Penn State Nittany Lions 2026 Predictions: COME TO PENN STATE!
Hey look! Another new coach!
About Yesterday's Games
Egypt 1 (4), Australia 1 (2)
Kind of...: Fun game. Maybe not quite top shelf, but won't deserve to be forgotten as quickly as it will be. But that's what happens when you're the opening act before almost the biggest upset in World Cup history. Regardless, Australia showed out well, but it is just that Egypt won the shootout.
AlmaOtter: I only caught the second half of this one, but it was a good match. Compared to what came after, though? It was mostly an exercise in reminding us how extra time and PKs worked.
HoustonBoiler: I'm back from vacation and only caught the penalty kicks portion of this one. Wow! Huge for Egypt while heartbreaking for Australia.
Argentina 3, Cape Verde 2
Kind of...: I had argued that Argentina was overrated (and too Messi-dependent) at various points of the group stage. But nobody say THIS coming. Yeah, maybe you could imagine Cape Verde heroically defending, and could optimistically envisioned a repeat of the 0-0 draw with Spain. Or maybe you thought they'd pounce on an Argentina mistake and hold it to 1-1. More likely, you're realistic-bordering-on-cynical view was a 1-0 loss (or maybe 2-1). But I don't think anybody had Cape Verde scoring twice, finding the wherewithal to tie things up on two separate occasions, including once in extra time. Argentina obviously deserved the win, but I don't care. Cape Verde won our hearts. Best underdog story since the O.G.: Cameroon in 1990.
AlmaOtter: Game of the cup, no question. That long-range second equalizer from Cabo Verde was diiiiiirty. They went at the defending champs and put their backs up against the wall again and again. To go full LOTR: "my friends, you bow to no one." What a story.
HoustonBoiler: Hell of a performance from Cabo Verde given this was a matchup between the 67th and top ranked teams.
Colombia 1, Ghana 0
Kind of...: 1-0 victories are never sure things, but this was as convincing as it gets: 2.04-.27 in expected goals, 8-0 in shots on goal. I've been high on Colombia all tournament. Beating Switzerland is not automatic, but I would love to see them show down with Argentina with a semifinal spots on the line. Colombia is a damn good team right now.
HoustonBoiler: I only saw the first bit of this one, but Colombia scored early and appears to have their A-game at this tournament. I would welcome a Colombia vs. Argentina match.
Today's Matchups
Canada v Morocco
Houston, TX. 1:00 PM ET/12:00 GTZ.
Kind of...: Canada got their knockout round win. They're good enough to hang with Morocco. And if you're good enough to do that, there's always a shot of gumming up extra time and taking your chances with penalties. However, Morocco is clearly the better squad and, given that Canada likes to press (to their credit), it's easy to envision Morocco getting out early and seizing control.
MaximumSam: We did dishes in the first round. Round two brings us drinks. Or hopefully dranks. Canada wakes us up with the Bloody Caesar, an unholy mix of vodka, Clamato, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. That'll put some hair on your chest. After drinking that you may want Morocco's national drink, the Maghrebi Mint Tea, which is green tea with mint and sugar. I'll throw a shot of vodka in it and roll with Morocco.
AlmaOtter: I think I'd rather drink lukewarm moose piss (or maybe a Labatt Blue) than whatever the hell a Bloody Caesar is.
HoustonBoiler: I would definitely prefer a Moosehead Lager, Labatt Blue, or Molson Canadian than a Bloody Caesar. Thus, I would go with the Maghrebi Mint Tea with a shot of vodka.
Paraguay v France
Philadelphia, PA. 5:00 PM ET/4:00 GTZ.
Kind of...: No truth to the rumor that Paraguay watched Cape Verde/Argentina yesterday and were amazed that underdogs are allowed to score more than one goal. This COULD be interesting if France does their "take 30-45 minutes to get calibrated" thing and Paraguay somehow grabs an early lead and doubles down on packing it in. But we all saw US/Paraguay. And we all know about the firepower France has. So, it also might not be interesting.
MaximumSam: Paraguay's drink is Tereré, a sort of tea made by pouring water or juice over yerba mate leaves. Honestly, I don't even know what that would taste like. France has lots of options, but I'm not going to choose wine (I mean, I choose wine all the time but it's not on theme). So we will go with a Kir Royale, a cocktail made with creme de cassis and champagne. I've never had creme de cassis - it is a sweet liqueur made from currants. That sounds delightful - give me some France.
HoustonBoiler: As Kind Of... said, the problem with facing France is all of their firepower. And that firepower extends beyond Kylian Mbappé, who leads the team six goals, while Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola have four and two goals, respectively. The question is whether Paraguay can keep up. Will they pack it in on defense or try to possess the ball for long periods in an attempt to slow down the French? I'm not sure Paraguay has what it takes to stop France. On the plus side, France does play a beautiful style of football and I'm all for it. That said, a France vs. Spain, who dominates possession, would be a very interesting semi-final matchup.
