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US Fans Betting on 5th Ranked Team to Win World Cup

   

Maybe some people pay attention to those FIFA rankings after all. That might explain why an American gambling company says that nearly 20% of total wagers have been placed on the United States team winning the World Cup – second only to bets on Brazil. Perhaps the American betting public has been duped into thinking that their team actually is the 5th best in the world or perhaps it is merely a case of patriotism gone wild.

Whatever the case, you have to think that even Wayne Rooney wouldn’t bet on the Yanks given the group that they are in.

You can get a 4-1 payout if the US wins from Group E. We wouldn’t bet on that to happen but it does seem like a wiser bet than picking them to win it all.

If there is anyone who is willing to put money down on the US winning the World Cup, I’d be happy to take your money. I’ll even give you better odds than 90-1.


  • Cajun Nick

    Pablo,

    We hardly knew ye!

  • Razzle

    Can you please please take that picture off… somebody needs to tell that guy hes not Pamela Anderson!

  • Bob

    You would prefer the Landon Donvan water fountain photo? I have it ready and could switch it out.

  • Razzle

    You’re a wretched man bob. Last I saw that pic I was blinded for 20 minutes. No thanks. I’d rather face the ignominy of getting caught reading playgirl on a crowded bus!
    :)

  • http://www.sfcfc.com Jonathan

    All of your homo-erotic tendencies are showing. Anway, who are you to argue with FIFA’s computer?

  • Kevin

    It’s a bet I’ve made. There’s no denying we have better athletes and fitness levels, the tactics will get worked out. Certainly better than betting on the English.

  • Razzle

    Ive bet on Argentina taking it all.
    And USA emerging 2nd from Group E.

    No matter how deep the brazilians squad may be, the starting lineup of Argentina is stronger than their starting lineup.

    Czech Republic is erratic and they did loose to Greece a minnow in the Euro Cup. USA has grounds for being optimistic.

  • Karlo Dunatov

    I’d give you 1,000,000-1 odds that the USA will win the World Cup. You know why, it’s not going to happen. The United States would be embarassed by any of the European teams in the tournament and will be when they play them. Have fun watching the US go out in the first round! As far as the earlier comment about having the best atheletes, could you pass the dutchie pon the left hand side please!

  • Juan

    This have been posted on April fools, would have gotten a good laugh.

    Now it’s just sad.

  • DT

    Bob, I’m willing to bet that USA will win the World Cup.

    You didn’t state the year, so if USA win the 2014 or 2018 World Cup, I win the bet, right?

    No doubt soccer will become popular in USA. When the time comes, they’ll pour more and more money into soccer development. They are also able to attract foreigners to play for USA.

    It’s just a matter of time before USA become a major force in soccer. They won’t win it in 2006, but they may win it in 2014 or 2018.

  • AzzurriBlue

    In response to Razzle,”…The Czech Republic is erratic and they did loose to Greece a minnow in the Euro Cup. USA has grounds for being optimistic.”
    Take the bullets out of your pockets… you do know that Greece won Euro 2004, right?

  • Razzle

    AzzurriBlue,

    Yes I know Greece won Euro 2004 and then proceeded not to qualify for the world cup. Not to belittle Greece but this is the kind of winner that gives the smaller footballing countries hope.

    Kasey Kellers blog (USA keeper) he said it well: “The success of Greece at Euro 2004 gives everyone hope. That such rank outsiders could actually win the competition is a big boost for dark horse teams everywhere.”

  • BobP

    Hey Juan, I’ll give you even better odds that Canada won’t win the world cup. In fact, i bet the US wins a world cup before Canada qualifies for one.

  • http://incadenza.typepad.com/soccer_thoughts/ Evan

    The Mirage in Las Vegas was giving odds of the US winning on the day the US squad was announced at 8-1. 8-1!

    My theory is that they’re trying to take advantage of bettors that don’t really know soccer, but know they did okay last time, and who are putting down a patriotic bet.

  • Nayo

    To DT,
    “No doubt soccer will become popular in USA. When the time comes, they’ll pour more and more money into soccer development. They are also able to attract foreigners to play for USA.” You notice that the best teams in football aren’t the ones that invest the most money into the sport and also they don’t need to attract foreigners, right? That is the reason why the U.S. will never win the World Cup. This is not the NFL or MLB or even the Premiership where you can build a team. To win the World Cup you need the heart associated with it. Countries that win it have huge pride in it (Brazil, Argentina, England, etc), and honestly the U.S. has no such interest. I live in the U.S. and you could swear there is no World Cup coming. If I where in Mexico everysecond you’d be reminded, hence that is why even Mexico has much greater odds of winning the World Cup than the U.S. does. And KEVIN, you can’t be serious you think the U.S. is better than England. Yeah, and I bet Adu is better than Rooney. Londovan choked out of Germany cause hedoesn’t have the heart. Adu is not even American, how can you win a World Cup when your players are not even from your country? Most nations have 2 or 3 at most or they have some colonial connection but the U.S. goes to Ghana for a child? That’s why you’ll never win it.

  • YankeeGeordie

    Nayo,

    You may live in the US, but you’re obviously not involved in football there. I am. And the circle of players, coaches and referees that I hang out with are as excited about WC2006 as anyone, anywhere.

    Every year, more and more children are playing organized soccer in the States. Every year the youth system gets better organized, gets better coaching, gets better athletes who years ago would have focused on track, american football, basketball, baseball or some other sport.

    In many towns and schools, soccer is now THE sport to play.

    The media are slow to catch on – the sports desks are dominated by 40-50 somethings that never played the game. It will take another two generations (at least) before football/soccer is a “mainstream” sport, but it MUST happen…too many kids are playing right now for that not to happen.

    The USA is a sleeping giant that will awake, and when it does, it will do very well on the world stage. They aren’t exactly embarrasing themselves right now!

    Oh, and the comment about foreigners? We are a nation of immigrants, you fool. That’s what makes us so strong! So while the Polish fans will scream racist taunts at their players of African descent, Americans revel in their multi-cultural heritage.

  • carrie

    It is damn funny America winning the WC. NO FREAKEN way are you kidding me. That’s not going to happen, at least within this millennium. America should stick to its basketball please

  • http://incadenza.typepad.com/soccer_thoughts/ Evan

    “Yeah, and I bet Adu is better than Rooney. Londovan choked out of Germany cause hedoesn’t have the heart. Adu is not even American, how can you win a World Cup when your players are not even from your country? Most nations have 2 or 3 at most or they have some colonial connection but the U.S. goes to Ghana for a child? That’s why you’ll never win it.”

    Nayo, that’s a mighty nice narrow view of immigration and the movement of peoples that’s been going on for millenia you have there…so to be born in a country that was colonized by another means its okay for you to play for your former colonizer, but to voluntarily immigrate means that you can’t play for the country that you’re a citizen of?

    Also, very convenient that your reasoning criticizes Adu (who wasn’t even named to the US squad, since you don’t even seem to know one thing about US soccer) but makes it okay for Sven to call up the useless Owen Hargreaves.

  • Nayo

    I never said Adu had been called to the national team. I mentioned that as an example and please do not compare immigration (as a latinamerican here believe me I know a thing or two about immigration) from regular people to that of hand picking a player a bringing him here. That looked so bad when the U.S. did it that Fifa introduced a new law not permitting players to play for a national team without a) having their grandparents be from that country. B) Having your parents be from that country or c) live there a substantial time (i.e. like 5 to 7 years) to become a citizen. You want to talk about immigration and movement of people? Adu had not even set foot in the U.S. in his entire life and he was a citizen. That’s not “nice narrow view of immigration and the movement of peoples that’s been going on for millenia you have there”. That’s hand picking people, and narrow view on immigration is what happens to the other 12 million immigrants who some have been here over 5 years and they still have no rights whatsoever so please don’t pretend like everyone gets treated like Adu because if you can’t play any sports you go to the back of the immigration line and hope you don’t get deported. Now on the other hand I’m not saying the U.S. is bad, I think they’re actually doing rather good. I doubt they will win it (that’s all I tried to say) and doubt they’re better than England (and the English made stupid mistakes as well for calling up certain players and leaving out others) but you cannot possible, seriously tell me that if not this one maybe the next world cup will be won by the U.S. Last but not least, the colonizing effect gives you roots, the Dutch have Suriname, the French have Senegal. What I’m trying to get at is you need some feeling of national pride and as immigrants it is hard to leave your nation behind (look how many of those immigrants you mentioned are rooting for Mexico, Argentina, or their nativee country before they root for the U.S.) and root for a new one. It is even harder if you’re a kid and get a lottery to come to the U.S. at 13 and play soccer for them. It will be incredibely interesting to see Freddy Adu grow up and no I am not picking on him is just that his case will probably will not repeat again in football. Laws preventing a nation to pick a player out of nowhere exist so it will be interesting to see how will Adu fair, will he be the savior of football in the U.S. or what.

  • editha

    How come Brad Friedel is not part of the US World Cup delegation? I think he is the best US goalkeeper and he would have provided the US a greater chance of reaching the quarterfinal or even the semi-final rounds.

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  • Kelly Velayas (x-pat)

    To: Carrie (in Brazil),

    Take a look at history: it’s nearly impossible to win the WC on a contenent other than the one you’re from. The only known teams to accomplish the feat: Brazil, the US, Germany and Argentina, and Argentina did it in Mexico (so, it doesn’t really count). By geography alone the US, is at a disadvantage but we’ve done it twice before (1991).

    So, as to the US winning a WC…As stated before, if you knew anything about soccer (futbol), you’d know the US is a WORLD CHAMPION!! (1991, 1999). Just ask Brandi Chastain.

    What’s so funny…We’re World Champs while half of the US doesn’t even care about (or know about) the sport. That gives you an idea about the future.

    So, cry it up Carrie and eat your words.

    Kelly,

  • Dean

    Nayo,
    Where did you get your info about Adu? According to Wikipedia,
    “Adu left Ghana with his family in 1997, and is now a resident of Potomac, Maryland in the United States and a U.S. citizen, where he went to The Heights School.”

    OK, so that made him 8 years old when he immigrated, and he was 14 when he played in the MLS, and I don’t believe he played for the US national team until January of 2006. If you want to go from time of citizenship, he received his citizenship at 13, four years ago, and five years after his arrival in the U.S.

  • georgie

    interesting conversation,
    no the U.S will not win. Anybody has doubts after today?
    Football (soccer) is not big here, unfortunately. To tell you the truth, some friends and I have decided that even if the U.S. could win, it would be a waste. It will be on the news and papers for a couple of days, then move on to Football season (american). Any other country winning will lift up the spirits of a nation for weeks and months to come. To Kelly in Brazil, being realistic, talking about women world cup in the context of this conversation is about 1000000 times more irrelevant than talking about the WNBA when talking about basketball here or arena football when talking about NFL or softball when talking baseball league. So pleaaase stop that. I have friends in the U.S. national women team and THEY even would agree with me.
    Anyway, after today’s performance against the Czech republic all doubts are lifted.

  • http://england gazza

    not a chance in hell the usa will a world cup becuase you are shite hahahaahahahahahahahaha

  • oNLy1

    @BobP
    you think Canada cant play soccer
    maybe you should see the next rising stars.

    dont go looking to Brazil since Canada under 20 team beat them.

    The year Canada qualifies is the year America doesnt.

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