Congrats, Winners!

1st Place =  $ 190 : SalsaKing (Ricardo A)    2nd Place =  $  95 : Thecomebacker (Edmund L) *-wins tiebreaker    3rd Place =  $  65 : Russo (Alex R)    4th Place =  $  40 : The Mighty Mobelfakta (David F)

Italy v Spain

14': ESP scores off a great pass by Fabregas!  ITA has not trailed so how will they respond? Can SalsaKing taste the title?
16': ITA Pirlo with a good FK opportunity (he's the only one to score a FK goal in the last 2 EUROs)
25': ESP's Pique gets first yellow... doesn't look like we'll get the ugly WC final when 13 cards were given
29': ITA's Cassano's shot nutmegs two defenders but not the GK
41': Jessica Alba, I mean Jordi Alba, gets a Beckham-esque pass through two defenders and puts it away for a 2-0 lead.  I guess a lot of goals are scored in the final as a team has scored  two goals 12 of 13 finals (11-0-1).  Is SalsaKing dancing?
12:35: Halftime!  All hope is not lost.  The SJ Earthquakes just came from 3-1 down to beat the LA Galaxy... of course, that's MLS and not elite international competition.  But there's hope.
61': Not good for ITA.  A sub is injured and no subs left.  Now playing with 10 men. ITA were lucky earlier in the half, though, to not get a handball in the box penalty which could've iced it for ESP.  ESPN just flashed ESP is 41-3-4 in their last 48 competitive matches -- of course, USA had one of those wins!
75': ESP's Fernando Torres is entering the match!  Gordo or Pando? Fabregas out.
81': Considering ESP hasn't given up a goal in 500 minutes in knockout rounds, ITA should be toast.
84': Torres puts the game in the refrigerator!  3-0.  SalsaKing should be counting his money now.  Torres is the 6th to have 3 goals but would win the Golden Boot with 1 assist and a better point to minute ratio.
88': Torres is unselfish and passes to Juan Mata who scores ESP's 4th goal!  
90': 3 painful minutes of stoppage time.
1:36: OVER!  Balotelli storms off the field, ESP celebrating (as is SalsaKing)!   ESP is the first team to win 3 straight major titles!  Dynasty and best team ever?  Who needs David Villa?

Love how they engrave the trophy on the spot (like they couldn't start in the 84' when Torres scored).  ITA at least gets into the FIFA Confederations Cup.

The Veteran Dancer vs. The Reality TV Veteran

It's kind of crazy that so many people still flock to the drive-in and even more shocking that they still exist.  Went with the family to see Madagascar 3 (didn't stick around for Rock of Ages) and people were still filing in at 10:45 at night which caused headaches getting out.  But a neat experience harkening the past.  Not too far in the past that I do remember using FM for the sound (vs the heavy speaker hooked to the window).

Well, our HWCI EURO pool has no past as this is the first one (of many).  We just need a soccer pool in 2013 (FIFA Confederations Cup is too short and only has 8 teams -- but convince me) and 2015 (with Women's World Cup expanding to 24 teams, a possibility).

Well, good luck to our two finalists for the inaugural title.  We won't name the trophy after you, because, uh, there is no trophy, but it will be an honor nonetheless.  Will it be Ricardo A's SalsaKing or Bernice P's Adivinanza?  The former works and runs the press box during Chivas USA matches and after games goes dancing while the latter once ran public relations for the San Diego Spirit of the defunct pro women's soccer league WUSA (not to be confused with the WPS, which finally folded this year) and turned adventurer and reality TV star.  The former also seems to win Sam N's (V2 Wedding Bells!!! and V2 Divorce Court!) LA Galaxy stat crew PANDO Pools while the latter will try to become our 3rd female champ of the last 4 soccer pools.  One of them will be $195 richer.  Good luck!

Issue # 7.3.1 "Azzurri vs La Furia Roja..."

Well, the end is near.  The penultimate issue!

Spain (3-0-2) Real Federación Española de Fútbol	vs.	Italy (2-0-3) Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio

LAST TWO WORLD CUP CHAMPS TO MEET
It'll be SalsaKing vs Adivinanza for the inaugural title
"All or nothing, huh? That's how I roll!" -- Advinanza
"Let's do this!! I won't be able to watch the game in peace now" -- SalsaKing

Balotelli Busts Germany

Finally, a goal scored in regulation, thanks to Mario Balotelli.  The last two matches were scoreless.  Finally, a goal scored in the run of play.  Last time was ESP's Xabi Alonso's goal in the 19' three matches ago.  Finally, a classic matchup, which thanks to Italy's two first-half goals, provided an entertaining second half which we have missed since Germany last played, four matches ago.  But it was Balotelli all over the pitch and his two first-half goals barely stood up as Germany peppered the goal area with many missed chances and some great saves by ITA's Gianluigi Buffon.  It was his opponent's counterpart, Manual Neuer, which provided a great show acting as the 12th attacker in the last five minutes, kicking and heading balls away while leaving his net empty.  Germany did pull one back in one of the frantic moments as ITA was called for a hand ball and Mesut Ozil, boy we haven't heard that name as much as we thought, put away the PK in the 90'+2 leaving a couple of minutes for a tying goal.  But it never came and Italy stunned Germany, 2-1, ending the German's record 15-match competitive win streak and remain unbeaten against them in tournament matches (4-0-4).

So now we get a rematch

Ronaldo Doesn't Miss PK- That's Bad

As the stakes get raised, the matches turn defensive and this was reminiscent of the World Cup 2010 final where Spain and Holland should've been a great match turned chippy with 13 yellow cards.  This was was just as chippy, with brief moments of flair, and 9 yellow cards and ended 0-0.  How bad?  Spain had just 2 shots on goal after 90 minutes.  Portugal none (like CZE in the quarters).  Spain did turn it up in the last 20 minutes of overtime and as things opened up and POR tired, Spain got 3 more shots on goal while Portugal managed two.  In the PSO, once again, the team who misses the first PK wins.  A great save on ESP's Xabi Alonso's attempt gave POR the advantage but ESP GK Iker Casillas came up big.  In fact, both GKs guessed correctly on five straight kicks (though the last three snuck by for goals).  It was a crossbar that doomed POR and Cesc Fábregas won it for ESP, 4-2, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the sidelines having not taken a kick (he would've been next).  It was a risky tactic that failed as taking it 1st (give team momentum and confidence) or 4th (almost always taken and likely a decider) seems like the sweet spot and as we saw here, you may not get to 5th.  Of course this didn't work for the LA Galaxy in the 2009 MLS Cup when goal scorers Landon Donovan (5th) and Edson Buddle (6th) both missed their kicks.  But I digress.  ESP will have a chance to be the first team to win 3 straight major titles.

Three were eliminated

Foster's Futbol Brew # 5: Tournament All-Stars

June 27, 2012

Foster’s Football Brew:  Tournament All-Stars

I got the idea for this short segment after watching Alexi Lalas and Michael Ballack select their tournament Top 11.  I have to disagree with many of Lalas’ picks, and a couple of Ballack’s.  I decided to wait until the quarter finals were over to give top players a chance to shine.  Here’s my take:

Goalie:  Joe Hart had an historically atypical tournament for English goalkeepers…he didn’t F&@# up!!!  He went into the quarters

Back in Action, Both on the Field and in the Pool

Currently overseeing the stat team work the Charlotte Eagles - Chivas USA match here at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, CA.  Not much to report in this U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal.  But there will be lots to report tomorrow when the EURO 2012 resumes with Portugal-Spain.  In talking with Ilmigliore (Warner L), Blue Panther (Eduard C), and SalsaKing (Ricardo A), no one seems to give Portugal (or Italy for that matter) a chance.  But that's why they play the game.  Hopefully, it won't be snoozers like the France-Spain or England-Italy matches.  But watching with interest regardless will be Charles D (Sisyphus) and Ricardo A (SalsaKing) as one will be eliminated from winning the pool after the match.  Good luck!

Issue # 6.2.1 "Best Four Teams In..."

It'll be nice to have a 2-day break.  Of course, why Portugal and Spain each get an extra two days rest seems illogical for UEFA.  We'll see how it plays out.  Very nice that 13 are still alive and 4 each have an equal chance of winning the pool.


EACH QUARTERFINAL FEATURED ONE DOMINANT TEAM
Flying Elvi leads by a point, but four can win title

Final Four Teams, 8 Final Scenarios

Well, I was wondering if we'd have an interesting final week in the pool since everyone seemed to pick ESP or GER but with POR and ITA in the mix, no one is guaranteed money.  In fact, no one will win the pool until the winner of the Final is determined.  There aren't as many "tied" scenarios as I hoped but there are a few.  Remember, for the tiebreaker, it's only goals scored in regulation or overtime (the "official" score) and does not include penalty kick shootout (PSO) goals.  So today's match would be "0" goals as the official score is 0-0 (not 6 with PSOs).  

So there are four people who will win the first HWCI EURO Pool.  All will have to root for their team depending if Portugal (Charles D's Sisyphus), Germany (Brian S's Flying Elvi), Spain (Ricardo A's SalsaKing), or Italy (Bernice P's Adivinanza) wins the 2012 EURO.  Below are the final 8 scenarios and how the 13 entries can win money:

Italy Means Four Best Teams in Semis

England, like against France, played a defensive game but had its counter attack chances.  Luckily for England, Italy started Mario Balotelli, who reverted back to his bumbling ways of his first match, keeping the English in the match.  So we had our 11th scoreless first half, our 1st scoreless regulation match, and it was still scoreless heading into the Penalty Kick Shootout.  But Balotelli redeemed himself, making ITA's first shot and ITA beat probably the only other major team who is worse in the PSO than they are, 4-2.

The standings tightened up as Flying Elvi was one of 5 to pick ENG incorrectly (11 correctly got ITA), but still leads by a point over Walleye, who is trying to get into the money despite losing his champ NED (he can't finish higher than 3rd).  13 got 3 of 4 Semifinalists.  Three more (Tuan, FC Spermicidals, and Kona Coast Sliders) were eliminated leaving 13 vying for the four money spots.  There are now just 4 who can win the first ever HWCI Euro Pool

The Champs Roll On

I haven't really seen the Spain-France match yet, caught some sniplets, and then the ending as a French player rolled over a Spainish player in the box for only the tourney's 3rd PK (and 2nd made) to punctuate a 2-0 victory.  Not sure if France were just outplayed, unlucky, or just being French.

More later, but as for the pool, no change at the top with Tuan, who lost his champ France, can't win 1st.  SiemkoStrimkoPlinko!, RunnerLuis, and Wampa are now eliminated.

Like Economy, Germany Bests Greece

No one really gave Greece a chance and when Germany dominated the first half and scored before halftime, it looked like lights out.  But a Greece counter tied the match and the hope was to get through regulation.  But Germany is Germany and in quick succession, scored three straight.  Only a late PK, just the 2nd awarded in the tourney, made the final score a somewhat respectable 4-2.  No magical Greece run like in 2004 this time.  We even got the classic Miroslav Klose header (circa 2006) as Mario Gomez, with three goals, sat on the bench.  Greece tried to replicate the success in their first match where they resisted an onslaught by Poland only to tie it in the second half. It did work again, it's just that 35 minutes is much too much time for Germany to strike back.

Since 37 of 39 picked GER in the pool not much changed except that Bix Pix fell from 21st to 33rd (48 pts) and Blue Panther regained the last spot once gain (41).  Flying Elvi still holds a 7-point lead and a 93.8% chance to win money.

With Ronaldo, Czech-Mate!

Don't awake the sleeping giant, but Cristiano Ronaldo is playing like a superstar and his third goal of the tourney, a 79' header where he just ran around a listless defender, sends a revived Portugal team into the Semis with a dominant 1-0 win over the Czech Republic.  If not for the woodwork, Ronaldo could have a half-dozen goals this tournament.  Portugal outshot CZE 20 to 2... 2!  And none of the two were on goal.

Only three picked POR to advance to the Semis with Flying Elvi jumping to a 7-point lead atop the standings, Sisyphus moving from 27th-Tied to 12th-Tied, and Blue Panther moving out of last place to 34th.  Although all 19 entries remain alive after today, three now have no chance for 1st, reducing the pool of pool winners to just six.  Walleye (3rd, 57), Absolutely Clueless (4th-T, 56), and BigRedMessi2 (4th-T, 56) can only win 2nd now.  As for possibilities, Flying Elvi has a 32.8% chance to win the pool and a whopping 93.8% chance to win money.

Prize Money Distribution

Wow, the time is finally here.  The official prize breakdown.  We had an amazing 39 entries submitted which means that there is $390 to break up.  As with our other pools (without a Bonus) 1st is around 45-50% with 2nd about half of that.  The other places are just to make the numbers add up.  Since we didn't reach 50 entries, there is no Bonus Prize so the 20 of you who are eliminated have no hope at money.  So here it is:

   1st Place =  $ 190
   2nd Place =  $  95
   3rd Place =  $  65
   4th Place =  $  40

Good luck!

Foster's Futbol Brew # 4: The Fourth Froth

June 20, 2012

Foster's Futbol Brew: The Fourth Froth

Is anyone getting tired of hearing the same White Stripes song (7 Nation Army, I think) over and over and over again when a goal is scored? Wouldn’t it be cool if each team had a pre-selected (and different) song to play when they netted one? Perhaps we could hear “The Winner Takes it All” when the Swedes score (ode to ABBA)! England would have it best with “We Are the Champions!” Funny enough, the Miami Heat started using the same song as they took a big lead late in Game 4 against the Thunder in the NBA Finals! And the crowd actually started the “woooaaah…woah woah woah woah woooaaah, woooaaah.” Woah is me!

Back to the best sport on Earth. (For those of you not keeping track,

Issue # 5.1.3 "Familiar EURO Field..."

Wow, what a tourney thus far.  In the end, don't the 8 teams look like they should be there in the EURO knockout stage (except for Czech Republic)?  But now, who is still alive in the pool? 


FRANTIC FINISHES AS KNOCKOUT STAGE SETTuan and The Flying Elvi on top as 20 are still alive

SiemkoStrimkoPlinko! Not Yet Stinko!

Thanks to the crazy France pick to win it all, my second entry is still alive, though after watching the French play, not for long.  Here are my 16 possible winning outcomes (note that "2" could mean tied for 2nd):

SiemkoStrimkoPlinko!
1st	2nd	Semi	Semi	Place (Could be Tied)
FRA	GER	CZE	ENG	2
FRA	ENG	CZE	GER	2
FRA	GER	CZE	ITA	2
FRA	ITA	CZE	GER	2
FRA	GRE	CZE	ENG	2
FRA	ENG	CZE	GRE	2
FRA	GRE	CZE	ITA	2
FRA	ITA	CZE	GRE	2
FRA	GER	POR	ENG	2
FRA	ENG	POR	GER	2
FRA	GER	POR	ITA	2
FRA	ITA	POR	GER	2
FRA	GRE	POR	ENG	2
FRA	ENG	POR	GRE	2
FRA	GRE	POR	ITA	2
FRA	ITA	POR	GRE	2

If you would like to see your possible winning outcomes (so you know who to root for), you can either post a comment to any of the blog posts (including this one), post your request on Twitter to @HWCI_Pools or  #hwcieuro, or post at our Facebook page.

The English Helping the French

You know when you go to a meeting that you think might be 15 minutes and 2 hours later everyone is still discussing the same topic?  Yup, that's been me.  Rough couple of weeks at work as we have too much work (nice problem, I guess, in this economy). 

Anyway, it's always nice when one soccer powerhouse helps another.  The French could not get anything started as the then winless Swedes shut out France, 2-0, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic half-volleying a rocket into the net for the first goal. But luckily, FRA back-doored their way into the Last 8 when England took care of business squeaking by Ukraine, 1-0, thanks to a header by the returning Wayne Rooney.  FRA's 23-match unbeaten streak got snapped but it didn't matter as the French lazily advanced (they could've lost 10-0-- they would only be out if UKR scored twice and won).  The penalty of course is that they have to face Spain instead of Italy.  35 picked ENG (no one had thought UKR would win) while 8 picked SWE.  Eight went 2-0 while 4 went 0-2.  Twenty (20) correctly picked both ENG and FRA in the Quarterfinals while no one missed both.

For all the group matches,

It All Changes Now - Who is Eliminated?

You'll see a couple of changes of interest to you.  The Standings page now includes two additional columns.  "Pl" is the highest placement you can reach with the remaining 128 possible outcomes.  If it says "E", well, that means your entry has been eliminated.  Sorry.  My primary entry Futbol Fabone Five is one of 20 to get an early retirement.  Since we have 4 money spots, the number 1-4 corresponds to the highest possible placement (you could lose a tiebreaker) where "1" means you are one of the 9 entries with a chance to win the pool.  My second entry (SiemkoStrimkoPlinko!), barely surviving thanks to France back-dooring into the Quarters, has a "2" which means I could still finish in 2nd place though it might mean I need GRE and FRA meeting in the final.  If you want to know which possible outcomes would win you money, please post a comment at the bottom of this post or request it via Facebook or Twitter.

The other new thing is a new menu tab on top called "Possibilities".  This shows what percentage you could win 1st or win money.  Right now, The Flying Elvi is flying high as he has a 26.6% to win 1st and a 71.9% to win money.  But that could change in a few days!

Champions Go Through

Another day, another frenzied ending that potentially could've seen favorite Spain go home.  While Croatia and Ireland played their hearts out, it will be the familiar faces of the '08 EURO and '10 World Cup champs Spain and '06 World Cup champ Italy progressing to the knockout stage.

Spain and Croatia started off in the driver's seat (and if they wanted to be a part of Italy's match-fixing scandal, they could've agreed to a 2-2 tie and both would be in regardless how Italy did) but Italy got an early goal which put Croatia on their heels the whole game against Spain.  Spain weathered the storm and seemingly made one too many passes on several good opportunities.  And Spain should've been worried because a Croatia goal would've knocked them out of the tournament but an 88' minute tap in gave the defending champs the top spot of Group C.  Italy sealed the win

Group of Death to Double D (Dutch & Denmark)

Wow, what a Group of Death.  Every goal scored changed the possibilities (DEN v GER, POR v NED):

Start: GER & POR - let's keep it scoreless
NED goal 11': GER & DEN - the Danes are in!
GER goal 19': GER & POR - no, Portugal are in!
DEN goal 24': GER & DEN - no, I said the Danes
POR goal 28': GER & POR - no, I mean Portugal
POR goal '74: GER & POR - OK, Portugal, but GER in jeopardy of being eliminated if DEN scores next
GER goal 80': GER & POR - Insurance goal!  Now  both clearly through (NED would need 4 goals, DEN 2 in final 10 minutes)

In the end, both teams won by 2-1 scores as GER picked up the max 9 points while POR were a dominant runner-up playing well in all three matches.  Like ESP's Fernando Torres, POR's Cristiano Ronaldo responded after a lackluster match and exploded with a pair of goals.

In the pool,

Placement Doesn't Matter (For Now)

So what if you had GRE as the Group A winner and CZE as the Group A runner-up?  You get the same 10 points (5 per) as if you correctly had it CZE and GRE.  Sounds great, right?  The problem arises is that you have the teams in reverse order in your bracket.  Now, if you have both CZE and GRE losing in the quarterfinals, then this does not matter.  However, let's say you picked a championship final matchup of GRE and ESP (you picked correctly as runners-up of Group C-- I hope I didn't jinx Spain), the last 2 EURO champions.  Because you misplaced GRE, you can't get both in the final since now they would meet in the semifinals (if both win their quarterfinal matches).  So the good news is you are guaranteed to get 1 team in the Final you picked; the bad news is you can't get both.  So that's your potential penalty.

You're Unpredictable

Almost forgot how crazy having simultaneous matches is. Having to watch the replays was even trickier. Going about fifteen minutes at a time switching between games hoping you don't hear the score of the other match.  In a group where all four teams could not only qualify for the quarterfinals, but also win the group, the possibilities were numerous.  But who would've thought that both Greece AND Czech Republic would make it the Last 8.  In their first matches, GRE had to play down a man and a goal, missed the tourney's only PK attempt, and rallied to tie while CZE were routed by RUS 4-1.  How things change.

GRE were outshot

Issue # 4.1.2 "14 Teams Still Alive..."

Amazing that no team has qualified yet.. should make for an exciting four days!  And can Walleye build a big enough cushion if his champ NED fail to advance?


NO TEAM IS IN; JUST TWO ARE OUT
Walleye leads by 4 but Absolutely Clueless on a 6-game win streak 

England and France are Back

When I caught the game on Watch ESPN on my Verizon Galaxy Nexus phone, I was upset ESPN had prominently showed the UKR-FRA score at the bottom, then I realized the game was just in the 20' instead of somewhere in the second half.  So, lightning, eh?  Maybe it was the fact that this was the first match on ESPN2 instead of ESPN :-)  My DVR definitely had problems as it didn't record the first hour.  Anyway, a couple of goals three minutes apart silenced the home crowd as France beat Ukraine 2-0.  29 picked France as Walleye took a 2-win lead (4 pts). Sisyphus and Absolutely Clueless picked up their 5th win in a row.  After losing 7 in a row, V2 Wedding Bells!!! has now won 4 in a row.  Mikeonthemike lost for the 4th straight game.

England and Sweden played a wild match in which Sweden were looking to become the 2nd team to rally and win scoring twice (well, England helped with an own goal) to go up 2-1 but England rallied right back, a much different style of play from when they played France, to pull out a 3-2 victory.  24 picked ENG and Walleye maintained his 4-point lead (24) while Absolutely Clueless picked up his 6th win in a row to move into a tie for 4th. Mikeonthemike snapped his 4-game losing streak.

Gordo Scores! Twice!

Croatia was on their heels as Italy had opportunity after opportunity but after they finally put one away, they sort of tried to protect that lead and we know what usually happens when you do that, especially as early as they did it, Croatia took advantage of one defensive lapse and tied it up.  The tie meant 13 got it correct and Walleye moved back all alone in 1st. Kona Coast Sliders' 4-match winning streak was stopped.

Spain started Gordo, er Fernando Torres, and in the 4' he scored (the first of 2 on the day), ironically, off a Gordo play as the IRL player whiffed on an attempted clear and Torres took it and quickly scored.  IRL GK was peppered all day long as the Irish are the first team to be eliminated.  Spain woke up today with the 4-0 rout.  In the most lopsided pick, 36 of 39 picked ESP leaving Walleye on top with 20 pts.  12 went 2-0 while Mikeonthemike and V2 Divorce Court (now on a 5-game losing streak to remain in last) were the only ones to go 0-2.  Mikenjo was the only to pick IRL but he had the CRO-ITA tie correct.  Sisyphus and Absolutely Clueless are on 4-game win streaks.  Four had picked IRL to at least make the Quarters and will lose points there.

Of the second-tier teams, Poland, Denmark, and Croatia have impressed me.  It's amazing no one has punched through to the Quarters yet (and just one of 12 with no chance).  Tomorrow we'll see if France are for real, if England can play beautiful soccer, if the usually high-scoring Sweden can strut its stuff, and if the co-host Ukraine can punch a ticket through.

Foster's Futbol Brew # 3: Trouble’s a Brewin

June 13, 2012

Foster's Futbol Brew:  Trouble’s a Brewin (Third Edition)

Well, the first half of Group play has concluded, and as usual, there were plenty of surprises.

Let’s start with Holland losing to the Great Danes.  Well, as I predicted, Arjen Robben would be the guy to hold back the Dutch…but I didn’t expect a loss.  I can count at least half a dozen shots taken by Robben, only one of which was a worthwhile strike, which hit the post.  All other attempts sailed over the cross bar or were an easy save for the Danish keeper.  If Robben

Death to No One

In the Group of Death, we saw our first two-goal comeback, our first 5-goal match, or latest goal thus far (87'), and an incredible miss by the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo.  Denmark may have bunkered down vs Holland in the last game after getting the early goal but today they were down two goals early and had to fight their way back, and they did, tying it on 2 goals by Nicklas Bendtner.  But Portugal, in danger of being eliminated pending the Germany-Holland match, got the thrilling game-winner.  27 entries picked POR which still left Walleye in first.  Kona Coast Sliders and Agenterob picked up their fourth straight win while V2 Wedding Bells!!! aren't ringing, losing his last 7 matches to take sole possession of last.

The Dutch wanted to erase the taste of their last game and came out strong with several good chances.  Despite scoring in the first match, it was still should Germany start Mario Gomez or Miraslav Klose, so Gomez responded by scoring twice in the first half.  Holland tried to come back with one goal but remain winless.  The good news is that they are still alive although they are the only team (of the 8 who have played their 2nd matches thus far) who don't control their destiny.  The bad news is that no team who lost their first two group matches (EURO) went on to the next stage.  Germany with 6 points still has a chance to lose a 3-way tiebreaker.  This was the match that had the most number of entries pick a tie (19) but in the end, the 13 who had Germany picked up the critical 2 points.  Kona Coast Sliders won his 5th straight match to tie Walleye (but has NED as their champ; maybe, maybe) with 16 points.  Popozao and The Mighty Mobelfakta are tied for 3rd with 14 points.  V2 Wedding Bells!!! snapped a 7-match losing streak to enter a 5-way tie for last.

Most of the goals thus far  in this tournament have come off incredible headers off corner or free kicks or crosses.  All 16 teams have now scored with POR and NED getting on the scoresheet.  As teams qualify to the Last 8, points will be awarded (usually, I wait until after all the group matches are played before awarding everyone their bracket points).  But no team has (yet).  Tomorrow, in the Gordo Group, Croatia could become the first team with a win while Ireland could become the first team eliminated with a loss.

Greek Tragedy

Finally, the baby is sleeping after several hours.  But then she got hungry again.  This has been a long night after another long day at work.

Greece GK Kostas Chalkias allowed two goals in the first six minutes and then had to leave in the 22' due to injury.  And after that, Czech Republic didn't score another goal.  Had he only left in the 2' instead.  So, CZE avoided being eliminated with the win although GK Petr Cech (who was incredible for Chelsea in the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League) had another shaky outing with a poor clear for GRE's only goal. Just 10 got this result correct in one of the more conflicted matches (16 GRE, 13 TIE).

A Russian march in Poland (doesn't sound wise on paper) on Russia's Indpendence Day was going fine until they met some Polish fans.  Despite the violence and 123 arrests, RUS and POL met for real on the pitch with RUS a chance to be the first team to clinch a spot in the quarters.  POL once again came out strong and once again failed to put away chances allowing RUS to strike first.  A golazo by Jakub Blaszczykowski evened it up ending in a 1-1 tie.  Just 13 picked the tie with Popozao, JP, Kona Coast Sliders, and Agenterob (the latter two on 3-game win streaks) going 2-0 today while 26 went 0-2.  But Walleye once again is alone in first with 14 points.  VZ Wedding Bells!!! is on a 6-game losing streak and is in a 4-way tie for last.

Both GRE and POL had goals disallowed by very close offisde calls.  This has been a great group to watch as all four teams have scored at least once in each of their matches, 12 goals total (3.0 per match).  All four teams are alive and all control their destiny... a win by any team will get them through to the Quarterfinals, even GRE (who'd advance if there were a 3-way tie at 4 pts each).

The Group of Death resumes in a few hours with DEN-POR and then with another big superpower matchup, NED-GER.

Issue # 3.1.1 "Superpowers Tie Allowing Little Guys to Rise..."

So how did the first four days play out?  Who's in the lead?  How many of the 39 entries were submitted by women?  Just one, despite the fact 2 of the last 3 pool champs were women.  So go Adivinanza!  Here's my latest update...

http://www.hwci.com/euro/2012/e2012_03.htm
---
DENMARK, CROATIA, UKRAINE ON TOP OF THEIR GROUPS?An astonishing 39 entries received in our first EURO Pool

The Gordo Group

In a chippy match, Italy struck first with a great chip but then a beautiful pass and a beautiful finish brought Spain even.   Both goals were great one-touch finsihes.  Then it was watching Gordo, I mean, Fernando Torres's follies as he had several great opportunities and did nothing with them.  Italy had their own Gordo, as Mario Balotelli never let up after the ref warned him, according to him four times (he counted to five) and gave him a yellow card on careless persistent fouling and then had a breakaway and just did nothing as the defender caught up to him to poke the ball away.  Both GKs had a bunch of excellent saves (9 saves combined) in what was a truly first class match between the last two World Cup champions.  What was interesting, that despite Italy's heritage, no one picked Italy (the only other two matches where a team wasn't picked was yesterday's Portugal vs Germany and Ukraine vs England).  But eight correctly picked the tie which put Sisyphus13 and Walleye in first.

In the second match, there was no luck of the Irish.  Ireland had a great pass... to Croatia for the eventual game-winner and then a ball went off the right post and off IRL's GK's head into the net for the final score as Croatia won 3-1 to lead Group C.  So it looks like captain Robbie Keane will be coming back to the struggling LA Galaxy earlier than expected.  27 picked CRO which means that Walleye (1 of 5 to go 2-0 today) is in sole possession in first with 10 points.  Also, Mikeonthemike is now in sole possession of last place (0-for-6 thus far) as Blue Panther finally got on the board with CRO's win.  And boy, I hope the French come through as my second entry SiemkoStrimkoPlinko! is 1 of 6 with just one win thus far.

And what is with security?  Yet another firework was thrown into the field after CRO's second goal.

In other news outside UEFA...

Congrats to the USA and Mexico for taking control of their preliminary groups to start the World Cup 2014 qualifying.  And in that infamous Oceania Football Confederation, their OFC Nations Cup featured a final featuring not New Zealand, but Tahiti Nui and New Caledonia.  And who will we see in the superstar 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup featuring Brazil, Spain, Mexico, and the likes?  Tahiti Nui! And after hearing Argentina beat Brazil 4-3 with Lionel Messi getting a hat trick, it reminded me of David F. (The Mighty Mobelfakta) suggesting why doesn't UEFA invite Brazil and Argentina (maybe Mexico) as guests and call THAT the superstar World Cup.  Oh, and the LA Galaxy did not lose for the second straight weekend. 

Group of Death it is

Denmark has made its mark that there are FOUR great teams in the group. Germany finally broke through with a 1-0 victory as well.   SalsaKing was the only to pick Denmark while 31 picked Germany. The same six still top the leaderboard. 32 got one correct today. Was late to Gymboree as Portugal was threatening late.

The leaders thus far:

Rnk	NAME	Correct->	RND1
1	BigRedMessi1		3
	BigRedMessi2		3
	Jay		3
	Sisyphus13		3
	Walleye		3
	XaviOzil		3

Polling & Distribution

Our poll has closed and 13 put in a vote as to who will win EURO 2012 and Germany led the way with 6 with Spain and Holland tied for second with 3 each.  And no one picked England?  So, now, what would be a good poll question to put up?  I'm taking suggestions.

The site has been updated with more information as we now have the current standings up (click on "Standings" above).  The goal is to update it soon after the last match is played, but with work and two demanding kids, it probably won't be updated until late at night.  I've tailored it from our HWCI World Cup files, so it's still a work in progress.

Next, if you want to see how many entries picked Germany (14) as their champion, then click on the "Distribution" menu item above.  It'll list all 16 teams and you'll find some gems like every team was picked at least two times to make the Quarterfinals but four teams were predicted to not reach the Semis.  Denmark, in the Group of Death is the odd man out as only two entries picked them into the Quarterfinals over Germany, Holland, and Portugal.  Six teams are picked to win it all while only eight teams had someone pick them through to the final.  Someone picked Ukraine into the Semis.

In the menu of that file, you can also see how everyone picked each Round Robin match and bracket.   You can visually scan the table to find which entry picked Ukraine into the Semis or which two entries picked Denmark to advance to the Quarters.

And now, the "Your Picks" menu item above now is complete and sorted by name and by nickname so you can find your friends and family members easier.  You can also make fun of people's nicknames or praise them on our Facebook group or any item on this blog.  Since there are links to your individual brackets, this may be referred to as the Brackets page as well.

Wild First Day - Six tied for 1st

What a topsy-turvy first match.  Seemed like co-host Poland was going to blow out Greece, especially when the refs generously sent a Greek off with two soft yellows, giving 18 entries a first taste of victory to start the pool.  Then Greece tied it with super sub Dimitris Salpigidis equalized early in the second half putting 10 entries closer to the win column.  Then the Polish GK took down Salpigidis for a PK and 11 who picked Greece were getting ready to celebrate their two points.  But the backup GK saved it and in the end, 10 entries got it correct -- a tie.  The first tie of our soccer pools where you could earn points and it happened in the very first game.  So instead of 18 entries losing a chance for points in a wash (no points for anyone), 10 picked up two points.  Of course, I was one of those 18 who are now 2 points behind instead of tied with everyone.  How bizzare must it be for the Polish fans to hear a goal celebration song when Greece scored in their own stadium.

In the nightcap (in Poland at least), Russia showed they are the team to beat in Group A by thumping the Czech Republic 4-1.  Roman Pavlyuchenko's one-man effort (for the 4th goal) was so great it reminded me of someone like Kobe Bryant taking on the entire opposing team and still scoring.  So 27 of the 39 entries picked Russia and in the end, six are on top of the standings with 4 points while eight entries are still pointless.  You can now find the daily standings in the menu above (usually by the next morning, but hopefully always earlier).  We are unofficially at 39 entries which is more than the 20-25 I expected.  We should be official by Monday evening when I check the PO Box for any more mailed entries (we had 2).