Hype Begins for U.S. vs. England

The U.S. national team proved in last summer's Confederations Cup that the opening game (and maybe even the second) can go badly and still not derail hopes for advancement. No tournament is defined in that first 90 minutes. Yet just a few hours after FIFA's gala draw in Cape Town, it was hard to focus on anything but the June 12 game against England, which undoubtedly will be the most watched, scrutinized and hyped match in the history of American soccer.

The U.S. will follow with games against Algeria and Slovenia, opponents that Landon Donovan admitted "we have some work to do researching." Both Donovan and captain Carlos Bocanegra said all the right things during a conference call with reporters on Friday afternoon, repeating that any team that qualifies for the World Cup is going to present a challenge. But the inescapable truth is that this is a group from which the experienced Americans should [must] advance, and the road to the second round will start with that mouthwatering match against the English.

"The expectation level around sports fans and soccer fans is that we've got a good chance to advance," Donovan said. "For those of us who were there in 2006, we've been waiting a long time for this opportunity....This is everything to me, and I want to make sure I'm as prepared as I can be and that the team is as prepared as we can be. I'm sure we will be, and then it's about getting on the field and playing the games."

Said Bocanegra: "American fans are thinking we should advance out of the group. I like that. I like how we're thinking. We feel confident as well that this is a group we can get out of."

Surprises certainly happen at the World Cup (U.S-Portugal, anyone?), but it's almost impossible to imagine a draw kinder than the one Charlize Theron and co. presented to Bob Bradley and his team on Friday. No Brazil, Spain or Italy. No France, Portugal or Denmark. No Ivory Coast, Ghana or Chile. Fewer vuvuzelas. Reasonable travel. If 20 years of growth has not put the U.S. in position to overcome the likes of Algeria and Slovenia on the biggest stage, then back to the drawing board we go (barring Donovan getting kidnapped or refereeing shenanigans that inevitably will ruin someone's tournament).

So while we all spend a portion of the next six months learning a bit about the the Slovenes and Algerians, everyone on this side of the Atlantic surely will be riveted by everything a U.S.-England match represents. Donovan said that, "those of us who grew up around soccer know that you didn't play without being influenced at some point by someone who was English or British." We all had an English coach at camp. Most American fans see the Premier League as the pinnacle of the sport. And the media and supporters across the pond aren't known for their subtlety and already are offering up some blackboard fodder. With more than six months to go before kickoff, there will be plenty to analyze, and talk about, and talk about again.

"I'm sure it will get pretty intense," Donovan said from New York City. "I've already had a chance to interact with some fans of ours and you can see how excited they are, how passionate they are."

At the moment, that passion seems to be headed one way. Reactions to the draw in England have ranged from confident to belittling, with former national team captain Alan Shearer quoted as saying that coach Fabio Capello "will be absolutely delighted, deep down" and former England, Australia, Tottenham and Barcelona coach Terry Venables telling The Guardian that the draw was "as good as we could have expected."

Sadly, both also fell into the tiresome, arrogant trap of regarding their American opponents as athletes rather than soccer players. Forgetting for a moment that it's been quite a while since anyone accused the English of playing with flair and Brazil-like precision, the persistence of this cliche despite pretty significant evidence to the contrary is an annoyance.

"The U.S. game will be tough because they'll be very well organized and they'll be fit," Venables droned. "They won't outplay us, but they could out-strength us. But they'll be similar to the Sweden sides we've met at tournaments in the past. They'll be solid. There won't be too many players to out-skill us or shock us, but they'll be strong."

Said Shearer: "I said beforehand that I don't think we would be too worried about the United States," while Fulham coach Roy Hodgson, who manages Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson, called the Americans "well-organized and well-drilled, athletically very good." He said the teams might play "with a similar style," but was kind enough to warn us that "England have just got far too much quality for the U.S."

We've all seen how far England's overconfidence has gotten them in the past, but Bocanegra offered nothing but respect when asked to respond to the statements above.

"Pundits and people are going to say what they need to say. We know England have quality. Obviously everyone knows that," he said. "I think those are nice comments about us. They like our athleticism. They like our work rate. They like our organization. Those are all things we pride ourselves on and build our team on. Technically we're not as great as England, but technique is not the only thing that wins games.

"There's going to be so much of this stuff leading up to the first game, you kind of just want to take it all with a grain of salt and just get on with it."

Unfortunately, getting on with it is still six months away. Meaning there will be little to do but gear up for the most anticipated match the U.S. will ever play.