You can cut this seventy-five ways to Sunday the USA is king of hill in North America but when it comes to the rest of the world, we are a day late and a dollar short.

The final score will indicate a closer match than what it was. Netherlands defeated the United States 2-1.

Netherlands was in total control from the outset.

The saving grace for the USA in this match was Tim Howard. He gave up two goals. The first was a PK.

The second was a solid deflection off the USA defender Jonathan Bornstein from a shot by Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Howard was hung out to dry.

This was not Howard’s fault.

Tim Howard single handily kept the USA in the match. He prevented at least three shots from finding the back of the net.

The USA is a just a step slower than the fourth ranked team in the world the Netherlands.

Tim Howard is the only world-class player on the USA roster.

Argentina got by Germany 1-0. Gonzalo Higuan scored the only goal of the match in the 45^th minute. Gonzalo Higuan scored an easy gimmie goal when the German keeper wandered 45 yards out of goal to stop Higuan. Zippo Higuan does a dipsy do past him and this was all she wrote.

England fell behind early to Egypt 1-0. The English stepped up the pressure to cruise to a 3-1 win.

Peter Crouch hit the daily double. Crouch tickled the twines in the 56^th and 80^th minute.

Before Crouch’s score, in the 56^th minute, the English side was playing like crap. They were stinking the joint out.

Crouch’s first goal was the match changer.

Shawn Wright Phillips punted the ball towards the goal. The keeper Essam Hadari totally goofed up the play. The ball does a holy roller into the back of the net.

So what have we learned from these final tune-ups.

Nothing much. Brasil will still be the favorite entering into 2010 World Cup competition. Spain and the Netherlands will have very strong teams. Either of these two teams can win it all.

German will be a long shot.

England has chance but they need to put the John Terry incident behind them.

Argentina has a very strong team. Messi and Tevez will pose a double threat. But it all comes down to the idiot Argentinos have as a head coach Maradona.

Maradona is the wild card. Will he have a wild hair up his butt when the final squad is picked?

I sure hope Maradona puts Messi and Tevez on the pitch together.

These are big ifs.

I still think that Argentina needs to fire Maradona and bring in a real coach.

Argentinos have the players to win it all.

The USA is still an also ran. The USA can make it out of the group stage but that is about it.

Not until United States has their best athletes play futebol, the USA will always be a second-class citizen in futebol.

The best athletes in the USA play football and basketball.

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