Today was a massive World Cup preparation day for players making a case for the final squad and coaches deciding on roster spots as over 40 international matches took place across the globe. Here is a look at some of the key World Cup qualifier's match-ups by region:
Note - Most of the Asian teams were playing Asian Cup qualifiers today.
AFC (Asia) - All three playing countries won their respective games. Australia and Japan won Asian Cup qualifiers against weaker opponents. But the headliner grabber today was South Korea's 2-0 win against Ivory Coast, who has been a dark horse for the upcoming World Cup.
CAF (Africa) - All six African teams were in action, but only Nigeria could produce a victory albeit against another non-qualifying African team (5-2 over Congo). Cameroon managed a 0-0 draw against Italy, while Algeria lost 3-0 to Serbia.
CONCACAF (North America) - The score line looked close, but USA's 2-1 loss to Holland was completely one-sided. Mexico is also scheduled to play New Zealand (OFC's only qualified team) later tonight at the Rose Bowl in CA.
CONMEBOL (South America) - Argentina pulled in one of the most impressive wins today, 1-0 over Germany. Uruguay who was the last team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, took a big step in improving their confidence with a 3-1 victory against Switzerland.
UEFA (Europe) - England came from behind to win 3-1 over Egypt. France lost to Spain 2-0 for the ninth straight time. Greece posted a surprising lost to Senegal, 2-0. Portugal had a 2-0 win over China
You can get all of the international scores and full match reports at ESPN soccernet.
