England vs USA

Friday, 21st May 2010 at 12:10pm

Group C will get underway on June 12 with England v USA, and Fabio Capello's men hoping to erase 44 years of hurt by making the perfect start to their campaign.

The burden of a solitary World Cup win for the nation that gave the world football has proved too much to bear for numerous England teams since 1966 but a virtually flawless qualifying campaign and the presence of Fabio Capello at the helm has large parts of the world believing that 2010 could be England's time.

Standing in the three lion's way is a group consisting of Algeria, Slovenia and of course the USA.

At first glance, the group would appear to be a favourable one to Capello and his men, but this generation of footballers must beware a repetition of what happened in the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.

60 years ago, England faced the same opponents and was overwhelming favourites to run out winners but slumped to a shock 1-0 loss in a game now known as 'the miracle on grass'.

This time round England goes in the match as favourites once again on the basis of their form in qualifying and the Fifa ranking; eighth to the USA's 14th.

Should England's players be fully fit and focused then a win for Capello's England is expected, but the shrewd Italian will have taken note of the US's performances at the 2009 Confederations Cup where they beat tournament favourites Spain 2-0 and took a two-goal lead against Brazil in the final before the South American giants stormed back to win 3-2.

Another area of concern for Capello is the fitness of some of his key players. Captain Rio Ferdinand has struggled with injuries all season, while his replacement, Ledley King, is unable to train between matches because of a chronic knee problem.

Manchester City's Gareth Barry, who featured heavily in qualification and who is an important part of Capello's team in midfield, picked up a serious ankle injury towards the of the Premier League season and is now a major doubt fill be for the first match.

England's talisman Wayne Rooney struggled with injuries towards the end of the season and as England's only world class striker, if the three lions are be contenders at this World Cup it is essential that he is fully fit come June 12.

If England line up against the USA in Rustenburg with a fully fit first 11, then success is likely, but the team will have to perform well if they want to avoid similar fates as Argentina in 1990 and France in 2002.

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