For USMNT, it’s been a long road to Thursday’s game vs. Germany

washingtonpost.com ^ | June 23, 2014 | Steven Goff

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SAO PAULO, Brazil — The U.S. national soccer team will arrive at Arena Pernambuco in Recife for Thursday’s pivotal World Cup match against Germany after playing in Amazonian air as thick as hummus four days earlier. Germany will take the field for the Group G showdown with the benefit of 27 extra hours of recuperation and preparation after competing in another northeast coastal city, Fortaleza.

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Cameroon 1-4 Brazil: Neymar scores twice to help secure last 16 spot for Selecao

RACE FOR THE GOLDEN BOOT
4: Neymar (Brazil)

3: Thomas Muller (Germany), Arjen Robben (Holland), Robin van Persie (Holland), Enner Valencia (Ecuador), Karim Benzema (France)

2: Mario Mandzukic (Croatia), Lionel Messi (Argentina), Andre Ayew (Ghana), Gervinho (Ivory Coast), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Clint Dempsey (USA), Tim Cahill (Australia), Luis Suarez (Uruguay), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Memphis Depay (Holland)

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http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/fivelive/5lfd/5lfd_20140622-2302a.mp3

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I am dealing with computer issues but let's will carry on as best we can...

Mexico beats Croatia 3-1, advances in World Cup
One of the first things Miguel Herrera did when he became Mexico's fourth coach in a year was call Rafael Marquez and ask the 35-year-old defender known as ''the boss'' to return to the national side as captain.

On Monday, the world saw why.

http://www.gfycat.com/ChillyAllAnole#

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Team Names	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Brazil	3	2	1	0	7	2	5	7
Mexico	3	2	1	0	4	1	3	7
Croatia	3	1	0	2	6	6	0	3
Cameroon	3	0	0	3	1	9	-8	0

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▶ World Cup: Fans go wild in Mexico City after win against Croatia - YouTube

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Netherlands stays perfect in Group B with win against Chile
“I thought it was a game at the highest level that was won by the smartest team," said Dutch boss Louis van Gaal after the match. “Chile had one chance in the first half and that was it. I think it’s been proven that we give very little away and create a lot of chances.”

With both teams already through to the Round of 16, courtesy of wins against Spain and Australia by each side, this essentially became a tussle to avoid Brazil in the next round.

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Spain bows out of World Cup with Group B win against Australia
Though nothing rested on the game, Spain showed some of the clever passing football that has seen it dominate the game over the past six years - winning Euro 2008, its first World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and then Euro 2012.

With that domination now at an end, the task facing Spain coach Vicente del Bosque is to manage the transition from an aging squad that has won everything in the game - to a new generation of players waiting to take center stage.

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Team Names	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	3	3	0	0	10	3	7	9
Chile	3	2	0	1	5	3	2	6
Spain	3	1	0	2	4	7	-3	3
Australia	3	0	0	3	3	9	-6	0

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Netherlands didn't deserve to win, says Chile's coach
"They ended up winning, but in my opinion it was unfair because I think Chile made a huge effort to attack," Sampaoli told reporters. "We wanted to play and the Netherlands didn't."

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Who’s In, Who’s Out

Cameroon 1:4 Brazil Match Highlights
Croatia 1:3 Mexico

Netherlands 2:0 Chile Match Highlights
Australia 0:3 Spain

Photos

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World Cup 2014: Today at the tournament - day 13
Which is the only team from Groups C and D with no chance of progressing to the second round?

Yes, you guessed right. But while Roy Hodgson's England will have packed all but their kits ahead of their final Group D match against Costa Rica, there are seven other teams waiting to discover their World Cup fates on Tuesday.

Group D
Costa Rica v England
Italy v Uruguay

Group C
Greece v Ivory Coast
Japan v Colombia

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England have no scapegoat - Phil Neville
Being knocked out of a major international tournament is probably the worst feeling I have had in football, but England's early exit from this World Cup will not scar our young players.

In the past there has always been a scapegoat when England have gone out. I have been one myself, when I gave away a penalty against Romania that meant we were eliminated from Euro 2000.

But there is no individual to blame this time and that is a good thing. England have fallen short as a team and it is devastating that we are out, but we need to take the positives away from Brazil.

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Bloodbath...

England make nine changes for Costa Rica match
Surprisingly, the England boss named his entire starting line-up for Tuesday's match, with Gary Cahill and Daniel Sturridge the only survivors from last week's 2-1 defeat to Uruguay.

"Well, Ben Foster will play in goal," Hodgson said. "The right-back will be Phil Jones.

"Gary Cahill will play centre-half alongside Chris Smalling, and Luke Shaw will play left-back.

"In midfield we will have Milner, Lampard, Wilshere, Barkley, Lallana and Sturridge will play up front."

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Lifting the lid on the World Cup shame of Roy Hodgson's side and the bloated FA party in Brazil
The FA charter plane, top heavy with England’s bloated World Cup party of around 80 underperforming personnel, will touch down first in Manchester and then Luton on Wednesday afternoon on their hasty retreat from Brazil.

The pampered underachievers — both players and officials — will scuttle towards a convoy of chauffeured cars and then home to their families.

There will be no welcoming party of England fans thankful for having been entertained by their heroes on the greatest football stage in the world. Just a miserable retreat for a pathetic Team England.

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'Disgusting': Steven Gerrard eager to weed out England shirkers
England captain Steven Gerrard has described allegations that English players have deliberately wriggled out of international duty as "disgusting" and called on those concerned to be publicly named and shamed.

Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp claimed on Sunday that during his time at Tottenham Hotspur, "there were two or three players who did not want to play for England".

Roy Hodgson asks Steven Gerrard to play on
"The manager has asked me to stay. I spoke to him and said I'd need at least three weeks to clear my head."

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'We showed them who we are. Costa Rica is proud of its team'
Their star striker still gets his hair cut in the barrio, and in the capital they say success in Brazil is down to hard work – and a strong society

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Costa Rica From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Population - 2011 census 4,586,353

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Why Costa Rica fans should root for Greece to beat the Ivory Coast on Tuesday
All four Group C teams remain alive in the World Cup. One of those four will face Costa Rica in the knockout round this weekend. The Ticos should be hoping to face the Greeks.

Group C concludes Tuesday with Colombia-Japan and Greece-Ivory Coast playing simultaneously at 2 p.m.

If the Ticos hold on to the top spot in Group D on Tuesday morning, they’ll avoid a treacherous Colombian team who already have qualified for the knockout round and virtually have clinched the Group C title.

Assuming Costa Rica wins Group D (their odds of doing so are around 89 percent), La Sele most likely will face the winner of Ivory Coast vs. Greece.

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England must get a point to avoid their worst ever campaign

Pessimistic English put their money on Costa Rica
England’s World Cup humiliation is complete. The punters, normally among the most patriotic of supporters for the national team even in miserable times, have decided this latest team of no-hopers really do have no hope, causing many to put their money on Costa Rica to beat England on Tuesday.

Ladbrokes is reporting a marked shift in support for the tiny Central American republic in England’s final group encounter on Tuesday, and now stands to make a loss if Costa Rica wins.