PSW's Daily World Cup Update: Thursday, June 17, 2010

Teams are starting to see their second matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the goal count is going up as the nerves begin to relax. Yesterday saw the biggest upset of the tournament so far, with Switzerland taking down European giant Spain. Will we continue to see the underdog prevail? A couple of traditional powers take the field today in Day 7.

See below for Day 7 results and recaps (including video highlights), a preview of Day 8 (and the U.S. game against Slovenia), news from around the tournament, group standings, World Cup viewing parties in the metro DC area, and a TV schedule for the upcoming week.

Be sure to check out our latest column, \'Soccer, the American Way\' by PSW\'s Joe Dougherty about how soccer and the World Cup is perceived in the U.S.

[+ Day 1]  [+ Day 2]  [+ Day 3] [+ Day 4] [+ Day 5] [+ Day 6]
Day 4 Results and Recaps:
Argentina  4:1  South Korea - Argentina dominated as Gonzalo Higuain became the tournament\'s leading scorer after a hat trick against an overmatched South Korea. Though he hasn\'t notched a goal yet, Lionel Messi proved to be the architect of most of Argentina\'s chances. The first goal of the game was an own goal in the 17th minute when a free kick deflected off of Park Chu-young\'s shin past his own goalkeeper. South Korea\'s goal came in the last seconds of the first half when Lee Chung-yong took advantage of a bad defensive mistake and slotted the ball past Sergio Romero. As rough as the Argentinians looked in qualifying for the World Cup, this team looks to be one of the strongest so far. [ + VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS ]

Greece  2:1  Nigeria - Greece got their first World Cup win ever in a come-from-behind victory over Nigeria in this Group B matchup. Looking to rebound from their first loss, Nigeria got the first goal in the 16th minute when Kalu Uche\'s free kick somehow made it through the box untouched and completely fooled Greek goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas. Nigeria seemed to have the advantage, until Nigerian midfielder Sani Kaita was given a straight red card for retaliating and kicking/shoving Vassilis Torosidis. Up a man, Greece started firing shots on goal and scored their first goal when striker Dimitris Salpingidis got the equalizer in the 44th minute off of a deflected shot. Torosidis poked home the game-winner in the 71st minute after Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama couldn\'t hold onto a shot and gave up the deflection. [ + VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS ]

France  0:2  Mexico - Mexico is on the verge of advancing after soundly defeating France 2-0 today. Substitute Javier Hernandez ran onto a through ball, dribbled around the GK, and easily passed the ball into an empty net. The French defense held up, believing Hernandez was offside, leaving him all alone against the keeper. Hernandez\'s grandfather, Tomas Balcazar, scored for Mexico against the French in the 1954 World Cup. Cuauhtemoc Blanco sealed the deal with a penalty kick in the 19th minute after Pablo Barrera was taken down in the box. Les Bleues look to be heading home early.
[ + VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS]

Looking Ahead to Day 8:
Will Germany continue to dominate and add to its impressive goal count? They take on Serbia in the early Group D match. The big game of the day (at least for most people in this country) is the United States\' key match-up against Slovenia at 10am (ESPN). After a tie against England, the U.S. needs to pick up three points to keep their World Cup hopes alive. Slovenia\'s Andrej Komac has guaranteed a victory against the Yanks, but at least on paper, the U.S. shoudl have the edge. The other Group C match pairs England against Algeria. The outcome of this game could greatly affect the U.S.\'s fate, so we\'ll be cheering for the underdog.

News From Around The Cup:
* Slovenia\'s Andrej Komac has guaranteed victory against the U.S. Here is Tim Howard\'s response.

* English midfielder Gareth Barry will return from injury for their match against Algeria on Friday.

* Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has been ruled out of the Azzurri\'s match against New Zealand due to a herniated disc in his back - but they are refusing to rule him out of the tournament.

* World Cup organizing chief Danny Jordaan has drawn comparisons between South Africa\'s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Uruguay on Wednesday and the Soweto uprising which occurred on the same date 34 years ago.

* England coach Fabio Cappello has slammed the Jabulani as the worst ball ever. English goalkeeper Robert Green, however, refuses to blame the ball on the goal he allowed against the U.S.

* Former Spanish national team coach Luis Aragones criticized the squad\'s tactics after their shocking 1-0 loss to Switzerland.

* About 600 World Cup security workers and supporters marched on city hall Wednesday in a labor dispute that has spread to half the tournament\'s stadiums.

* The USA v England match was the most viewed World Cup first round match and fifth most-viewed World Cup match ever.


World Cup Group Standings (as of 6/17/10):
Group A
Uruguay (1-1-0; 4pts)
Mexico (1-1-0; 4pts)
France (0-1-1; 1pt)
South Africa (0-1-1; 1pt)

Group B
Argentina (2-0-0; 6 pts)
South Korea (1-0-1; 3pts)
Greece (1-0-1; 3 pts)
Nigeria (0-0-2; 0 pts)

Group C
Slovenia (1-0-0; 3pts)
England (0-1-0; 1pt)
United States (0-1-0; 1pt)
Algeria (0-0-1; 0pts)

Group D
Germany (1-0-0; 3pts)
Ghana (1-0-0; 3pts)
Serbia (0-0-1; 0pts)
Australia (0-0-1; 0pts)

Group E
Netherlands (1-0-0; 3pts)
Japan (1-0-0; 3pts)
Cameroon (0-0-0; 0pts)
Denmark (0-0-1; 0pts)

Group F
Italy (0-1-0; 1pt)
New Zealand (0-1-0; 1pt)
Paraguay (0-1-0; 1pt)
Slovakia (0-1-0; 1pt)

Group G
Brazil (1-0-0; 3pts)
Ivory Coast (0-1-0; 1pt)
Portugal (0-1-0; 1pt)
North Korea (0-0-1; 0pts)

Group H
Chile (1-0-0; 3pts)
Switzerland (1-0-0; 3pts)
Spain (0-0-1; 0pts)
Honduras (0-0-1; 0pts)

World Cup Viewing Parties for Group Stage games in DC Area:
(We will add others soon via advertisers - click here to advertise with us)

Friday, June 18 - 9:30am (USA v Slovenia)
BlackFinn - 1620 I Street NW, Washington, DC
Fado - DC - 808 7th Street NW, Washington, DC
Pour House - 319 Pennsylvania Ave, SE Washington, DC

Wednesday, June 23 - 9:30am (USA v Algeria)
BlackFinn - 1620 I Street NW, Washington, DC
Fado - DC - 808 7th Street NW, Washington, DC
Pour House - 319 Pennsylvania Ave, SE Washington, DC

TV Schedule for upcoming week (all times are EST):
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Argentina v South Korea - 7:30am - ESPN (Group B)
Greece v Nigeria - 10:00am - ESPN (Group B)
France v Mexico - 2:30pm - ESPN2 (Group A)

Friday, June 18, 2010
Germany v Serbia - 7:30am - ESPN (Group D)
Slovenia v USA - 10:00am - ESPN (Group C)
England v Algeria - 2:30pm - ESPN2 (Group C)

Saturday, June 19, 2010
Netherlands v Japan - 7:30am - ESPN (Group E)
Ghana v Australia - 10:00am - ESPN (Group D)
Cameroon v Denmark - 2:30pm - ABC (Group E)

Sunday, June 20, 2010
Slovakia v Paraguay - 7:30am - ESPN (Group F)
Italy v New Zealand - 10:00am - ESPN (Group F)
Brazil v Ivory Coast - 2:30pm - ABC (Group G)

Monday, June 21, 2010
Portugal v North Korea - 7:30am - ESPN (Group G)
Chile v Switzerland - 10:00am - ESPN (Group H)
Spain v Honduras - 2:30pm - ESPN (Group H)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010
France v South Africa - 10:00am - ESPN2 (Group A)
Mexico v Uruguay - 10:00am - ESPN (Group A)
Greece v Argentina - 2:30pm - ESPN (Group B)
Nigeria v South Korea - 2:30pm - ESPN2 (Group B)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Slovenia v England - 10:00am - ESPN2 (Group C)
USA v Algeria - 10:00am - ESPN (Group C)
Australia v Serbia - 2:30pm - ESPN2 (Group D)
Ghana v Germany - 2:30pm - ESPN (Group D)

Thursday, June 24, 2010
Paraguay v New Zealand - 10:00am - ESPN2 (Group F)
Slovakia v Italy - 10:00am - ESPN (Gropu F)
Cameroon v Netherlands - 2:30pm - ESPN2 (Group E)
Denmark v Japan - 2:30pm - ESPN (Group E)