First off: Great job yesterday by the United States versus mighty Portugal. Literally except for the last seconds, it was one hell of an effort.

“I believe that we will win!” 

The top two teams from Group A and Group B will advance to the round of 16 later this afternoon. While Group B already has the Netherlands and Chile advancing, their match at noon on ESPN will determine the #1 and #2 seeds for the next round. Group A will likely see Brazil control Cameroon and secure the #1 spot, but the Croatia v. Mexico game should be an absolute thriller for #2 in the group. However, if Cameroon plays inspired, they could potentially prevent Brazil from the #1 spot or from even advancing depending on the result from the Croatia v. Mexico game…

Bottom line: Group A’s matches will be exciting to watch on ESPN and ESPN2 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

While relaxing late last night watching television, I saw the scene below. It wasn’t the first time I had seen it, but it rang surprisingly true for this World Cup because it doesn’t always matter what teams or players are supposedly better or superior in certain skill-sets, but whether or not they win the big games when it counts.

Happy Monday and Congratulations Again to the San Antonio Spurs!