Set for South Africa

...the 32 teams going to South Africa are now known and await the December 4th draw to determine who will face each other in the group stage.

The "Hand of God" Returns
In the best game of the day, Thierry Henry handled the ball before slotting through for William Gallas to finish in the 103rd minute as France survived Ireland. After winning 1-0 in Dublin, France saw Robbie Keane bring the Irish level on aggregate---and away goals---just after the half-hour mark, and were fortunate not to fall even further behind. When the clock struck 90:00 with the score unchanged, extra time was left to settle the playoff, with Gallas scoring the deciding goal, and Henry admitting that he struck the ball once with his arm and once with his hand during the set up. France claimed the last European spot in the Finals.

Elsewhere in Europe, Greece used a first-half goal to beat hosts Ukraine 1-0, and take their playoff by the same score (they tied 0-0 in Athens on Saturday). In Slovenia, the hosts pulled off the biggest upset of the day, winning 1-0 over Russia. Though Russia won the opening leg 2-1, Slovenia advances to South Africa on the away goals rule, with the final aggregate being 2-2 (Slovenia 1 away goal, Russia 0). Portugal were the only team to face a comfortable end to their match, as today's 1-0 victory sent them past Bosnia 2-0 on aggregate.

In the day's other playoffs, Algeria beat Egypt 1-0 in a winner-take-all playoff to decide their African qualifying group, while Uruguay's 1-1 tie at home against Costa Rica puts them through 2-1 on aggregate.

So the 32 teams to vie for the World Cup trophy in June are:
EUROPE
Denmark
Germany
Spain
England
Serbia
Italy
Netherlands
Switzerland
Slovakia
Portugal
Greece
France
Slovenia
- -
AFRICA
South Africa (host)
Ghana
Ivory Coast
Cameroon
Nigeria
Algeria
- -
ASIA/OCEANIA
Australia
Japan
South Korea
North Korea
New Zealand
- -
CONCACAF (North/Central America)
United States
Mexico
Honduras
- -
CONMEBOL (South America)
Brazil
Paraguay
Chile
Argentina
Uruguay

Again, the World Cup draw takes place in Zurich on Dec. 4th.
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Also playing Wednesday afternoon, USA vs. Denmark. In a tale of 2 halves, the Yanks had a really good opening half, with Jeff Cunningham putting the US in front (a lead held up 'til halftime). US midfielder Benny Feilhaber, starting on the left with Landon Donovan back in the 'States preparing from MLS Cup 2009, had a strong showing on his "home" field (Feilhaber plays his club ball for Aarhus, which calls NRGi Park--the site of this friendly--home). The Danes came out strong in the second half, however, scoring 3 goals in an 8 minute span to take control of the game, and the US barely posed a threat offensively. The collective disarray in the second half is alarming, though US fans can take some solace in the fact that the starting 11 in this one (who were in through all 3 Denmark goals) included only 3 players who will likely start in the same position in South Africa (Carlos Bocanegra (centerback), Michael Bradley (central midfield), and Jozy Altidore (forward)). Feilhaber is also likely to start in South Africa, though there's a better chance he'll pair with Bradley in the central midfield (where Ricardo Clark started in this one), while Landon Donovan will take the right midfield. The rest of the back line is a question mark for the US---Frankie Hedjuk started on the right, with Jonathon Spector in the center and Jonathan Bornstein on the left Wednesday...Bornstein can easily play himself OUT of South Africa with continued poor performances (he was atrocious against Denmark), considering Edgar Castillo is waiting in the wings...Spector could be a solution out right, provided Jay DeMerit or Gooch Onyewu are healthy in the center. Up top, Jeff Cunningham impressed in his start, and could be a solution in the race to replace Charlie Davies, but his partnership with Altidore was almost non-existent.

More GAMES like the first half on Wednesday, the US is in good shape this summer...more performances like the second half, then it's time to start looking for a new coach...
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From the qwirky fact file...
If the MLS Cup Final should go to PKs on Sunday night---or if LA is awarded one during play---it will be interesting to see who will take it...LA captain Landon Donovan has converted 20 of 22 career MLS penalty kicks (high above the average MLS conversion rate of just above 80%)---but the only 2 'keepers to stop Donovan are Nick Rimando and Jeff Cassar. If Landon steps up, it will be Rimando (the RSL 'keeper---who stopped 3 PKs in the shootout to win the Eastern Conference Final) he sees before him. Where is Jeff Cassar these days? He's a goalkeeper coach...for Real Salt Lake.
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The search for a Sporting Director continues for the Red Bulls, but reports put Erik Soler in the front-runners seat. Soler is co-owner and chairman of Norwegian club team IK Start, and spent time in the 80's with German club Hamburg (same club and same time as new international Red Bull soccer director Dietmar Beiersdorfer). Soler has also worked as a player agent and TV color commentator. If hired, Erik Soler will work for Red Bull Managing Director Erik Stover.