World Cup gameday: USA vs. England

1. The beleaguered U.S. defense must come together » The United States didn’t shut out any opponent in its World Cup tuneups, and U.S. center back Oguchi Onyewu hasn’t played a full 90 minutes since the knee injury he suffered at RFK Stadium in October. Onyewu says he’s ready, but if he can’t go, it’s up to Northern Virginia native Clarence Goodson and Jay DeMerit — both in their World Cup debuts — to manage one of the world’s most dangerous strikers, Wayne Rooney. The English playmaker will look to find gaps off the back-to-goal play of burly Emile Heskey or lanky Peter Crouch. Said D.C. United coach and former U.S. assistant Curt Onalfo: “Limit [Rooney’s] influence on the game, and then you have a chance to win.”

2. The grace period for finding a rhythm ends when the first whistle blows » It took less than five minutes for the Americans to give up a goal against the Czech Republic four years ago, immediately crippling their tournament hopes. Finding the appropriate level of intensity, focus and determination from the opening whistle is crucial for midfielders Ricardo Clark and Michael Bradley, who at times are prone to yellow cards. Their English opposites, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, can be an intimidating pair, but the United States needs to find the ball cleanly and get it out to the wings, where Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey can take players on and orchestrate the U.S. offense.

3. There is no English Premier League in Rustenburg » The Americans have trembled in fear at Wembley Stadium in London, but they’ve also stunned some world powers — last summer in South Africa, no less. This is no time for their inexperienced corps of forwards, such as Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez, to harbor any doubts they belong — especially if Jozy Altidore’s health is in doubt. Donovan’s career path was built for just this match after his stellar spell with Everton during the winter, and with Tim Howard guarding the net, English goals will be difficult to come by. In the end, a match against England is about heart and fight. A prepared U.S. team will have plenty of both.

STATE OF THE TEAMS

United States
Is there anything more American than being an underdog? The English haven’t for a moment treated the match like a contest between two similarly skilled teams. Rallying his team should be no problem for coach Bob Bradley — and more encouraging than discussing lingering defensive concerns.

England
The Three Lions can beat the world’s best even if they’re playing poorly — but that’s not an efficient World Cup strategy. Coach Fabio Capello must make key lineup decisions with center back Rio Ferdinand (knee) out for the tournament and midfielders Gareth Barry (ankle) and James Milner (illness) not ready for Saturday.

The Washington Examiner predicts …
Landon Donovan sets the U.S. attack in motion, finding Edson Buddle in the early going and scoring himself. But defensive lapses will allow Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch to pull back a draw that the United States will know easily could have been a loss.

England 2, United States 2

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