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Entering the round of 16 at the World Cup in South Africa, Argentina was a 4/1 favorite to capture one of sport’s most prized titles. After getting past Mexico to reach the quarterfinals, Argentina only needed to get by Germany to reach the semifinals. However, Germany rolled to a 4-0 win to put a disappointing end to Argentina’s bid at a World Cup championship. The victory put Germany into the semifinals for the third straight World Cup. Spain, the Netherlands and Uruguay are also just two wins away from hoisting the title cup.

Uruguay in the underdog role

Among the four teams, Uruguay is the biggest underdog. In the opening semifinal match on Tuesday, the Netherlands is a heavy favorite (-0.5 goals -165) to advance into the finals against Uruguay.

The Netherlands is seeking its first World Cup title. The country finished in second place in 1974 and 1978. The Netherlands came in fourth place in its last trip to the semifinals back in 1998.

Uruguay won the initial World Cup championship in 1930. The country also won the World Cup in 1950. Uruguay is back in the semifinals for the first time since a fourth place effort in 1970. In a favorable bracket, Uruguay was able to reach the semifinals by defeating Ghana in a quarterfinal match that was decided by penalty kicks. In a tougher bracket, the Netherlands took out one of the World Cup favorites in a 2-1 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals.

In the other semifinal contest on Wednesday, Spain is a slight -120 choice over Germany.Spain’s only previous trip to the semifinals resulted in a fourth place finish in 1950. Spain was able to finally get back to the World Cup semifinals with a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in the quarterfinals. While Spain has rarely been in the spotlight at the World Cup, Germany has been a constant presence in the semifinals. In its 12th appearance in the World Cup semifinals, Germany has been to soccer’s “Final Four” more often than any other nation. The country has captured three World Cup titles (1954, 1974 and 1990) along the way. In the overall odds to win the World Cup, Germany is the slight favorite at odds of +180. Spain (+190) and the Netherlands (+195) are just behind the favorite while Uruguay is the clear longshot at +900.    

The two teams that battled it out in the 2006 World Cup final weren’t able to escape the first round this time around. Italy and France were among the notable countries that failed to reach the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup. Defending champion Italy finished in last place in its Group F bracket to mark the biggest surprise of the opening stage of the tourney. Here are how the odds stacked up entering the round of 16:

Argentina 4/1

Brazil 9/2

Spain 5/1

Netherlands 13/2

Germany 10/1

England 12/1

Uruguay 14/1

Portugal 18/1

USA 33/1

Paraguay 33/1

Chile 40/1

Ghana 40/1

Mexico 50/1

Japan 66/1

South Korea 125/1

Slovakia 150/1

US unable to get past Ghana

After winning Group C to reach the round of 16, the United States was given a reasonable chance of reaching the quarterfinals heading into last Saturday’s matchup against Ghana. However, the US came up short in a 2-1 defeat to end its hopes of a lengthy run at this year’s event. In the other contest on Saturday, favored Uruguay took care of South Korea to reach the quarterfinals.

On July 2nd, Uruguay will face off against Ghana for a trip to the semifinals. Uruguay is a -240 favorite in the match. Ghana has never advanced to the semifinals at the World Cup. In contrast, Uruguay has been to the semifinals on four occasions but its last trip was back in 1970.

In the other quarterfinals matchup that is set, Argentina will battle Germany on July 3rd. In this battle, Argentina is a -150 favorite. Germany rolled to a 4-1 victory over England on Sunday while Argentina handled Mexico by a count of 3-1. Germany is looking to reach the semifinals for a third straight World Cup. The country’s last World Cup championship was in 1990. Argentina last trip to the semifinals was in 1990.

The Netherlands advanced to the round of eight on Monday as expected with a 2-1 victory over Slovakia. The Netherlands has never won a World Cup. The country’s most recent run to the semifinals was in 1998. In the quarterfinals, the Netherlands is expected to face Brazil. In the round of 16, Chile is a significant underdog to a Brazil squad that has won the most World Cups with five. In the last round of 16 matches on Tuesday, Paraguay is favored to get by Japan while Spain is projected to dispatch Portugal.         

The World Cup began with some dramatics last weekend. In one of the most intriguing early games, the underdog United States squad matched up against England on Saturday. With the help of a botched play by England’s goalie, the Americans were able to come away with a 1-1 draw to open play at the World Cup in South Africa.

The United States will return to action on Friday in Group C play against Slovenia. On the money line, the US is a -215 favorite in the match. In 3-way odds, the United States is at +100, Slovenia is at +265 and a draw is at +230. Slovenia secured a 1-0 victory in its opening World Cup match against Algeria. In the overall lines to win the World Cup, the US is still a significant longshot at 37/1. At odds of +365, Spain is the slight favorite to win the Cup. Brazil (+380) is close behind. Spain and Brazil will swing into action for the first time later this week.

Westwood brings momentum into US Open

While Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are the co-favorites for this week’s US Open at Pebble Beach with odds of +725, England’s Lee Westwood (+1015) appears to be a significant threat to upstage the game’s biggest names in golf’s second major of the year. The 37-year-old Westwood is arguably the best player currently on the PGA Tour to have never won a major. He has won 32 pro tournaments worldwide in his career.

Last weekend, Westwood secured his second career win in the United States with a victory at the St. Jude Classic in Memphis. It was his fifth top 10 finish in eight PGA events in 2010. Recently, Westwood has been on the verge of breaking through to win a major. He finished second to Phil Mickelson at the Masters in April. In the final two majors of 2009, Westwood came in third place at the PGA Championship and British Open. He also came in third at the 2008 US Open. Woods began a streak of four straight major victories with a dominant win in the last US Open contested at Pebble Beach ten years ago. With five runner-up finishes at the US Open, Mickelson is looking to finally come out on top in the event.

Europe favored in Ryder Cup

While the US Open is the focus of the golf world this week, the Ryder Cup will garner the headlines in early October. Europe is a -165 favorite to regain the Cup after losing on US soil in 2008. The event will take place in the city of Newport, South Wales in the United Kingdom.