OT: Brutal World Cup Draw

[EdgewoodNHV]

Germany, Portugal, and Ghana?

Geeeeez.

 

[Dooley]

Yup, no bueno for Uncle Sam's Army.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

With what may be the best squad we've sent to one of these since the depression we could well be the worst team in our group.

I have a Columbian born co-worker who was laughing at their draw. A Brazilian woman who works for me (and hates that her government is spending the money, and allowing the corruption involved with hosting the World Cup) said that she expected an easy draw for Brazil but wanted to see them face a tough draw as they are only good when they expect to be challenged. She also is very angry with the (easy) draw that Argentina received.

 

[upstater]

With what may be the best squad we've sent to one of these since the depression we could well be the worst team in our group.

I have a Columbian born co-worker who was laughing at their draw. A Brazilian woman who works for me (and hates that her government is spending the money, and allowing the corruption involved with hosting the World Cup) said that she expected an easy draw for Brazil but wanted to see them face a tough draw as they are only good when they expect to be challenged. She also is very angry with the (easy) draw that Argentina received.

Well, the team that went to Japan was the best I've seen from the USA, if only because we haven't had a Claudio Reyna controlling the midfield for us since then. But I think your Colombian co-worker may be in for a rude awakening. No doubt they got an easy draw, but I can see all three of those teams beating Colombia. So. Korea's work rate is incredible, Greece has some nice strikers and play solid defense, and Ivory Coast sends a ton of players to the top levels of European leagues. Especially the two Toures at Liverpool and Manchester City.

 

[SubbaBub]

Not to mention they have to play at the jungle stadium in the Amazon.

Toughest group without a doubt and so obviously rigged it isn't funny, though not against the USA, but against Portugal.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I don't follow it as closely as many but I am very curious as to how Belgium was seeded. Is it possible that they are better at the moment than both Portugal and the Netherlands?

 

[Tommyboy]

How do they do the draw? Is it seeded? Names out of a hat?

 

[UConn Dan]

I don't follow it as closely as many but I am very curious as to how Belgium was seeded. Is it possible that they are better at the moment than both Portugal and the Netherlands?

No, and neither is Switzerland. FIFA seedings/rankings are a sham.

 

[UConn Dan]

How do they do the draw? Is it seeded? Names out of a hat?

There are "seeded" teams for each group including the host. And then they group the rest into 3 different pools to pick (out of hat basically) so that you don't have more than 2 teams from Europe in one group.

 

[upstater]

It's basically a random draw after the first 8 seeds. So whoever goes against those seeds, it's random, though geography plays a factor. There wasn't an instance today though where 3 from the same continent (i.e. Europe) ended up in the same group. You can have no more than 2 from the same continent.

 

[Tommyboy]

There are "seeded" teams for each group including the host. And then they group the rest into 3 different pools to pick (out of hat basically) so that you don't have more than 2 teams from Europe in one group.

Thanks.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

How do they do the draw? Is it seeded? Names out of a hat?

The top 8 are seeded, then those countries wishing to avoid a 'Group of Death' deposit large summs of money at various FIFA officials' off-shore bank accounts add a few escort service vouchers, and pray that you are not the US.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don't follow it as closely as many but I am very curious as to how Belgium was seeded. Is it possible that they are better at the moment than both Portugal and the Netherlands?

Rankings say no. http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html Not that these mean much.

Belgium however, got through qualifying without losing. Portugal needed a playoff against Sweden to qualify. Portugal is a perpetual disappointment anyway. Let's hope that continues. I'm not sure I'd rather have Belgium or the Swiss in our group.

 

[Waquoit]

In the words of a HOF basketball coach, "It's doable."

 

[Dooley]

Guess we'll have to wait until 2018 to advance to the Quarters. My goodness, that is a brutal group.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Klinsmann's biggest concern appears to be travel to/from and playing at Manaus. I honestly think he does not fear any team and the US has proven that on any given day, it can play against the best. The challenge is that the US will need to bring it’s A+ game 3 games in a row in order to advance. Any slip-up and the US is toast in this group.

 

[UConn Dan]

Rankings say no. http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html Not that these mean much.

Belgium however, got through qualifying without losing. Portugal needed a playoff against Sweden to qualify. Portugal is a perpetual disappointment anyway. Let's hope that continues. I'm not sure I'd rather have Belgium or the Swiss in our group.

Sorry, not hoping "that continues" (I'm of Portuguese Ancestry) and that's not even all that true. So here's hoping there's some magic happens and USA and Portugal both go through. Death to Germany and Ghana.

 

[ZooCougar]

Well, the team that went to Japan was the best I've seen from the USA, if only because we haven't had a Claudio Reyna controlling the midfield for us since then. But I think your Colombian co-worker may be in for a rude awakening. No doubt they got an easy draw, but I can see all three of those teams beating Colombia. So. Korea's work rate is incredible, Greece has some nice strikers and play solid defense, and Ivory Coast sends a ton of players to the top levels of European leagues. Especially the two Toures at Liverpool and Manchester City.

They never played a game in Japan. Not sure it was the best team. Friedel played out of his mind, they may have just played better than more talented US teams.

 

[Palatine]

The USA coach has already said we have no chance. So there's that to take the sting out of the group.

 

[ZooCougar]

One other thing about Portugal. I was at the US-Portugal game in 2002 and every other game the US played in that WC.

In that game we totally stunned them with our speed, I remember Donovan and Beasley making bug runs on the outside. We played like world beaters for most of the game. That team had the player of the year, Luis Figo, who is comparable to Christiano Ronaldo.

I still think that drawing against South Korea was one of the best performances of any team in that tournament. They were incredibly difficult to compete with, and I am pretty sure Hiddink had them doped up on something.

 

[upstater]

They never played a game in Japan. Not sure it was the best team. Friedel played out of his mind, they may have just played better than more talented US teams.

I meant that world cup.

 

[ZooCougar]

I meant that world cup.

I did too the World Cup was split between Korea and Japan. The US played every game in Korea.

 

[SubbaBub]

Its different for every WC and FIFA changes the rule quite often, almost always favoring UEFA (europe) which is the strongest most influential federation, but sometimes favoring S. America or the bribe of the moment (Russia 2018 or Qatar 2022).

The seeds were determined on a weighted points basis for sanctioned matches played in the last four years, including the 2010 WC. The formula favors European team by weighting matches played against UEFA team at a 33% premium vs. matches against teams from North/Central America.

The draw consisted of four pots with one team from each pot filling out a group with the caveat that no group can have more than 2 UEFA teams. The pots were:

1. 7 seeded teams plus the host, Brazil
2. Africa, unseed S. American teams plus the 9th UEFA team.
3. North and Central America plus Asia (includes the US and us by far the weakest group of teams)
4. 8 remaining unseeded UEFA teams.

The US was guaranteed to face in its group, a seeded team, a UEFA, plus a team from pot 2 and prevented from drawing an easy match against an Asian team.

 

[Kgun7]

I was really praying for Russia in that last spot!!!

However ... I really like the order in which we play these teams. The US is really chomping at the bit to finally defeat Ghana in the first game. Portugal actually provides the least sexy of the match-ups in the second. And finally ... Klinsmann and the German born Americans vs Germany in the third and final match.

I know a lot of second round seats are secured and lost through the draw ... but I think the order in which you play your games has a pretty big impact also.

 

[ZooCougar]

In 2002 we played really well against the Germans. We had a ton of players on the roster with Bundesliga experience. We got screwed out of a goal with a hand ball. All of the games will be very tough, none are unwinnable.