World Cup preview, the semi-finals

Le Tour de France resumed today. Today's stage had the obligatory crash early and then featured the unlikely spectacle of a late breakaway which included both the green and the yellow jerseys. It is a measure of how little the true contenders think of the chances for overall victory for either of those two individuals that the peloton did not cover the initial move, instead reeling the break in at a measured but relentless pace. The green jersey, Gilbert, was hunting a stage victory, trying to score points towards victory in Paris in the green jersey competition. Yellow jersey wearer Voeckler, in a stunningly revelatory bit of self appraisal, was hunting that single point in the spotty jersey competition available at the final category 4 climb (and he got it). Thomas may be wearing yellow but he knows full well that the only jersey he can actually hope to contend for is the spotty. Today's stage produced no changes in the overall classification.

As I occasionally point out to TOPWLH, I have no job. One result of this situation is that I have plenty of time to watch the TV presentations of those events that interest me. I like football, I love the World Cup, both men's and women's, and I have seen nearly every game of the Women's World Cup.

This is my favorite view of the previously remarked upon 122nd minute goal by Abby Wambach, set up by the exquisite pass from Megan Rapinoe, to pull even with Brasil in the Sunday quarter-final game ultimately won by the USA on PKs. The angle is even better than the video to demonstrate how wide open Wambach is, how the perfect pass has left Wambach to not have to perform something spectacular, she only has to execute the fundamentals.Which should not be viewed as any attempt to take anything away from Wambach. A great player gets in position to make the great plays. This was a truly great play by both Rapinoe and Wambach.

But here's the question and I'm asking you Brasil: How do you get to the 122nd minute leading 2-1 against the top ranked team in the world, with the huge advantage of playing 11 against 10, and yet allow the opposition's unquestioned best scoring threat to be unmarked so that she finds herself wide, wide open in the 6 yard box? How?

This brings me to tomorrow's game. I have seen all of the games for both of these teams. I am going to use a football euphemism here but one that will be instantly understood by any follower of international football. France plays a very European style. They play a disciplined positionally sound defensive style game, strive to maintain ball possession and look to build from the back. European football. The French problem is that they are not even the best team in the world at the European style. That distinction would fall to Germany, the team that I think looked in the group stage like the best team in the tournament. Unfortunately for Deutschland, someone forgot to inform Japan that they were not as good as the Deutsch. So the French problem is that they probably are not good enough. The USA has better ball skills, more offensive talent and the best keeper in the world. The USA deserves to be favored.

But I will say this, you have to play the game to get a result and if the football gods somehow align the planets to put France in the position that Brasil was in, if they can somehow have the lead late in the game, there is a ZERO percent, absolute ZERO percent chance that Abby Wambach will find herself wide open in front of the French goal.

The game is unlikely to be as dramatic as the Sunday game. I say USA by 2 goals.

The bicycle race promises no great changes in the overall standings in tomorrow's stage. The great selection begins when the race arrives in the high mountains on Thursday. As I seem unlikely to have altered my employment status between now and Thursday it is likely that I will be getting up early to watch a stage that includes not only a climb of the legendary Tourmalet but also a mountaintop finish at the nearly as legendary Luz Ardiden, both out of category difficulty climbs. Unlike tomorrow's football, the Thursday bicycle racing promises to be dramatic indeed.