At the World Cup 2023 draw in Auckland, New Zealand, on Saturday, the U.S. drew Vietnam (July 22 in Auckland), the Netherlands (July 27 in Wellington) and the winner of an upcoming playoff (Portugal, Cameroon or Thailand; August 1 in Auckland) in Group E. Here are my three thoughts on the draw:
The US has looked at beat mediocre and, in the last friendly against Spain, undeserving of even a quarterfinal. Passing, shots and defending are pathetic. I see them only beating Vietnam.
US vs the Dutch could be a terrific group stage game. A lot is going to depend on health. And whether the US can find a midfield. Time to work out a system that fits the players instead of trying to fit the players into a system.
I’m looking forward to the tournament. 2 World Cups in 6 months.
It should be a good group stage for the Canadians, as we beat Australia twice down under earlier this year and Nigeria on home soil as part of the gold medal tour. Should be an awesome tournament!
I stayed up late (on the west coast) to watch the draw and was a) surprised at how good the ceremony was, with no insipid pop music, and b) surprised at how hyped I feel for the tournament. I wouldn’t be surprised if I watch more of this one than I have any previous WWC.
Is US being based in New Zealand good of bad for the kick off times for US TV companies?
The US has looked at beat mediocre and, in the last friendly against Spain, undeserving of even a quarterfinal. Passing, shots and defending are pathetic. I see them only beating Vietnam.
US vs the Dutch could be a terrific group stage game. A lot is going to depend on health. And whether the US can find a midfield. Time to work out a system that fits the players instead of trying to fit the players into a system.
I’m looking forward to the tournament. 2 World Cups in 6 months.
It should be a good group stage for the Canadians, as we beat Australia twice down under earlier this year and Nigeria on home soil as part of the gold medal tour. Should be an awesome tournament!
Fearing a USA-Sweden match to open knockout stage. Yikes!
I think it’s a bit short-sighted not to include Brazil as a contender. They’ve got just as much of a shot as Canada or the Netherlands.
Good luck to all the teams. Especially the lower ranked ones. I hope there will be a few upsets and Asian and African teams do well.
I stayed up late (on the west coast) to watch the draw and was a) surprised at how good the ceremony was, with no insipid pop music, and b) surprised at how hyped I feel for the tournament. I wouldn’t be surprised if I watch more of this one than I have any previous WWC.