Predictions for June 26

Uruguay vs. Korea, 10 a.m. ET

Today’s games feature the end of the draw that’s wide open. Having bumped aside England and France, one of Uruguay, Korea, the U.S. and Ghana is going to make the semi-finals here. Uruguay may be the tournament’s most surprising side, having yet to concede a goal. Despite their drubbing by Argentina, the Koreans have shown their scrappiness. Expect the Asians to come forward hard, while the Uruguayans trust to counterattack. An early goal could make this a classic.
Prediction: Uruguay 3, Korea 2

USA vs. Ghana, 2:30 p.m. ET

Africa’s only representative in the knockout rounds has a terrible burden of expectation on them. Despite missing Michael Essien, the Ghanaians have been taking it to opponents. And they’ve been getting better. Like Korea, the U.S. have took a tough group despite a pair of terrible officiating calls, either one of which would have given them victory. Ghana have more skill across the park, but the U.S. appear to have fate on their side.
Prediction: USA 1, Ghana 1 (USA wins on penalty kicks)

Do you have a little something for me?

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S ... hey, where is everyone?

Every game thus far has been a madhouse (at least in the media centre) many hours before kickoff. Morris and I just pulled in to Ellis Park for USA-Slovenia in five hours and it looks like the Blue Jays pressbox in August (heeeey-O!).

Police now completely in charge of security at these venues, and they may be reading their bad press. For the first time in ten days, my credential was checked against my face. Must be said though - the staff here continue to be the most charming I've ever encountered, unbelievably friendly.

The cop at the metal detector asked where we were from.

"Canada," I said.

"Oh, Canada," he smiled. "I'd love to get just one thing to remember Canada."

Everywhere else, this means a pin or a small keepsake. But Morrris and I have become deeply (and probably uselessly) paranoid over the last few days here, so we gave each other that, "Is he asking us for a bribe?" look.

A couple of days ago, we asked our local driver, Fana, how bribing the cops works here. Fana was busy discussing how traffic tickets work, and we wondered, "Can you just pay to get out of a ticket?"

"Of course, you can!" Fana said, happy that we weren't quite as stupid as we look.

So how does that work?

"They will ask you, but not ask you," Fana said. "They will say to you - well, in my language it means, 'Talk to me like a man'."

Talk to me like a man. Is that the same as, 'I'd love to get something to remember you by.' 

No, it's not.

And sadly, we had nothing. The cop just smiled and wished us a pleasant day.

We get in the centre, and there's some flirty guy giving out small Honduras coin pouches. I'm sitting here seething with jealousy.

"Oooooh, Honduras," all the volunteers coo as he hands out his wretched little pouches.

First, they take our CONCACAF spot here. And now this.

C.K.

Predictions: Day 8

GROUP D

Germany (1-0-0 W-D-L) vs. Serbia (0-0-1)

At Port Elizabeth, 7:30 a.m.
TV: CBC, TLN (Spanish)
Weather: 15C, sunny
The Game: Regular readers will know we don’t get many of these right, but let’s toot our own vuvu when we do — we warned you about Germany. Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and the rest of the Mannschaft’s kids warned the whole tournament. But that was Oz and this is now. Serbs’ long-ball game was poor in their loss to Ghana on a late penalty that earned Aleksander Lukovic a suspension for this. They need to show better discipline here. Positive for them: They didn’t give up more than one goal in all 12 of their qualifiers, including seven clean sheets.

Prediction: Germany 1, Serbia 0

GROUP C

Slovenia (1-0-0) vs. United States (0-1-0)
At Johannesburg, 10 a.m.
TV: CBC, TLN (Spanish)
Weather: 11C, sunny
The Game: Slovenia (pop. 2 million) can book a ticket in the second round with a win here, but they’ll likely play it as cagey as they did in beating Algeria in their opener. U.S. (pop. 307 million) really needs more than a draw, and will have to be patient against Slovenia’s tight defence.

Prediction: Slovenia 0, United States 1

GROUP C

England (0-1-0) vs. Algeria (0-0-1)
At Cape Town, 2:30 p.m.
TV: CBC, TLN (Spanish)
Weather: 13C, partly cloudy
The Game: England heavy favourites here, despite their problems dealing with the U.S.’s speed in their opener. They’ve got the obvious edge in class and Gareth Barry’s return should free up Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard going forward, but there’s a great deal of pressure for a win. Algeria has goalkeeper worries with Fawzi Chaouchi on the limp.
Prediction: England 2, Algeria 0
Chris Young

This way please. Mind the razor wire.

Maybe you've heard that organizationally, things here are a little bit loosey-goosey.

For instance, on our way into the opener in Soccer City, security staff were passing everyone through a metal detector, but pushing our bags across a plain table sitting alongside, unchecked. Reassuring.

I'm not trying to pick on anyone - and I've gotten enough email over the years to understand that no one wants to hear a guy with an all-expenses paid pass to the greatest thing going moan about his lot in life - but let me offer this up as a (hopefully) amusing anecdote.

Last night, we had a plan to get out of Rustenberg. It's a small town, and getting in and out was a mess. The Globe's Stephen Brunt took five hours to get in. Later, La Presse's Jean-Francois Begin took five hours to get out. We - myself, Morris Dalla Costa of the Sun papers and George Johnson of the Canwest chain - were hoping to avoid that nonsense.

Our amazing hosts here, Gareth and Megan, arranged for a driver. Our guy - a remarkable gentleman named Fana - picked us up in Jo'burg and got us in on the backroads, skipping all the traffic.

Our post-game plan was to flee immediately at the final whistle and write in the car. But the media exit was blocked by a surly little guy (the first surly anything I've met here) so we were forced to go out with the well-lubricated herd.

After being denied entry to where we were allowed to go, we were permitted to waltz into the FIFA dignitary zone, where we were most certainly not allowed to go. It was unlit, and we promptly got lost in a maze of temporary tenting and fencing.

We emerged into a parking lot, where a dancing young woman ran up to us wearing a steward's outfit.

"Do you want the road or the path?" she asked.

"The road."

"Then you have to take the path."

Okay, where's the path?

"There," she pointed, to what looked in the murky distance like a driveway. By this point, a British journo had joined us. He started rushing up the driveway.

"No, no, no," she called out. "The path."

We realized she was pointing to a small crack between a brick wall and an imposing looking fence. The space was about three-feet wide and overgrown with weeds. The fence was interlaced from top-to-bottom with razor wire. It was black as pitch in there.

"Oh, love, you have got to be f------ kidding me!" the British guy groaned.

But she seemed so sweet and sure of herself that we wandered in. The British guy was muttering about who was waiting on the other side for us. 

The tunnel - because that's what it was - snaked around for a while. Bounded by the wall and the razor wire, it looked like something off the set of Schindler's List.

Finally, as we edged with our backs against the wall, we spotted the proverbial light. I began to jog toward it.

And then a cry from behind - "We've got a problem here," the British guy yelled out.

Turns out that poor Morris has gotten a stray piece of razor wire - because why would you pick up after yourself? - looped around his leg. He said at first, in the dark, he thought he'd snagged himself on a burr. When he reached down - tentatively, thank God - he realized his mistake. 

Morris being the manliest member of the Canadian press corps, he simply took hold of the lethal stuff, unwound it and limped forward.

"My God, are you okay?" I said, horrified. "Are you cut?"

"No problem," Morris said. "I'll check it later."

He did. He also chewed up a steel girder and spit out bullets.

So now Morris is limping, but he's still got George and I moving at a brisk trot. An uncomfortable moment however you frame it, but a funny story since no one was really hurt.

A couple of minutes later, I caught sight of a guy in a full, period George Washington costume swaying at the roadside, relieving himself into the bushes while hundreds strolled by him. I interrupted his not-quite private moment to take a pic with my phone (see above) The wig was an especially nice touch. Gotta love this thing.

C.K.

Rustic Rustenberg - England vs. U.S.A.

RUSTENBERG - I'm standing here in the shadow of Royal Bafokeng Stadium, awaiting today's showdown between ...

Well, that's all I got. And I copied from a radio guy who was practising his introduction outside the bathroom. But then he wandered away, so I'm left with nothing.

The stadium is impressive - rising out of the lonely veld (don't steal that, American radio guy, I'll be listening). Got a chance to take a look at the countryside for the first time today on our three hour drive out west. 

Wisely, we hired a local driver. Otherwise, the car would've been swallowed by one of the truly horriffic potholes. Or we could have hit one of the many pedestrians walking - walking, not running, not jogging - across the highways between cars. Or ended up sideswiping the careening mini pick-up that had a pair of matresses strapped to the cab - with two guys lying on top and hanging on for dear life. This is not a driver's paradise.

To get to the stadium, you have drive through the centre of Rustenberg proper. Very few English and/or American fans on hand, it would seem. And those who are here seem unusually subdued. Too many scary stories heard, one imagines. 

Security - which has been a smiling shambles - the usual. Four chattering young women rummaging through your bag to little effect, and then passing you through. At the opener, they were putting people through metal detectors and passing bags around the metal detectors. Curious.

The whole atmosphere is jarring after yesterday's euphoric opener - a little bit downbeat.

Sun going down as I write. Temperature dropping quickly as well. South Africa generally confounds the seasonal dresser - absolutely frigid in the mornings and evenings, and very hot during the day.

For now, enjoying watching Leo Messi run wild against Nigeria - though without a final product to show for it yet. Who's doubting Argentina now?

C.K.

Update @ 6:45 p.m. local time: The Globe's Steve Brunt just arrived at the press centre after a five-hour road odyssey from Jo'burg. He got taken in through the main toll road - and the toll booths were completely swamped. A 10 km back-up on the highway. Thank God for our man beyond the wheel, Fana.

"And not a cop in sight," Brunt says.

It's going to be fun getting out of here.

Headlines: Drogba, Ferdinand limping, and Saturday's friendly lineup

The blog will start ticking over for real on Wednesday, first full day in South Africa for us. Until then these posts keep it fed and reasonably happy. Here's your headlines to debate and comment on. Website will have more, no doubt, and we'll try and update some later:

This one could cut deep if it's serious: Didier Drogba on the limp, out of today's Ivory Coast-Japan tuner.

In the England camp, creaky Rio Ferdinand is back in sick bay

Spanish sports daily Marca has a couple nifty digital offerings:

First, all 736 World Cup players on a single page

And second, a schedule calendar wheel.

Here's Saturday's friendlies list, the Coles Notes version:

South Africa vs Denmark: Crowds have been building for the Bafana Bafana and they should get a send-off here that'll carry them all the way to Friday's opener.

Switzerland vs Italy (GolTV, 2:40 p.m. eastern): Getaway game for both teams in Geneva. Italy need to show more than that huffing and puffing 2-1 loss to Mexico on Thursday. They'll get a very straightforward and stolid opponent here in Switzerland, in an equally searching mode.

Netherlands vs Hungary: Dutch attack doesn't need much fine-tuning, but the question is who sits. They have that many options, and Dirk Kuyt may well be odd man out.

Australia vs United States. A final Jo-burg runout for two teams with grand aspirations and blue-ribbon opening-game opponents: Aussies facing Germany, USA vs. England. The essential Jozy Altidore is hobbling for the U.S., while Harry Kewell is finally fit for Aussies.

Others:

Algeria vs UAE; Serbia vs Cameroon; Ghana vs Latvia; Slovakia vs Costa Rica; Romania vs Honduras.

Headlines: Adidas getting exactly what they wanted out of this ball

Headlines, that is. Topping the roll this morning, a story of successful marketing - insert your own whoops of glee and slapping of backs, just to imagine how much fun this one was to write back at shoe-company HQ - and down below, some links and a video:

From the AP:

LONDON - Adidas has hit back at criticism that the World Cup ball is difficult to control and a nightmare for goalkeepers by saying it was widely tested and approved long ago.

Company spokesman Thomas van Schaik said Monday he was surprised to hear the criticisms, made by top goalkeepers such as Spain's Iker Casillas and Brazil's Julio Cesar, because the balls had been used for months without any complaints.

Van Schaik said that players heading for the World Cup had been practising with the "Jabulani" ball since it was launched in December and all the feedback until now had been positive.

Asked why it behaved differently at altitude, where many of the games will be played in South Africa, Van Schaik said that applied to all balls.

Guus Hiddink doesn't think much of the US's chances against England: "(England) are at a higher level."

Squad updates: Nigeria's final 23-man squad leaves out forwards Ikechukwu Uke and Victor Anichebe and let's see if either of them pull a Laryea Kingston, the Hearts midfielder-forward who according to reports cussed out manager Milovan Rajevac as a "stupid man" after Kingston was left off Ghana's final team.

Related: adidas' official video for the Jabalani ball.