Soccer Improved

Outright Odds: 100/1 Group E Winners: 7/1

The USA have a lot to live up to after reaching the quarter finals four years ago but being placed in the "Group of Death" could see their campaign in Germany fall much shorter.

As usual, the USA had a relatively easy group, with only Mexico providing any real competition. This the fifth consecutive finals the US are participating in, despite being much-maligned as a capable international football team.

In 16 qualifying matches Bruce Arena's side lost just twice, away at both Mexico and Costa Rica and secured their place in Germany with matches to spare and topped their group ahead of Mexico due to a better head-to-head record.

The USA may be rated eighth in the world according to the FIFA rankings, but similar to Mexico, the sheer number of games they play against sub-standard opposition means they are perhaps artificially high. Arena could afford to field a reserve team for the final two matches and still win the group. The bookies are under no illusions and rate them as 100/1 (Bet365) outsiders to win the tournament outright, top 10 in the world or not.

Like Italy, the USA may also suffer from a lack of stability. While Claudio Reyna is the first-choice captain, no less than seven players wore the armband during qualifying.

However, if they can get past this then Arena can rely on a vastly experienced team to try and negotiate their way into the second round. While 164-cap Cobi Jones has finally retired, the US have another centurion in Reyna while Kasey Keller, Brian McBride and Eddie Pope are all veterans of previous World Cup campaigns. Even striker Landon Donovan, at 23-years-old, boasts over 70 caps.

Despite struggling to make the grade in Europe, Donovan remains the USA's most potent threat. Now playing as a midfield playmaker and back in his homeland with Los Angeles Galaxy, he racked up six goals in qualifying and created as many for others.

There may not, however, be a place for 16-year-old sensation Freddy Adu. The DC United striker could be representing Ghana in this year's finals but pledged his international future to the USA.

Recommended Bet: This is an exceptionally tough group for the USA to negotiate, especially since they do not play top class European opposition very often. This could well be the type of group where everyone takes points from everyone else, but Bruce Arena's side best chance of success comes in their final group game against Ghana. At odds-against, the USA look a sound bet but even victory here may not be enough to make it to the last 16. USA to beat Ghana @ 6/5

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Soccer fans love the game of soccer because it is filled with pulsating action that comes from teams that represent people from all parts of the world. Soccer allows people of all cultures to integrate onto a playing surface and exhibit their talent in a very aggressive game that is watched by millions of people each weekend. When one of those players is missing though, a different type of hell breaks loose.

Soccer is a sport that is very respected by fans because they have made it their business to know all about the people involved with the game. The fans understand the time and commitment that some soccer players put into a game that they love doing every day of the week. There are certain soccer players that still must prove their abilities in a foreign land even after they have become champions in their homeland. These players will be under constant scrutiny by the public as they wait for the player to prove their abilities and live up to the hype generated by the news.

These self-made soccer avatars have been exposed by the news media as the best in their craft and have been criticized for being highly paid for their professional services. Some professional soccer players have used their brain instead of their athletic talents and excelled in the news because they have a very talented mate who is just as interesting in the public eye. When this type of scrutiny is diverted for just a short time, it gives the soccer playing champ a chance to rest and look forward to playing the next game of soccer.

It is rather strange that the press would canonize a foreign soccer player for not being able to play in Los Angeles when he was injured in a soccer game. Although the player was where he was supposed to be, and doing what he was hired to do, some critics feel that he was taking advantage of the situation somehow and was not keeping up his end of the bargain.

Perhaps the injury occurred on a soccer field in England, or one in the United States. Soccer players know the risk when they enter the field, and yet, many of them still do and have the courage to continue playing long past when they should leave the field for medical reasons. Permanent injuries can occur when any soccer player puts the game above self, but the ridicule provided by the press and teammates might give a foreign player that plays for America no other choice.

A player with this much power and charisma on and off the soccer field deserves to be watched but not monitored. Some events of life deserve to be solemnly attended to with dignity and with a guarantee of privacy. There are certain times when time limits should be lifted and attention to family matters be given the widest considerations. Otherwise, the watching might turn to monitoring so soccer teams can try and figure out if devotion to self finally overrides the grinding urge to return ever again to the playing field where a foreigner is often criticized.

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It has been said that more people in the world play soccer than any other sport, and there is little reason to doubt the veracity of that claim. With little more than an open field, a makeshift goal, and a ball, you can have a soccer game at just about any time. This is surely one of the reasons that soccer is so popular in some poor countries, but it hardly explains soccer's popularity in developed countries like the United States. Here, organized soccer players need more than a ball to play, and in many cases, proper soccer shoes are required before you are allowed to take the field of play.

Soccer shoes are required for several reasons. Not only do appropriate shoes give you traction in a sport where traction is paramount, they also provide you with support and padding that will protect you from injury. A quality soccer shoe is constructed with an upper portion that is made with materials and layering that will give the player the most feel for the ball, and in a sport where your feet are as important as soccer, that feel is incredibly valuable.

Since feel for the ball is important, the materials used are also integral in transmitting that feel. Soccer shoes are usually made of real leather or synthetic leather, with real leather providing the best feedback for the player. Real leather has other advantages as well. Leather shoes tend to fit better and are often more durable as well. However, those advantages come with a higher price. Further, if you are playing on a wet, water logged field, a real leather shoe will absorb more moisture making it heavy and robbing it of its durability.

A less expensive option is synthetic leather. Appropriate for beginning and intermediate players, synthetic leather offers an affordable entry level shoe for prospective soccer players. Further, synthetic leather offers greater water resistance and is ideal for play on wet fields. Synthetic leather shoes are easier to clean and tend to maintain their looks for a longer period of time even though they typically do not last as long as their leather counterparts.

The most important part of soccer shoes is where the rubber meets the road; the sole, where the cleats are. There are four types of soles on soccer shoes: molded cleats, detachable cleats, turf shoes, and indoor shoes. Molded cleats are the most basic and affordable design. Perfect for young or beginning players, molded cleats are part of the sole of the shoe and they are designed to be appropriate - although not ideal - for a wide range of playing conditions. Detachable cleats are similar to the molded cleats but with one major difference; you can remove them. By unscrewing the cleats and replacing them with different types and lengths, more advanced players can create a shoe that is ideal for the playing conditions they may face in their game.

Soccer is not always played in cleats, however, and some shoes are designed for use on Astroturf or on other kinds of indoor surfaces. Looking as much like sneakers as typical soccer shoes, turf shoes and indoor shoes possess a tread designed to grip artificial surfaces while still providing the optimal feel that is needed in a soccer shoe.

When you purchase your soccer shoes make sure to be properly fit and remember that they are designed to feel snug, particularly on the upper portion of the shoe. Remember that a leather shoe will stretch over time, so a shoe that feels snuff at first may eventually stretch and mold to the exact shape of your foot making it like a part of you, and perfect for the game of soccer.

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