FIFA finalized procedures for Friday’s World Cup Draw, also known in these parts as the impending Cape Town Crusher.

U.S. supporters were pinning some slim hopes on a slight tweak from past methodology, with the United States perhaps placed into a grouping alongside South American or African teams.

The less appetizing scenario would have the United States grouped with Asian sides and Oceania’s New Zealand and Australia for purposes of Friday’s draw. Translation: Bob Bradley’s Bunch would not get the benefit of facing one of the weaker sides in the first round; Asia and Oceania teams along with CONCACAF lightweight Honduras, were always seen as the slow beasts of the herd. So, if the United States was in a pot with those teams, they could not be drawn into a first-round group with them.

So, FIFA did the Yanks no favors with Wednesday’s announcement: past methodology was preferred anew, the United States joins theAsian nations and New Zealand and, well, skies continue to be threatening in and around Friday’s big news day.

Things could still clear up. The United States could get lucky and draw, say, South Africa, Slovenia and Chile. Or, things could go dark and stormy, and the tiny ship could be tossed to the tune of Spain, Ghana and France. Feel free to quiver just a bit at the thought.

Friday’s draw is at noon ET, live from Cape Town. For a little more depth on the draw ins and outs, see Richard Farley's good work on World Soccer Digest, a thinking man's blog that always comes with lots of "poll dancing."