Cut this out and put it on the refrigerator. These are nine huge matches area soccer fans don’t want to miss during the World Cup’s group stage. All times are local:
Saturday, 11:30 a.m.
England vs. USA
Why: British Petroleum,
Hugh Grant, Oasis,
Townshend Acts, Spice
Girls, David Beckham
comes to L.A.—it’s time
for some serious payback,
Yanks style.
June 15, 7 a.m.
Ivory Coast vs. Portugal
Why: The first critical
matchup in Group G,
pretournament winner
of the less-than-coveted
title of Group of Death.
June 17, 11:30 a.m.
France vs. Mexico
Why: El Tri is one of the
hottest teams entering the
tournament. Les Bleus,
meanwhile, has been
cloaked in controversy.
June 18, 4:30 a.m.
Germany vs. Serbia
Why: Serbian defender
Nemanja Vidic is a monster
for Manchester United.
Germany, of course, has
been known to play
a little D, too.
June 20, 11:30 a.m.
Brazil vs. Ivory Coast
Why: Watching Ivory Coast
star Didier Drogba match
magical moves with the
Brazilians has lost a little
luster following
Drogba’s injury. Still,
it’s must-see television.
June 22, 11:30 a.m.
Greece vs. Argentina
Why: Nobody on the planet
plays at a higher level than
Argentina’s Lionel Messi.
Unfortunately his coach,
Diego Maradona, is
somewhat of a madman.
June 24, 11:30 a.m.
Cameroon vs. Netherlands
Why: Scoring machine
Samuel Eto’o is a legend in
Africa. Imagine what’ll
happen if he nets a few
goals and a victory
over a deep Dutch squad.
June 25, 7 a.m.
Portugal vs. Brazil
Why: Brazil is No. 1 in
the FIFA World Rankings
while Portugal checks
in at No. 3, right behind
Spain. For some reason,
Portugal’s offense has
looked lost in recent weeks.
June 25, 11:30 a.m.
Chile vs. Spain
Why: Spain’s roster is
absolutely loaded with
top-shelf talent. Chile
is an under-the-radar
South American power
that won’t be intimidated.
— Stephen Dorman