WOMEN'S WORLD CUP ROUND ONE RUNDOWN: Let's get right to it:

NORWAY 2, FRANCE 0: For a team with a minimal fanbase, France did pretty well and ended up kinda sorta winning the crowd over when they went on the attack after Norway scored their first goal. But then Norway scored again on a defensive breakdown and the wheels came off that Peugeot. Norway could've looked a little better.

NORTH KOREA 3, NIGERIA 0: North Korea all had identical male haircuts and I think dropped Kim Jong Il's name in the postgame interviews. They looked really good on the field, or else Nigeria was just as terribly disorganized as they looked.

GERMANY 4, CANADA 1: This should be a sign of Germany's strength; both these teams were touted as ones that could win it all, yet Germany wiped the field with Canada. Maren Meinert, of the late Boston Breakers, rules.

JAPAN 6, ARGENTINA 0: "Emerging power" Argentina stiiiinks.

UNITED STATES 3, SWEDEN 1: This is another impressive win, as impressive as Germany's over Canada--both those victories showing a favorite playing really well, in contrast with Norway getting past France and China eking out the win over Ghana. My favorite player on this team the unheralded Shannon Boxx looked great. MIAAAAA! looked great. The ballyhooed Hanna Ljungberg didn't get a shot off. I just hope we're not too old to keep winning like this. There you go.

BRAZIL 3, SOUTH KOREA 0: While South Korea wasn't the last team in the World Cup (that was Japan) they are very much in the just-happy-to-be-here role. Brazil is supposed to be really good and doing it for the sisters since they get zero support back home.

RUSSIA 2, AUSTRALIA 1: This is supposed to be a minor upset. I have nothing else to add.

CHINA 1, GHANA 0: Ghana looked pretty good, like they had a gameplan to bend and end up playing much of the game in their half of the field but not break. China did not look like the contenders they're supposed to be, but they still have to be the clear favorites out of them, Ghana, Russia, and Australia.

Wednesday/Thursday's games:

Norway vs. Brazil: The only TV game on Wednesday. The first test for both of these. I'm going with Brazil in the slight upset.

Germany vs. Japan: You want to praise Japan to high heaven and then you remember they dominated Argentina. Germany.

France vs. South Korea: SOMEbody's getting the points here. France. PICHON!

Canada vs. Argentina: Oh Canada....

Sweden vs. North Korea: Sweden needs points. We'll see how good North Korea is. A draw.

Ghana vs. Russia: Ghana. They need the points.

United States vs. Nigeria: I can't imagine the US having much of a problem with Nigeria.

China vs. Australia: China, by virtue of being better, wins another one in non-convincing fashion.

There you go.