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U.S. won't overlook its opponents
Remember the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for, you may get it?" The U.S. men's national team should.
After years of getting the proverbial short end of the World Cup draw, last Friday the Americans received the kind of first-round group that manager Bob Bradley could only dream of. Yet with it comes some uncharted territory. The U.S. is now in the unfamiliar position of being favorites to progress to the second round. Those expectations come with the kind of pressure that they haven't always coped well with in the past, and closer inspection of their opponents reveals plenty of reasons to be wary.
The U.S. will face group heavyweights England in its opener on June 12, a match that will contain enough plot lines (David Beckham, Landon Donovan, 1950) to give David Mamet a migraine. But it's the Americans' other two adversaries -- Algeria and Slovenia -- that have U.S. fans feeling giddy. Algeria is regarded as the least powerful of the five African qualifiers (not including hosts South Africa). Slovenia are also deemed to be among the tournament's lesser lights.
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Remember the old adage, "Be careful what you wish for, you may get it?" The U.S. men's national team should.
After years of getting the proverbial short end of the World Cup draw, last Friday the Americans received the kind of first-round group that manager Bob Bradley could only dream of. Yet with it comes some uncharted territory. The U.S. is now in the unfamiliar position of being favorites to progress to the second round. Those expectations come with the kind of pressure that they haven't always coped well with in the past, and closer inspection of their opponents reveals plenty of reasons to be wary.
The U.S. will face group heavyweights England in its opener on June 12, a match that will contain enough plot lines (David Beckham, Landon Donovan, 1950) to give David Mamet a migraine. But it's the Americans' other two adversaries -- Algeria and Slovenia -- that have U.S. fans feeling giddy. Algeria is regarded as the least powerful of the five African qualifiers (not including hosts South Africa). Slovenia are also deemed to be among the tournament's lesser lights.
(continue)
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