US Draws England in First Game of World Cup
Friday, December 4, 2009
source: espn.com
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CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The United States will face England at the World Cup for the first time since a famous upset 60 years ago, then play Slovenia and Algeria in the first round of next year’s tournament.
The World Cup is made up of 8 groups of 4 teams. In the first round (called the round robin) beginning June 11, 2010 each team plays every other team in their group once. Teams are awarded 3 points for a victory and 1 point for a tie. After the round robin games, the top two teams in each of the 8 groups advance to a 16 team, single elimination bracket. The single-elimination matches begin June 26, 2010. The World Cup finals are set to be held on July 11, 2010.
The U.S. opens against England in Rustenburg on June 12, the teams’ first World Cup matchup since the Americans’ 1-0 victory at the 1950 tournament in Brazil.
The United States then meets Slovenia at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park on June 18 and completes the first round on June 23 against Algeria in Pretoria. The U.S. has never played either nation.
“American fans are thinking we should advance out of the group, and I like that. I like how they’re thinking,” U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said. “We feel confident as well that this is a group we can get out of.”
After advancing to the quarterfinals in 2002, the best U.S. finish since the initial World Cup in 1930, there were high expectation for the Americans at the 2006 tournament in Germany. But they were eliminated in the first round with losses to the Czech Republic and Ghana around a tie with Italy.
The U.S. famously upset England 1-0 in the first round of the 1950 tournament in Brazil, still considered by many the greatest American soccer victory. The June 12 game in Rustenburg features a matchup that could pit Los Angeles Galaxy teammates David Beckham and Landon Donovan on opposite teams.
While the English are ranked ninth in the world and have stars such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, whose club matches are televised throughout the world, Algeria (28th) and Slovenia (33rd) both needed to win playoffs to reach the tournament and are ranked well behind the U.S. (14th).
“It think it was a very fair group,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “It gives us an opportunity, you know, to play well and to advance.”
Odds on the U.S. winning were lowered from 80-1 to 65-1 after the draw, with Spain remaining the favorite at 4-1 followed by five-time champion Brazil at 5-1 along with England.
If the Americans finish second in their group, they likely would play Germany in the second round. If they finish first, they probably would advance to a meeting with Serbia or Ghana.
“For the U.S. it looks to be a positive grouping,” said Bruce Arena, who coached the Americans at the previous two World Cups. “But again, let’s not count them through yet.”
The U.S. has not done particularly well at soccer’s showcase event. Since returning to the World Cup in 1990 following a 40-year absence, the Americans are 3-12-3 in the tournament, including 1-9-2 against European teams.
“I think it’s one of the more well-balanced groups,” England coach Fabio Capello said. “We’re going to have to be careful. All the games are difficult and we may start with the toughest game, since the United States will have a lot more time to prepare for the World Cup.”
All three games will be at venues where the U.S. played at this year’s Confederations Cup, and all are at altitudes of 3,700 feet or higher. The Americans lost to Italy and Brazil in Pretoria, defeated Egypt in Rustenburg to advance to the semifinals, then took a two-goal halftime lead against Brazil in the final at Ellis Park before losing 3-2.
“This is the best draw we’ve ever had in any World Cup,” said former U.S. forward Eric Wynalda, now an analyst for the Fox Soccer Channel. “No disrespect to England, but this is an ideal group for us.”
Several U.S. players are well-known to England because they play in the Premier League, including goalkeeper Tim Howard (Everton), midfielder Clint Dempsey (Fulham), defenders Jonathan Spector (West Ham) and Jay DeMerit (Watford), and forward Jozy Altidore (Hull). Bocanegra played for Fulham before moving to Rennes in France.
“It will be like a Premier League game,” Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said. “The USA is like a team you meet every week.”
Watching the draw from Cape Town on television at a Manhattan restaurant, Donovan shrugged his shoulders when South African rugby captain John Smit reached into a clear bowl and picked the white-and-black ball with a blue strip of paper inside containing “USA,” putting the Americans in Group C with England. Beckham stood a few feet away on the draw stage.
For Donovan, the tournament is a chance at redemption.
“We’ve been waiting a long time for this opportunity,” he said. “This is everything to me.”
The U.S. is 2-7 against England, winning 2-0 in a 1993 exhibition at Foxborough, Mass. In the most recent matchups, England won 2-1 at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2005 and 2-0 at Wembley last year.
The only official match between the teams was at the 1950 World Cup.
There are 48 first-round matches, but for now the focus is on one. American defender Jonathan Bornstein was already looking to the 1950 match in Belo Horizonte, won on a goal by Joe Gaetjens, for inspiration.
“Hopefully 60 years later we can have a similar performance,” Bornstein said.
Group B
1 – Argentina
2 – Nigeria
3 – Korea Republic
4 – Greece
Group C
1 – England
2 – USA
3 – Algeria
4 – Slovenia
Group D
1 – Germany
2 – Australia
3 – Serbia
4 – Ghana
Group E
1 – Netherlands
2 – Denmark
3 – Japan
4 – Cameroon
Group F
1 – Italy
2 – Parguay
3 – New Zealand
4 – Slovakia
Group G
1 – Brazil
2 – Korea DPR
3 – Cote D’Ivoire
4 – Portugal
Group H
1 – Spain
2 – Switzerland
3 – Honduras
4 – Chile
After the round robin matches below, the top two teams from each of the 8 groups advance to the final group of 16. Those teams will the be placed into a single elimination bracket (see under 1st round schedule).
1st ROUND SCHEDULE take off 7 hours to get eastern time
GROUP A
Match 1, June 11 1600: South Africa v Mexico (Soccer City, Johannesburg)
Match 2, June 11 1930: France v Uruguay (Cape Town)
Match 18, June 17 1230: France v Mexico (Polokwane)
Match 33, June 22 1500: Mexico v Uruguay (Rustenburg)
Match 34, June 22 1500: France v South Africa (Bloemfontein)
GROUP B
Match 3, June 12 1230: Argentina v Nigeria (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Match 4, June 12 1500: South Korea v Greece (Port Elizabeth)
Match 19, June 17 1500: Greece v Nigeria (Bloemfontein)
Match 20, June 17 1930: Argentina v South Korea (Soccer City, Johannesburg)
Match 35, June 22 1930: Nigeria v South Korea (Durban)
Match 36, June 22 1930: Greece v Argentina (Polokwane)
GROUP C
Match 5, June 12 1930: England v USA (Rustenburg)
Match 6, June 13 1230: Algeria v Slovenia (Polokwane)
Match 22, June 18 1500: Slovenia v USA (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Match 23, June 18 1930: England v Algeria (Cape Town)
Match 37, June 23 1500: Slovenia v England (Port Elizabeth)
Match 38, June 23 1500: USA v Algeria (Pretoria)
GROUP D
Match 7, June 13 1500: Germany v Australia (Durban)
Match 8, June 13 1930: Serbia v Ghana (Pretoria)
Match 21, June 18 1230: Germany v Serbia (Port Elizabeth)
Match 24, June 19 1230: Ghana v Australia (Rustenburg)
Match 39, June 23 1930: Ghana v Germany (Soccer City, Johannesburg)
Match 40, June 23 1930: Australia v Serbia (Nelspruit)
GROUP E
Match 9, June 14 1230: Holland v Denmark (Soccer City, Johannesburg)
Match 10, June 14 1500: Japan v Cameroon (Bloemfontein)
Match 25, June 19 1500: Holland v Japan (Durban)
Match 26, June 19 1930: Cameroon v Denmark (Pretoria)
Match 43, June 24 1930: Denmark v Japan (Rustenburg)
Match 44, June 24 1930: Cameroon v Holland (Cape Town)
GROUP F
Match 11, June 14 1930: Italy v Paraguay (Cape Town)
Match 12, June 15 1230: New Zealand v Slovakia (Rustenburg)
Match 27, June 20 1230: Slovakia v Paraguay (Bloemfontein)
Match 28, June 20 1500: Italy v New Zealand (Nelspruit)
Match 41, June 24 1500: Slovakia v Italy (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Match 42, June 24 1500: Paraguay v New Zealand (Polokwane)
GROUP G
Match 13, June 15 1500: Ivory Coast v Portugal (Port Elizabeth)
Match 14, June 15 1930: Brazil v North Korea (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Match 29, June 20 1930: Brazil v Ivory Coast (Soccer City, Johannesburg)
Match 30, June 21 1230: Portugal v North Korea (Cape Town)
Match 45, June 25 1500: Portugal v Brazil (Durban)
Match 46, June 25 1500: North Korea v Ivory Coast (Nelspruit)
GROUP H
Match 15, June 16 1230: Honduras v Chile (Nelspruit)
Match 16, June 16 1500: Spain v Switzerland (Durban)
Match 31, June 21 1500: Chile v Switzerland (Port Elizabeth)
Match 32, June 21 1930: Spain v Honduras (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Match 47, June 25 1930: Chile v Spain (Pretoria)
Match 48, June 25 1930: Switzerland v Honduras (Bloemfontein)
____________________________________________________
Round of 16 Bracket
Match 49, June 26: Winner Group A vs 2nd Place Group B
Match 50, June 26: Winner Group C vs 2nd Place Group D
Match 51, June 27: Winner Group D vs 2nd Place Group C
Match 52, June 27: Winner Group B vs 2nd Place Group A
Match 53, June 28: Winner Group E vs 2nd Place Group F
Match 54, June 28: Winner Group G vs 2nd Place Group H
Match 55, June 29: Winner Group F vs 2nd Place Group E
Match 56, June 29: Winner Group H vs 2nd Place Group G
Quarter-Finals
Match 57, July 2: Winner Match 53 vs Winner Match 54
Match 58, July 2: Winner Match 49 vs Winner Match 50
Match 59, July 3: Winner Match 51 vs Winner Match 52
Match 60, July 3: Winner Match 55 vs Winner Match 56
Semi-Finals
Match 61, July 6: Winner Match 57 vs Winner Match 58
Match 62, July 7: Winner Match 59 vs Winner Match 60
Third Place Match
Match 63, July 10: Loser Match 61 vs Loser Match 62
Finals
Match 64, July 11: Winner Match 61 vs Winner Match 62
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