U.S. Soccer Faces Death
This World Cup includes a U.S. Soccer team which demands respect. This U.S. team may be the first with a real, legitimate shot at doing some damage and even winning the World Cup. Led by midfielders Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, the U.S. has finally reached a respectable level in national soccer, and can claim to be competitive with the rest of the world.
So what does the U.S. get for finally fielding a team that is actually getting the attention of the Brazil's and Germany's of the world? They get stuck in the group of death. The U.S. must finish among the top two in their group, which also includes the powerhouse Czech Republic, powerful Italy, and a surprisingly strong Ghana. Any of these teams would be likely to emerge from any other group, but only two will advance to the big show.
The opening game on Monday will be the most critical for the U.S. A loss to the Czech Republic probably would shut the door on the U.S. in terms of getting out of their group. However, a tie against the Czech Republic would put the U.S. in a great position to advance, and a win would virtually guarantee it. Though a strong showing against Italy and a win against Ghana are also necessary, the opening game is the most critical. The U.S. has a chance to show the world that they are ready to compete with the rest of the world against the Czech Republic.
So what does the U.S. get for finally fielding a team that is actually getting the attention of the Brazil's and Germany's of the world? They get stuck in the group of death. The U.S. must finish among the top two in their group, which also includes the powerhouse Czech Republic, powerful Italy, and a surprisingly strong Ghana. Any of these teams would be likely to emerge from any other group, but only two will advance to the big show.
The opening game on Monday will be the most critical for the U.S. A loss to the Czech Republic probably would shut the door on the U.S. in terms of getting out of their group. However, a tie against the Czech Republic would put the U.S. in a great position to advance, and a win would virtually guarantee it. Though a strong showing against Italy and a win against Ghana are also necessary, the opening game is the most critical. The U.S. has a chance to show the world that they are ready to compete with the rest of the world against the Czech Republic.
posted by AdmiralLando at 4:24 PM
2 Comments:
My sports knowledge is vast and expansive. I know all, see all, and tell some of it.
Honestly, I'm not a huge soccer fan, but the World Cup is a different animal. The World Cup is probably the biggest sports event on the planet (maybe second to the Summer Olympics), so it's worth paying some attention.
The U.S. is supposed to be good this year, we have stars at the right positions (midfielders and goal keeper), and we're poised to earn some international respect, if we can get past the Czechs. If not, it's back to the drawing board.
Unfortunately, with that loss to the Czechs, the U.S. run is probably over. Even an unlikely victory over Italy would not secure a spot for the U.S. They'd need to beat Italy and Ghana, and then either get a Czech victory or win the tie-break against Italy. Not bloody likely.
Of course, advancing past the group of death would have only resulted in a matchup against Brazil, who everyone knows is a futbol beast, and who obviously would have kicked the crap out of the U.S.
The U.S. needs to lick its wounds, have a respectable showing against Italy, beat Ghana, and come back in four years with an improved team. And hope for a better draw, because this was ridiculous.
Post a Comment
<< Home