The World Cup schedule 2010 is no longer set in stone. Although the World Cup schedule 2010 has set matchups for three days, the matches after Friday are unknown. After the first round, the matches will be determined by sudden-death, single-elimination showdowns, as the meat of the tournament begins to unfold. Over the next three days, the second round matches will be set up, with group play heading toward its last leg. Yesterday, the first matches on the World Cup schedule 2010 for round two were set up, and two more pairings will be made today.
Group A and B determined their final order yesterday, as Uruguay and Argentina clinched the top seeds. As such, Uruguay got to avoid Argentina in the second round. Meanwhile, Mexico and South Korea advanced, although their road is tougher.
The World Cup schedule 2010 for the knockout stage begins on Saturday morning, as Uruguay takes on South Korea. Uruguay did not give up a goal in group play, while South Korea had to hold onto a tie against Nigeria to advance. They were also helped by Argentina defeating Greece, as the Argentinians completed a perfect run in Group B.
Argentina gets an extra day of rest before starting their World Cup schedule 2010 in the knockout round. They will return to play on Sunday afternoon against the Mexicans. Since Mexico could not defeat Uruguay, they now have to face one of the favorites in the tournament.
The bracket on this side of the schedule isn’t filled yet, however. The winner of the Uruguay-South Korea match will face the winner of a match between the Group C winner and Group D runner up. Also, the Argentina-Mexico winner will face either the Group D winner, or Group C runner up. Those positions in Group C and D will be filled today.
This morning, the USA, Slovenia, England and Algeria will fight for the two second round slots in Group C. Afterward, the surviving teams will discover who they play next on the World Cup schedule 2010, when Group D settles their standings. Germany and Ghana’s matchup is likely for the Group D top seed, while Serbia hopes to overtake the loser by defeating Australia.
After today’s matches, half of the knockout stage matches will be set, filling the World Cup schedule for Saturday and Sunday. If America can advance, they are still at risk for facing Germany next, with Ghana and Serbia as the alternatives. But, if they are the second seed from Group C, and are able to defeat the Group D champion, Argentina may be next in the quarterfinals.
However, the goal for the USA is just to reach the knockout stage, as almost every team today has a realistic chance to do the same. But, only four of them will get to play on Saturday and Sunday.
Sources
Yahoo Sports- “Matches and Schedule”
