FIFA World Cup: United States and England Game Preview
Written by Ron Furlong, Friday June 11 2010
With Mexico and South Africa officially kicking off the 2010 World Cup, attention now turns to the U.S.A.’s first game.
Saturday, at 2:30 PM Eastern time, the U.S. and England have their big Group ‘C’ showdown in Rustenburg, South Africa.
England goes into the game a slight favorite. They are ranked eighth in the world and playing well under Fabio Capello, who took over the team a couple years ago after England failed to qualify for the Euro’s in 2008.
England brings a deeper and much more experienced team to the pitch on Saturday.
They are led by world class midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, as well as striker Wayne Rooney. Their defense is solid with John Terry and Ashley Cole.
The American team, ranked 14th, is young and unproven. They are coached by Bob Bradley who, although he doesn’t have the resume of Capello, does have the trust of his team. In four years at the helm of the U.S. team Bradley has brought a lot of wins and stability.
The U.S. are led by two great midfielders of their own, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. The starting forwards figure to be Edson Buddle and Jozy Altidore. The U.S. keeper is Tim Howard, one of the best goal keepers in the tournament.
Howard may have the ability to singlehandedly keep the U.S. in every game they play. Howard knows most of the England players well, as he plays in the Premier League for Everton FC. All 23 players on the English team play their club football in England.
The other two teams in Group ‘C’, Slovenia and Algeria, also play each other on Saturday.
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