America's World Cup team is screwed, says everyone
The United States' soccer team isn't as terrible as you might expect, but it's still not expected to make much noise at this year's Wold Cup, which kicks off on Thursday. The team is ranked 13th in the world per FIFA, and it drew arguably the toughest opening round group. Taken together, that gives the U.S. only a 36 percent chance of advancing to the knockout stage, and a meager two percent chance of making it to the final game, according to FiveThirtyEight's forecasting model.
Though you can quibble with the math behind those predictions and insist the team will fare better — USA! USA! — even the team's coach, Jurgen Klinsmann, thinks they're doomed: "We cannot win this World Cup, because we are not at that level yet," he told The New York Times.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
