61 Days until the World Cup - Answering some questions for casual fans

It's only 61 days until the 2014 World Cup kicks off in Brazil (I knew that without looking it up online, BTW). During the 2010 World Cup, I posted several blogs intended for non-soccer fanatics who were getting swept up in the tournament. I got some very positive feedback 4 years ago, so I'm giving it another go this year.

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.

World Cup: Odds and Ends

Video: If you haven't seen this "Write the Future" ad by Nike, watch it now:



It stars Didier Drogba, (who may be out of the WC), Wayne Rooney (England's best player), Italy's Fabio Cannavaro (hero of Italy's 2006 WC triumph), Frank Ribery (France's livewire winger), Ronaldinho (Brazil's toothy playmaker who didn't make the WC squad -- whoops!) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal's star/primadonna). For soccer fans it's a complete treat, with lots of little inside jokes and cameos (like the US's Landon Donovan and Tim Howard). And for non-soccer fans there's Homer Simpson ("Ronal-D'oh!").

The conceit of the ad is that it shows different soccer start playing and imagining what will happen to them if they make the play (like get a stature erected their honor) or don't (get fat, grow a beard and live in a trailer park).

The Ball: Much has been made about the new Adidas ball. Many plays have come forward to complain about the new ball, saying it's too light and moves around a lot in flight. Goalkeepers are particularly cranky about it. This happens every WC. A new ball is introduced just before the tournament, players complain about it and then the better teams go on to win anyway.

Obviously I haven't tried to new ball myself (they sell for more than $100 -- no thanks). But if they really are trickier to deal with, we might see a few more goals and a few more upsets. What's not to like?

The US Team: The Yanks beat the Socceroos (Australia) 3-1 on Saturday in their final warm-up match. The US team looked good, if a bit profligate, in attack and shaky on defense. Meanwhile, England played a warm-up game against a South African club team and won 3-0. Reports suggest England did not look strong, but it's hard for me to say much more having not watched the game.

As far as Saturday's game, England are the clear favorites. And they should be. But, the US has to be hoping to get a draw out of this game. A win would be massive and a loss would be a bit of a disappointment (the US could still advance with a loss). In fact, both teams may play fairly conservatively as both of them expect to get out of the group and would probably be happy to walk away with a tie and no injuries. I'll break down both teams later this week.