patented kick and run, hoping to catch the lakadaisical Ghana defense off guard. it worked in 2002.

10' Ghana shows its speed and counters but Pimpong is called for offsides

9' Essien shoots wide off a free kick entry pass

7' Lewis gets a yellow card for an intentional hand ball..these refs are card happy!

6' US is controlling the ball while Ghana appears very tentative

4' Yellow card on Essien for taking out Reyna..he's gonna have to sit out the next match if they advance..

2' Cherundolo crosses to Dempsey but nothing comes of it.

1' Lewis dumps a cross in on net

In a moment of despair after the embarrassing Czech loss, I waved my 6th row ticket to this game in the air basically giving it away. To the lucky fan who grabbed it i want to say enjoy the game, and beware of the puking Kennedy boys sitting beside you. I was also able to catch the England-Trinidad game in Nuremburg and i am sure the the American contingent will be in full force rocking the tiny stadium, making this feel like a home game. After reading comments from the Ghana side, they seem to be brimming with confidence to the point of cockiness, looking forward to a match against Brazil in the next round. Yes, that is the reward for advancing to the next round, a chance to get your samba on.

Both coaches have their hands full replacing players who are suspended due to red cards and yellow card accumulation.Ghana will be without it's two goal scorers in the Czech game while USA have lost two of their central defenders. It will be interesting to see how Coach Arena sets his lineup, but one thing's for certain he won't be doing it with a smile. So far in this tournament the USA have been Jekyll and Hyde. (To the tune of Slim Shady) Will the real USA please stand up, please stand up.

USA Lineup:

Keller, Onyewu, Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Conrad, Beasley, Reyna, Lewis, Donovan, Dempsey, McBride

Arena opts for speed in the midfield, basically playing the 4-5-1, hoping to keep Ghana from scoring while taking advantage of the counter-attack

Ghana Lineup:

Kingston, Dramani, Koffour, Mensah, Paintsil, Appiah, Essien, Mohammed, Amoah, Boateng, Pimpong

Dujkovic chooses to keep the pressure on by inserting speedy forwards.

wow, that was a real touching commercial by Gatorade in the pregame, almost made you feel like they are beginning to believe soccer is a real sport with drama and everything.

To get yourself appropriately stimulated, we suggest:

• Checking out the gang at That's On Point, which has attended both US games so far and is gearing up for this one.
• Read this excellent breakdown of Ghana by Grant Wahl, who always has a fun time when he writes about soccer.
• Drink heavily. We know our town has plenty of places to booze up when most people are showing up for work. We're sure your neck of the woods does as well.

If you happen to be stuck at work tomorrow, we'll be here, live-blogging obviously. (Our live blogger is Adam Baruchowitz, who saw the first two U.S. games in person.) We have a hard time simmering to a boil of hatred for Ghana and love for Italy ... but we'll give a shot tomorrow anyway.

Scouting Report: Ghana [SI.com]

Bruce Arena's pregame speech should pretty much write itself. Opportunity of a lifetime, sitting right there for you, it's your time, all that stuff. The script just couldn't be written better. Given the history of our nation, it doesn't seem right that any West African nation should be doing the United States any favors, but they have, and the US has to take advantage. An inspiring Ghanaian performance. Love those boys.

Safe to say that I've never been as excited for a soccer game as I am for this one. Not even Marcelo Balboa can dampen it. Word is that Deuce Dempsey will be in the starting line-up (but not Eddie Johnson). Feel free to use the comments here for game discussion, and/or culturally insensitive Italian jokes.

Preview: Italy vs. USA [World Cup Blog]
Words that Have Been Used to Describe Balls That Made Me Giggle [I Dislike Your Favorite Team]

So this is what we waited four years to see: Bruce Arena, sitting on the US bench, his face pinched, his arms folded tightly across his chest, looking like an excellent candidate for a hemorrhoidectomy. Was he thinking about the "Give 'em hell" pep talk he had received only an hour before from President George W. Bush, one that sounded eerily familiar to the message our Cheerleader-in-Chief had given American troops before we invaded Iraq? Or was he perhaps wondering how it is possible for his four college-educated defenders to be unable to find a bald six-foot-eight Czech lurking five feet in front of their goal? Could it be that in his pre-game tactical discussion, he had told his players, "Listen fellas, just because this guy Koller has scored 42 international goals with his head off free kicks or corner kicks doesn't mean you should pay him any special attention in the box?"

So this is what we waited four years to see: Landon Donovan, the US player most likely to end up on a Wheaties box, reminding us why he washed out not once but twice in Germany as a club player. He played like scheiss. For the Americans to have any chance against the Czechs, Donovan was going to have to break down their rearguard with his speed and sorcery. He was going to have to run at defenders and turn them inside out, just as he does every week in Major League Soccer. So how to explain that, with the exception of one corkscrewing run in the first half, Donovan didn't TRY to beat anyone, 1-v-1, until the game was hopelessly lost? Could it be that scything through the back four of, say, Real Salt Lake, is not the best barometer of a player's ability to perform against the world's elite teams? Oh I forgot, the US is an elite team, according to the geniuses at FIFA (which ranked the Americans fifth).

So this is what we waited four years to see: DeMarcus Beasley, whom the otherwise astute New York Times columnist George Vescey proclaimed to be "America's best all-field player" on the eve of the match, getting schooled time and again on the right side of midfield, where he looked about as comfortable as Ann Coulter at a seder table full of liberals. Where was the vaunted "swagger" he spoke of in SI recently, not to mention the electric pace and defense-shredding moves that caused Dutch juggernaut PSV to fork over millions to MLS for his rights two years ago? Having been the first American to appear in a Champions League semifinal, surely he couldn't have been awed by the occasion. And once it was obvious that he was overmatched against the likes of Nedved and Rosicky (please save some of your goal-scoring mojo for Arsenal next season, Tomas), why did Arena not only stick with him, but move him to yet another position (right back) where he appeared even more lost? Is he really that versatile, or are we so Nicole Richie-thin in defense that Arena gambled Beasley would play himself out of his timid funk?

So this is what we waited four years to see: the US, proud quarterfinalists in 2002, taking a big dump on the manicured field in Gelsenkirchen in front of a couple of billion people who had to be giddy with relief that the Americans are still years — or perhaps decades — away from being a global threat. At least in soccer.

(More roundup after the jump.)

Italy v. Ghana

If you wanted a sneak preview of whom the Americans will lose to next and next, this was the match to watch. Ghana may have lost, but at least they took the occasional shot on goal, which, as any serious student of the game can tell you, is one of the best ways to score. Being a hottie like Luca Toni is another. Even without Ghanian-born wonderboy Freddie Adu, Ghana looked like it could be a spoiler in the group. They even have their own version of Jan Koller in Chelsea hard man Michael Essian, albeit 10 inches shorter but no less intimidating.

Italy, meanwhile, showed that, despite the swirling match-fixing scandal and some hobbling stars, they now have an attack to go along with their lockdown defense. They still cry like little regazzas when anyone tackles their flowing locks, which is why Bruce Arena will no doubt be running drills the next few days on how to get inside your opponents' hair.

David Hirshey will write regularly during the World Cup.

Ghana's actually a little better than many would expect an African nation not named Cameroon to be, but they're still not favored in this game. The real question: What's the betting line in Italy for this one? Ask the players! (Sorry. We kid.)

Anyway, your live-blogger is Alex Churchill, and he is ready to rock. Chime in in the comments, and if you have any offline comments to make, or just questions for Mr. Churchill, email us and we'll pass 'em along. And enjoy!

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FULL TIME: The final whistle blows and sweaty shirts are replaced with other sweaty shirts (I would so not do that BTW). A hugely entertaining first half followed up by a disappointing 2H. But as they say, there is something about football being half based.

Man of the match: I'll go with Toni. But I do so with the bitter aftertaste of a Peroni in my mouth.

Now, I venture forth into the honking, whistle blowing Toronto streets, where I will find a Ghana supporter and exchange jerseys with them in solidarity.

Until tomorrow and Switzerland v France then.

92: Good chance for Ghana off a long ball up to Essien. Unfortunately, he now kicks with the gusto of a defeated man. He wallows in pity. I drink.

91: Ghana wins a cross on a long ball. It gets rifled into a wall of blue and then someone knocks someone else down in the mid field.

90: Into the three minutes of stoppage time we go.

88: Sub for Ghana, Guyan off, the aforementioned clever Mensah on. That makes me happy, if only in the way that the very mention of the name Will Shortz does.

87: Iaquinta takes a yellow for a pessimistic challenge. He then complains. Talk about unwilling to appreciate the gifts you are given.

86: I think the Ghanese are now playing 2 back. Essien gets a decent header opportunity. You know when you drink in the afternoon, how it makes everything better, but not really?

85: As my pint arrives, there is an Italian writing about on the field as though someone has called into question the morals of his mother and all is the same with the world. Sigh.

83: Disappointing for Ghana, but a goal given up on a sloppy clear (if it can be called that) by Koffour. Iaquinta takes advantage and that is really, really sad. I am now going to begin drinking

82: Now, it is ON bitches. The assembled crowd here cheer lustily the departure of Toni and the arrival of Del Piero. Now, all Totti has to do is haul Baggio out onto the field to be sainted.

80: Essien, finishing off a nice Ghanese move down the left side rifles one wide of Buffon.

78: ANOTHER piece of penalty worthy play in front of Buffon. Dive? Yes. Foul? Yes. Actually, on replay, only a maybe to the foul.

75: A BLATANT foul on some long haired Italian the name of whom escapes the "Italians" sitting around me, but the play is called offside. Lucky, lucky Ghanese. Which isn't, I would suspect, a sentence one reads a whole lot.

74: Italian defence winning the day here.

72: Some very dodgy activity right in front of Buffon. Not sure if Asamoah should have stayed down writhing after deRossi pile drove him but not sure how that's not a penalty shot.

71: Tentative mid field play makes Alex a dull boy.

69: Pimpong wins a corner for Ghana. And there is no reason not to give him one with a name like that. Also, he bears a passing resemblance to the long time Dutch international Edgar Davids. Or so my dad tells me.

68: Italy is offsides on a clear break and the people here no likie when Italy is offside. I hide behind my lap top.

67: Amoah goes off for the delightfully monikered Pimpong. I have now forgotten all about Kingston, he may be good, but it's not as much fun to say.

67: Kingston is my new hero. He is single handedly keeping this Ghana team in the game.

66: A yellow card given to Asamoah for a simply delightful tackle on an Italian attacker. It was just what he was hoping for.

64: Gilardino off, Iaquinta on.

63: Essien takes a rare Italian mid field cock up and fires it wide. But he does so in a way that indicates confidence in his abilities.

62: Camoranesi gets the yellow card his hair so richly deserves, leading to a free kick from well outside the area. Essien fires it right into the wall.

60: Ghana gives up yet another corner. No, sorry, they actually won one. And then threw it away. It seems to me that in Ghana, the young footballers tend to be so poor that they can't afford corners and thus have to score from open play only.

58: Comaronesi is causing havoc in the Ghanese midfield. And in the minds of hair dressers with any semblance of taste.

57: Toni gets good service from the right and heads it directly to Kingston, who my father thinks bears a passing resemblance to many other bald, black men.

56: Totti's down on the field here and is being spelled off by Camoranesi. It looked like Totti simply was trod upon.

53: Buffon seriously tested by Essien with a heavy looking ball from 30 yards. Not sure who it was. Does number 8 help?

50: Interception in the mid-field by Pirlo and another good chance by Gilardino and another GREAT save by Kingston. Great game by the Ankaraspor man. When it comes to keepers, Ankaraspor is Ankararich. Sorry. Things getting a little mucky in the mid field.

48: Toni (toni, toni) pushed to ground by Essien - who then tells him his ex-girlfriend is a ho. Little 3T joke there

46: First useful movement of the half by Italy, stopped by Kingston off a too-long deep ball.

Right off the bat, Essien causing the Italian full backs grief. A spikes high tackle there by a Ghanese who's name eludes me for the moment.

Shilla on, Pappoe off for Ghana. None for the team in the blue. And we're sychronizing the refs watches and we're off!

Ready to go with the 2H. Right about now, the Chef de Mission for each team is returning the gift they received at the start of the match for something a little more useful around the house.

HALF TIME of HALF TIME: So, with Italy NOT playing their "traditional", "defensive", "snore inducing" game and with the Ghanese attacking, attacking, attacking it is everything that makes the clash of styles at the Fuji Burger King Castro Convertables Astroglide Global Jug 2006 worth supporting its sponsoring products for.

HALF TIME The most exciting match so far. Puch counter punch. Punch counter punch. I'm off to chew on a few oranges and work on my tan and biceps. I feel as though after that, I'll fit in a little better here.

44:57 Another great chance from short range gives the Italians another corner and then they counter only to throw it away with a terrible cross as we get into extra time. Buffon takes a little jog... and the whistle goes.

43: Ghana giving Italy more than they deserve (not difficult, generally) on the offensive end with sloppy full back play and then counter attacking.

The Black Stars are giving more corners than Michael Schumacher. More corners than Michael Jackson's architect. More corners than Clarence Birdseye and Common combined. I should stop now.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAZZZZZZOOOOOOO! Pirlo rifles one past Kingston from just outside the area off a corner. I don't think there was a deflection. In my best hocke voice "Time of the Italy goal, 40 minutes."

38: An anemic looking Ghana corner leads to a puffball header to Buffone leads to an Italian rush to the inevitable Ghanese counter and then... they surrender another corner.

34: Another Italian free kick deflects right to Richard "funky" Kingston. Asamoah victimized in the midfield and smacks the ball playfully in response "Bad, naughty ball."

33: A Totti free kick is juuuuuust steered high by Richard Kingston and the subsequent corner juuuuust dribbles over the top.

30: And again Ghana and Essien rushing down the left side and causing a very big yacht somewhere to suffer a caviar stain on the broadloom. And now Pappoe a minute later! Off a broken play on the left, he is given space on the right and just goes over the net back on the far side. Great stuff!

I should apologize for saying "this match is on fire"

GOLDEN opportunity for Ghana on the counter attack. This match is on fire.

PS - yes, I know his name is Luca Toni. But it may as well be Lucatoni if you ask anyone here. He scored 36 in Serie A, and you don't have to ask anyone to find that out. They'll yell it at you.

26ish: Italy also has wood as Lucatoni fires one off the cross bar!

26ish: Exquisite pressure from Ghana. Essien currently giving Roman Abramovich a hard on.

24: Italy win their 256th corner of the match. Really, just ask the Italian FA.

23: Totti attempts a bicycle kick. Of course he does.

22: Another Italy corner, another golden opportunity wasted on the way to winning it. Somehow, that's a metaphor for post-war Italy.

Essien and Canavaro going head to head, and one would suppose toe to toe.

21: Ghana JUST offside on a long ball in showing lovely pace up front.

19: Lucatoni starts a lovely movement down the right side, but seems to stall once he gets to the net.

18: First good chance for Ghana. Nesta pulls a "hair of god" and heads it to safety.

I just heard Lippi refered to as "Marcello il Bello". Were he a little more cultured, he might be referred to as Marcello il Cello.

14:30 Free kick from a hand ball just outside the Ghana area. Roofed by de Rossi on a re-direction.

12:00 First sign of the cross of the match! Surprisingly, from a Black Star.

9:50 de Rossi sucks up a yellow card on Essien just outside the area, stopped by Buffone and... and... and.. the counter attack slides under Kingston and away for a corner. Marcello Lippi looks like he's going to cry. I so hope he begins smoking.

6:27 - Totti (?) wins a corner after a long run down the left side - Kingston and the Black Stars make a lame Totti corner into a second one! And now a third! Atrocious. This time, from the right side and it's roofed by some bald bloke.

Ghana controlling well - and crossing horribly. Both sides feeling each other out.

2:00 Totti probing in the area from the right side. Italians being loud in response. I've seen at least fifteen had gestures I can neither decipher nor repeat.

Surprise starter in goal for Ghana - Richard Kingston, who is put under a little pressure right off the K-O. From what I'm told, Kingston is creating quite the legend for himself in Turkey. Kind of like that guy in Midnight Express. Anyway - kick off!

And, to Italy goes a flag. And to Ghana goes... a flag. Disregard the last comment.

The exchanging of the gifts - the moment wherein we see just what sort of schwag the various countries are made of. Far more reflective of culture than the national anthem.

Ahh yes, the pageantry of the tunnel dance. A moment of silence for Roy Keane's retirement - the master: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFkYRXlwQxA

Live blogging from the aptly named Bar Italia in Toronto's equally aptly named Little Italy it's Italy v Ghana at the Gillette McDonald's GM Card Ting Pokemon FIFA World Bowl 2006! Yes, I'm coming to you from the only place in the aforementioned Little Italy without a life-sized poster of Paolo Rossi in the window - and thus the only place safe for an England supporting Manga Cake like myself.

And speaking of St. Paolo, the questions swirling around this edition of the Azzuri are bringing to the gelato-addled minds of some in my immediate vicinity the great scandal tinged team of '82 that, in true Italian style rode the turmoil to victory on the backs of Vespas, blowing kisses to the ladies and saving the honour of the calico in the process. Totti in (and spitting), Nesta in, Gattuso out.

Hoping to have the Paul Newmanesque Marcello Lippi staring across the pitch after 90 minutes asking himself "who are those guys?" are the Portugal of Africa (despite being known as the Brazilians of Africa). The Black Stars have underachieved internationally relative to their success on the continent and many of them ply their trade in Italy including Roma's Kuffour; Cremonese's John Mensah (a clever defender one would assume) and Michael Essien - who plays at Chelsea, a team that I dislike, so I will throw towards them the epithet of being Italianate. So, in short, many of these players are familiar with one another.

So, it's the Black Stars and the black socks. Lippi is giving his players a variation on Dennis Hopper's "where Sicilians come from" speech from True Romance (c'mon, they invented Fascism - I'm allowed a little latitude) and Ghana is ready to show the world they belong - let's get it on.

• 1. Hearts Of Oak. Ghana's capital city of Accra is home to the best named soccer club in the world, the uber-cool named "Hearts of Oak." Ghana, by the way, which was former from a merger of Britain's Gold Coast and British Togoland, was the first sub-Saharan African country to gain independence. — (thanks to Mike Cardillo).

• 2. Purple Reign. Prince plays soccer. Prince Tagoe, that is, the 19-year-old striker who has scored 70 goals during the past three seasons. Tagoe played for Ghanaian second division club Midtjylland and Hearts of Oak, prior to moving on to Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad in January. He made his Ghana debut in a friendly against Tunisia on January 15, and appeared twice at the CAF African Nations Cup, coming on as a late substitute against Senegal and then playing the first 45 minutes of the 2-1 defeat by Zimbabwe.

• 3. Oh Ghana, What Could Have Been. Ghana, the United States' third and final opponent in the first round, is pretty good. But just imagine what their team might have been like had some of these guys played for their native national team instead of sporting another country's colors: Gerald Asamoah (Germany, World Cup 2002); George Boateng of Middlesbrough (cap-tied to Holland); Marcel Desailly (France, with whom he won World Cup '98); and one Mr. (or is it still Master at this age?) Freddy Adu. — (thanks to Tim Bresnahan).

• 4. They Are Explosive. Ghana midfielder Sulley Ali Muntari, possibly their best player, helped carry Udinese to the 2005 Champions League. One of his teammates there was Al-Saadi Qadhafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi. — (thanks to Mike Cardillo).

(Tomorrow: Italy).