World Cup in Washington
VOA’s Michael Lipin reports on a World Cup viewing party held in Washington, DC’s Dupont Circle. Although sponsored by the German embassy, thousands of US fans stormed the park to cheer on their team. One German fan noted that the scene was similar to the public viewing parties in Germany, with one big difference: in Germany, he explained, the public viewing parties come with beer:
Germany (1-0) USA
UPDATE: Sure enough, even though Germany beat the US 1-0, both teams advance to the Round of 16 – the US moves on thanks to Portugal’s 2-1 win over Ghana.
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Group G isn’t just the so-called “Group of Death” – it’s also emerged as the group with the most interesting, convoluted advancement scenarios. For Germany and the USA, the easiest way to advance is to win, or to tie (in which case both teams would move forward).
But if either team loses, they could still move forward, depending on how many goals are scored in this match at the Ghana/Portugal match. Germany, for instance, could lose by up to two goals and still advance if Portugal beats Ghana. The US, meanwhile, could lose and still advance if Ghana and Portugal play to a draw.
Needless to say, US and German fans will be closely watching both of these matches today when they kick off at 12 PM ET (4 PM UTC).
For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.
Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.
And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.
Portugal (2-1) Ghana
UPDATE: Portugal needed some big scores differentials to advance, either in their match or the US/Germany match. Unfortunately for them, it didn’t happen: Portugal won 2-1, Germany won 1-0, and Portugal and Ghana are sent home.
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The advancement scenarios for the US and Germany are confusing for sure. But the scenarios for Portugal and Ghana are on a whole new level. Ghana needs to beat Portugal and hope the US either loses or runs up a big score against Germany. Portugal, meanwhile, needs to beat Ghana by a wide margin, and hope that whoever wins the Germany/US match also wins in a blowout.
For play-by-play, minute-by-minute coverage of every ball touch, throw-in, direct kick, indirect kick, yellow card, red card, corner kick, goal kick and every other possible football feat in every World Cup match, tap into VOA’s multilingual, multinational analysis.
Click here to follow the action live, or follow along on Facebook, or on Twitter with #WorldCupVOA.
And for even more exclusive VOA coverage with a special focus on Africa’s national teams, check out VOA’s Francophone blog.
Every Single Scenario, Visualized
As any good World Cup fan knows, it’s not just your team’s performance that matters – two other teams in an entirely different city can make or break your chances of advancing.
This is especially true for Group G, where every single team still has a chance to advance…and just about every team’s fate depends on how the other group members play.
Needless to say, there are numerous scenarios where different Group G teams advance. But why describe them all when you can see them all? Via Deadspin, here are all of the Group G advancement scenarios, visualized:
Who Will Win? Who Will Advance?
VOA’s Penalty Box looks at today’s matches in the dreaded “Group of Death.” Will Group G be kind to the “G” teams – Germany and Ghana? Will this be the year soccer takes hold in the US? Find out below: