2014 FIFA World Cup Draw (Mock Draw)

2014 FIFA WORLD CUP MOCK DRAW

 

 With the 2014 FIFA World Cup draw less than 24 hours away, I thought I would have a mock draw of my own to see some of the mind numbing possibilities that may present themselves at 11:30 am EST tomorrow. No life you say?.... maybe ... but I was fortunate enough to avoid the much dreaded "Group of Death."

Wrapping your head around FIFA's plans for dealing with the intricacy of this draw can prove problematic, so I encourage you to ignore the extra rules and just hang on for the ride.....

First nation out of the pot is none other than Italy. (out of pot 4 to be placed with the first South American seed.... like I said ... ignore this.) The first South American seed drawn from "pot x" is Argentina.

Ok, so now our groups are starting to take shape... Group A will have Brazil as A1 as per FIFA and Group B will have Argentina and Italy.

The only trouble now is completing the entire draw without having 3 European nations in the same group or 2 South American nations in the same group. 

Believe it or not, I am pretty sure my little mock draw went smoothly after the whole pot 4, pot 2, and pot x nonsense.

Without further rambling, my FIFA World Cup (mock) draw:

Group A                                                    Group E

Brazil                                                         Belgium

Ivory Coast                                                Ecuador

Honduras                                                   Australia

France                                                        Portugal

Group B                                                     Group F

Argentina                                                    Colombia

Italy                                                            Nigeria

United States                                               Iran

Greece                                                        Netherlands

Group C                                                     Group G

Uruguay                                                      Spain

Cameroon                                                   Algeria

Mexico                                                        Costa Rica

England                                                       Bosnia-Herzegovina

Group D                                                      Group H

Germany                                                      Switzerland

Chile                                                            Ghana

South Korea                                                 Japan

Russia                                                          Croatia

As you can see there are some fascinating match-ups. The United States receives a very tough draw having to match up with 3 of the top 12 teams in FIFA rankings. Group of death or not ... all of these respective teams earned their spot in the World Cup. I would not be surprised to see a few upsets along the way.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the real draw and hopefully we will be talking about how good the United States Men's National Team's chances are in making the knockout round.

NY Red Bulls sign 3 Key pieces to 2013 Success.

NY Red Bulls Midfielder Eric Alexander

(Harrison, NJ) Today the New York Red Bulls signed three players that were integral in the securing of the Supporters Shield. Eric Alexander, Kosuke Kimura, and Péguy Luyindula were all signed by the club today. Although I was sad to see Brandon Barklage go, these signings are the first steps to maintaining cohesion and locking down key positions within the Red Bulls roster.
      I am excited to see Alexander back for at least another year. Whether he was weaving through midfield or pushed out wide, I felt that he was one of the most consistent and reliable players on the pitch. I felt that even coming off the bench, Alexander always had a chance to impact the game.
      Kimura had a quiet yet effective season. I think Kosuke will find more playing time on the back line providing that he does not have any more head injury concerns going forward. There were plenty of times during the 2013 season that the Red Bulls needed someone to step up in the back line and Kimura did not disappoint.
      Péguy Luyindula was quite the enigma in 2013. Although his play was inspired and showed promise early in the season, finishing was a major problem for Luyindula. Let's face it, you could have sworn there was a brick wall blocking the net every time Péguy was playing forward. Mike Petke solved the puzzle in a big way by dropping Luyindula back to midfield as an attacking link late in the year. This made an immediate difference in the ability to counter-attack and with the play of McCarty, Cahill, Alexander, Sam, and Steele, turned the New York Red Bulls midfield into one of the best in the league.
      Retaining Alexander, Kimura, and Luyindula are solid moves, as was declining the option on David Carney, but the Red Bulls still have some pressing issues heading into the 2014 season. Fabian Espindola and Roy Miller are no where near playing up to potential. I understand the injury bug got to Miller this season, but I always have the feeling that he is one rash challenge or poor decision away from costing the club a game. As for Espindola, he simply takes too many touches. Flashes of brilliance aside, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Andre Akpan are more than capable of taking Espindola's spot up front or on the bench. It seemed that Espindola was lost in the shuffle toward the end of the season and I would much rather see what Wright-Phillips can do.