Picks: Germany, Portugal

Tuesday, July 4, 2006 | 7:25 a.m.

Herculez Gomez is now $40 richer, having won an Andrew Jackson each from two Brazilians he's played with this season on the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Gomez, a Las Vegas native and second-year starter at striker for the Galaxy, bet Paulo Nagamura and Marcelo Saragosa before the World Cup that defending champion Brazil would not advance to Sunday's final in Berlin.

Brazil lost to France 1-0 Saturday in a quarterfinal in Frankfurt, Germany.

"That's how confident I was," said Herculez, who in his regular analyses for the Sun often talked about how the Brazilians lacked chemistry and style as they won Group F and then beat Ghana 3-0 in the second round.

The Las Vegas High graduate continues his exclusive World Cup reviews and previews for Sun readers.

Q: Wasn't that a bad break for Argentina, when goalie Roberto Abbondanzieri had to be replaced in the 71st minute against Germany?

Yes, but Abbondanzieri never really convinced me of being a top keeper. So, when he went down, I thought: Whoa, this might be it for Argentina. It's Germany's World Cup to lose now.

Wasn't the Ukraine outclassed in its 3-0 defeat to Italy?

It was one of those countries happy to go as far as it did. They should hold their heads up high, playing in their first World Cup. They showed very well.

But what about Andriy Shevchenko? Seems he hasn't done much on some big stages over the last 14 months?

You can't say it's his team, AC Milan. That's a great bunch. On the national level, I don't think the rest of the team is up to par with him. He was asked to do a lot, and I thought he played very well against Italy. He created and did well in the box, trying to coordinate them.

Do you feel for England fans, with their team again bowing out of a major tournament on penalty kicks?

Yeah, you have to feel for them. It's like '98 all over again for them. This time, it's another young, hot-tempered player - just Wayne Rooney instead of David Beckham. This was probably their best team, with the best chance, and they let it go.

Last time we talked, you provided reasons why some English might not take to Beckham as captain. Did you hear that he resigned from wearing the captain's arm band?

No, I didn't hear that, but I'm not surprised at all. Why does he want it? He's done everything he's wanted to, except win the World Cup. He's getting up there in age, and he doesn't need all that pressure and stress.

That team has had hard-nosed, rugged captains in previous years. He's very uncharacteristic of what they've had previously. You could tell something wasn't gelling.

France's 1-0 victory over Brazil, then, didn't shock you?

That's a good French team. They're playing good soccer at the right moment. That's what good teams do. It will be hard to knock them off the wave they're on right now.

If you're the boss of another squad playing them, what do you do?

You can't sit back. You have to be more creative. Brazil lacked in the final third of that match. You can't give guys with the skill of Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry time to act on the ball. And the French counterattack was brilliant: Four guys running at Brazil's three. France should have punished them more.

A lot has been said about the aging French. How are they doing it?

Zidane isn't the fastest guy or most energetic, but what he lacks in youth and exuberance he makes up in experience and skill. He was all over the place and not just physically. Mentally, he was one step ahead of the Brazilians. He knew where a play was going before it happened, and he slowed the game when it needed to be slowed.

What about the Germany-Italy semifinal today in Dortmund?

My roommate says Italy; so I'll have to say Germany. They've got the crowd behind them, and they can take advantage of that. Italy's a good defensive team, but every time I watch them, they lull me to sleep. Go with Germany.

And the Portugal-France semifinal Wednesday in Munich?

Portugal. They have a good mix of youth and experience. As much as I don't like (coach Luiz Felipe) Scolari, he has them playing great football at the right time. France might have overdone their welcome. Take Portugal to break that disappointing streak that they've shared with Spain.

What Portuguese tactics will give them an edge over the French?

They have speed outside and they're very creative, with Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo and Maniche. They're very disciplined. Defensively, they're hard to get by. The key for France is to get Zidane and Henry involved. They should get the ball to those guys as much as possible and let them do their things.