World Cup Football 2010: Breaking down Group C
You have to go back to 1966 to find the only time that England lifted the World Cup trophy, but they bring a talented roster full of experience with them to South Africa and have every intention of erasing their title drought with a win at the South African Safari this time round.
All-world striker Wayne Rooney is poised for a big tournament, if he can stay healthy, while captain Rio Ferdinand is among a group of players struggling with injuries as well. Manager Fabio Capello has some questions in his head, but with a talented midfield anchored by Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard; this team has more than enough talent to reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1990.
The United States made a surprising run to the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, but after crashing out in the group stage in 2006, Manager Bob Bradley will be expected to guide his side into the second round in South Africa. Injuries to defenders Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra and Jay DeMerit could prove troublesome, but the Americans have some good scoring options in Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore.
Slovenia had to overcome favoured Russia in a two-legged UEFA playoff just to reach South Africa, and they will not be expected to advance beyond the group stage now that they are here. But manager Matjaz Kek has seen his team beat the odds once already, and with some good goalkeeping from Samir Handanovic as well as a few goals from Captain Robert Koren and striker Milivoje Novakovic, they could surprise everyone again. Algeria is back at the World Cup for the first time in 24 years, and after failing to advance beyond the group stage in their previous two appearances, it looks like this time around will be no different. Madjid Bougherra and Nadir Belhadj will have their hands full in defence, while the team lacks a real proven scoring threat to give opposing back lines trouble.
England vs. United States on the 12th of June will be the game to watch. These two teams have only met once in a World Cup tournament and surprisingly enough, it is the Americans who hold a 1-0 edge, having pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history in the 1950 edition.
England fans are no doubt tired of hearing about the game and they will be hoping their team gets off to a good start with a win in their opening match.
Rooney will provide a good test for America’s back line, and while the ‘Three Lions’ feature the bigger and more experienced players, a number of players on the USA roster play professionally in England and will not be in awe of their opponents. These two teams figure to be the top two in the group, but the Americans will be hoping to steal one early to give themselves a chance at finishing on top of the group.
The player to watch during the game would be Frank Lampard from England, with over one hundred goals for Chelsea at the club level. He has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world. Yet Lampard has been unable to translate that success for the English team. Rooney's scoring prowess will no doubt play a huge role in England's success in South Africa as well, but if Lampard can finally put together a good tournament, it could make England a power pack team.
So what are the predictions? Well the group winner is probably going to be England. There are a number of questions surrounding the defence and on the goal line, but England has more than enough talent to navigate its way to the top of Group C. The United States could provide a tricky opening opponent, but there is no way that England should take any less than six points from its other two games. The team expected to win the second place is the United States. A lot of emphasis is being placed on the opening match against England, and while a win would be great for the team, the United States team can still secure its passage to the second stage with wins over Slovenia and Algeria, which it is expected to do.
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