It’s been quite a run for the US national soccer team. The gang defeated Mexico in Columbus in September behind goals by Eddie Johnson and Landon Donovan, giving them their seventh consecutive World Cup berth. Then the drama got even more interesting when the US team came from behind to defeat Panama, which then kept arch-rival Mexico’s World Cup chances alive. The result was a huge wave of gratitude in the Mexican press, while Mexico did their part with a dramatic bicycle kick for the winning goal against Costa Rica.

We’ll see if Mexico ends up joining the World Cup field as they’ll play in World Cup playoff round against New Zealand. But now we can start thinking about whether the United States can make a real run in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. We all know there will be a ton of live World Cup betting both leading up to and during the World Cup as this is still the most popular sport in the world. But when it comes to national teams, you have to acknowledge that a ton of the betting will be emotional. People bet with their hearts. That’s just the nature of things and it’s even more pronounced in this tournament.

Also, in the early rounds things can be very unpredictable. Even if the finals often see the traditional powers matching up, there are plenty of shocking results along the way.

Many US fans are pleasantly surprised with the recent developments, as the Jurgen Klinsmann era didn’t get off to a smooth start. But once the team got in a groove with Klinsmann’s approach, they proceeded to dominate their region. The question remains however as to how this team can respond to facing the world powers in the World Cup. Klinsmann has noted that the Brazil tournament will be packed with quality teams but that much will hing on the upcoming World Cup draw on December 6th. Will the US end up in a tough “Group of Death” or will they slide into one of the easier groups? Once that happens, real analysis can begin as to how this particular US can match up against the round one opponents.