USMNT: Previewing All World Cup Qualifiers for Yanks This Summer

This summer, the U.S. men’s national team will begin its journey towards the 2014 FIFA World Cup when they play in Group A of the semifinal round of qualifying in the CONCACAF region.

Set to start in June, the U.S. has matches against Antigua and Barbuda, Guatemala and Jamaica. Each team will meet twice—once at home and once away. The two teams with the best records will advance to the final round.

We're less than seven months away from watching games that actually matter again, and I couldn't be more excited.

How will the U.S. fare against their competition? Let's go game by game and find out.

June 8: United States vs. Antigua and Barbuda

The Wadadli Boyz of Antigua and Barbuda provide the perfect opening match for the U.S.

The small island nation has never done better in international play than a fourth-place finish in the 1998 Caribbean Cup, and they have never qualified for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, much less the World Cup finals.

Even though Antigua and Barbuda are currently fielding the best team in their short history, they're only ranked 90th in the FIFA World Rankings.

I predict a 4-0 win by the U.S. as they capture an easy three points at home to open up the semifinals.

June 12: United States at Guatemala

Guatemala has a longer, richer history than the previous opponent, but they're going through a rough patch.

The Central American team is 99th in the FIFA World Rankings due to playing some incredibly weak competition. They've played the likes of Belize and Grenada since this summer's Gold Cup, when they lost 2-1 to Mexico in the quarterfinal round.

They have some offensive weapons in midfielder Fredy Garcia and forward Carlos Ruiz (pictured), and their back line is the most experienced group in the bunch.

The U.S. has historically not traveled well, playing down to inferior opponents away from home. Can new manager Jurgen Klinsmann fix that?

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the U.S. will trip over itself and stumble into a 2-2 draw in their first match away from home.

September 7: United States at Jamaica

This is the game that I'm most looking forward to. No disrespect to Antigua and Barbuda or Guatemala, but Jamaica is the only real competition in Group A.

The U.S. will travel to Jamaica, where they have never won, but also never lost. Jamaica is the highest it's ever been in the FIFA World Rankings—holding on to 27th in the world.

The quarterfinal round of last summer's Gold Cup is the last time these two teams met, and it was a scary first half for U.S. fans. Jamaica created several chances and looked like they might go up on the Americans in the second half, but scores from Jermaine Jones and Clint Dempsey put the game out of reach.

I don't like this game. It's three months after the last one, in the middle of league play and away from American soil. The U.S. has not traveled well in games that matter and until I see otherwise, I'm not giving them much of my confidence.

Jamaica goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts (pictured) isn't anything to write home about, but he'll see his team draw with the U.S. with a score of 1-1.

September 11: United States vs. Jamaica

This is some great scheduling. If the U.S. draws with Jamaica on September 7, they'll be given the opportunity to take some revenge and steal three points away from The Reggae Boyz of Jamaica.

It's in the States, the team will have just played together four days earlier and any kinks that needed working out will be smoothed over in time for a rematch between the two best teams in Group A.

It won't even be close. I predict the U.S. will win by the tune of 3-0 over Jamaica. More specifically, I bet the U.S. scores in the first 15 minutes of the match. Any takers?

October 12: United States at Antigua and Barbuda

It's away from home, a month apart from their last game and during the league season.

But it's also Antigua and Barbuda.

The result of this game will deserve an apology from U.S. fans around the world as the starting lineup will include at least five reserves. Klinsmann won't hesitate to use the three substitutions to get a few more in there as well.

Antigua and Barbuda, you guys had a good run, but your journey to the World Cup ends here.

I predict the U.S. will win with a score of 4-0 once again as they test out younger forwards like Villyan Bijev and Juan Agudelo (pictured).

October 16: United States vs. Guatemala

By this point, I predict that the U.S. will be leading Group A, and Guatemala will be fighting with Jamaica for the runner-up spot. The U.S. will have locked up a spot in the final round with their win days earlier in Antigua and Barbuda.

In short, this match will mean nothing for the U.S. while it will mean everything for Guatemala.

Klinsmann will use this as an opportunity to give less experienced players like Timothy Chandler, Fabian Johnson (pictured) and Marc Pelosi significant playing time.

I see this being a low-scoring match, with the U.S. drawing with Guatemala 1-1. But don't be fooled—it's not because of great defense but rather lackluster offense.