Frankly Speaking: Komac guarantees more than he can deliver

Why do athletes do this to themselves?

Andrej Komac, a reserve for Slovenia, has guaranteed victory against the U.S. on Friday, an unnecessary jab that will undoubtedly become locker room fodder for the Americans.

I don't mind that Komac is confident. Any player who believes his team is going to lose shouldn't be on the field. However, there's something to be said about modesty and keeping such wishful dreams to oneself.

Let's be real here: Komac is a substitute, an otherwise unnoticed cog in the Slovenian machine. He's playing for a team that just won its first match in World Cup history. His only noteworthy moment at this World Cup - ridiculous prediction notwithstanding - has been a yellow card against Algeria.

Slovenia should enjoy its time atop the Group C table because it may be short lived. A quick rundown of what I saw on Sunday:

• Team Charlie Brown looked dreadfully vanilla against Algeria (a team that's about as dangerous as a disgruntled jackass penguin)
• The decisive goal in Sunday's thriller didn't arrive until the 79th minute - a strike that found netting only after the second-biggest goalkeeping blunder of the World Cup
• That wünder goal came six minutes after Algerian Abdelkader Ghezzal's sending off for trying to replicate Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" in the Slovenian box

In summation, Slovenia needed a lucky goal while playing against 10 men in order to defeat a weak team. Anybody else unimpressed? Before making any noise on the world's stage, please register some meaningful qualifications.

Andrej Komac, consider yourself on blast - if you even see the field - when the U.S. plays Slovenia on Friday.