Anti-Americanism
By Zach
So it was with mild interest that I read that the United State was not seeded in the top eight for the 2006 World Cup, finishing a single point behind Italy and Argentina. The formula FIFA uses isn't publicly known, but it apparently involves a combination of world rankings (where the US is currently 7th) and results from the last two World Cups (1998 and 2002). What this means is that the US is guaranteed to be in a group with one of those top eight teams, and could conceivably end up paired with powerhouses like Brazil, Argentina, Italy, or England. Because they both qualified from CONCACAF, the US can not end up in the same pool as Mexico.
I'm not a big soccer fan. I don't follow MLS or European League play. But I do follow the World Cup. The process FIFA uses to seed teams is outdated and moronic, and here's why.
First, using nearly eight-year-old results as a means to rank teams currently is insane. How many players on this current US team played significant roles on that team? Additionally, it's merely a way for FIFA to continue to favor rich, mainly European countries who drive much of the revenue for the sport. The host Germans have a much weaker squad that the 2002 runners-up, and the Spanish had to play an extra pair of games just to qualify...how do they deserve to be among the top eight teams? If FIFA wants to use results from the last World Cup, then fine, that makes some sense. But going back any further than that is inane.
The focus should be on picking the top eight teams in the world right now. Clearly, the US has showed that it is superior to Mexico, finishing ahead of them in CONCACAF qualifying and beating them in the second round of the 2002 World Cup. Spain, we've already discussed. For the US to be ranked behind these two teams shows just how much FIFA and the rest of the world fear American soccer.
For decades, most of the soccer-playing world has feared that the United States, if it ever cared enough, would dominate international soccer. The resources, both financial and talent-wise, available in America dwarf just about every other country. But this isn't just about America, this is about the European powers fearing emerging countries. African and Asian nations have greatly raised their level of play, and yet they receive little consideration when it comes to seeding.
In the end, the US will have its chance to prove its worth on the fields of Germany. It's just a shame that they'll be fighting more than just another country, they'll be fighting a global conspiracy.
I'm not a big soccer fan. I don't follow MLS or European League play. But I do follow the World Cup. The process FIFA uses to seed teams is outdated and moronic, and here's why.
First, using nearly eight-year-old results as a means to rank teams currently is insane. How many players on this current US team played significant roles on that team? Additionally, it's merely a way for FIFA to continue to favor rich, mainly European countries who drive much of the revenue for the sport. The host Germans have a much weaker squad that the 2002 runners-up, and the Spanish had to play an extra pair of games just to qualify...how do they deserve to be among the top eight teams? If FIFA wants to use results from the last World Cup, then fine, that makes some sense. But going back any further than that is inane.
The focus should be on picking the top eight teams in the world right now. Clearly, the US has showed that it is superior to Mexico, finishing ahead of them in CONCACAF qualifying and beating them in the second round of the 2002 World Cup. Spain, we've already discussed. For the US to be ranked behind these two teams shows just how much FIFA and the rest of the world fear American soccer.
For decades, most of the soccer-playing world has feared that the United States, if it ever cared enough, would dominate international soccer. The resources, both financial and talent-wise, available in America dwarf just about every other country. But this isn't just about America, this is about the European powers fearing emerging countries. African and Asian nations have greatly raised their level of play, and yet they receive little consideration when it comes to seeding.
In the end, the US will have its chance to prove its worth on the fields of Germany. It's just a shame that they'll be fighting more than just another country, they'll be fighting a global conspiracy.
posted by Zach at 6:26 PM
2 Comments:
"The formula FIFA uses isn't publicly known"
...or is it ?
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/051206/1/5hj3.html
I wish you wouldn't have wasted such good posting space on soccer. Sorry but I can't stand the sport (if you want to call it that). 90 minutes of boring men running around lucky to score 1 goal.
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