12613_worldcupdraw_isi_intcb120513105 Celso Bayo/isiphotos.com
12.6.13

ASN Morning Read: THE WORLD CUP DRAW!!!!!!!!!

About time. In just a few short hours, we'll be able to confirm that the United States has been drawn into a group with Brazil, Ghana, and a France team led by 11 Zinedine Zidanes. Sorry about it.
BY Jesse Yomtov Posted
December 06, 2013
8:30 AM
  • Well, the fateful day is finally upon on us: the 2014 World Cup draw. You already know the outlook is bleak and odds are the U.S. is going to end up in a difficult group. The event gets underway at 11:30 a.m. ET, but there are musical acts and other spectacles before the actual draw. You can watch it on ESPN2 or stream it on ESPN3 or the official FIFA app (which is actually amazing).

  • Jurgen Klinsmann is in Brazil and says he’s really up for anything besides playing in Manaus, which of course is in the rainforest, isolated from the majority of the other host cities. Seriously, do a Google Maps search for Manaus. The U.S. boss knows his side is in for a tough group and makes a sound point: “It’s fine with me, because that’s what the World Cup is about. You have to face the big ones anyway at a certain stage if you want to do well.” If you thought checking into a hotel was a pain, imagine being Jurgen Klinsmann.

  • England manager Roy Hodgson also expressed his desire not to play in Manaus, which seemed to have struck a chord with the city’s mayor. "We would also prefer that England doesn't come,” Arthur Virgilio said. “We hope to get a better team and a coach who is more sensible and polite. He's one of the few people in the world who is not curious about the Amazon, who doesn't want to know about Manaus." Or maybe he just doesn’t want to play in a rainforest?

  • Mike Magee was named MLS MVP yesterday, becoming just the second player in history to win the award playing for a team that didn’t reach the playoffs. January camp, maybe?

    Landon Donovan weighed in:

  • Josh Deaver has a great piece on former U-20 captain Caleb Stanko, who’s enjoying a breakout season with SC Freiburg's reserve team in Germany’s fourth division. “One of my goals is to be a top midfielder within the Bundesliga and to eventually play for Borussia Dortmund," Stanko said. “Also, to play in multiple World Cups and win at least one! I think it is better to have goals that seem too high because it motivates me to always keep working harder.” Gotta love the ambition.

  • The ASN injury report has got everything covered. An MRI on John Brooks’ knee showed no ligament damage, but the Hertha defender will be eased back into action.

  • A fitting tribute:
  • Post a comment

    AmericanSoccerNow.