Nike's campain for Team USA soccer is great...

[paynomind]

I should have added, at the end of my diatribe, "Not that I'm bitter about it or anything." Because I'm not. I actually kind of like how the U.S. soccer team is a disrespected, picked-on underdog. It's more fun to root for us that way, and it makes the inane "USA! USA!" chant we have to use because we're not smart enough to come up with real cheers almost bearable. And when the Eurocrats who run FIFA get their way and Team USA fails to advance, I'll be rooting for the Dutch and the Czechs the rest of the way. They both got screwed in the seeding worse than America.

Technically you're right -- FIFA took their established rankings, and then threw a bunch of modifications on the numbers they used, adding points for certain European-oriented events here and taking away points for certain non-European-oriented events there, and once that process was done, a quartet of marginal, lower-ranked European countries just happened to displace #6 USA below the threshold for seeding. Imagine that! What a surprise it must have been to FIFA that things just happened to work out that way! But inasmuch as FIFA makes no secret about how it plans to tilt the scales in advance of the scale tilting, it is an objective and "unbiased" methodology.

Here, by the way, is what FIFA says are the top 8 teams in the world right now when seeding the World Cup isn't on the line:

1. Brazil

2. Czech Republic

3. Netherlands

4. Argentina

5. France

6. Spain

6. Mexico (tie)

6. USA (tie)

With the tie for sixth, that's eight top seeds right there, and nobody would have had much ground for complaint. (Well, England, who's stuck at #9, and who are playing better than Spain of late, but Spain's rankings are lagging behind its performance, and of course host Germany has to be seeded as well.) Instead, the seeds were, in order of points:

1. Brazil

2. England

3. Spain

4. Germany

5. Mexico

6. France

7. Argentina

8. Italy

Again, I'm sure that FIFA was just shocked -- shocked! -- that the fiddling it does with its own rankings just happened to drop USA out of the top 8 in favor of four lesser European sides. Never mind that the United States won its conference (over Mexico) and qualified for a World Cup berth before seven of the seeded teams.

But those are sweet ads. I especially like the Tartan Army one with Adam Clayton, but that's just because Scotland is my favorite place to visit.

So that wonk-ball can also be a soccer ball? I love it!

You are exactly, precisely correct. The world gets dominated by the US at everything else, and they are scared to death to let the US have anything in soccer.

Though, i'll agree that the Czechs got more screwed than anyone. Thereby, teams in their group got screwed. Thereby, the US got screwed.

In the draft lottery, a team can only drop or ride a few spots. This should be instilled in the WC draw.

Pre-WC WC

1. Brazil 1. Brazil

2. Czech Republic 2. England (not in the pre WC top 8)

3. Netherlands 3. Spain (Tied for 6th)

4. Argentina 4. Germany (not in the pre WC top 8)

5. France 5. Mexico (Ranked above their Confederation winner)

6. Spain 6. France

6. Mexico 7. Argentina (artificially low, but still a 1 seed)

6. USA 8. Italy (lowest ranked team to make the top 8)

So, the Chechs, Dutch, and the USA get dumped to add Mexico, Germany and England. Fun stuff. Can't imagine the fan bases of those teams had anything to do with it.

The US completely, totaly, obviously got screwed. No question about it. To see it any other way is to be blind to the facts.

[Fred T. Jane]

So that wonk-ball can also be a soccer ball? I love it!

You are exactly, precisely correct. The world gets dominated by the US at everything else, and they are scared to death to let the US have anything in soccer.

Though, i'll agree that the Czechs got more screwed than anyone. Thereby, teams in their group got screwed. Thereby, the US got screwed.

In the draft lottery, a team can only drop or ride a few spots. This should be instilled in the WC draw.

Pre-WC WC

1. Brazil 1. Brazil

2. Czech Republic 2. England (not in the pre WC top 8)

3. Netherlands 3. Spain (Tied for 6th)

4. Argentina 4. Germany (not in the pre WC top 8)

5. France 5. Mexico (Ranked above their Confederation winner)

6. Spain 6. France

6. Mexico 7. Argentina (artificially low, but still a 1 seed)

6. USA 8. Italy (lowest ranked team to make the top 8)

So, the Chechs, Dutch, and the USA get dumped to add Mexico, Germany and England. Fun stuff. Can't imagine the fan bases of those teams had anything to do with it.

The US completely, totaly, obviously got screwed. No question about it. To see it any other way is to be blind to the facts.

Not to mention the fact that Mexico didn't even get out of pool play in 2002. Granted, the US didn't get out in 1998, but more recent success should be weighed more, and winning the freaking confederation should count more than being tossed into the Group of Death. IMO, Confederation winners, host nation, and defending champion should be put in Pot A automatically, then the rest of Pot A be filled by FIFA world ranking. I know, that's common sense and all, but one can dream...

[Bouj]

So that wonk-ball can also be a soccer ball? I love it!

You are exactly, precisely correct. The world gets dominated by the US at everything else, and they are scared to death to let the US have anything in soccer.

Though, i'll agree that the Czechs got more screwed than anyone. Thereby, teams in their group got screwed. Thereby, the US got screwed.

In the draft lottery, a team can only drop or ride a few spots. This should be instilled in the WC draw. 

Pre-WC                          WC

1. Brazil                        1. Brazil

2. Czech Republic          2. England (not in the pre WC top 8)

3. Netherlands               3. Spain (Tied for 6th)

4. Argentina                  4. Germany (not in the pre WC top 8)

5. France                      5. Mexico (Ranked above their Confederation winner)

6. Spain                        6. France

6. Mexico                      7. Argentina (artificially low, but still a 1 seed)

6. USA                          8. Italy (lowest ranked team to make the top 8)

So, the Chechs, Dutch, and the USA get dumped to add Mexico, Germany and England. Fun stuff. Can't imagine the fan bases of those teams had anything to do with it.

The US completely, totaly, obviously got screwed. No question about it. To see it any other way is to be blind to the facts.

Not to mention the fact that Mexico didn't even get out of pool play in 2002. Granted, the US didn't get out in 1998, but more recent success should be weighed more, and winning the freaking confederation should count more than being tossed into the Group of Death. IMO, Confederation winners, host nation, and defending champion should be put in Pot A automatically, then the rest of Pot A be filled by FIFA world ranking. I know, that's common sense and all, but one can dream...

Mexico did get out of the Group Stage in 2002. The US beat them in the Round of 16 2-0 before falling to eventual finalists Germany 1-0.

The US did not get screwed over as much as everyone is making it out. They finished dead last in 1998, and that figured into the calculations. If they had won a single point, they probably push into the top 8. I remember reading back when the draw happened (I think FIFA had the info on their own website) that the US was thisclose to getting a seed, but 1998 and playing in a weak confederation (being the best team in a weak confederation is akin to being the tallest midget in the circus, not that I think the US are midgets, but don't put too much stock in the US being the best team in CONCACAF) cost them.

Mexico has 2 Rd. of 16 berths in the last 2 Finals. The US and Mexico flip-flopped their spots in qualifying in 2002 & 2006. The World Rankings are so BCS-like they should not be used for anything. As much as I don't like it, Mexico should have been seeded before the US.

US dominance in other sports, like baseball (oops, that's Japan) or basketball (no, they suck too), aren't a factor in whether or not FIFA does or doesn't have it in for the US. I would say the opposite. FIFA hopes the US does well so they can market soccer here even more. Sure, soccer will never be on the level of the NBA/MLB/NFL, but if it can get to NHL-status (and that won't take much at this point), then FIFA will be happy.

[WJMorris3]

There's one easy solution.

You take the top 5 UEFA teams, the top 2 CONMEBOL teams, and the hosts. There are your 8 seeds. Completely fair.

[Beantown77]

Mexico did get out of the Group Stage in 2002. The US beat them in the Round of 16 2-0 before falling to eventual finalists Germany 1-0.

The US did not get screwed over as much as everyone is making it out. They finished dead last in 1998, and that figured into the calculations. If they had won a single point, they probably push into the top 8. I remember reading back when the draw happened (I think FIFA had the info on their own website) that the US was thisclose to getting a seed, but 1998 and playing in a weak confederation (being the best team in a weak confederation is akin to being the tallest midget in the circus, not that I think the US are midgets, but don't put too much stock in the US being the best team in CONCACAF) cost them.

Mexico has 2 Rd. of 16 berths in the last 2 Finals. The US and Mexico flip-flopped their spots in qualifying in 2002 & 2006. The World Rankings are so BCS-like they should not be used for anything. As much as I don't like it, Mexico should have been seeded before the US.

Thank you for posting what I was about to.

This says it all. No conspiracies. Our finish in 1998 did us in.