U.s. Men's National Soccer Team: Looking Up to 2014 Fifa World Cup

The U. S. men?s national soccer team (USA) is looking up to 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil from June 12 to July 13, 2014. U. S. was one of the 13 nations that combined to launch the FIFA World Cup tournament in Uruguay in 1930. After placing third in the opening competition, U. S. A qualified for the 1934 World Cup and withdrew from the 1938 World Cup due to World War II. U. S. A participated in the 1950 tournament (also held in Brazil), where they upset England 1?0 in their second group match. After that memorable game, U. S. A. did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup again until 1990. In 1994 U. S. A qualified automatically as hosts in the 1994 tournament, but they lost to Brazil in the round of 16. From then on, the team has qualified for every FIFA World Cup and intends for the 2014 games to be no exception. At Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010, U. S. A bid farewell to the tournament at the Round of 16. This time in Brazil, USA will do well to carry the trophy in 2014. In June 2012 U. S. A will begin playing in Group A of Semifinal Round qualifying in CONCACAF, where they have always dominated. The opening match in group play will take place on June 8, 2012, against first-time semifinalists Antigua and Barbuda. Four days later, the U. S. will play away against Guatemala. The final two-game fixture date on October 12 will take the U. S. to Antigua and Barbudafor the first time. Four days later, U. S. A will finish the Semifinal Round with a home match on October 16 against Guatemala. The group winner and group runner-up will advance to the Final Round, which will take place in 2013 and feature a group of six teams. Qualifying for 2014 World Cup will not be enough for their new manager Klinsmann, and yet the stakes are higher than before. USA is therefore leaving no stone unturned to keep in shape. Providing an impressive supporting cast will be the likes of Maurice Edu, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey, all of whom are plying their trade on European soil at their peak. Dempsey, for example, has been in fine form in the premier league campaign at Craven Cottage. He ended the 2011-12 season as one of the top scorers in the English Premier League. No doubt Team U. S. A is ready for a blast in Brazil 2014. Get to know the American players who are dubbed to rock Brazil in 2014 in these pages. You will also find in these pages fun games and activities including crossword puzzles, wordbuilding and jeopardy to test your knowledge of the history of soccer in the United States. Answers are provided at the end of the book