1. BEAT GHANA OPENING MATCH: Having been knocked out by Ghana the last two World
Cups, it only seems fitting to fate that the third time around is a charm for the US, who for
some reason don’t match up well against Ghana. Granted, the first two times were decided by
a score of 2-1 that could have gone either way, but this time around, it can be nothing less than
a win for the US if they have any hope of advancing to the knockout stages.
2. FIND SOME SCORING: With Landon Donovan being left off the team, the US is going to
need to look to some alternatives to get the ball into the back of the net. After scoring 2 goals
in the final friendly against Nigeria, Jozy Altidore will need to continue scoring in order to
compliment Clint Dempsey, who is arguably the best forward the US has. The midfield duo of
Michael Bradley and newcomer Julian Green will also need to be on top of their offensive
game to help supply the scoring, especially against the likes of Germany and Portugal.
3. THE BACKFIELD MUST BE BETTER: DaMarcus Beasley and Fabian Johnson must elevate
their game, along with the rest of the defenders, in order to keep the US competitive in these
games. Having a solid to great defensive plan will also alleviate some of the pressure off Tim
Howard in keeping the opposing team off the scoreboard. The defense looked shaky in some
of the earlier friendlies, but might finally start to be coming around in the nick of time.
4. DEFEAT EITHER GERMANY OR PORTUGAL: I know what you’re thinking. You expect
the US to win two out of three in this so called “Group of Death” when they could easily lose
all three? While the latter is certainly a possibility, I feel as though six points will be the most
that any team will accumulate to advance to the knockout stages, and in order for the US to do
that, they must take out one of the two giants. While both Germany and Portugal will give the
US fits, they would more likely be able to defeat Portugal if Cristian Ronaldo is not able to
perform up to 100%, with the rest of the Portuguese team falling somewhere between average
and solid. The Germans, even without Marco Reus, are strong from top to bottom, thus giving
any team in the group issues,
5. WHILE FOCUSED ON RUSSIA, STAY IN BRAZIL: While Klinsmann has said on occasion
that he’s focused on the potential this group has for 2018, the current group must still perform
well or at least honorable to help grow into higher expectations for the 2018 World Cup in
Russia. While it’s safe to say that the US will probably not advance far in the tournament, a
strong showing in Brazil could led to high expectations for this team down the road.
MY FINAL PREDICTION: THIRD PLACE IN GROUP STAGE
TEAMS TO LOOK OUT FOR
1. SPAIN: The defending World Cup champions and the two time defending European
champions are obviously the favorites to do what no team has in 52 years: Win back to back
World Cups. The last team to do that were the hosts for this years World Cup in 1958 and
1962, that being of Brazil. With the squad pretty much intact from South Africa and with the
addition of both Koke and Diego Costa, the Spanish look to be stronger than ever going into
Brazil, but even with that notion, there are a few questions to be answered. Will this team be
able to score more goals than they did in South Africa in case the defense and goaltending
doesn’t perform up to par? How will Diego Costa handle playing in Brazil after rejecting his
citizenship for Spanish citizenship? And, will teams have figured them out from four years ago
to the present?
2. BRAZIL: The host nation and the last team to repeat in the World Cup, the Brazilians are
faced with the pressuring of winning it all even though their squad isn’t considered to be that
particularly strong. With a so-so defense and questionable goaltending, the forward
combination of Hulk and Neymar will need to get the job done. If all things fall into line, this
could be the coming out party for Neymar in being mentioned along the sides of Messi and
Ronaldo as one of the greats, and perhaps, even a sixth World Cup title for Brazil.
3. BELGIUM: Anyone who has paid attention to international football recognizes that the
Belgians are poised to make a big run in the World Cup with the talent that this squad possess.
With a talented young goaltender in Thiabaut Courtois and promising strikers like Eden
Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, the Belgians look poised and ready to win their group and make
a deep run into the semi-finals or even potentially the final. This has the making of being a
very special team or one that will severely disappoint.
4. ARGENTINA: Many people feel as those Argentina might be able to win their first World
Cup since 1986, mainly due to the fact that Lionel Messi finally has another world class
forward in Sergio Aguero to compliment the scoring. With that being said, I’m in the school of
believing while they could make a big run, their goaltending issues and their suspect backfield
may prevent them from raising the trophy in Brazil. It’s obvious that the success for Argentina
will rest on the shoulders of Lionel Messi, who is looking to make up for what has been an
average season by Messi standards, and also the elevation of play by the rest of the team to
make a big run in the World Cup.
5. ENGLAND: A young team that most people think won’t advance out of the group stage, the
English could possibly make a big run if everything plays out for them. While they do have a
young team in play, they have one of the best goaltenders in Joe Hart, and a world class striker
in Wayne Rooney that might be able to make up for a potentially average backfield. England
always seems to find a way to fall short in disappointment in trying to win their first World
Cup since hosting the event in 1966. In a group that includes Uruguay, Italy, and Costa Rica, it
will be very difficult for the English to advance unless they can break through the creative
midfields that both Italy and Uruguay possess.
Some other teams that people should focus on include the Netherlands, runner ups from
the 2010 World Cup, the Balkan states of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, and France even
without Franck Ribery. In my personal opinion, I think SPAIN will defeat Brazil in the final to
repeat as World Cup champions and cement their place as one of the greatest national teams of
all time.
Article written by Executive Producer Gregory Delaney (Predictions were made before start of tournament)
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