I'd rather talk about the largest sporting event in the world. Besides that, I play soccer and I like to watch soccer. I would be admittedly less interested if the USA squad had zero chance of advancing past the first round, and I'd have no interest whatsoever if the USA team didn't even make it to the World Cup Finals (or what most people know simply as "The World Cup"). However, those statements are not the case. The US team has a very good chance to get out of the first round and even cause some noise in the knockout stage. Could they win it all? Yes. By comparison, the Atlanta Hawks had a chance to win the NBA championship... they are a good team with some nice components, but it's just not very likely.
If you don't like soccer, suck it... I'm going to talk about it anyway.
The World Cup works like this: There are 8 groups labeled A through H. In each group, there are four teams. For example, the United States is in Group C along with England, Slovenia, and Algeria. Each team in the group will play each other once in the first round of the tournament. A team earns 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. At the end of the first round, the scores in the group are tallied up and the top 2 teams from each group move on to the knockout stage. There are a bunch of tiebreakers if two or three teams all have the same point total. The first tiebreaker is how the teams fared in head-to-head play. If they tied in head-to-head play, then I think it comes down to goal differential, then goals scored, etc. In the knockout stage, there can be no ties, so teams will be "seeded" and matched up against one another, then will have to win to move on. If a team doesn't win in regulation time, then they will go to 2 extra periods. If they are still tied, the game will go to penalty kicks, 5 for each team. This happens more often than you would think... Italy won the World Cup final game on penalty kicks in 2006.
Now let's talk about the 3 other teams facing the United States in Group C:
- England - an undeniably tough team, but a lucky draw for the United States. Why do I say that? Because only one other team that we could have drawn from the same "pot" is a better matchup for the US, and that team is the World Cup host nation, South Africa. But for the record, the host nation has never failed to move on to the knockout stage. I won't go into why the draw works out this way, but the United States could have faced Brazil, Spain, Holland, Argentina, Germany, or Italy instead. Since England has a style of play that the Americans are comfortable playing, this was a fortunate draw. England is fast on the wings, physical in the center, and has one of the most gifted players in the world in Wayne Rooney. They also have a Cleveland Browns-like penchant for choking and won their last World Cup around the same time the Browns won the NFL championship (I believe around 1961... not curious enough to fact check here, but I know I'm close for both teams). However, I think the new coach for England is doing a wonderful job there, and I fully expect them to win the group. This could be the year that they pull a 2004 Red Sox and beat their curse, but I am guessing that they will bow out in the quarterfinals.
- Slovenia - it's a tiny country which was once part of Yugoslavia. When I say tiny, I mean that population-wise, it's as big as the Hampton Roads area of Virginia... roughly 2 million people. They are the smallest country in the World Cup, however they are stout defensively and only gave up 4 goals in the last qualifying round prior to the World Cup Finals. Their most notable player is midfielder and team captain Robert Koren. He can score the occasional goal, but he's more known as a playmaker and orchestrator of the offense. However, like I said before, this team is known for their defense. The back 4 are solid, but not many people know their names (including me). Expect the USA to defeat them, but a tie shouldn't surprise you either.
- Algeria - Algeria managed to upset the favorites from their African qualifying group, Egypt, to book their ticket to the World Cup Finals. Algeria plays with flair and passion, but they do so with a weak squad. You should expect the United States to score more goals against Algeria than in either of their other two matches. Algeria is also known for having a bunch of hotheads... they were eliminated from the African Cup of Nations because they had 3 players get red-carded IN THE SAME GAME against Egypt (Egypt's revenge against Algeria for knocking them out of the World Cup picture, as they won 4-0). Algeria's best known player is probably Nadjir Belhadj, a left back who is more offensively focused making runs up the sideline than defensively focused. Algeria has a few players who can shoot it from distance, but shouldn't be able to mount much of an attack otherwise. Expect the US to defeat them in a game the US needs to win to move on.
- Tim Howard - Contrary to what you might think, the success of the US starts with its goalkeeper, Tim Howard. You will notice that I didn't put Landon Donovan here. You might think I have a little bias being a goalkeeper, myself, but I think most people in the know would say the same thing. Howard is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, and personally I would put him in the top 5 because I weigh shot-blocking and positioning much higher than other parts of a goalkeeper's duty, such as commanding the back line of the defense and distributing the ball on goal kicks and punts. The team will live and die depending on Howard's ability to come up with a few clutch saves.
- Landon Donovan - I think it's fair to say Donovan is the second most important player to the success of the US squad. Donovan has a sublime combination of speed, technical skill, and passing ability. At the international level, he is known more for his ability to create opportunities for others than for being the one to put the ball in the back of the net. Coach Bob Bradley typically chooses to deploy Landon in the midfield on the left wing, where he is free to either cross the ball with his left foot or else tuck inside and shoot or create havoc with his right foot.
- Clint Dempsey - If there is any player on the US squad who is known for being "clutch", it is Clint Dempsey. He scored the only goal for the US in their lackluster showing in the 2006 World Cup, and he has scored several key goals for his club, Fulham, in the English Premier League. He is a player with exceptional foot skill and has the ability to finish either inside the box, from long range, or with his head. His trickery with the ball can sometimes lead to bad giveaways, and that's really his only major flaw as a player. He's a potent offensive force.
- Carlos Bocanegra - Boca is the captain of the US team and one of its most tenured players. He has the versatility to be deployed both in a central defender role or as a left back, but you can rest assured he will be a starter. Carlos is also known for occasionally putting the ball in the back of the net on corner kicks and set plays where he comes forward from his defensive position to use his best asset... his aerial prowess.
- Oguchi Onyewu - Although his name doesn't sound very American, he is very much so. At 6'5" and 215 lbs, he is the size of an NFL free safety, and can hit like one too. In fact, he has a reputation for picking up fouls due solely to the fact that he's huge and other players can't withstand his awesome power. "Gooch" is just recently returning from injury, so his training sessions and play against the Czech Republic on Tuesday will go a long way towards showing Bob Bradley that he is ready to resume his starting role.
- Michael Bradley - He may be the coach's son, but he's earned his spot in the starting lineup. Michael has an intense demeanor both on and off the field, so it's no surprise that he plays with hustle and passion. He has a good blend of speed and power, and is capable of scoring goals (put in 17 in a season for Herenveen in the Dutch league in 2007-2008). Bradley is also an asset defensively where he can tackle with the best of them. His only negative aspect is his fondness for picking up yellow cards... goes hand in hand with the intensity. He is not going to wow you with his foot skills, but he moves the ball effectively when it's at his feet.
- Jozy Altidore - The most exciting player for the future of the US team. Altidore is big and strong, but is also skillful with the ball. Oh, and he's only 20 years old. So expect him to be around not just for this World Cup, but for the 2014, 2018, and possibly 2022 World Cup. Being so young, Jozy is prone to mental lapses and squandered chances, but his ability to create a goal at the appropriate time (see his goal against Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup) is rare among forwards for the US team. He has a tendency to ramp up his play against better competition, so expect to see him full-tilt at the World Cup.
- Brian Ching - An oldie but a goodie. At 32 years old, this will be Ching's last World Cup, but he brings the same components to the table that he always has. He's never been a gifted finisher and he was never going to shock you with his speed, but he battles hard to win the ball and holds it up well once he does. He's the kind of striker that can buy your team time to get forward and attack, and he will win a handful of fouls for your team creating set play chances near the opponent's box. A player like Ching is always useful to have.
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