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... which means no incredibly jingoistic game-calling when the U.S. is playing.

I'm fairly pleased with the broadcast crew ESPN's trotted out for the opener. Dave O'Brien is normally a baseball guy, but I think his lack of soccer background actually works well here. He calls the action and then gets the heck out of the way for his color man, Marcelo Balboa.

While Balboa still owns one of the most awful hairdos ever - it's like a mullet on steroids - I've been impressed so far. His best analysis so far? That Germany is playing with fire by trying to use an onsides trap against fleet Costa Rican forward Paulo Wanchope. They've already been burned once. Why not just try some good old fashioned man-on-man defense? You're Germany, for the love of Lothar Mattheus (I have no idea if I spelled that right).