Semi Final Recap

Ireland vs. El Salvador: 2-1(PKs) Ireland. Great game to watch. El Salvador did very well getting up for their second big game in 2 days, and despite missing a couple key players, they managed to take Ireland to a penalty shoot-out. El Salvador knew what it would take to beat Ireland, and they executed it perfectly. They did much the same thing they did against France, which was to sit back and defend, and hope to take advantage of an opportunity if it came up. Criticize it, but that strategy had to be employed against Ireland if El Salvador wanted to have a chance at winning. Ireland controlled most of the game, but El Salvador wouldn't let them finish their chances.

Laos vs. Poland: Laos 4-3. Another overtime game. Both teams were aggressive and creative, and it was a great game to watch. Much more back and forth than the Ireland vs. ES game. It was a shame that one team had to lose, because they both were deserving of a spot in the final. Poland, uncharacteristically, made too many defensive errors this time. A red card put even more pressure on Poland, and Laos eventually capitalized. Laos knows how to win the big games, and they proved it again last night.

So we come to another Ireland vs. Laos final, something we've seen twice already before. The series is 1-1...so who will win the matchup this time around? Stay tuned! 5:00 on Saturday.