Japan's 1-0 win, powered by Honda

No hybrids here. Japan's lone striker Keisuke Honda snuck in the only score of the game in the 38th minute to put his side over Cameroon. The 900-1 shots notched three points, which should come in handy as they jockey for the maid of honor position among the Netherlands' bridesmaids. The result is a surprise, the shock of which was nearly usurped by the rain-drenched 1-1 tie between Paraguay and Italy in the day's third game.

Cameroon appears to be in trouble. Eto'o, their best player, had several inspired plays but his teammates were unable to either capitalize or complement. If the Netherlands' reputably shaky defense holds up, the Lions could be looking at another long day soon.

Let's return to Japan: we have another Asia Pacific representative outperforming low expectations. Victor Mather of the New York Times noted that at halftime of this game (after Japan took the lead), worldwide bookmakers were offering 8-1 on Cameroon's winning this game. Not tying this game. Winning it. On top of South Korea's 2-0 win over [an admittedly limpid] Greece, we have a strong initial showing from the Region that Football Forgot.

Do these surprises re-shape the landscape of group play and beyond? Very unlikely. We still have North Korea-Brazil tomorrow, and South Korea and Japan both still face stiff competition in their respective pools. But for now, two underdogs have provided the loudest splashes so far in the tournament. It's always the quiet ones.