We had quite a bit of trouble getting to the world cup, no thanks to Slovakia and Poland ;), and of course Russia. Can't wait for our first clash with Algeria, er, today, so we can see our team's status and fighting spirit. I hope for a victory, of corse, but it can e.a.s.i.l.y. go either way, as England's E.A.S.Y. group can get.

What an amazing game between the U.S. and England. Lovely to see the Americans hanging in there! I hope it's the start of an upward trend for them in this world cup... the goal scoring, not the goalie fumbling that is ;P ... I wouldn't have liked to have been Green at half-time. But still, despite his fumble, it was a great kick from the U.S.
Where I live, about 45 minutes from Rustenberg (where the match was played), I couldn't quite hear all the Vuvuzelas, but the atmosphere from the match was still incredible to witness - was on the phone to a friend of mine that lives there. I have to concede, as a South African I was slightly pessimistic about how events were going to unfold here; I'm thoroughly glad I've been proven wrong.
And here's to Bafana Bafana; they're looking good so far *cheers* Viva!
P.S.
Did anyone else think that the South Korean team's ball control in their match against Greece was just phenominal? I'm not generally a soccer fan or watcher at all, but their style of play really seemed to me to be the exemplification of how a team should function, their teamwork and control, to my undiscerning eye, looked incredible.

Lucky you !!

eh, eh, agreed.
I'm all for authentic experiences and everything but..well, i've had enough.
The fact that they became extremely popular with small kids around here doesn't help ;)

i'm not good on football

Are you good at geography?

Don't worry about it. Just support Portugal in the cup and all is well ;)

Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil. I don't think anyone else has a chance to win the cup.

I'm not even an Arsenal fan but I can't support Spain, not with the disgraceful behavior of the team in regards to Fabregas and Barcelona. In fact a lot of Barca staff are over there right now trying to sign him right behind Wenger's back. It's like Real and Ronaldo all over again except Ronaldo wanted to go and Cesc doesn't.

From what they're showing against Australia (admittedly not the best team out there but still...), I think you need to add Germany to the list of contenders as well.
You should never discount Germany when it comes to football (or soccer whatever you like to call it) anyway.

Portugal or Argentina won't win the World Cup. They don't have consistent enough teams to progress through the knockout phases.
Spain is the #1 popular favourite, and Brazil are always lethal when not playing in Europe for some reason. You have to add Germany to the mix, they're the tournament team bar none and have excellent track records in recent championships. England started poorly but should recover to win their group, and could be a contender as well.
France drew 0-0 in a poor match against Uruguay, so I see people writing them off already. That earns low grades in history since the last time France drew 0-0 in their opener they went on to win the whole thing.
I also think the dutch team could be an outside contender. They've made mincemeat of some strong opposition in pre-tournament friendlies, and also made short work of their opponents in qualifying. To add to that they have key players who have shown great form this season.
My dream final would probably be England vs. Spain, followed by Spain vs. Brazil.

imo the problem of the netherlands team is, they win often and very convincing, but they loose when it really counts.

Actually, the last time France drew 0-0 in their opener, they drew 0-0 in the other two matches too.

Not in a World Cup.
Although, France are definitely weaker this time around. You just don't get a Zidane every generation. And stars like Henry look like they've burned out on football several years ago and are just playing out of habit. Still, drawing Uruguay probably means they go through as they are the toughest opponent by a mile.