For the record, I browsed the ESPN FC magazine ($10) at the grocery store.
They put down each teams chances percent wise of advancing out of their group. Roughly, they gave the USA 33% of a chance to advance out of their group with Portugal about 45% behind Germany. Ghana was roughly, 23-25%.
Usually, in group play in the World Cup, isn’t 4 points enough to usually advance?? What the USA will have to do is beat Ghana, that’s 3 points and then, with Germany or Portugal, the latter more likely, USA will need a draw.
But that ESPN mag could be full of beans,
For England’s group, they have Italy 3rd in the percentages of advancing behind Uruguay and England, Italy’s chances too were something like 34%. I personally disliked the 2006 Azzurri team but most of the other teams are okay and Pirlo seems to be a good guy and very talented.
In 2006, ESPN was hyping Kasey Keller as the best goalkeeper in the world when he was in fact the third-best goalkeeper in his qualifying group, which also included Gianluigi Buffon and Petr Cech. I don't believe a word they say.
Points are going to be hard to come by. Ghana has knocked the USMNT out of the last two World Cups, they won't beat Germany, and Portugal of course has Cristiano Ronaldo. Four points in the "Group of Death" would be quite good indeed.