USA-England. Ghana-Germany. Argentina-Nigeria. Argentina-Greece. Brazil-Ivory Coast. Brazil-Portugal. Mexico-France. Landon Donovan v. David Beckham. Michael Essien v. Michael Ballack. Kaká v. Ronaldo v. Drogba. Poor North Korea getting so thoroughly destroyed in Group G that even its own state media will have a hard time finding a positive spin.
(Seriously, one of the great unheralded subplots of this World Cup is going to be the North Korean media facing its greatest challenge yet. We’re going to see a whole trove of stories about how the August Wave of People Prosperity Power valiantly sacrificed itself 4-0 to a laughably inferior Ivory Coast team in order to demonstrate the glorious sportsmanship of the scientific and militant youth fraternity of the Juche. The human creativity on display will verge on the science-fictional. We could see a movie about this one day.)
I will take this World Cup draw, even if Spain and Italy are going to float to the knockout rounds on their backs in a canoe, and even if France are probably going to sneak through.
As for the USMNT: it’s not the Group of Death, which is pretty clearly Group G, and everyone’s celebrating, but I’m trying not to get too excited. There’s no reason to expect a result against England (in all seriousness, why should we be confident about this matchup? because of 1950?), Algeria proved their credibility against Egypt, and Slovenia is not as much of a pushover as we think. They just sent Russia home on an ox-cart, after all. Yes, we should go through, although if we lose to England on June 12 and Slovenia beat Algeria on June 13, we’re going to have a nervous few days before a huge game against Slovenia on the 18th. Then again, if we beat England, we can probably write our own ticket.
I love a good beginning.
Read More: World Cup
by Brian Phillips · December 4, 2009
Spain may like their group but they won’t fancy their next game at all.
I’m just hoping for a draw in the opening stages, although with Darren Bent and Jermaine Defoe possibly partnering Rooney, it’s not unrealistic to expect a comfortable 5-0 US victory.
Although both countries suffer from overconfidence and nerves at this level – the team which keeps their head on straight will take the spoils.
I don’t think there *is* a Group of Death this Cup.
You can’t have a World Cup without a Group of Death. Commentators know the phrase.
While I agree that the NK media having to write a story so at odds with what may be reality is intriguing, say for a minute that they did qualify out of the group stage. Would the media bureau in Pyongyang become so white-hot that they melt through the earth’s crust into the underworld?
Next year’s Group of Death is not quite as good as that of 2006. I mean, come on:
Argentina
Netherlands
Cote D’Ivoire
Serbia and Montenegro
That’s about as evil as it gets. Germany haven’t got an easy group this time either.
I predict North Korea will have a goal differential of -15.
Group F will be eventually be recognized as the Group of Death. But it will be the spectators, not the teams, who feel the sting of the scythe.
Honestly, is there a game in that bunch that you’d pay money to see? Sure, there will be goals in the games involving New Zealand, but the drama will be of the “Can they lose to Paraguay by fewer goals than they beat the Cook Islands by?” sort, not the kind that is actually enjoyable to watch. Otherwise, I predict 0-0, 0-0, 0-0, and 0-0. Italy and Paraguay advance as they both manage to put more goals past New Zealand than Slovakia does.
I’ll rest my case with this: Andrew Boyens starts for New Zealand.
I am unfamiliar with the editor and the staffs’ work of this site, and sincerely hope that the grammar improves before the World Cup, as some valid points are let down by being rather poorly expressed.
It’s also filled with hackneyed phrases liked “group of death” and slanted towards mentioning North Korea, when 99% of people have scant knowledge of the state and its place in the world today, only what the Western-leaning media tells it.
Transdniestr, anyone?
“Germany haven’t got an easy group this time either.”
Australia, on a good day, can match Germany. They’ve beaten Ireland, Uzbekistan, Japan and Netherlands this year. They’ll see Serbia & Ghana as entirely beatable. That’s going to be an interesting group.
England have the best group since the Beatles … as they say but the USA game won’t be anywhere near as exciting as previous commenters have suggested.
Under-rate NKR at your peril, they’re a tough, hard working side, they don’t play traditional Asian football. It’ll be very interesting to see them against the relative flair of Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast.
France managed to get seeded without getting seeded.
New Zealand will be whipping boys; Their side is predominately made up from the Australian domestic league, which will only serve up probably two or three of the actual Australian side.
In all, it’s the most even group selection I’ve seen in recent memory, there’s no real GoD.
I’m looking forward to many late nights and early mornings in June.
The one thing that England is very unlikely to do is underestimate the US. For a start, the Americans look to be the stiffest opposition and the World Cup in 2002 and last year’s Confederations Cup have put paid to images of the US being poor at football. That said, Algeria might well put severe pressure on the US for that second spot. Earlier today, Yebda and Belhadj played very energetically against Liverpool for Pompey.