Reflections on the 2006 World Cup Days 3 & 4

Same as the last article. All the teams get A to F scale grades.

Netherlands: A-
A very strong performance, dominating the possession. Arjen Robben had a thrilling game.

Serbia and Montenegro: C-
If not for the S & M's defense, this would have been a lot worse. They'll need to pick it up for a chance against Argentina.

Mexico: B+
Oswaldo Sanchez held himself very well despite the recent death of his father.

Iran: B-
Aside from the hiccup that let in the winning two goals for Mexico, not a bad effort for the Iranians.

Portugal: B
For a team that features the players it does, including the Ligue 1 scoring champ Pauleta, there should have been more balls in the net.

Angola: C
Better result than most would have expected.

Australia: B+
They were good to bounce back from a screwed up call. Credit Hiddink with making the right subs. They do need to cut down on the yellow cards though.

Japan: C-
They caught a lucky break with that Nakamura long goal, but couldn't hold onto the lead.

Czech Republic: A
Utter conquest. Rosicky was the man. Koller's injury is a setback, but they still played well without him.

United States: F
Utterly conquered.

Italy: A-
Success in finding the net, and Kingston was being smoked.

Ghana: B-
Essien played well, getting his guys chances to keep up with the Azzuri. It just didn't work out. With the effort they had today, I would probably pick them to beat the U.S., which I had always thought was a possibility but its a lot better if this is the way the teams will be playing in Germany.