Euro2004‘s first round finished this afternoon as we go to press, with some drama and at least a couple of surprises. Two of the favorites, Spain and Italy, failed to make it out of the first round, while Germany bowed out meekly as well, to a second-string Czech squad that had already won their group and had nothing to play for. The knockout round starts tomorrow with England vs. Portugal. All games from this point on are at 1:45pm our time and are being shown on pay-per-view, and at select sports bars. For more details and a daily update, see “Soccer Watch Online” at auschron.com.
The U.S. men disposed of Grenada this weekend to advance to the next stage of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. The field was a soggy mess but still, 3-2 over a tiny island nation ranked 138th in the world can’t make U.S. head coach Bruce Arena terribly happy. In particular, the highly touted defense was exposed as a few steps slow, and out of position more than once. Still, a win’s a win; the U.S. now moves along to group play, opening Aug. 16, against Panama, Jamaica, and El Salvador.
Underdog Colombians Once Caldas scored a last-minute goal to oust their second Brazilian giant in a row and reach the finals of the South American Copa Libertadores. They’ll face the defending champs, Buenos Aires’ Boca Juniors, who beat crosstown rival River Plate on penalty kicks in the other semifinal. The home-and-home final will be played tonight, June 23, in Buenos Aires, and June 30 in Manizales, Colombia.
The Austin Lightning, after three weeks of road games, are finally back in town this weekend, June 26-27, hosting the Memphis Express at 7:30pm Saturday, and the DFW Tornados at 5pm Sunday. The Lightning lost 1-0 to the Tornados last weekend up in the Metroplex. House Park Stadium, 15th & Lamar; $6, free for kids under 16. www.austinlightningsoccer.com.
There’s a top-class youth tournament going on up in Pflugerville, the U.S. Youth Soccer Regional Championships, continuing through next Wednesday. See listing above for details.
EURO2004 – Championship Bracket
Quarterfinals:
Thu., June 24: Portugal (A1) vs. England (B2)
Sat., June 26: Sweden (C1) vs. Holland (D2)
Fri., June 25: France (B1) vs. Greece (A2)
Sun., June 27: Czech Republic (D1) vs. Denmark (C2)
Semifinals: Wed., June 30 & Thu., July 1
Final: July 4
This article appears in June 25 • 2004.