One Great Season
The World Cup semifinal round kicks off Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET when Holland tangles with Uruguay. Here are some notes:
+ Uruguay won two of the first four World Cups, in 1930 and 1950. They've finished fourth twice since, but haven't made a semifinal appearance since 1970.
+ For all the talk about the popular Oranje, the Dutch have never won a Cup. They finished fourth in 1998, and earned runner-up finishes in consecutive Cups in 1974 and 1978.
+ For a complete list of World Cup final four results, click here.
+ ESPN's Bill Simmons wrote a pretty interesting 20 Questions piece about the World Cup right here. It's a few days old but still definitely worth a look.
+ The vuvuzelas have made their presence known on Youtube. Play any video, including this one, and you'll notice a small soccer-ball icon along the bottom of the player. Click it and you get to enjoy your video with the sounds of vuvuzelas mixed in. Nice touch.
+ OGS World Cup writer Jeremy Brown sent in a pair of clips over the weekend. Here's what a Brazil-Uruguay semifinal might have looked like, and here's Germany coach Joachim Loew eschewing the orange wedges for another delightful mid-game snack.
+ Dutch star Daniel Sneijder divorced his wife in early 2009, but just months later was reported to have begun dating supermodel Yolanthe Cabau van Kasbergen, who looks great in a white bra.
+ Not to be outdone, Uruguay star Diego Forlan's girlfriend shows that red is her color.