World Cup Qualifying 2014

The qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Rio, Brazil has begun and is starting to enter the stage of craziness.  More countries are members of FIFA than there are countries in the United Nations, and all of these countries are showing off their soccer ability in the qualification stage.  Only one team, the host Brazil, is guaranteed a spot in the World Cup.  All other teams from powerhouses to underdogs will need to prove their worth come game time.  The United States don't start their qualification campaign until next year, yet there are still some storylines that should be followed.

One of these storylines is the victory for the US Virgin Islands over the British Virgin Islands in the first qualifying round.  This was a small Caribbean rivalry that has been brewing for quite some time now and it was good to see the United States territory come out on top.  They are struggling in the second qualifying round currently, but are still competing hard.  Another great story is the great game played by Uzbekistan against Asian powerhouse, Japan, today.  Uzbekistan played to a hard fought draw against the understandably superior Japanese team.  Uzbekistan beat Tajikistan, 1-0, four days prior to this incredibly played game.  This came along with the upset of China and other powerhouses, South Korea and North Korea playing to draws.

The great competitiveness of the early rounds of World Cup qualification are hopefully signs of the games to come and eventually the World Cup itself.  Overall, the games have been fascinating and I encourage you to start following them or continue if you already have been.