World Cup Qualifying home stretch begins

[DallasDog]

Yeah

[RealityCheck]

By "Pot 1" you mean the top 8 seeds?

Brazil will be "drawn" first into Group A so it can open the tournament. The other top seeds are in Pot 1 to be chosen by draw into the other 7 groups.

[dawg80]

World Cup Finals draw Pot 1 (top seeds plus hosts)--Brazil (Group A), Spain, Germany, Argentina, Colombia, Belgium, Switzerland.

Uruguay will also be in Pot 1 if it qualifies over Jordan (likely), and the Netherlands would take that spot if Uruguay is upset.

The other qualifying teams to this point not on the Pot 1 list are Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, England, Honduras, Iran, Italy, Japan, Korea Republic, the Netherlands, Russia, and USA.

Seriously? I'm traveling to Columbia in a couple of months (business). Have a biz associate from there who happened to be at my house for the Brazil-Spain Confederations Cup final some months back. I joked with him saying the USA and Columbia would reach the WC Final. He said, maybe the US will, but not Columbia, not very good, he says. Hell! they needed 3 goals late just to earn a WC berth. And, they are potentially a Top 8 seed?

Belgium? Switzerland?

Being a Top 8 seed, IF it is legit, can be huge! Can avoid the "pool of death" if you're in with 3 mediocre to weak teams.

Well, if the US is presently 13th, we need to schedule some friendlies with a few of those Pot 1 teams, and beat 'em!

BTW...watched the Women's National Team clobber Australia. (better that than watching the cowgirls' game). Dayum, we are good!