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 After 63 games and a month of almost endless soccer action we have reached what it is all about - the finals of the World Cup. Regardless of which team comes out on top we are going to have just our second first-time winner in eight World Cups (France won for the first time in 1998). The Dutch have made it to the finals twice before, while the Spanish have never previously made it past the quarterfinals.
 The third-place game is a staple of international competition. The Olympics have their bronze medal games and the World Cup has its third-place game. In the United States the consolation game is a thing of the past. The NFL did away with their version of it in 1969 right before the AFL merger and in men's college basketball, the final third-place game was played in 1981. World Cup Betting Trends for Semifinals  The total in these two games is set at 2.5, and that's where the large majority of the games have been throughout the tournament. When Germany decides to go 'over' they take responsibility for it by themselves - they have scored four goals in an incredible three different games. You want to be careful in assuming that they will automatically explode offensively, though - they have been on both sides of 1-0 results this tournament as well. World Cup Odds and Picks: Germany Vs. Spain Predictions  The second of the two World Cup semifinals is simultaneously being heavily anticipated and somewhat bemoaned - anticipated because it has the potential to be an explosive barn-burner, and bemoaned because it seems to feature the two best remaining teams in the tournament meeting one round too early. World Cup Odds and Picks: Netherlands Vs. Uruguay Predictions  The first of two World Cup semifinals certainly qualifies as a surprise. Netherlands got there by beating probably the most feared team in the tournament in impressive fashion, and Uruguay made it by landing by far the easiest path to the Semis in the entire bracket. The important thing now, though, is that both made it. You can argue whether they deserve to be there all you want, but the only thing that matters is that they are. World Cup Odds and Picks: Argentina Vs. Germany Predictions  The World Cup has been full of surprising results and unexpected performances from non-traditional soccer powers, but now that eight teams remain the marquee matches everyone expected to see in South Africa are coming to fruition. World Cup Odds and Picks: Paraguay Vs. Spain Predictions  If you go strictly by world rankings, the final quarterfinal match at the World Cup between Paraguay and Spain on Saturday is the biggest mismatch of the four, with Paraguay ranked No. 31 (only Ghana, at 32, is lower) and Spain at No. 2 in the world. And the odds - see below -- bear out that this should be the most guaranteed result. World Cup Players to Watch  We are down to the quarterfinals at the World Cup, and most of the top heavyweights have made it to the final eight, including five of the world's top-seven teams: No. 1 Brazil, No. 2 Spain, No. 4 Netherlands, No. 6 Germany and No. 7 Argentina. World Cup Odds and Picks: Brazil Vs. Netherlands Predictions  Powerful titans will clash twice in the quarterfinals, with this matchup being perhaps the most interesting. Brazil is the undisputed king of the World Cup. They have won it five times and lost in the finals twice more, and and are an obvious and serious threat to win it all every time the tournament takes place. Netherlands can't nearly match up to that impressive record, but they have finished second twice and fourth once, and 1938 was the last time they qualified for the World Cup without advancing beyond the first round. World Cup Odds and Picks: Uruguay Vs. Ghana Predictions  There's been some pleasant storylines so far this World Cup, but perhaps the play and success of both Uruguay and Ghana tops the list. As the group stage concluded, most wanted to cynically look at the crash and burn of world notables France and Italy. However, it is instead time to praise the likes of those who have achieved in South Africa this summer. World Cup Final Eight Power Rankings and Predictions  The final eight has been set for the World Cup. Three-quarters of the field has gone home to pout and lick their wounds, while the remaining eight are harboring more or less realistic dreams of glory. Since we're down to the elite now (with a couple of notable exceptions) this is a good time assess the remaining teams and see how they stack up. Here's an updated power ranking for the final eight teams at the World Cup: World Cup Player Salaries  While no soccer player in America comes anywhere close to ranking on any Top 50 list of U.S. sports stars' earnings - the Galaxy's David Beckham makes about $6.5 million as the highest-paid player in MLS - soccer stars are paid huge sums in the world's premier leagues. World Cup History USA  The American soccer team made some history in this World Cup by winning their group for the first time since 1930. And that epic 1-0 win over Algeria to advance out of group stage play was only the fifth shutout by a U.S. team in soccer's biggest event and the first since 1950. Landon Donovan's stoppage time goal against Algeria gave him four goals, which tied Bert Patenaude (1930) as the American leader. World Cup Odds and Picks: Spain Vs. Portugal Predictions  Tuesday's final Round of 16 match at the World Cup is a doozy as neighbors Spain and Portugal, the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the world rankings, meet for a spot in the quarterfinals. People are calling this the "Iberian Derby." World Cup Odds and Picks: Paraguay Vs. Japan Predictions  The Japanese won matches in the World Cup on foreign soil for the first time and reached the knockout round for the second time; they also advanced in 2002, when they were tournament co-hosts with South Korea. The winner of this match faces the Spain-Portugal winner in the quarterfinals.
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