Posted on 06/16/2014 10:41:04 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
Your co-workers will bolt from work early today. Bars will make a killing. And even the most indifferent of your friends will feign a slight interest in the World Cup.
For today, the United States begins its Brazil adventure when it goes toe to toe with its nemesis, Ghana.
The Black Stars have knocked the U.S. out of competition the last two go-rounds -- in 2006 and 2010.
Can the U.S. avoid a three-peat? It'd better, if it wants to see its World Cup ambitions stay alive.
Because after Ghana, the U.S. takes on two giants: Germany and Portugal -- ranked by FIFA as the second and fourth best teams in the world.
For its part, the U.S. is ranked 13th. Ghana is 37th.
No wonder Group G -- the one the U.S. finds itself in -- has been nicknamed the "Group of Death."
Why focus on the negative though?
Sure, America's odds of lifting the most coveted soccer trophy in the world are 100 to 1. But the 23 players on the squad have dreamed of playing on the grandest stage of soccer since they were kids.
Kyle Beckerman, 32, was one of them.
As a child, he'd leave notes for his mom, signed, "Kyle Beckerman USA #15."
Now, he signs autographs that way.
This is their moment.
"For one month every four years, the world stops, everybody is watching," said team captain Michael Bradley. "To have the opportunity to represent our country, to wear our colors, there's nothing else like it."
WHY YOU SHOULD WORRY
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WHY YOU SHOULDN'T WORRY
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Good luck America!
Looks like Portugal is the team that needs to be worried.
Germany is crushing Portugal.
Well, one giant (Germany) and one complete train wreck (Portugal).
Portugal are unimpressive to say the least. No cohesion.
And less one starting center-back.
Almost as badly as Spain crushed Spain. (With Holland there to capitalize on the opportunities.)
Underdog to Ghana neatly symbolizes exactly where Obama thinks this nation should be.
Pepe out for the red.
Two Portuguese players subbed out due to injury which may spill over into the USA match.
Ronaldo having to play a full 90 on that knee of his.
If the USA can come out and beat Ghana tonight things look at least a bit better for them in the Group of Death.
Exactly. A win will put us in great shape. A tie and there is still a chance. Lose this one and uh oh...
I will be rooting for Ghana, My granddaughter is a teacher there in an international school.
“Your co-workers will bolt from work early today. Bars will make a killing. And even the most indifferent of your friends will feign a slight interest in the World Cup.”
Ahhhh. . .not a chance.
This is horrible.
Hope US loses.
Soccer is not right, except ad a fun kick ball game for kids to play, unorganized.
Ghana would appreciate it. Hope they win.
Let me preface this by saying I don’t really care about soccer at all. However, my pride takes quite a bit of a hit to think that our national team got knocked out of two straight World Cups by Ghana. Ghana has what, a population of about 100? A total GDP amounting to roughly the value of a bag of soccer balls? We got beat by THAT country TWICE. Sorry, but we need to win this one. Any self-respecting superpower ought to be able to grab a win against the likes of Ghana, for goodness sake.
(BTW - In case it’s not obvious, the above is meant to be a bit tongue in cheek.)
The authors are delusional.
Too bad that FR soccer threads attract the clowns who think that their dislike of soccer is somehow interesting or noteworthy.
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