Group A and the USA's Group of death

Finally we get to Group A. This is the group containing the USA. It is considered by almost all the experts to be the group of death, a tired phrase that seems to come out for every tournament every year. Lets look at the teams



Costa Rica- Costa Rica were the darlings of the 2014 WC. They made it past the group stage for the first time ever and even beat Greece in the knockout stage and made it to the quarter finals, where they lost to Holland on penalty kicks. They are perhaps the most successful team in the history of Central America and the current Central American champions. Los Ticos will have plenty of fan support for the games and always play well in the U.S. They have some talented players who play in MLS and England, but they will miss the star of the team, Real Madrid goalie Keylor Navas, who is out due to injury. In his absence Joel Campbell and Bryan Ruiz will have to take up the slack on the offensive side. This is a real blow for Costa Rica because keeping a clean slate was always their best chance of advancing, still they will be a tough out.

Paraguay- While not in peak form, Paraguay is a always dangerous team. They have been getting draws in WC qualifying and are led by Coach Ramon Diaz, who was a great Argentinian footballer with tons and tons of international experience. The team only has 5 European based players and most of the team will not be anyone that US fans have heard of, but they are not to be taken lightly. They play up to the level of their opponent and almost never get blown out. Still, they are perhaps physically a bit out matched and the rougher play of the bigger squads will give them trouble, especially on set plays and corner kicks.

Columbia- The best player in the group is undoubtedly the Colombian Striker James (pronounced Ham-ez) Rodriguez. He plays for Real Madrid, and while he was not able to have a breakout season for the Spanish side, he seems to always bring his A game when he plays for his country. Assisting him will be talented winger Curridado and the 19yr old Moreno who has been called the most talented young player in South America. The U.S. has a longstanding loosing record against the South American powerhouse, although we did famously beat them in the 94 WC. They have brought a younger overall team than they displayed in 2014. So far the team has not gelled, but the pieces are there and the betting odds are that they will win the group.

U.S.A.- So what  are the chances for the United States to advance from this group? Well despite some excitement at the last WC, the U.S. has by most experts opinions under performed the last 3 years. Last years Gold Cup was a prime example. The U.S. finished 4th in a tournament that they really could have won. The lost summer of soccer almost cost Klinseman his job. 2016 is looking better and the 23 man roster is made up of a mix of veterans like Dempsey and Bradley, and young players Bobby Wood, Darlington Nagbe and 17 year old Christian Pulisic. I have always said that bringing young players to tournaments was a good idea. They tend to play better than veterans who often get nervous and play tight. The kids do not know to be afraid. I will talk team strategy tomorrow before kick-off, but Klinseman has said his expectation for the team is to make the semi finals. This is doable, but it would not be a huge surprise for the team to fail to get out of such a tough group either. If that were to happen, it might really be the coaches head this time.


Group Winner-      Columbia
Group Runner-up- U.S.A.