FIFA World Cup 2014 Draw Announced: U.S. Doomed?
The highly anticipated FIFA World Cup 2014 draw was announced on Friday. And as many of their fans feared, the U.S. was placed in a difficult group that many are calling the ‘group of death.’
Their draw places the U.S. soccer team in group G, along with Ghana, Portugal, and Germany. In their seventh straight appearance at the world’s most watched sporting event, the Men’s National Team will open on June 16 in Natal against Ghana. Ghana has eliminated the U.S. in the last two World Cup events.
Next they will travel almost 9,000 miles for a June 22 matchup against soccer god Cristian Ronaldo and Portugal and Cristian Ronaldo in the Amazon rain forest city Manaus.
The U.S. will close group play on June 26 in Recife against Germany. Germany is responsible for defeating the U.S. team in quarterfinal play back in 2002.
As a middle of the pack national soccer team, the U.S. finds themselves up against some of the best competitors in the world. While they had a fairly decent qualifying showing in the preliminary events, it doesn’t seem that FIFA felt it was good enough to get an easier pairing. U.S. soccer fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure.
Ghana has beaten US in last 2 World Cups. Germany has won 3. Portugal has Ronaldo #GroupofDeath » http://t.co/z02tiinzKL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 6, 2013
With the USA #WorldCupDraw who thinks FIFA is sticking it to us for being the best country in everything OTHER than soccer? ? — Dan Gheesling (@DanGheesling) December 6, 2013
The United States just got placed in the SEC West. — Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) December 6, 2013
That #WorldCupDraw was not kind to the U.S. That group with Germany, Portugal and Ghana has to be the Group of Death. pic.twitter.com/7FSuzxzFJM
— Alex M. Silverman (@AlexMSilverman) December 6, 2013
It will be a long, uphill battle for the U.S. Men’s National Team. But U.S. goalie Tim Howard isn’t scared of the group of death.
