Draw Good To US

This year is a big one for US Soccer. First, the domestic league, MLS will add the newest franchise, Philadelphia Union, when the season kicks off in March. Then, this summer, the US team will travel to South Africa to participate in the first World Cup held in Africa. The draw took place late last year, and the result was encouraging for the United States.
The US was drawn into a Group C, with England, Algeria, and Slovenia. England, ranked 9th in the world, are obviously the powerhouse of the group. The United States, however, are favored to finish second and advance out of the group stage. Algeria and Slovenia, ranked 26th and 31st respectively, have earned their spot in the World Cup and are serious opponents.
The winner of the draw was probably France. Not one of the seeded teams, France lucked into one of the easiest groups, with Mexico, Uruguay and host South Africa. France, ranked 7th, defeated Ireland in a controversial playoff after under-performing in the qualifiers. France is favored to win the group, and could threaten to win the competition in a wide-open year.
The loser of the draw could be the Korean peninsula. While very different countries in politics and football, it was one country for centuries. South Korea has come along way to be one of the strongest teams in Asia, while North Korea, as with so many international duties, is still a backwater. South Korea was drawn into Group B with former winners Argentina, and tactical workhorse Greece, along with a strong African team in Nigeria. North Korea was drawn into an equally difficult group with Brazil, underachieving Portugal and Ivory Coast. While North Korea certainly has a better chance to advance out of the group, neither holds much hope for representing Asia in a World Cup knock-out game.
So with groups set, anticipation will begin to build steadily until June, when all eyes of the football world will be on Africa for the first time. Until then, the European season will wind down, and MLS will start up. Look for many a meaningless friendly in the meantime, as players compete for positions on their squads.