Our U.S. Mens National Team (henceforth, USMNT), has qualified for their sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup finals. This is truly a commendable feat, as only a handful of the world's elite soccer nations can boast a similar record. Now that qualifying is fait accompli, and the World Cup draw has been set, both a retrospective of that process, and previews of the coming attractions can commence.
The FIFA World Cup draw on December 4th landed the United States in an exciting, and favorable group, as well as in one of the most compelling opening matches in recent World Cup history.
On June 12th, our 'lads' will take on 'the mother country', England, in a match at Rustenberg's Royal Bafokeng Stadium. This 42,000-seat venue is located west of Johannesburg, and is the first of three venues in Group C, where the U.S. will play in the Group Stage of the 2010 World Cup. The second match for the home team will be June 18th, at Johannesburg's Ellis Park against Slovenia. The final Group match will be June 23rd, in Pretoria, against Algeria, and will be the last match of group play for Group C, potentially setting up some world-class drama. Most likely, the top two teams from the group will advance to the 'knockout stage', beginning in the Round of 16.
But play begins with England, and it is truly interesting that 2010 marks the 60th anniversary of one of the historic moments in World Cup history. In 1950, England, playing in their first World Cup Final, with a group of seasoned professionals, suffered their biggest upset on the world stage, when Joe Gaetjens' first-half goal earned a ragtag American team a 1-0 victory in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
The American side is no longer a 'ragtag' bunch, as it is led by a group of seasoned veterans, many of whom participated in the stunning win over #1-ranked Spain, as the U.S. advanced to the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup, also held in South Africa. Through the final round of qualifying, the U.S. emerged on top of their six-team CONCACAF group, and seem both excited, and ready, to take on the challenge of the hand dealt them in the 2010 World Cup.
For now, will leave you a brief geography lesson, posting a map of South Africa, illustrating the favorable travel scenario the U.S. also drew. The three U.S. venues are all within a 90--minute drive of each other, negating one of the biggest potential concerns, the extensive travel distances that can exist across a large country such as South Africa.
In the next few postings, will take a retrospective of the Americans final round home qualifying matches, all of which, I was able to cover, with an eye towards South Africa.
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