YOU THINK SOCCER RULES ARE STUPID NOW? JUST WAIT...:

...haven't seen a story on it yet, but I think the possibility now exists that if the Brits and Yanks both beat Algeria and the Brits and Slovenes tie then at least one of the teams that advances to the next round--from a group including the smallest nation in the Cup, the largest country, and the land where the game was invented--will be determined by a coin flip. No, seriously....

MORE:
Will the Americans Advance? (JEFF Z. KLEIN, 6/18/10, NY Times)

If the Americans draw with Algeria, they will have 3 points. In that case, they could advance only if Slovenia beats England, or if England draws with Slovenia by a low score. If England draws with Slovenia while the United States draws with Algeria, and England scores two more goals in their draw than the Americans score in theirs, they will have identical records. In that case, lots will be drawn to determine which team advances to the knockout phase.

Classic!

Posted by Orrin Judd at June 18, 2010 1:06 PM