World Cup 2014: U.S. Likely In 'Group Of Death'
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Soccer's governing body, FIFA, announced on Tuesday the preliminary pots for Friday's World Cup group draw in Brazil, and the chances for an easy group for the United States to advance out of appear to be slim.
U.S. Men's National Soccer Team/via USSoccer.com
Each of the four pots contain eight teams that qualified for next summer's 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The top 8 teams, based on FIFA's world rankings, were placed into Pot 1, with African and South American teams placed in Pot 2.
The United States was placed in Pot 3, along with Asian and North American teams. European teams were placed in Pot 4.
Despite posting their best-ever annual record and the longest global winning streak in 2013, the 13th ranked Americans will likely face two European teams and potentially could face Brazil, The Netherlands, and Italy in a first round group.
Brazil and Italy, the two most-decorated teams in World Cup history, have won a combined nine World Cup titles (out of 19 tournaments). The Netherlands, always a dominant force, were runner's up to champion Spain in 2010.
In an unexpected twist, FIFA changed the selection process by announcing that one of the nine un-seeded European teams will be randomly selected to move to Pot 2 with South America and Africa. This twist potentially puts added pressure on teams in Pots 3 and 4 to avoid a dreaded "Group of Death" scenario.
FIFA also announced on Tuesday that the overall prize money for the tournament will rise to approximately $560 million, up from $420 million awarded in 2010.
Read more about the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the United States' chances next summer at ESPNFC, Reuters, and the New York Times.
Reach Executive Producer Colin Hale here. Follow him on Twitter.
