group stage ramblings

Well, the World Cup is upon us, and the US is in Group E for the group stage. This means they get to do a round robin with Italy, the Czech Republic, and Ghana. From what I hear, it seems like people feel we'll progress to the knockout rounds. I am tempted to agree. The Czechs are ranked second behind Brazil in the world rankings of national teams. I was a bit surprised by that, but what do you do. Italy has not fared well in a World Cup in a long time, apparently. They are better known for their domestic league than their national team. And then Ghana...well, they're 48th. And they need a webmaster. Just kidding, but yes, they would certainly be favored to bring up the rear of the group. I reckon the Czechs will win the group, and we will maybe advance on goal differential. Italy could well be a surprise. And so could we.

So, having said all that, what would happen if we were to advance out of the group stage? Well, being in Group E as we are, my understanding is that we would play a team in Group D. If we win E, we play D2, the second finisher in Group D. If we are second (E2), we play D1, so that could be Mexico, Iran, Angola, or Portugal. Frankly, it could go either way between Mexico and Portugal, but I'd be surprised if those aren't the possibilities as far as opponents in the first knockout round.

Let the fur fly! (How do you say that in German, by the way?)