This post may be a little late — after all, only 8 of the 32 teams remain — but this is when the World Cup really gets exciting. Quarterfinalists are usually great teams, teams that didn’t just advance due to an easy group draw (Paraguay excluded), teams that all have a realistic chance at pulling off 3 more wins and taking home the Cup (except Ghana). To celebrate the much better quality of play that is sure to happen in the coming week and a half, I give you the best places to watch the World Cup stretch run:

• Slainte – Bowery St. & Houston St.
  Pretty decent food, fair amount of beers, usually not too crowded, and enough TVs that your view won’t get blocked by that one tall jackass who just won’t sit down. Recommended if you’re neutral about the teams playing, the fans usually don’t get too rowdy.

• Zum Schneider – Avenue C & 7th St.
  Germany fans go here. Holland fans go here. Others? I’d recommend skipping it, unless you want to be in the minority (like the 3 Japan fans that went there for Holland/Japan). Nice big screen and good food (the brat with sauerkraut at 7:30 AM was a great idea) makes this a good place to go for the games, provided you won’t be cheering for Argentina or Brazil.

• Nevada Smith’s – 3rd Ave. & 12th St.
  Good luck getting in, this place is always packed (and for you underage readers, you’re not getting in, I can almost guarantee it), but it provides the best atmosphere in the city, at least that I’ve found. The bar has been featured on ESPN’s World Cup coverage, so there’s that too.

• Tom & Jerry’s – Houston St. & Elizabeth St.
  Got to give Kenny props for this bar. Small and out of the way, this place brought out every USA fan for the England game (hurray!) and the game we won’t speak of (damnit, Ghana). I’m curious to see how this place fares for games that don’t involve the red, white, and blue, however.

• Home
  Seriously. Sometimes, watching at home, without loud fans spilling their beers all over you and yelling incorrect advice to players thousands of miles away, can be the best idea. I recommend watching the lesser games — Uruguay/Ghana, I’m looking at you — at home.

Finally, here are my predictions. For the first time ever, in any sporting event, I’m actually doing well in my bracket. That’s going downhill now that I said that. Be sure to argue in the comments about how I’m an idiot.

Quarterfinals

Brazil 3 Netherlands 2 (I’m crying inside for betraying my beloved Oranje) – 7/2, 10 a.m.
Uruguay 2 Ghana 0 – 7/2, 2:30 p.m.
Argentina 3 Germany 1 (This makes me feel better) – 7/3, 10 a.m.
Spain 2 Paraguay 1 – 7/3, 2:30 p.m.

Semifinals
Argentina 2 Spain 1 – 7/7 – 2:30 p.m.
Brazil 1 Uruguay 0 – 7/7 – 2:30 p.m.

Third Place Match
Spain 2 Uruguay 0 – 7/10, 2:30 p.m.

Final
Argentina 3 Brazil 2 – 7/11, 2:30 p.m.

AR! GEN! TINA!