Group Stage Predictions: Part 1

                   For my predictions, I picked the teams I thought have the best chance of advancing to the quarterfinals. Remember: The top 2 teams in each group advance! Let's get right to it!

Group A: Colombia and the United States

Group A	Wins	Draws	Losses	GD	Points
Colombia	2	1	0	3	7
United States	2	1	0	2	7
Costa Rica	1	0	2	0	3
Paraguay	0	0	3	-5	0

Above is my prediction of how the group will stand after the group stage. For me, this is a difficult group to look at. Colombia has shown the world the last World Cup how dangerous they can be, but I feel they might feel overconfident about this Cup. I do think they will go undefeated this stage, but will be shocked when they tie the US in the opener. For the US, hosting helps to an advantage, as it boosts morale. They will get sloppy but good results winning by a goal against Costa Rica and Paraguay, and surprisingly tying Colombia in the opener. Because of the goal differential, though, the US will end up in 2nd. That leaves Costa Rica and Paraguay fighting for points in their matchup. Costa Rica, I believe, will win handily by two goals.

Group B: Brazil and Peru

Group B	Wins	Draws	Losses	GD	Points
Brazil	3	0	0	7	9
Peru	2	0	1	3	6
Ecuador	1	0	2	-1	3
Haiti	0	0	3	-9	0

Another hard group to pick. For me, it would be a shock for Brazil if they don't win all 3 games. These games are all gimmes for them, and they could win with a rout or two. On the other end, I see Haiti struggling to get a goal, and a point. I see Brazil flying past them, and Ecuador and Peru also winning handily. Then there's Ecuador and Peru. I see them both beating Haiti by 2 or 3, and losing to Brazil. In their crucial matchup, I expect Peru to pull out a gutsy 1-0 win, and move on. More predictions are on the next blog.