World Cup Preview: Group C

It's A No-Brainer:
England, U.S. Advance

By MIKE MUDD
One Great Season

When I saw the World Cup draw come out, the first thing I thought was if the United States can't advance out of the first round this year, then U.S. Soccer will be set back for years to come. This U.S. team is arguably the deepest and most talented our country has ever fieleded in a World Cup. A group that includes England, Algeria and Slovenia should be ripe for the Americans to at least get three or four points and move on. Sam's Army should demand high expectations.

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BIO: About Mike Mudd

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Obviously the strongest team in this group is England, which is fittingly the Americans' opening opponent. This also works in the U.S.'s favor to play the English first. Even a draw or a loss would not be devastating, and take the pressure off the Americans in the following easier games with Slovenia and Algeria. I look for that U.S.-England game on Saturday to be tight. England has a long history of slow starts in the Cup and will be feeling a huge amount of pressure to open with a win. The demons of the past could work against the Brits here. And having followed a defeat of Spain with a near upset of Brazil in last summer's Confederations Cup, the U.S. fears no one.

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MORE: Meet The 2010 OGS World Cup Writers

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Here's the schedule of the Group C games, and a brief analysis of each team:

+ June 12: England vs. USA
+ June 13: Algeria vs. Slovenia
+ June 13: Slovenia vs. USA
+ June 18: Algeria vs. England
+ June 23 : England vs. Slovenia
+ June 23 : Algeria vs. USA

England

England looks born again since Fabio Capello took over as coach. The Brits rolled through their group games with a 9-1 record. They have world class players in Wayne Rooney up front and John Terry at the back. On the down side, losing captain Rio Ferdinand to injury is a massive blow, and another factor that could come back to haunt England is the absence of a true No. 1 goalkeeper. Joe Hart, David James and Robert Green could all start in the opening match. But by far England's biggest concern is the weight of expectations, and it all starts with the opening match. I think a solid win over the U.S. in the opener will give the English the confidence to perhaps roll all the way to the semifinals. A loss or tie, however, could send England into a tailspin.
(Essential stats: England is eighth in the FIFA rankings and has appeared in 12 World Cups, boasting an all-time record of 25 wins, 13 losses and 17 draws.)

United States

Manager Bob Bradley has produced a well-organized team that has hit its stride in the year leading up to the tournament. Add to that the world-class talent and goal scoring ability of Landon Donovan, who gives the U.S. a bona-fide star attacker other teams have to focus on. The Stars and Stripes also will be on familiar and successful turf: South Africa was the scene last year of one of the country's most famous triumphs, the victory over Spain to set up a Confederations Cup final with Brazil. But here's the biggest key to success for the Americans: Goalkeeper Tim Howard. Howard is by far the team's best player, and the most respected internationally as he plays for Everton in the English Premier League. Howard knows England's players well and he will serve as a calming and mature voice for the U.S. team in what will be a nerve-wracking opener. The Americans' defense is usually good for a couple of major breakdowns in every game, and it will be Howard who will be counted on to come up with some big saves to ensure advancement.

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COMING SUNDAY: Steve Susi Breaks Down Group D

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The final question is whether this will be the team that showed great form in the Confederations Cup and qualifying rounds, or the team that laid an egg in the 2006 World Cup and was embarrassed from the opening whistle. I think this team will respond and is a virtual lock to move on to the next round. (And yes, feel free to ridicule me until 2014 when the Americans don't make it; I've officially put my head on a stake.)
(Essential stats: The U.S. is ranked 14th by FIFA, having appeared in eight World Cups for a total of 25 matches, with only six wins and 16 draws.)

Algeria

Algeria skated through to the Cup finals thanks to a playoff win over Egypt and is making just its third Cup appearance and first since 1986. It is hard to find any star players for a team that is a virtual unknown after being overshadowed by Africa's more notable sides. Karim Ziani will have the job of keeping the midfield together and that will be key if the Algerians are to have any success against the attacking styles of England and the U.S. The team's best player is probably defender Madjid Bougherra, who missed most of the season with Scottish champions Rangers with an injury. But he has said in recent weeks he will be 100 percent when the squad kicks off against Slovenia. Algeria's best hope is to make sure it gets an opening two points and then hope to pull an upset tie or win over the U.S. to sneak through.
(Essential stats: Algeria is ranked 30th by FIFA and has played in six Wold Cup matches, with two wins and three draws.)

Slovenia

Slovenia is no doubt the biggest darkhorse in the entire tournament. Remember the tiny Gene Hackman-led Hickory High team from the movie Hoosiers? Slovenia is the World Cup's version of those guys. The country of just 2 million people posted one of the biggest qualifying upsets by knocking out mighty Russia in a play-in game, and then advancing thanks to a greater number of away goals. Along the way, the Slovenians also beat traditional powers Poland and the Czech Republic.

The goal-scoring ability of Cologne club star Milivoje Novakovic will lead the attack and goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, who plays in the top Italian league, is the glue that holds the defense together. Captain Robert Koren is Slovenia's most creative player. He's a midfielder for newly promoted West Brom in the Premier League.
(Essential stats: Slovenia, ranked 25th by FIFA, is making its second World Cup appearance. It lost all three group matches in South Korea in 2002.)

Prediction

Luckily I don't need to hold a doctorate in international soccer to figure this one out. I'll go with England and the USA to advance. And for shits and giggles predictions, I'll take Slovenia to beat Algeria and claim third place in the group.