World Cup 2014: How Far Can the United States Really Go in the Group of Death?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: December 6, 2013

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There are 32 teams in the 2014 World Cup final. For now, the United States only has to worry about three of them. And worry they should.

For the next six months, it's all about escaping Group G.

Germany, Ghana, Portugal or death.

"I kind of had it in my stomach that we were going to get Germany," U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap during the World Cup draw televised coverage. "Obviously it's one of the most difficult groups in the whole draw…it couldn't get any more difficult or any bigger.

"But that's what the World Cup is about," he continued. "It's a real challenge and we'll take it. We'll take it on and hopefully we're going to surprise some people there."

Klinsmann refused to call any team, let alone the USMNT, an underdog. It's the World Cup, and every team qualified to be there. Still, some teams are certainly more suited for surviving the tournament than others, and tiny balls in giant bowls did the United States no favors this time around.



 

As well as the U.S. has played under Klinsmann, the team will have to play "out of their skin," as ESPN commentator Ian Darke put it, in order to advance.

There's no comfort to being the 14th team in the FIFA World Rankings when you're grouped with two teams in the top five—Germany is second and Portugal is fifth—and a third, No. 24 Ghana, that is a notoriously tough matchup for the United States. 

If you don't recall recent World Cup history for the United States, Ghana knocked out the Americans in each of the last two World Cups: a 2-1 defeat in the Round of 16 in 2010 and a 2-1 defeat in the final group stage match in 2006 to prevent the United States from advancing.

Klinsmann talked about his team's ability to get ready for the first match against Ghana, telling Schaap, "after two losses, it's about...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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