Stop the Group Stage Panic

Today's official announcement from FIFA regarding the pots for this Friday's draw did not surprise many people (with the Netherlands getting a seed over France being possibly the lone exception). Nevertheless, many fans and writers have already swung into full panic mode, believing our participation in next summer's tournament is nothing more than an exercise in futility. It's odd that this kind of attitude is so prevalent in the US, where the underdog mentality thrives and phrases like "that's why they play the game" are cliche.

Regardless of the draw on Friday, the US will have to get results against good teams. This cycle's field is deep beyond the usual suspects, with many mid-level teams capable of making a deep run in the tournament (the USMNT being one such team). So while we may avoid the Group of Death, it's fairly likely that we will end up in a tough group no matter what. But fear not, as World Cups past have shown us that the group stage can provide us more than a few surprises.

Let's take a look at two recent examples:

2002 Group A: Uruguay, Denmark, France, and debutantes Senegal squared off for two spots in the round of 16, in what seemed like an easy group for the defending champs. But it was Les Bleus who found themselves at the bottom of the table when all was said and done, with longshots Senegal progressing on, thanks in part to a shock 1-0 victory over France in the opening match. So even teams who find themselves in an "easy" group can fall victim to a few surprising results and find themselves watching the round of 16 on TV.

2006 Group E: American fans surely remember this group from the last World Cup, and many feel the USMNT could find themselves in a similar group come this Friday. But what might get lost in the frustrations related to the 2006 tournament is that Ghana, who were thought to have the longest odds of progressing in this very talented group before the World Cup started, moved on to the round of 16 after the games were actually played. This just shows that even in the supposed Group of Death, there still can be a few surprises.


So let's just wait until the World Cup and watch the games unfold before making any conclusions on how the US will do. Instead of self-loathing and pessimism, how about we bring back that "anything is possible" American confidence that permeates our sporting attitude? The USMNT has shown that they play with this attitude, which we saw in last summer's Confederations Cup, so why don't we support them with that same never-say-die spirit?

It's certainly a lot more fun than just mailing it in six months before the World Cup even begins.