Round of 16 Update
By Nick Barbaro, 6:05PM, Fri. Jun. 23, 2006
Here are the Round of 16 matchups, along with menus for the WC Breakfasts I'm hosting at my house. Drop by!
Saturday:
10am: Germany-Sweden. The hosts will be favored, but Sweden is dangerous. Cheeses and sausage of course, and perhaps dueling pancakes; apfelpfannkuchen were a crowd favorite in the first round, and I have some Swedish pancake mix.
2pm: Argentina-Mexico. Mexico got the draw nobody wanted; Argentina has been flat-out dominating at both ends of the field. Migas, perhaps menudo, yerba mate, Quilmes & Tecate, lots of fruit juices.
If things go as expected, this will be a killer quarterfinal next Friday.
Sunday:
10am: England-Ecuador. Brits should take this one, but losing Michael Owen to a torn ACL will hurt them at the next level. Bangers and crumpets have become a standby, of course, as has the Wensleydale and other cheeses; good thing Ecuador advanced, because I never got a chance to try out the yucca and eggs in the first round.
2pm: Holland-Portugal. The Portuguese handled Mexico fairly easily while resting six of their best players, and the Dutch are always a treat. Pannenkuiken met poedersuiker, some rather nice Portuguese sheep's cheese and sardines.
Monday:
10am: Italy-Australia. Italy has a huge talent edge; but scrappy Australia produced two of the best games of the first round. Foster's vs. Peroni. Spaghetti vs. Toast with spaghetti and baked beans. Vegemite vs. Mascarpone. What's not to like?
2pm: Switzerland-Ukraine. Two dark horses who've played very well (except for Ukraine's first-game horror-show). Cheeses, again, and a couple of other Swiss snacky things. Having a little trouble finding an appropriate beer, though.
Tuesday:
10am: Brazil-Ghana. The last stand of the Fufu (barring the upset of the century), fried plantains, and otherwise I'm still working on the menu; Brazil has been the favorite beverage nation, though; try some Xingu beer, various juices, and most notable, Cachaca and Cashew juice.
2pm: Spain-France. Perhaps the biggest big-name matchup of the first round. Croissants, perhaps crepes, assorted toasts, and Benedictine, which has become the new tradition for the Francophiles in the crowd.
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