Well, the United States will have their work cut out for them in the 2014 World Cup, as they have been drawn in the Group of Death with Germany, Portugal, and Ghana. A win in the first match against Ghana is a necessity, and then the U.S. will have to hope for a result against one of the European sides. The U.S. was so close to having an easier draw, as they could have been drawn in Group E (Switzerland, Ecuador, France) in place of Honduras, or if Russia had been drawn in Group G instead of Portugal. Group F is also rather tame, with Argentina, Bosnia, Iran, and Nigeria.
The U.S. has played all of its opponents in previous World Cups. The team will try to replicate the famous 3-2 victory over Portugal in 2002, and try to reverse the 2-0 defeat to Germany in 1998 and the tournament-ending losses to Ghana in the previous two tournaments. The U.S.-Germany match will have the Jurgen Klinsmann storyline, and the U.S. beat Germany in a friendly earlier this year, so there is some hope.
The U.S.’s arch rivals Mexico have a decent draw, with Brazil, Croatia, and Cameroon. Group B has Spain, Holland, Chile, and Australia, with the first match being a rematch of the 2010 final. The first round match-up between England and Italy in Group D (the Group of Death part two) should be interesting. Uruguay is the other contender in that group. All of the groups have at least three legitimate contenders to advance, so the tournament should be an exciting one.
Daniel Shank Cruz 