***Group C Thread (USA 1st, England 2nd advance)***

GROUP C​

[size=14pt]Table



[size=14pt]Schedule

Saturday June 12

England 1 : 1 USA (Royal Bafokeng Stadium)

Sunday June 13

Algeria 0 : 1 Slovenia (Peter Mokaba Stadium)

Friday June 18

Slovenia 2 : 2 USA (Ellis Park)

England 0 : 0 Algeria (Cape Town Stadium)

Wednesday June 23

Slovenia 0 : 1 England (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium)

USA 1 : 0 Algeria (Loftus Versfeld Stadium)

[size=14pt]Teams

England:





Last App: 2006(Quarterfinals)
Best App: 1966 (Winners)
Record in WC: (W-D-L) 25-17-13

Star Player to Watch: Joe Cole Wayne Rooney [Manchester United]



England, “The Three Lions”, are facing a ton of pressure in this World Cup as it will be the last one with most of their ‘golden generation’ that has disappointed thus far. England has plenty of talent, but are facing fitness and form issues. Ferdinand’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for England as he was not in good form for the majority of the season and King had a great season. If Gerrard and Lampard can finally find some chemistry, this team has a great chance to finally silence the critics. Rooney will be counted on to do most of the scoring, and if his club season was any indication, that won’t be a problem. The one weakness of this England team, as Iker Casillas pointed out earlier this week, is at GK. And no player on the team wants to be faced with a shootout, as England routinely chokes.

England fans are expecting a deep tournament run, and with Fabio Capello (the best manager in the tournament), their fans should be confident. He had some surprise inclusions in his 23, but has won 18 of the 24 games he has coached for England. Is this the year that England finally performs up to expectations and the level that their roster would indicate?


United States:





Last App: 2006(Group Stage)
Best App: 1930 (3rd Place)
Record in WC: (W-D-L) 6-3-11

Star Player to Watch: Landon Donovan [L.A. Galaxy]



The United States won CONCACAF and are expecting to get out of the group. Bradley is limited tactically so the U.S. will run their usual 4-4-2 counter attacking style of play. Donovan is in the best form of his life and will have to carry the team on his back, and the team does not have many scoring options. Altidore, while extremely talented, struggled in England this year but has performed well for the USMNT. Gomez and Buddle have been hot lately, and hopefully continue their good form into the tournament as in order to make a run, the U.S. needs a true scoring threat. The biggest concern for the U.S. is definitely the defense, which has struggled big time recently. With Onyewu not at 100%, the center of the defense could be exposed. Fortunately, Howard is one of the best GKs and has always been a strong performer for the USMNT.

Bradley knows his job is on the line, and he must get the team out of group play. The group is relatively easy so he should be thankful. Is this the year that the U.S. steps up and shows the rest of the world it can compete in soccer?

Slovenia:





Last App: 2002 (Group Stage)
Best App: 2002 (Group Stage)
Record in WC: (W-D-L) 0-0-3

Star Player to Watch: Samir Handanovi? [Udinese]



Slovenia pulled off the biggest qualifying shock by beating Russia on away goals thanks to a last minute goal in Moscow. They are one of the more underrated teams in the tournament, and are led by rising GK Samir Handanovi?. He helped Slovenia allow only 4 goals in 10 games during UEFA group play, the least amount by any team that played ten games. They mainly play a defensive 4-3-3, and have shown the ability to play both possession and counter attacking styles. Their biggest weakness is upfront, as they have no big time goal scorer, and considering that most of their games are defensive battles, it could pose a problem if they fall behind.

Slovenia has shown they can beat good teams. They not only upset Russia, but also beat Slovakia home and away in qualifying. Their defense is well organized which may pose problems for the U.S., and if Handanovi? is hot, they could add the U.S. to the list of upsets. Slovenian fans will be thrilled with just getting out of the group, as they have only made one other WC appearance and went winless. So the big question for them is not only do they win their first WC game, but do they advance to the elimination round for the first time in history?

Algeria:





Last App: 1986 (Group Stage)
Best App: 1982 and 1986 (Group Stage)
Record in WC: (W-D-L) 2-1-3

Star Player to Watch: Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth) [Suspended for Slovenia match]



Algeria is a very tough team to predict. You don’t know what you are going to get with them. They have shown they can beat some solid teams as they advanced over Egypt in qualifying and Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations. And they have also shown that they can get totally outplayed by unknown teams. Like the U.S. and Slovenia, they do not have a proven striker and in result play a 4-5-1. So each country thin up front is playing a different formation, and it will be interesting to see which one works best. The Algerians are led by Nadir Belhadj who showed just how talented he is by making an immediate impact on the game against Chelsea in the FA Cup Final after coming on. Unfortunately for Algeria, he is suspended for their first game against Slovenia. I’m sure they would have preferred to open up against England, because they can’t lose to Slovenia and expect to advance and it will be difficult to get a result without one of their star players when they do not have much depth.

Like Slovenia, Algeria is just happy to be in South Africa as Egypt was supposed to win their qualifying group. But that won’t stop their fans from expecting more. Can Algeria upset Slovenia without their star to put a lot of pressure on the U.S. and basically making the final group game a win and you’re in?

[size=14pt]Group Overview

England has the best manager and most talented roster in the group so they are basically a lock to get out of the group. They come in as one of the favorites to win the whole tournament, but they do have a thin backline and a history of coming up short at the big stage. The United States should advance, but they have a knack for making things harder than they should be. The Americans must get favorable scores against the two “weaker” sides if the expect to advance. It will be interesting to see if any team can steal points against England, which would prove valuable in their hopes to advance. Do no underestimate Slovenia who defeated a Russian side full of stars in order to qualify. This is one of the most interesting groups in the competition and should be very exciting to follow.

Game(s) to Watch: games and Slovenia v Algeria

Picks to Advance: England - USA