Match of the day I would say. This English team is far more matured now compared to 4 or 8 years ago. As Arsene Wenger has said, this is probably the one and only best chance for England to win a world cup. But they don’t look like a champion contender with their uninspiring warm-up matches’ performance. There are several questions to be solved in this match. Firstly, who would be their goalkeeper selection. Secondly, the reliability of King or Carragher after Ferdinand limped off. Thirdly, whether Capello could solve the long existing Lampard-Gerrard co-exicting problem as Barry would not start this match. For USA, they are dangerous whenever their big opponents have their concentration lapsed. Donovan and Dempsey are particularly dangerous during counter attacks. And their physical play could devastate the English stars. However I do have worries over their defender’s form as Onyewu who shined during Confederations Cup last year didn’t play many games for AC Milan this season. Spector has a poor season with West Ham as well. A tough match for the English but I still fancy them to win this one.
Man to watch (England): Steven Gerrard
He is the captain of England now. It is much anticipating whether he could stand out by example whenever his team faces some problems. With Barry out injured, he has to started alongside Lampard in the midfield. Whether they could co-exist well would much determine the outcome of the match.
Man to watch (USA): Tim Howard
He is a fantastic goalkeeper, but he need to perform at least par with his best standard if USA is going to stand a chance to create an upset. Rooney would test him couple of times and whether he could stand strong in front of goal would greatly affect the confidence of his team during the match.
Prediction: England to win 2-1
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