Here are a few questions casual soccer fans often ask me about the World Cup.
Why do we call it soccer in the US when the rest of the world calls it football (or futbol)?
Brian Phillips wrote a great piece in Slate 4 years ago answering this question. If you don't want to read the whole thing, here's the short answer from the article:
It's an abbreviation of association football. Both soccer and American football come from the same set of precursor sports, which became popular in upper-class English schools in the early 19th century and spread across the Atlantic. All these games involved advancing a ball through an opponent's territory and scoring at the far end, but the rules varied from place to place. Ultimately, the version adopted as standard in the United Kingdom came to be known as association football, while another set of rules won out in the United States. Thus the Americans took to calling their gridiron variety football, and referred to the British sport by the slang term soccer, derived from the soc in association.Who is the US playing in the World Cup?
The US is playing in what most commentators are calling the "Group of Death." That's a hyperbolic way of saying the US is in the toughest group on the tournament. Their opponents are:
- Ghana - Ranked 38th in the world, but Ghana have knocked the US out of the last 2 World Cups.
- Portugal - Ranked 3rd in the world, they boast arguably the best player in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo.
- Germany - Ranked 2nd in the world, they have won the World Cup 3 times (only Italy and Brazil have won it more).
The US are ranked 13th. So you can see why this is called the Group of Death. Keep in mind, however, that part of the reason it's considered the most difficult group is because it includes the US. Portugal and Germany would feel a lot better about advancing if, say, Australia (g'day, mates!) were in this group instead of the US.
Can the US advance out of their group?
Yes, if they can earn 4 points. (In soccer, you get 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie and 0 points for a loss.)
Here's how the results could break the Yanks' way:
Germany ties Portugal
US beats Ghana
US ties Portugal
Germany beats Ghana
Germany beats US
Ghana ties Portugal
That would leave Germany with 7 points, the US with 4, Portugal with 3 and Ghana with 1. The top 2 teams advance, meaning the US and Germany would proceed to the knockout stages.
Who is favored to win the World Cup?
As the host, Brazil are the safest bet. The other favorites are Spain, Germany and Argentina. After that, you could make a case for France, Belgium, Italy, Columbia, Holland and Portugal having a chance.
What other questions do you have about the World Cup or the US team? Post in the comments below.
