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Home|South Africa 2010|Travel|Guide|Groups|Group C|USA
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South Africa World Cup 2010 Group C: USA
GROUP C
USARoad to South AfricaIn the first of their two CONCACAF group stages, the US finished top of Group 1 with a perfect record apart from a 2-1 loss away to Trinidad & Tobago. Their 1-0 win in a gloomy Pedro Marrero stadium in Havana was memorable for being the Americans' first trip to Cuba since 1947. In the final qualifying round, the US won six of their ten games to bag the first of three automatic berths in South Africa, one point ahead of Mexico and four clear of Honduras. Four wins out of five at home did the business, along with a key 3-2 road triumph in Honduras. They also made sure lightning did not strike twice in Port of Spain by beating T&T 1-0. Yet disappointing away losses to Mexico (2-1) and Costa Rica (3-1) meant qualification, while never really in doubt, was far from emphatic. US fans are quick to point to their third-place qualifying finish for the 2002 finals, where they reached the last eight.
Fixtures
USA v England 12 June; Rustenburg AnalysisAmerica's place in the FIFA World Rankings has fallen since its historic high of fourth in April 2006 and seems to have stabilised around 15, which seems about right. The US players are almost all European league veterans, but CONCACAF remains a weak region in which to gain big-match international experience, apart from the familiar ordeal of playing Mexico in the Azteca cauldron, where the US has never won and only drawn once since the 1930s. When it came to the 2007 Copa America and 2009 Gold Cup, the US fielded B-teams, which nullifies their statistical usefulness. The 2009 Confederations Cup truly showed what the States can do on the big stage: Lose dismally and win spectacularly. Bob Bradley pulled off a tactical masterstroke in beating Spain 2-0 and leading Brazil by the same score in the final at half-time, a lesson in maximising resources and attacking your enemies' weak points that could have been lifted straight from Sun Tzu's The Art of War, or perhaps Otto Rehhagel's Euro 2004 triumph with Greece. In the knock-out stages in South Africa, the US formed two shield-walls of four men to halt their superior opponents' passing game. Spain in particular found the centre impassable and were forced to eschew their natural game and work the wings instead. Frustrated by heroic American defending, the world No.1-ranked nation were hit twice on the break to complete a famous win for the States. After 45 minutes in the final, the US looked to have pulled off the same trick with a 2-0 lead before Brazilian power and speed on the flanks undid the US master plan; the seleçao bagged three goals to spoil the Americans' dream. While fairly outgunned in the end, the US resolve was something to behold and won global admiration. Scoring remains a worry following Brian McBride's retirement. The US looked sharp on the break in South Africa but is it enough to rely on counter-attacking? Having lost striker Charlie Davies to a car crash, they cannot afford injuries or suspensions to Bradley, Dempsey or Donovan or their attacking options are spent. Their two recognised forwards are too young and erratic to rely on for goals and have both struggled for playing time in Europe - Jozy Altidore, who scored against Spain in South Africa, is currently on loan to Hull City from Villareal while Eddie Johnson's failure to make Fulham's team has sent him to Greece's Aris Thessaloniki, alongside former US wunderkind Freddy Adu. On the plus side, there are no worries in goal (Tim Howard and Brad Guzan) and the defence looks hard to break down. Skipper Carlos Bocanegra remains not only a defensive lynchpin but also a brave and scoring attacker at set pieces; Jay DeMerit emerged as an outstanding stopper in South Africa while Oguchi Onyewu's experience at AC Milan can only help the team. While Michael Bradley has shone in the middle, partner Benny Feilhaber's progress has not kept pace however and the rest of the US central midfield options are short on creativity. With DaMarcus Beasley apparently dropping off the radar, the team is without wingers while they went into the last World Cup boasting three. Bob Bradley could yet recall 36-year old Eddie Lewis before the tournament, but smart money is on a starring role for 24-year old Scottish-born midfielder Stuart Holden, who impressed out wide for the US in the 2009 Gold Cup and is catching the eye of some British clubs.
Key player: Landon DonovanClint Dempsey's emergence as a dangerous attacker for Fulham has taken some pressure off Donovan to be the US talisman, but the Californian remains the motor behind the team's best offensive endeavours. Donovan's attacking first touch, neat close control and dribbling speed are the best aces the US holds and his sprints through the middle continue to cause problems for defences accustomed to more conventional players - Landon sits somewhere between forward, winger and attacking midfielder. He responds well to man-marking and physical treatment but cannot carry games alone. While sometimes moody off-field, Donovan is always fired up and relentless for his country. After two failed cameos in Germany, Donovan is starting a ten-week loan with Everton but has nothing to prove at international level with 120 caps to his name. Having famously slammed David Beckham's lack of commitment to LA last year, a tussle with his team-mate in the opening game provides a bit of needle. One to watch: Michael BradleyManager's sons often over-perform when their Dad is in charge (Nigel Clough, Jordi Cruyff etc) but the Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder has made great strides since joining the national squad following the 2006 World Cup. Still only 22, Bradley Jr. has become a powerful box-to-box midfielder with an assured touch and an ability to fire long-range missiles on goal. His brace against Mexico in Columbus last year put the US in the driving seat for qualification and confirmed his arrival on the international scene. His weakness remains his temperament - a red card and post-match confrontation of the referee in the FIFA Confederations Cup semi-final being the most recent example. It may be hard for this young man to keep his cool on his return to South Africa when the pressure will be really high, but his performance could be the difference between the US progressing or exiting early.
Coach: Bob BradleyBradley has been coaching football since he was 22 and comes from a sporting family - one brother played baseball for the New York Yankees and another is a sports writer. His 'Noo Joisey' monotone and belligerent stare from the touchline mask a calm and decent man whom players respect, if not necessarily warm to. Bradley is serious about soccer to the nth degree and one of his players told me he once sat him down and talked tactics with him for an entire evening. Unlike predecessor Bruce Arena, he has more of the disciplinarian than the motivator in his man-management style, an approach which has yet to crack under pressure. His coaching masterstroke in beating the hitherto-undefeated European Champions remains his crowning achievement, but World Cup glory remains his true desire. Record1934, 1950, 1998, 2006 First round; 1994 Second Round; 2002 Quarter Finals, 1930 Semi Finals FIFA RankingPredictions & Latest OddsWill make it out of the group. How they qualifiedFirst place in CONCACAF group. On the sidelines Cobi Jones is the most capped US player with 164. Soccerphile saysThe US' unexpected second-place finish at the Confederations Cup should make them the dark horse for South Africa this summer, but there are plenty of reasons to doubt a repeat performance, despite a relatively manageable first round. The world might have forgotten, but Bob Bradley's team lost miserably to Brazil and Italy at last summer's tournament (0-3 and 1-3) before results went their way and they snuck through to the semi-finals on goals scored; more proof of how you need luck on your side in knock-out tournaments. Only when the US coach re-jigged his tactics to stop the Spanish did the US impress, but employing such a neutralising game-plan is unthinkable in the first round at the World Cup. While catenaccio might steal a point against England, Algeria and Slovenia do not merit such fear and Bradley would suffer the backlash for a defeatist approach. America's weakness is in its squad as a whole. Like many nations at the Finals, the States have a small cadre of impressive individuals whose replacements are not top-drawer. In total, 43 players were used in qualification, confirming fears the US does not possess the strength in depth of the major football nations it seeks to compete with. The US breakthrough in 2002, when they were unlucky not to make the semi-finals but joyously despatched Mexico and Portugal en route, has left fans eager for more. Yet the excuse of 2006's cruel draw, when the States lost two of its three group games and exited stage left, is not there this time. A loss to England would be no disgrace, but Slovenia and Algeria are eminently beatable. A second round meeting with a member of the group of death (Germany, Serbia, Australia and Ghana) however, looks less surmountable.The SquadGoalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolves)
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