Group C, projected order of finish (top two, in bold, to advance):
England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia.
Comments:
The US and England face off on Saturday in what should be one of the marquee matchups of the tournament. The game should be quite a spectacle since Brits and Americans will be the two largest visiting fan groups in South Africa this month. Of course they also have two of the most obnoxious fan bases in the world (well, the American fan base for soccer is not so much obnoxious as Americans abroad generally are) so pity South Africans who encounter hordes in red, white, and blue in pretty much any configuration (this includes you, too, Frenchy!)
Both teams also have a history of disappointing results in the World Cup, albeit coming from two very different histories of expectation. English fans always convince themselves that this is the year they win it all again (1966, when England hosted, representing their lone world championship). American fans always think their team is on the brink of respectability. Anything short of a convincing win over the former colonies will send English fans into paroxysms of self loathing and binge drinking (though admittedly, victory or a tie would likely have the latter effect). Meanwhile the Americans have high expectations but know they can move on even without a win against England, and a draw would qualify as a victory for the US.
England played very well through qualifying and if they finish strong in the group stage will surely have their eye set on lifting the trophy at the end. This expectation will, of course, merely make the inevitable defeat all the more painful for the fans and will inspire schadenfreude for the rest of us.
This is almost certainly the strongest American side ever, yet the team does not go in with the burden of an absurdly high world ranking as in 2006. More Americans than ever play in elite foreign leagues, and the MLS, while not even comparable to second-tier leagues in Europe, is still gaining in respectability with each passing year. Bob Bradley is a fine coach and Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, and Clint Dempsey provide sound leadership on the field. If the Americans can replicate their run in the second half of last year’s Confederations Cup they will do the country proud and will ave the added benefit of ruining the next four years for England.
I don’t mean to dismiss Algeria and Slovenia. I suspect that Algeria simply peaked too soon, as in the semifinals of this year’s African Cup of Nations they were crushed by their traditional rivals in North Africa, Egypt, who felt they belonged in this year’s World Cup and made a solid case in winning the CAF tournament.
Slovenia too is no minnow, and indeed their defense means that they may stifle a lot of teams that on paper look much better. Nonetheless, the Brits and the Yanks look set to advance from what should be a spirited group. I’ll be at that US-England clash on June 12. Don’t mistake me for one of the clueless, obnoxious Americans. Or at least I’m not clueless.
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