Some Thoughts on England-Mexico

Like yours truly, Bob Dillon took advantage of the opportunity to scout one of the USMNT's Group C opponents yesterday by watching England take on Mexico at Wembley.  Here are some of his thoughts on that match, as well as some things he's hoping to see from the USMNT tonight:

With no opportunity to watch Algeria play yesterday, I settled for streaming the England v. Mexico friendly. The game was interesting as Mexico had a strong first half that didn't show up on the scoreboard, and this new look Mexican team actually played like Arsenal for a long stretch, controlling possession and stringing together pass after pass. On the England side, they had three different goal scorers, Peter Crouch, Ledley King, and Glen Johnson. I really hope that Fabio Capello liked having these three guys in the starting line-up along with the speedy Theo Walcott on the right in the midfield because having these four in the starting line-up would actually give the United States its best opportunity to upset England in round one.

Here is my thinking on this. Ledley King looked dangerous on set pieces, but really slow in the back. I think that the United States will be much more organized in the back than the Mexicans, and the possibility of Donovan making some runs through the middle on King could create some instant scoring opportunities. I know that Theo Walcott can look scary with all that speed, and he will probably be the reason that Jonathan Bornstein plays the first game of the World Cup, but trust me, I watch this guy every week in an Arsenal jersey, and he just doesn't have the touch in the final third to cross the ball or make the right decisions on when to get Wayne Rooney the ball.

As for Peter Crouch, he is a miserable partner for Wayne Rooney as his passing is not good. His head is a huge weapon, but it complements Gerrard and Lampard instead of Rooney. If the United States is up a goal with ten minutes to go, I don't want to see Crouch.  But let him start and then get physical with him right away, and there's a good chance it will work out in the US' favor. As for Glen Johnson, his wonder strike today against Mexico will probably be the highlight of his international career. He wanders in the back, and Clint Dempsey or Landon Donovan have a chance to exploit this aspect of his game. I'm sure, though, that Fabio Capello has a different game plan for the U.S. team; John Terry, Aaron Lennon, Ashley Cole, and Emily Heskey or Jermaine Defore will probably round out the starting XI for England instead.

English Beanpole

A few notes to extend on the things to watch for tonight.  I want to see energy.  The energy that Beasley can bring to a run down the flank, or the passion that we saw Altidore play with the game after Charlie Davies' accident. It is time for Michael Bradley to win some balls by running through people (legally, of course) and see Landon and Dempsey play with that look in their eyes. If they play with the quiet confidence of Bob Bradley, then I'm not sure that this team is ready for the big show. It would also be nice to see our midfielders string some passes together like I saw in the England v. Mexico from the Mexican side. Finally, the US gave up too many early goals in qualifying, no early mistakes please.