Preview: United States v England

The day all USMNT fans have been waiting for is finally here. The United States will take to the pitch v England tomorrow at 1:30 est/10:30 pst. The opening game of group C will take place at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

It will be quite interesting to see the lineups that Coaches Bob Bradley and Fabio Capello bring out so we'll try to provide a best guess scenario as to the lineups...

USA:

Howard
Bocanegra Demerit Onyewu Cherundolo
Dempsey Bradley Edu Donovan
Findley Altidore

There are many questions that Bob Bradley has to answer. Who does he start alongside Jozy Altidore? Does he go for the speed of Robbie Findley or the recent torrid form that Edson Buddle's been on? Who will start alongside Michael Bradley in the midfield? Will Oguchi Onyewu be able to not only start but be effective?

Ricardo Clark looked horrific against the Australians. The lack of precision and the carlessness of his distribution will cost him a starting spot. If he starts and plays like that against England, the United States will get dominated by the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Maurice Edu brings more size, athleticism, and versatility. He matches up size wise very well with the two starts in the middle for the English. I give Findley the nod up top due the speed he brings. Although Buddle is playing with supreme confidence, he is too similar to Altidore. Both are target forwards that won't open up the field necessarily with their speed. The speed of Findley has made a difference in opening up the pitch for players like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey to get forward and create in the final third of the pitch. Onyewu has looked anything but solid since his return from the patella injury, but he has to start against England. He's had enough time and rest and it leads me to believe that Bradley will in fact send him to pair with Jay Demerit.

England's projected lineup:

Green

Cole King Terry Johnson
Lennon Gerrard Lampard Cole
Rooney Crouch

The England possess great talent across the pitch but as of late there's been a cause for concern. Captain and long time central back Rio Ferdinand suffered a freak accident in training which is causing him to miss the world cup. Insert Ledley King, whom has a long history of knee injuries himself. Whilst there is issues in the back, the goalkeeping position is also up in the air. Capello hasn't indicated one way or another as to which goalkeeper will face the Americans. At this point it's anyone's guess, although David James has been suffering from a slight knee injury. The pairing up top of Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch work well together. Rooney is England's best player and shows an inordinate amount of heart, emotion, and grit every time he steps onto the field. This has had the propensity to work against him however, as his temper has costed not only himself but his team as well. While Crouch is likely to start, it would not be a surprise to see Emile Heskey alongside Rooney. In a recent game against a local South African team, England was up only 1-0 at halftime and won the game 3-0. Reports say that England looked pitiful aside from Joe Cole, and this displeased Capello so much that he stayed situated on the sidelines for the whole halftime, not addressing his team at all. The world class midfield pairing of Gerrard and Lampard was said to be knocked around pretty handily.

Prediction: United States 2 England 1

Call it a hunch, but I see the Yanks pulling off the upset. This game is the perfect storm for the Americans. The immense pressure by the English press, the recent teammate turmoil, injuries, and the poor form as of late, not to mention the huge chip on the shoulder that the Americans carry as the underdogs given little chance to win. English outside backs Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson have great speed and attack very well from the flanks, but they have had problems getting caught out of position, especially Johnson. The United States will capitalize on that and Donovan will use his own pace to expose the back 4. The midfield is the key in this game. Can Michael Bradley stay under control and not give away the ball easily against a very solid English midfield? Can the United States prevent the incredibly fast winger Aaron Lennon from cutting in and causing peril? Can the team contain Rooney? I believe they will, as Bradley has this team prepared in an incredible fashion. The team will stay compact, looking to counter. While this style isn't always the most aesthetically pleasing, it has proven to be effective in the Confederations Cup. I see Jose Torres impacting the game in the second half, proving possession and creativity. This game would be a monumental win for the Americans and it would give them a great confidence boost. A win here would obviously drum up memories of the infamous 1950 win. Can lightning strike twice for the United States?

I believe it can.






JOGA BONITO