England – USA: Don’t Count Out The Yanks
England - USA goes off at 2:30 pm EST on ABC in the States and 7:30 pm in Great Britain. This is one of the most anticipated matchups and will likely be among the heaviest bet on of the 2010 World Cup. But it is also among the most lopsided matchups.
Team USA comes into this one with payout odds that would result in US$50 paid out for every US$10 bet at online bookmakers the likes of SBG Global. England was at 1/2 odds or -200.
Likewise, England was among the favorites to win the 2010 World Cup at +650 for a payout potential of US$65 on every US$10 bet. USA would pay out a whopping US785 on every US$10 bet.
But Team USA could pull off a shocker suggests Mark Sappenfield of the Christian Science Monitor.
"Gone are the days when the elite teams of world soccer saw a game against the United States as an almost certain victory," Sappenfield writes.
"For the US, one year removed from its sensational run to the final of the Confederations Cup, it is an opportunity to prove that that success was not a fluke. For perhaps the first time in American history, the nation and the team expects significant success.
"In the past, The US's best answer to England's weapons might have been England's own inconsistency. Always brimming with passion, England was too often reckless or naive, playing with heart when cooler heads needed to prevail. Capello has remedied that.
"Instead, it is the US that is now one of the mystery outfits of the tournament. Though unlikely, it is no longer inconceivable that the team could go as far as the semifinals. But it could also easily fail to advance out of the first round."
Sappenfield points out that the US success depends to a large degree on Landon Donovan's ability not to be manhandled by physical, disciplined European defenses as he has in the past.
"To have any chance of winning or drawing against England, the US must play soccer that is both desperate and disciplined. England merely needs to keep doing what it has been doing since Capello took charge.
"Even with a loss, either team would still have a decent chance of advancing to the second round. The other two teams in the group - Slovenia and Algeria - are not imposing."
Bob Bradley, the USA coach, believes there is one key to winning: "I would concede stopping Rooney is the key to our chances of success."
Jeffrey Marcus of the New York Times:
"England's roster is full of accomplished players from the Premier League, the most popular league in the world. The American team has a dozen players who play or have played in the Premier League, and eight others who earn paychecks from overseas clubs. That international experience has helped the national team as much as the national team's success has helped American players earn the respect of their international rivals."
The British papers, meanwhile, are playing up the fact that soccer is only the 6th most popular sport in America despite it being one of the first sports school children are exposed to in the States.
Rooney, 24, told The Sun in an exclusive interview yesterday: "I'm sure the support from fans will drive us on."
The fan base just won't be there for the US side. The tide may be turning but it won't be a factor at this year's World Cup.
Lauren Frayer of AOL News:
"As the U.S. soccer team improves in the rankings, so does its following. World soccer's governing body, FIFA, estimates that more than 130,000 World Cup tickets were sold to Americans this year - the most of any country besides the host nation South Africa.
"The number of Americans watching the World Cup on TV doubled between the 2002 and 2006 tournaments, and ESPN is hoping for at least a 25 percent jump this year. The network, along with Univision, paid $425 million for the rights to air the 2010 and 2014 World Cups inside the United States - more than any other broadcaster in any other country."
Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
