The United States’ draw in the World Cup has been announced, and the soccer gods decided to show the Americans little mercy. The U.S. was placed into the so-called Group of Death, which this year also features Germany, Portugal and Ghana.

The U.S. struggles to make the elimination rounds in a normal group, but now the odds that the team advances are slim.

Germany placed third in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and lost in the 2012 Euro Cup semi-finals to Italy. The team is currently second in FIFA rankings.

Portugal is led by famed forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who at 28 is still widely considered to be one of the best players in the world. Portugal also reached the Euro Cup semi-finals in 2012, and is currently ranked fifth in the world.

Perhaps the weakest team in the group is Ghana, which eliminated the U.S. in the 2010 World Cup. Ghana is the second best team in Africa, good for 24^th best in the world.

And then there’s the U.S., which has undergone major changes since the last World Cup. The team hired a new coach, Jürgen Klinsmann, and has lost production from aging stars like Landon Donavon. When all of these factors are considered together, the odds look rather bleak.

There’s a little bit of hope, however. The U.S. defeated Germany in a friendly at RFK stadium. Klinsmann has transformed his team into a fit, deep group. Still, ESPN gives the U.S. only a 40 percent chance of advancing.

“U.S.A.! U.S.A.” chants might boom louder than ever with greater competition. But I for one would rather hear these cheers in the elimination rounds, not on an unfairly difficult group stage.