In an ESPN World Cup promotion, celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg, Ice Cube, and Rajon Rondo voice their belief in the United States Men’s National Team.
The video, which was posted by BleacerReport.com BleacherReport.com, consists of athletes and celebrities alike chanting “I believe that we will win”, a popular cry for US supporters.
But how far do US supporters really believe the team can advance in the World Cup? We already know that manager Jurgen Klinsmann believes that the team is incapable of winning the tournament, according to a story in the New York Times last week.
The US has 250 to 1 odds of winning the World Cup according to SkyBet.com, the 19th worst chance of the 32 teams in the field. Hosts Brazil is the favorite with 11 to 4 odds, and Iran is the least likely team to hoist the trophy being a 2,500 to 1 shot.
As any Mets fan can tell you, simply believing usually does not get the job done.
The US faces Ghana in their first match, the team that knocked them out of the 2010 World Cup in a match that ended 2-1 in the round of 16. They then face Portugal, who features Cristiano Ronaldo, considered by most to be the best player in the world. The US cannot afford a loss to either Portugal or Ghana, as their last match is against Germany, a team with six to one odds of winning the entire tournament, giving them the third best chances.
Though the US looked impressive in their last match before the World Cup, a 2-1 victory of Nigeria, and have won their last three matches, not many people outside the US consider them much if a contender.
A trip to the quarterfinals would be considered a very successful tournament for the US, and indeed making it out of their group would be an accomplishment.
The US will have a chance to make believers out of the rest of the World when they take on Ghana June 16 in Natal.