USA, USA!

So what are the realistic chances of the US soccer team in the World Cup. On paper, things certainly don't look so good in the group of death. (Okay, I have come to agree that Group C is the 2006 Group of Death in caps.) But you could see a simple scenario play like this:

1 - 2 loss to Czechs;
0 - 0 tie with Italy; and
2 - 0 win against Ghana

with the US advancing on goal differentials behind the Czechs.

A more optimistic scenario takes into account the injury trouble of the Czechs and the Juventus referee fixing scandal plaguing the Italians.

1 - 1 tie with the Czechs as Gooch manhandles Jan Koller;
2 - 0 win against a distracted Italian club; and
1 - 0 win against Ghana with several players resting.

I will say the scheduling helps us. I think the Italians can sleep walk to a 1 - 0 win against Ghana in their Game 1, but Ghana is set up best against the Italian "defense first" game. (They are not particularly well-suited to beat the faster paced Czechs or Americans.) If the US plays well in the first two games it sets up a BIG match for Italy v. Czech Republic in their Game 3. Assuming the above and a "big" win for the Czechs against the Ghanese in their Game 2, the Italians must win big to advance and knock out the Czechs and the Czechs must win to advance and must win big to avoid Brazil in the next round.

There is also clearly the worst case scenario of three clean sheets and out, but I simply do not want to think about that.