World Cup Preview

I've been thinking about how I want to blog for the World Cup. As many of you know, I have been anticipating this World Cup for about four years. When the US crashed out early in 2006, I was already thinking about 2010. So, I am promising previews for all of the US soccer matches. I will try my best to include little tidbits about other matches, but my focus will be the US.

First, let's get to the basics. The World Cup starts this Friday, June 11. The host nation this year is South Africa, and the matches are played at ten(?) different stadiums within the country. There are 32 countries represented. Those 32 are divided into eight groups of four. Each group has a letter name. (For example, the US is playing in Group C) Every team plays the other three teams in their group one time. For each game, the winning team receives 3 points; if the game ends in a tie, then both teams receive 1 point. After all the teams in a group have played eachother, the points are added up, and the top two teams in the group advance to the round of 16. The rest of the tournament proceeds in single elimination knockout style until one team is left standing. Questions?!?! Haha, I did the best I could while trying to keep it relatively simple.

I should also note a few other things: 1) every game is on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 2) Since the games are taking place in South Africa, kickoff in the United States is somewhat early. Some matches start as early as 6:30am central.

Alright, let's move to the soccer. The United States is grouped with England, Algeria and Slovenia. Pretty much everybody and their mama is picking England and the US to advance out of this group. BUT, things are never quite so simple in the World Cup. Our first match of the cup kicks off at 1:30pm central on Saturday, and we play England. Whichever team wins that game is probably advancing to the knockout stage. Needless to say, a huge game for us! Most of the world is picking England to beat us, but not sooooooooo fast! One thing our team has is a scrappy spirit, and because of that, we can pull off an upset in any match.

So, let's take a relatively brief look at some of the key members of our squad. (Sorry if I omitted anybody's favorite player, ha)

1) Landon Donovan: If we are going to make some noise this year, it starts with Landon. He generally plays as an attacking midfielder on either the left or the right side, but he can play as a forward as well. At 28, this will already be his third world cup. Can he be consistently the best player on the field?

2) Clint Dempsey: Another guy who we need to play big. Clint will play as an attacking midfielder opposite Donovan or as a forward. He brings a flair and attitude that nobody else does.

3) Tim Howard: Our goalie. He is rock solid in goal and might end up winning some games for us. He will probably have to come up with some major saves on Saturday in order for us to win.

4) Jozy Altidore: A big striker who combines speed and physicality. If Landon and Clint can get him the ball in good positions, then I like Jozy's chances.

5) Carlos Bocanegra: Our most versatile defender. He will probably start at leftback, but he could just as easily play centerback too.

6) Jay Demerit: Born and raised in Green Bay! He will have to play tough, physical defense at centerback for us to advance in the tournament.

7) Oguchi Onyewu: Gooch has struggled since recently coming back from a knee injury. Our team needs him to play and play well. Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and built like a tank, he might be the most physically imposing defender in the entire tournament.

Saturday at 1:30pm our quest for the cup begins. No doubt, England has great individual talent, better than us. So what can we do?

A) Keep track of Wayne Rooney. Rooney is one of the most dangerous players in the tournament. He can score in the blink of an eye, and he plays tremendous defense. But, sometimes he loses his cool. If we frustrate him for the first half hour, then maybe we can keep him from having a huge game. Our midfielders also have to be willing and able to help defend Rooney. If they don't, it could be a long day.

B)Hold our own in the midfield. England has fantastic midfielders like Gerrard and Lampard. We cannot let them run free. Michael Bradley and whoever partners with him (Edu or Clark probably) need to close down space in the middle of the field. We also need Donovan and Dempsey to help contain England's big names. This might force us to sacrifice some of our attacking ability, but it's probably the only choice we have.

C) Forwards need to hold the ball. If there is one frustrating thing about watching our team, it's the inability of our forwards to hold onto the ball. It is absolutely necessary that Jozy and his partner (possibly Dempsey, Findley or Buddle) win some balls in the air and hold the ball until our midfielders can join in the attack. If they can do this, then it will help set up our counterattack...which is probably our best chance to score.

D) Donovan. Did I mention him yet? Yes, we need him to play big. He is probably going to be matched up head to head with England's leftback, Ashley Cole. Well, when they met earlier this year with their club teams, Donovan absolutely brutalized Cole. Without a doubt, Cole is one of the best leftbacks in the world, but Donovan can beat him. If Lando has a couple of good opportunities to cross the ball or get into the box, then I fully expect us to score. The same can be said for Dempsey on the other side of the field. If he can win his battle over there, then I like our chances to get a goal....or two....or three.

Overall, we need a great team effort and solid game-plan to pull out the victory on Saturday. If we can get the first goal, then England will feel a lot of pressure and change their strategy. No matter the result on Saturday, we can still qualify for the knockout stage. I am predicting a 1-1 tie, but my heart is saying, "We win 2-1!" It should be an excellent match with all the enthusiasm and excitement that the World Cup deserves. I hope you will all be watching.

Additional note: South Africa opens the tournament against Mexico at 9am on Friday. Don't sleep on South Africa. They will come out flying in their first game on their own turf. I wouldn't be surprised if they have an opportunity to win the game against Mexico.

Ok, much more World Cup coverage coming in the next few weeks. I am confident we will be ready to play on Saturday. I look forward to hearing anyone else's thoughts or questions. Thanks for reading...if you made it to this point, haha.