World Cup Draw: Best And Worst Case Scenarios For The USA

Best case: South Africa, Italy

The host nation is by far the weakest of the eight seeded teams and the 24 squads in Pots 2, 3, and 4 all hope to join South Africa's group. The Bafana Bafana has struggled of late and recently recalled previously disposed manager Carlos Alberto Parreira to turn its fortunes around. Even if the Brazilian succeeds, South Africa won't be in a class with the other seven seeds and could become the first host to fail to make the Round of 16. If the U.S. must face one of the other seven seeded teams, the Azzurri are the pick. In the Confed Cup, Bradley's bunch led the Italians before fading down the stretch and the Red, White, and Blue played the eventual World Champions to a 1-1 draw in Germany. The 2010 version is bolstered by the youth of Giuseppe Rossi but is aging rapidly and could rely upon elder statesmen Francesco Totti and Alessandro Nesta. 

Worst case: Brazil, Spain

While the U.S. beat Spain and ended the World No. 1's record-tying 35-match undefeated streak, it's difficult to see the Americans earning a point against La Roja again. The European side seems to have shed its reputation as a perennial underachiever -- Confed Cup loss aside -- and has learned to win carried by Fernando Torres and David Villa up front. Vincente del Bosque's side is 8-0 since losing to the U.S., with an astounding 28 goals to its credit. As for Brazil, the Samba Boys clearly outclassed Bradley's team during the second-half onslaught in this summer's final. The South American power is only getting stronger and has a knack for peaking during the World Cup. 

POT 3: Algeria, Cameroon, Chile, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Paraguay, and Uruguay  

Best case: Algeria, Uruguay

One of the weakest teams in the field of 32, Algeria sneaked into the World Cup by winning a playoff game with archrival Egypt. For the Dessert Foxes, merely reaching South Africa represents a huge victory and the squad can't expect to advance, although 24-year-old Siena striker Abdelkader Ghezzal waits to impress with the world watching. Uruguay, another team that barely made the finals, has a historic tendency to play poorly away from home. The team rectified this a bit by earning a victory in Costa Rica's Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, but South Africa represents an entirely different, and more difficult, challenge.  

Worst case: Paraguay, Ivory Coast

Argentinean Gerardo Martino led the White and Red to its fourth straight World Cup, finishing tied for second in CONMEBOL, a single point behind Brazil (who Paraguay beat at home, 2-0). The country's players ply their trade all over the world, from South America and Mexico to the Bundesliga and the English Premier League. Advancing to the Round of 16 for the third time since 1998 will be a definite and achievable goal. Cote d'Ivoire, led by Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, is one of the most talented and organized sides in Africa. The team didn't make the knockout stage during 2006, a failure it will be sure to amend on its home continent.  

POT 4: Denmark, France, Greece, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland 

Best case: Slovakia, Switzerland

If the U.S. learned anything from its recent disastrous trip to Europe for friendlies against Slovakia and Denmark it's that the team can play with the former side. Although the American's left Bratislava with a 1-0 loss, Vladimir Weiss' squad created few chances in the attack and is certainly beatable. Switzerland, which won the easiest group in UEFA qualifying, doesn't boast the defensive prowess it once did but the U.S., who struggle to score during the run of play, could still have trouble hitting the back of the net. Think a 1-0 match with the winning goal coming on a set piece.  

Worst case: Denmark, Serbia

The U.S., and the rest of the world, caught a break when FIFA seeded the Netherlands instead of France as the current incarnation of Les Blues isn't the monster it once was. That said, Pot 4 features a host of strong teams. The U.S. was obliterated by a depleted Danish squad. Admittedly, the Americans were also lacking firepower up front and continuity in the back, but the match highlighted some significant weak points for the Stars and Stripes. Serbia, who boast American-bornraised centerback Neven Subotic, surprised the French in finishing on top of Group 7. Radomir Antic's boys spread the goals around evenly and defeating Serbia would be a difficult task for the Americans.  

Best-case group: South Africa, Slovakia, U.S., Algeria Uruguay 

Worst-case group: Brazil, Denmark, U.S., Ivory Coast 

Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.

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