US' World Cup Draw Is Horrific

The World Cup 2014 draw was today, and it did not go well for the US. It seems the good old USA will have to face off against Germany, Portugal, and perhaps most terrifyingly of all, Ghana, in Group G, in what commentators are widely calling the "group of death." Germany currently sits at No. 2 in FIFA's rankings, Portugal is No. 5, and while Ghana is only 24—well below the US' 14—it has also eliminated the US in two straight World Cups. (You can see the full draw here.)

"I imagine the early reaction in all three of those nations as they saw their team's draw went something like this, 'Well, at least we have the Americans,'" writes Josh Voorhees at Slate. "Group of death? Nope. It's worse than that," reads one headline at Time. "Really, it couldn't have been more difficult," agrees Mike Floss at USA Today. But Floss actually believes fans should quit whining. "It's time to grow up," he writes. "American soccer has come a long way since 1990 … At some point it's time to buck up and embrace the challenge." And it might not be as insurmountable as it looks; ESPN's Nate Silver-led prediction model gives the US a 39.3% chance to advance. (More 2014 World Cup stories.)