Pre-match: 2022 FIFA World Cup Draw - April 1, 2022 - 12 PM EDT

Qatar, Tunisia, New Zealand too much to ask for?

 

Pot 1: Qatar, Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, England, Spain, Portugal

Pot 2: USA, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Uruguay, Croatia

Pot 3: Senegal, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Serbia, Poland, South Korea, Tunisia

Pot 4: Canada, Cameroon, Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, CRC/NZL winner, SCO/WAL/UKR winner, AUS/UAE/Peru winner

 

@dark knight schrutebuck beat me to it, can you delete my thread?

 

Kiwis won't happen because they're playing a CONCACAF team, but I'll settle for The Saudis

 

Pot 1: Obviously you want Qatar, outside of that I'd want Belgium or Portugal and then England or Spain.

Pot 3: Tunisia appears to be the weakest team here, but they can park a bus pretty well, I'd be pretty worried about breaking them down. Truthfully I'm pretty neutral about this group

Pot 4:Canada and the CRC/NZL winner won't happen, so that leaves 6 options. Cameroon or The Saudis are probably who you want most (plus Australia or The UAE if they get by Peru). I know our history with Ghana, but I wouldn't mind them either

 

There are no easy groups at the WC, but I suppose we don't want Brazil or France as our pot 1 team. I actually think England might be the next scariest team. Not completely sold on this edition of Argentina or Spain, though both nations typically have strong talent. Belgium and Portugal strike me as Jekkyl-and-Hyde nations that could either flop hard or crush people. So I guess put me down for Qatar, Spain, Belgium, or Argentina.

I haven't really watched the pot 3 teams. All seem beatable, but tough.

Pot 4...can we actually draw Canada? I wouldn't really want to face them again. For the sake of variety, I'd like to see something different. Have to feel we'd be solid favorites over all these teams.

 

Copying my post from the other thread:

There are no easy groups at the WC, but I suppose we don't want Brazil or France as our pot 1 team. I actually think England might be the next scariest team. Not completely sold on this edition of Argentina or Spain, though both nations typically have strong talent. Belgium and Portugal strike me as Jekkyl-and-Hyde nations that could either flop hard or crush people. So I guess put me down for Qatar, Spain, Belgium, or Argentina.

I haven't really watched the pot 3 teams. All seem beatable, but tough.

Pot 4...have to feel we'd be solid favorites over all these teams.

 

The #USMNT have officially qualified for the World Cup in Qatar. If they're drawn into Group G or H, their opening game will be on Thanksgiving.

— Bryan Armen Graham (@BryanAGraham) March 31, 2022

 

For sure you want Qatar, but I'm also scared of the prospect of Qatar home-cooking, because we all know how tough the home whistle is at the WC. I feel like Qatar favoritism at the Cup could put South Korea 2002 to shame. It is possible however that the pot 3 and 4 teams drawn with Qatar get the brunt of the bad, figuring the best chance for Qatar to get through is 2nd place in the group, with the pot 2 team becoming the de facto #1.

What i think I would be most upset with is drawing potentially Wales out of pot 4. That would be just our luck as we tend to get some tough groups for the WC, (save maybe 2010 which was pretty favorable.)

End of the day though, we just have to beat these teams if we want respect.

 

I noticed this about the scheduling as well. 4 matches a day for the group games, which previously was only a thing on the first Sunday (or possibly saturday) of the prior 32 team world cups. So the groups cycle through every 4 days, 3 matches in 8 days for each squad as you said.

I think this could bode well for us, given the familiarity with how concacaf qualifying was abbreviated as well.

 

jesus, what is this scheduling?!? this is the sort of thing i dont even think about until qualifying is over and its in two days.

i am not mentally prepared at all...

 

There has to be 1 European team in each group right? So there's 3/8 chance that we don't get one out pot A, which would force either Poland, Serbia, or the playoff winner into ours

 

Feels like if it’s at the right time of day, a Thanksgiving opening game could do huge TV ratings.

 

It continues to be a ridiculous decision that this World Cup is being played in Qatar.

 

I am going to point out that since 2002 the prior World Cup winner has always gone out in the group stage, except Brazil in 2006.

That said, i still don't want France.

Also, I'm willing to lay money that Qatar gets Germany, or maybe Netherlands. Heated balls and all that.

 

Seriously hot take here, but I don't think there's a team in the world we can't at least draw with, if we have relative good health. I'm not scared of anyone.
My big caveat is they have to score, and that's definitely up in the air, both tactically and personnel wise. They have to sort out the set piece situation, there's no reason they can't make that their bread and butter.

I do think England is the last team I want to see in my group, as I think they are particularly strong. Having said that, they seem the most likely to step on their own collective dicks.

 

This should be on Fox Sports too, since they have the FIFA deal in English.

 

Here is what I want:

Qatar, USA, Tunisia, Wales/Scotland/Ukraine winner.

Here is what I don't want:

France, USA, Senegal, Ecuador.

 

The new seeding/pot system really works to our advantage, getting into pot 2. I remember when all CONCACAF teams would get lumped in to the same pot as AFC teams, which essentially guaranteed that we'd play a pot 1 superpower + a good European or South American squad. The new format makes it very difficult for there to be a true group of death.

I'm not optimistic that we're a round of 16-quality squad based on our youth and inconsistency, but these pots make me feel like we'll have a solid chance of advancing no matter the draw. All of the pot 3 and pot 4 teams feel beatable to me if we play well.

No (thankfully). Aside from UEFA, FIFA only allows one team per confederation for each group.

 

It is. It'll be on FS1 on Friday, with the pre-draw show at 11:30AM ET

 

On TUDN, the pre-draw show starts at 7 a m. PDT. So 2 hours versus 30 minutes in English.

 

I'd avoid North African teams just because of the support. Otherwise, avoid the dribbling teams because our CB pair + DM + GK square is our weak spot.

 

*The jazz standard "A Night in Tunisia" starts playing*.