Wer Wird Der Champion Sein?

The stage is set. The invitations to the finals have been sent out, and two teams have RSVP'd. This weekend brings the final 2 games in World Cup Germany 2006. Yesterday and today saw the Semi-Final games put all the players into their proper slots, and some, quite frankly, were a little surprising to me. Yesterday we had the host nation, Germany, square off against the Italians in Dortmund, Germany in the first of the Semi-Final matches. One of these two teams would go on to the World Cup Final on July 9th in Berlin, Germany. By all intents and purposes, it should have been the Germans. They have had the homefield advantage this entire tournament, and have played some exceptional soccer, with the combined forces of Klose, Podolski, and Coach Juergen Klinsmann (who is rumored to be in contention for the USA National Team coaching position!). The Italians, who currently boast the greatest goalkeeper in the world, have, in my opinion, been extremely lucky in this World Cup. They are a very powerful force in soccer, ranked #13 internationally going into this tournament, but a lot of the officiating seemed to be on their side. As these two European powerhouses faced off, it was obvious why they had made it so far. As it has been with these final round matches, 90 minutes would not be enough to decide who would move on. And it seemed that neither would the extra 30 minutes played thereafter. But you would be wrong. 3 minutes. 3 minutes was all it would take to decide who was going to Berlin, and who was going to fight for 3rd. In this case, it would be the Italians who find the net not once, but twice, in 3 minutes deep into the second half of extra time. The home team would have to settle for either 3rd or 4th. Today we found out who would be meeting Italy in Berlin on Sunday, as Portugal faced off against France in Munich, Germany. Personally, I was rooting for Portugal to go all the way. I've enjoyed their playing style, and their skill level. They are the only survivors of the group that held Mexico, and the only one of the 4 teams left with any ties to Latin American heritage. Unfortunately, my hopes were not enough to help them overcome the French squad. A lousy penalty kick was more than enough to help the French garnish a ticket to the big showdown in Berlin, Germany. France begins to taste the glory that once was back in 1998, while Portugal must play through the tears on Saturday against Germany in Stuttgart, Germany. So, here's the schedule for the final 2 games:

Saturday, July 8th:
Portugal vs. Germany (Stuttgart, Germany)

Sunday, July 9th:
Italy vs. France (Berlin, Germany)

It's been an exciting month of international level soccer. Let's just hope that that finals don't disappoint. I'll be back to wrap the whole shebang up on Sunday night.