Let the World Cup Quarterfinals Begin!

Though our beloved US team was knocked out in overtime last week, we’re still excited for the World Cup to get back into action tomorrow with the start of the World Cup Quarterfinals.

The first two quarterfinal matches will be played tomorrow with Netherlands taking on Brazil at 10:00 am EST. With pre-tournament favorites Italy, England, and Portugual knocked out in the previous round, these are two of the top teams remaining in the tournament and it should be a really excellent game. My oldest son - a dedicated Netherlands fan - may not want to hear this, but I’m afraid that I have to say that Brazil are favored in this one. Either way, it should be fun to watch.

Tomorrow’s second match will be played at 2:30 pm EST by Uruguay and Ghana. Ghana has never advanced this far in a tournament before, and Uruguay hasn’t made it to a quarterfinal match since 1970. Both are dark horses to go on much further in the tournament, and I’m sure they count themselves lucky to still be alive. I don’t think there’s a clear favorite here, but I’m giving Ghana a bit of an edge as the last remaining African contender - it should make them somewhat of the hometown favorites.

Tomorrow- US Soccer's Moment of Truth

Tomorrow’s another big day for US Soccer fans, perhaps the biggest one so far. By mid-day Eastern time, we’ll know whether US fans will have any further opportunity to cheer on their team in the 2010 World Cup.

Thanks to a great second half comeback against Slovenia a few days ago - and some help from a lack-luster English team - the US team can fully control its own destiny tomorrow. All they have to do is secure a win against Algeria and they will clinch a berth in the round of 16. (Still confused about how teams earn their right to continue? Read more about World Cup tournament structure here.)

But can they do it?

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How Did They Get Here? World Cup Qualification and Tournament Structure

Now that we are into the second week of World Cup 2010, you’ll start to hear a lot of discussion about which teams are poised to move on to the elimination round. You might be wondering what the elimination round is, and it is decided who gets to participate in it. Here’s a quick primer on World Cup tournament structure so that you can follow along with all of the speculation.

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