Although the first week of World Cup action has not exactly turned casual fans into die hards, there have been plenty of appealing storylines. Teams have clearly played “not to lose,” which here in America equates to an entertainment value equivalent to that of a Royals-Orioles baseball game in the middle of September. However, expect the action to pick up considerably over the next week, as teams attempt to advance in their respective group rankings. There are a number of players and teams that you should be keeping an eye on before the Round of 16 begins on June 26.

Uncle Sam’s Army

The U.S. Men’s National Team did exactly what I expected against England—played them hard to a 1-1 draw. The highest rated U.S. World Cup match since 1994 certainly didn’t disappoint…unless you were a member of the Green family in England. The lack of goaltending depth for the Three Lions was apparent after Robert Green’s blunder on Clint Dempsey’s shot near the end of the first half. This was HUGE for the USMNT, especially after conceding a lack within the first five minutes of the match.

The U.S. showed resiliency and mental toughness. After being a “clueless spectator” on the defensive line in the first half, Oguchi Onyewu responded very well in the second half by solidifying the defense on both Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey. Onyewu sometimes is the Dwight Howard of American soccer, in that he is the well-built defender who is prone to getting needless fouls called against him thanks to smaller opponents. Look for Slovenia and Algeria to possibly exploit this weakness in their upcoming matches against the United States.

The unsung hero for the USMNT was Jay Demeritt, who over the past year has not gained the praise he should for shutting down Spain’s attack in the 2009 Confederations’ Cup and Wayne Rooney this past Saturday. With a solid performance during the rest of the tournament, he should be drawing attention from more top clubs. The U.S. midfield also did a stellar job of limiting the damage done by a much more talented and experienced English midfield squad. The tandem of Jozy Altidore and Robbie Findley upfront looked promising; Altidore had a great scoring chance on a marvelous run in the 65th minute, while Findley’s speed stretched the English defense.

The Man of the Match was Tim Howard, who continues to keep his team in contention every game. He is undoubtedly a top-five goalkeeper in the world and has certainly shown that he is the most valuable player on the U.S. squad (sorry, Landon Donovan). Rumors of broken ribs will continue to circulate; however, I believe his grittiness and leadership qualities will lead the U.S. to the Round of 16.

Solid Job by Referees So Far (Knock on Wood)

Like most people, I absolutely hate the flopping and diving that occurs. Players flailing and cringing in pain as if they just had their legs amputated on the field – after barely being touched no less – absolutely disgusts me. This aspect of the “beautiful game” is more annoying than the vuvuzelas. Enemy numero uno in my book is Christiano Ronaldo. For those of you who do not know who he is, Mr. Ronaldo is the Sidney Crosby of the soccer world—the constant crybaby. Thankfully, the referees haven’t been giving calls in his favor after flops like this. The quality of refereeing has been considerably better than the 2006 World Cup, where yellow and red cards were being dealt out like a poker game. Nonetheless, we all know how quickly this could turn around.

No Clear-cut Favorites Yet

Now that every team has played at least one game in the tournament, no team has considerably distinguished themselves as the favorite to win the World Cup. Germany probably looked most impressive in their 4-0 shellacking of Australia. Brazil looked like they were playing a half-assed pickup game against North Korea. (On a side note, you gotta love those North Korean “fans” who were in attendance.) Spain lost a disappointing match to Switzerland, yet I fully expect them to pick up their effort. Argentina couldn’t buy a goal in their opening victory with all of the scoring chances they had, but I feel they will reach the semifinals. Italy traditionally starts the World Cup slow, so keep your eye on them. The Netherlands looked solid in their opening match; they are my dark horse for the tournament. They will go as far as their defense (or lack there of) takes them.

Quote of the week:

“Pelé should go back in the museum.”

• Diego Maradona, after being asked during a press conference about the Brazilian legend’s recent claim that Maradona only took the job of Argentina’s head coach because he needed the money.

It got even better when Maradona started taking shots at French people.