We pride ourselves on attracting readers with a wealth of soccer knowledge. Unfortunately, some of our friends who don’t know the difference between Landon Donovan and Donovan Osborne are among our biggest supporters. As such, it’s about time we dumb down the content for a minute and present the first edition of The Idiot’s Guide to the World Cup sponsored by BetUs.com. If you’re an educated regular, feel free to take a breather today.
One of the most attractive matches in Group C will be played between England and the United States in a meeting among two historic rivals, but in which the World Cup betting odds are in favor of Fabio Capello’s team.
United States had a very comfortable qualification rally in their confederation, with matches against Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago and Mexico, having played 10 games in the fourth round of which they won six, drew two and lost two.
However, the extensive experience of England in World Cups and its players makes the squad the favorite to qualify in first place in the group and one of the strongest candidates to win the World Cup title.
United States is ranked No. 16 in FIFA‘s world rankings while England is in No. 7.
One of the highlights of Bob Bradley’s team is that they handle the ball very well and their defense was one of the strongest in the qualifying campaign along with the great performances of Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.
In Germany 2006, the U.S. failed to advance from the first round and the highest position they have reached was in 1930 in Uruguay, where the U.S squad finished in third place.
Americans are constantly participating in World Cups and one of the best performances was in 2002 when they eliminated Mexico from Round 16 and got to the quarterfinals.
On the other hand England ranked first in the UEFA qualifying campaign with nine wins and one defeat in ten matches and there is no doubt that the Englishmen are favorites to get far in the South Africa World Cup.
Another aspect to consider is England’s midfielder Steven Gerrard, which could be one of the leading figures in South Africa 2010. Forget about David Beckham – he’s hurt and old. Nothing short of a miracle will need to take place to find him on the pitch come June.
England has won only one world championship, coming in 1966 when they hosted the event and has participated in 12 World Cups.