CONF CUP DRAW BAD FOR U.S.A.

Written by: tyler ransburgh

The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup draw was held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Confederations Cup is held every four years in the upcoming WC hosts country, in this case South Africa. The teams consist of the winners of each of the six FIFA confederation championships (CAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, AFC, OFC, CONCACAF), along with the FIFA World Cup winner and the host country. The United States will represent CONCACAF in next years edition. The eight teams in the competition are:

1. South Africa (host)
2. Italy (winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup)
3. United States (winner of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup)
4. Brazil (winner of the Copa America 2007)
5. Iraq (winner of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup)
6. Egypt (winner of the 2008 African Cup of Nations)
7. Spain (winner of UEFA Euro 2008)
8. New Zealand (winner of the 2008 OFC Nations Cup)

Group A consist of South Africa, Spain, Iraq and New Zealand. This is considered the easier of the two groups, which would expect to see Spain easily move on to the quarters.

Group B is Brazil, Italy, United States and Egypt. The easy picks would see Brazil and Italy go through. The United States will need luck to see the quarters.

On a more positive note I am glad that the United States has to play two of the best teams in the world before the 2010 World Cup. This is a perfect chance for the younger members of the squad to get exposure to top level talent. We will get at least one top team in our 2010 WC group stage and need as much practice as possible.