While England is considered by most to be the architect of modern football as we know it, it would seem appropriate that they would have hoisted more World Cup hardware over the years. However, their only crowning achievement was a 1966 World Cup triumph on home soil. It will be on new boss Fabio Capello, to try and change that. He brings a much-needed sense of urgency back to a side that is full of egos and at times has displayed a lackluster attitude towards crucial moments. The Three Lions is loaded with talent starting with Manchester United striker, Wayne Rooney. Rooney has scored 35 goals in all competitions this season for United and will shoulder a majority the offensive load for the English side. He will be aided by two of the Premiere League’s leading set up men, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. The backline will be anchored by Chelsea skipper John Terry and centre back Rio Ferdinand. England dominated European qualifying, finishing with nine wins from ten games, and scoring a European Zone high of 34 goals in the process.
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The USA is the favorite for runner in this group. The Stars and Stripes have qualified for every World Cup finals since 1990, but their results have been erratic playing well in 1994 and 2002 and imploding during their 1990, 1998, and 2006 appearances. New head coach Bob Bradley has replaced Bruce Arena after his dismal in 2006. The 52-year old has coached at the collegiate level as well as nine seasons in the MLS, managing the Chicago Fire, Metro Stars, and Chivas USA. This year’s squad is a blend of youth and experience, and will once again be led by speedy midfielder Landon Donovan, of the Los Angeles Galaxy. The 28-year old attacker has put on some of his best performances wearing a USA jersey, and there is little doubt that Donovan will once again be one of his team’s leading men in South Africa this summer. He will get some much-needed help from an impressive supporting cast with the likes of Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey, all of whom are currently plying their trade on European soil. The U.S. reached the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals by qualifying in first place in their Group.
The group’s sleeper will be one of six African nations playing on native soil. The Algerians stunned the futbol community when it knocked out African champions Egypt in qualifying to make its first appearance in the FIFA final in 24 years. The Desert Foxes have made it to the finals just two previous times with their greatest moment coming in Spain 1982. Algeria are under the watchful eye of coach Rabah Saadane, who will face a difficult task of getting his side out of the group stage against the likes of England and the United States. The 64-yer old took over the helm of the national side on four separate occasions, with his current stint beginning in 2007. He will have at his disposal French born midfielder Karim Zian. The 27-year old will be the center of Les Fennecs attack. The squad is led by captain Yazid Mansouri, who will be heavily relied upon as the central playmaker, and striker Karim Matmour. The Desert Foxes put on a show during their thrilling qualifying run that ended with an exciting playoff, eliminating archrival Egypt in Sudan.
Slovenia took the football world by surprise by defeating Guus Hiddink’s Russian squad to make its second appearance in a FIFA World Cup final. Now former Slovenian player turned coach, Matjaz Kek will be responsible for maintaining the side’s forward charge to South Africa. He was promoted to the position of senior coach In January 2007 after initially taking charge of the national U-15 and U-16 teams. Since his inception he has designed one of the stingiest defenses in Europe. Although the squad has no real household names, the side’s success has been built on collective strength, but that’s not to say the team is without international talent. The most well known player is leading goal scorer, Milivoje Novakovic of Cologne fame. The star striker scored five times, during the teams qualifying campaign. Captain Robert Koren anchors the midfield along Inter Milan midfielder Rene Krhin. Slovenia’s run through the playoffs was somewhat of a Cinderella story as they eliminated Poland, the Czech Republic and finally, Russia in the European playoffs.
After an impressive campaign through their UEFA qualifying group, getting past the group stage will not be enough, as the Three Lions will be looking to end their title drought. Their opening match against the US will be their biggest test. Should they fall to Bradley’s group, must wins against Slovenia and Algeria will be required. The USA cannot get caught up in the hype of playing England in their first game, but a win of any proportion could be a huge momentum shifter within the group. Despite the outcome with England, they should be able to notch wins over Algeria and Slovenia. The Algerians tough qualifying campaign forged them into a battle hardened squad and they will need to use that toughness to grab a win over Slovenia and a draw with the U.S. Finally, the Slovaks are yet to win a match in a major international tournament, but have beaten the likes of Russia and Poland. With that, there will be much confidence to advance, but they will most likely succumb, with loses to the USA and England.
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