What the Other Group C and CONCACAF Teams Will Be Up to On Wednesday

As we look towards Wednesday's USMNT friendly against the Netherlands, it's also worth taking a look at what some other teams will be up to on the lone FIFA match day before the end of the European club season.

Group C

England will get a taste of North African soccer ahead of their group clash with Algeria when they take on Egypt at Wembley.  The Pharaohs missed out on the World Cup after losing a one game playoff in Sudan to Algeria, but they rebounded nicely by taking home the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, their third consecutive title.   This will be England's first game since the scandals that have shaken up Fabio Capello's camp, and star striker Wayne Rooney's status is uncertain after he suffered a knee bruise in Sunday's Carling Cup final.

Algeria will host fellow World Cup qualifiers Serbia on Wednesday.  The Serbs will provide a very good challenge, particularly for a team that was hardly impressive in January's Africa Cup of Nations.  We'll see if the Desert Foxes can bounce back and earn a good result against a very talented team, or if their post-qualification slide will continue.

Slovenia will host Qatar in their friendly.  Now, the FIFA rankings aren't a precise reflection of a team's ability, but they generally get the idea right.  So, the fact that Qatar are ranked 89th, lower than any team in the World Cup (which includes North Korea), makes me wonder how useful this tune up will actually be.  Oh well, as a USMNT fan, I'm not going to complaining too much if Slovenia are under-prepared come June.

CONCACAF

The other two CONCACAF qualifiers will also be in action on Wednesday.  With Spain and Switzerland in their World Cup group, Honduras will be looking to get some experience against a UEFA opponent.  So, like the USMNT, they will face off against Turkey as part of their World Cup preparations.  Los Catrachos will one up the Yanks by traveling to Istanbul for this friendly, which should provide them with a pretty stern test.  

Unlike their neighbors to the north, Mexico will not be playing a top-ranked side on the road.  Instead, they will face off against a team ranked 79th in the world at what will surely be a very pro-Mexican venue, the Rose Bowl.  They will take on the likes of Netherlands and Italy in Europe in the weeks leading up to the tournament, but for now, they're easing in to their preparations.  This match is the second in Mexico's crowded 2010 schedule, which includes friendlies against Iceland, North Korea, Senegal, and Ecuador, amongst others.

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Well, there you have it.  All in all, there are 26 World Cup teams that will be in action.  So if you have some time before Landon Donovan and company take the field, or after they finish off a convincing win (a guy can hope, can't he?), take a look at some of these other games to see how the other Group C and CONCACAF teams look just 100 days before FIFA's quadrennial showcase kicks off in South Africa.