World Cup Day Three: Open Thread

If you weren't already aware of it, yesterday's action proved that anything and everything can happen in the World Cup. Who in their right mind expected the Netherlands to defenestrate the Spaniards in a 5-1 route, punctuated by perhaps the games finest headed goal of all-time. Beyond the Oranje's (well, blue in this case) destruction of Spain, Mexico took down Cameroon in a bit of shocker, while Chile tied and bound the Socceroos 3-1.

All in all, match day two was pretty exciting, but today is the one that really counts, at least from a Roma perspective. Daniele De Rossi and Italy tee it up against England, Vasilis Torosidis and his Greek compatriots take on Colombia, while Gervinho and the rest of Les Elephants clash with Japan.

The Matches

Any Romans, past or present, on duty?

Why, yes. Several in fact. Vasilis Torosidis looks set to start at right back versus Colombia, while our old pal Panagiotis Tachtsidis should be riding the pine, but, hey, good on him for making the team.

While Uruguay and Costa Rica is a Romaless affair, the day's final two matches feature two key cogs in Rudi Garcia's machine, Daniele De Rossi (ITA) and Gervinho (CIV). With both men slated to start, you'll want to make yourself comfortable, as you've got four straight hours of football to watch.

Any potential transfer targets or former adversaries to pique my interest?

Roma's summer mercato has been so scattered thus far, it's been hard to narrow down Walter Sabatini's geographic focus, so while tomorrow may be lacking in transfer targets, there are plenty of former friends and foes in action tomorrow.

Our old pal Copy & Paste should have a nice view of Torosidis from Greece's bench while he takes on Fiorentina's Juan Cuadrado and Colombia. Beyond that, we can once again witness what Edinson Cavani is capable of on the pitch in the day's second match, while day three ends with Japan's Serie A stars Keisuke Honda and Yuto Nagatomo.

If you're the type to hold a grudge, someone who can't separate an Italian's club mark from their national team duty, you can always hope Italy wins in-spite of the rampant presence of Old Ladies on the Azzurri.

Where to watch

LiveSoccerTV has got you covered from the international angle, while the Yanks can catch Greece v Colombia and Uruguay Costa Rica on ABC, and England v Italy and Ivory Coast v Japan on ESPN.

There is, of course, the local pub option, particularly if you plan on, like me, strolling into a British style pub rocking your finest Azzurri kit.