Next stop Kaiserslautern

Steeled for the probability of failure but hopeful of the possibility of a miracle, I'm off for Kaiserslautern tomorrow. Our train leaves at 7.30am to arrive at 2pm on what is supposed to be a gorgeous sunny day. After the thorough beating we took against the Czechs, things look pretty dire. A draw against Italy would still make our chances of success pretty slim, so to guarantee advancement to the next round we need to win tomorrow, against a team with a legendary defense and the most imperious group of strikers in the tournament. It is, to say the least, a tall order.

But I'll be there. Why? Partly because being a true supporter is about following the team regardless of results. And also because the party in K-town looks to be a great one. I'll be meeting up with two separate groups of friends and will be hoping to take advantage of the all-you-can-drink special at the Yanks Abroad party at the Brauhaus am Markt (though if Gelsenkirchen is any guide, it may be too crowded to make drinking there a realistic option). So no blogging tomorrow, but I'll catch you all up on Sunday. And before I attempt to sleep, here are some disjointed thoughts about today's games.

--Argentina put up probably the most impressive offensive display I've ever seen in a World Cup. All six of their goals were impressive, but the second (which followed a 24-pass sequence) was unbelievable. And the Serbia team they defeated gave up a total of one goal in WCQ throughout ten games. Argentina bettered that by five. In ninety minutes.

--I was a little disappointed in Holland's shaky defense of their one-goal lead in the second half of their win against Cote d'Ivoire. And though I'm glad to see the Dutch get to the second round, it's a shame that their game against Argentina has been rendered meaningless. Finally, while C d'I is out, they gave a damn good account of themselves in two tough losses to two excellent teams. Definitely unlucky to have been in that group.

--I loved seeing Angola take a point off of Mexico. There's a bit of the schadenfreude factor, but mostly I'm just happy to see such a major underdog give a good account of themselves. Plus, the result means that Portugal can clinch qualification to the second round with a win tomorrow.