-- Solomon Kleinsmith on the budget impasse in Washington

Here's WNYC's year-end guide to year-end lists of the best, the worst, and the most ridiculous of 2010.

A dramatic ten yard header guaranteed the advancement of the Spanish soccer team to the World Cup finals. They defeated Germany 1-0, scoring at 73 minutes into the match.  

The Netherlands defeated Uruguay in the semifinals yesterday, 3-2, to advance to their third World Cup finals ever, and their first since 1978. For the championship, they'll face the winner of today's match between Germany and Spain. Takeaway sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin looks ahead to the final World Cup game.

It doesn't get more dramatic than yesterday's World Cup match between the U.S. and Algeria. The stakes? If Team USA won, they would be off to the Cup's second round—but if they tied or lost, America's best hope for soccer glory in decades would be on a plane back home.

Team USA had repeated chances to score, missed open goals, and sent balls bouncing off of the goal post.  Then, just over a minute into injury time, Landon Donovan scored the critical goal that would send Team USA into the next round of the World Cup with a 1-0 win.  They now sit atop their Group C division, tied with England. (Watch Landon Donovan's goal after the jump.)

Today concludes the action in Group C of the World Cup to see which of the four teams – Slovenia with 4 points, USA and England each with 2 points, and Algeria without any points – will advance to the round of 16.

Before the World Cup started the fate of the USA team seemed locked in perpetual agony. The familiar sense that no one pays attention to soccer and that anything close to a tie was considered a victory – especially against the European teams.

At Madiba Restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, on the first day of the World Cup, the bar was full of enthusiastic fans of the South African team. The fans tell us which teams they're supporting and talk about what connects them to their team. In the video (after the jump), they are singing a song called "Shosholoza" which means "Go Forward"; it's a song that's often sung at soccer games in South Africa. 

What are you watching for in this World Cup? A favorite team? Hoping for upsets? Our sports contributor, Ibrahim Abdul-Matin says we might see some young talent emerge while older leaders have to sit out with injuries. 

In 1950, the U.S. soccer team took the field in Belo Horizonte, Brazil as 500-1 long shots to win the World Cup. Their opponents were the "Kings of Football," the English, who were 3-1 favorites to win it all. Behind the brilliant goal keeping of Frank Borghi, the U.S. was able to pull off one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, defeating England 1-0. Tomorrow, team USA will try and pull off a similar upset as they begin their World Cup campaign with an opening match against England.

Who are you rooting for and why? How do you celebrate the teams? Special foods? Special rituals? Share your World Cup stories with us.

The World Cup starts today, when the South African soccer team, better known as Bafana Bafana (The Boys), plays Mexico in what the South Africans hope will be an improbable run towards immortality: winning the World Cup as the host country, a feat done only six times since 1930.

In a sports event of this magnitude – indeed, one could argue that this is the biggest sporting event in the world, even bigger than the Olympics – this is no ordinary time for the world. There is oil spilling in the Gulf of Mexico, financial crisis ruining lives, water scarcity, and terrorists threatening to strike at every corner of the globe. Still, in spite of our insecurity, we pause to crown a champion in “the world game” or as it is also known: “the beautiful game.”

The FIFA World Cup is just two days away. Thirty-two teams will face off in 65 games over the course of one full month of soccer madness in South Africa. For those of us back here in the USA, we'll have to settle for clustering around television screens or surreptitious web feeds on our work computers. 

Sports Illustrated's Jen Chang tells us the most essential games to watch and, ahem, how to do it at work.