Evening Ticker: Match Day #1 in Review and USA-England

Well, after much anticipation, fanfare, pomp, and circumstance, the World Cup finally got underway today with an entertaining draw between the hosts and Mexico.  That was followed up by a fairly uneventful match between France, who continue to look like a team in disarray, and a stubborn Uruguay side.

Two matches, two goals, and two ties; a lot of slipping, plenty of sputtering attacks, a handful of quality saves, and far, far too many vuvuzelas.   While it might not have been as exciting as 2006's 6-goal affair between Costa Rica and Germany, today was a great day for players and fans alike, kicking off what promises to be another memorable World Cup.

Bafana Bafana started off on their heels and looked shaky in the opening 40 minutes, but Siphiwe Tshabalala made sure that the home fans were the first to celebrate a goal, blasting an absolute rocket into the far upper corner that is without a doubt the goal of the tournament so far (bold statement, I know).  While Carlos Alberto Parreira's men eventually conceded and missed on a couple of golden opportunities to add to their total, the hosts can take comfort in the fact that they've gotten past the best of their three opponents (in my opinion) with a point, while neither of their other Group A opponents looked overly impressive.  The streak of hosts advancing past the opening round might be kept alive, after all. 



So after one match day, Group A is still wide open, with all four teams really in the hunt to progress.  Now the focus shifts to Group C, with the much anticipated USA-England match-up tomorrow afternoon.  No disrespect to the folks from Group B, but this site is called US Soccer Daily, not South Korea Soccer Daily, so my focus will be on the nightcap more so than Saturday's opening matches. 



The big news surrounding that game from today was Bob Bradley's announcement that Jozy Altidore would start tomorrow against the Three Lions.  Bradley's statement raised a number of eyebrows, as it's in stark contrast to his typical close-to-the-vest style.  The change of pace is so uncharacteristic that it's really caused some (including yours truly) to wonder what he really meant by that.  Could it be straight talk, an update 24 hours ahead of game time for the American public and English coaching staff?  Or could it just be a calculated bluff, a knee-buckling off-speed pitch to catch Capello off balance?  It's really hard to say, mostly because it's such an unusual thing to do for the reserved Princeton alum.

Since it was announced that the injury was fairly minor, I expected Altidore to be in the starting XI against England, and while that opinion might have been shaken a little by an anomaly of an announcement, I still believe that the big 20 year old will be battling with John Terry when Carlos Simon blows the opening whistle.  Who starts next to him is still a mystery, and I don't expect Bradley to reveal the answer to that question until warm-ups.  While Edson Buddle's goalscoring form and brace against Australia make him a leading candidate, I could still see Robbie Findley getting the call to stretch the field.

As far as keys to tomorrow's game, a lot of the usual suspects apply: play smart, avoid stupid fouls in the defensive third, stay organized, and play through Donovan and Dempsey.  In meaningful games in 2009 (the Confederations Cup and Hexagonal qualifiers), the US had a -3 goal differential in the opening 10 minutes of a half, so they'll need to buck that trend and avoid a slow start that could put them in a hole early on.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who was pumped up four years ago for the US' opener against the Czech Republic before Jan Koller's bald head silenced me just five minutes in. 

This is probably the most anticipated match in US Soccer history (anticipated, not to be confused with important), so it'd really be deflating for us fans if England spoiled the party early on.  If it does happen, however, don't panic; Bob Bradley's side showed the ability to come back from early deficits, compiling a 3-2-2 record in competitive matches in 2009 when conceding the first goal.  With that being said, here's hoping that the Yanks replicate their start against Australia and find the back of the net early on to give them a boost of confidence and send the English reeling. 

Ultimately, I expect tomorrow's match to be more South Africa-Mexico than France-Uruguay.  I think there will be opportunities and goals to be had for both sides, but I really can't say what I think will happen with confidence.  Perhaps I'm a homer (okay, I'm definitely a homer), but I am also a realist, and the US is capable of winning, while England is definitely capable of stumbling.  As the underdogs, the US don't have much to lose, which I think will spur them on to another performance akin to those that vaulted them from elimination favorites to Confederations Cup finalists one summer ago.  It won't be an easy task, but it's not an impossibility, so keep your hopes up and support the Yanks with everything you've got, wherever you may be.

I'm feeling oddly confident ahead of tomorrow's match, a mindset that I hope the 23 are sharing on the eve of this monumental match.  The day is finally upon us, and hundreds of millions of eyes will be on Royal Bafokeng Stadium tomorrow afternoon.  No more previews, no more mind games, no more preparations; just soccer.

Now let's take home all three points, boys.

God bless America.