I don't disagree, we just aren't too known for our soccer.
Oh how pessimistic. Are you sure you aren't German?
Feel lucky that the USA finally have a good national team in a really competitive sport. I know you still regret allowing the Koreans and Japanese to the World Baseball Classic in Baseball. (And don't get me started on allowing only US teams to the world series)
The USA could get into the knockout stage, and that without luck or any other external factor. All by itself. And that even without any kind of proper youth organisation or football academy system like we have in Europe - the US equivalent is "Suburban kids playing a nice sport without any risk of injury"... not really comparable to what happens in Germany or Spain. Most talents are taking the much better offers by the commercial NBA or NFL... (which I think are overrated like C. Ronaldo - outside the USA, the players are showing extremely strong deficits, which simply doesn't matter if you only play against other US players with US tactics)
And yes, Klinsmann has said that he does not expect the US team to get anywhere - in response of US sports journalists swing from deep dark depression and extremely low expectations to "the USA will win the world cup, we know it." after the qualifiers.
Klinsmann does not plan for this world championship, he rather plans to have a better team ready in 2018, that's his real mission there, he is also pretty unique currently among all football coaches for doing a lot of the talent scouting himself in person.
And on CR7: The hardest and most damaging criticism came in form of a tweet by Mario Basler, former German national player... translated it is about like that: "Ronaldo ran less than I did! I! Unbelievable" (Basler wasn't really known for his endurance... he had ... other qualities)
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In other news: A man was killed on his balcony by a headshot in Lebanon, when his neighbour below celebrated the German victory over Portugal by discharging his rifle into the air.
And of course the inevitable:
http://www.google.com/doodles/world-cup-2014-14?hl=de
:rofl: :rofl: too cute