World Cup: Group C Preview

England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia

For obvious reasons the marquee matchup is the England vs. United States tilt, but this group becomes most fascinating after that game. Assuming England will breeze through to the next round as group winners, the race for second could be one for the ages. Both Algeria, who finished fourth in this year’s African Cup of Nations, and Slovenia, who got to South Africa by edging out Russia in a qualifier, are capable of snatching second place from the USA. Every result—in fact, every goal—will be priceless for these three sides, so expect some explosive, emotional football as they jostle to make the knockout stages.

FIFA Ranking: 8

Coach: Fabio Capello (Italy)

World Cup Appearances: 13 (Best finish: Winners – 1966)

Intro: England won nine of 10 qualifiers en route to South Africa, though critics will say Fabio Capello’s men enjoyed one of the softer groups. And that’s a key point here: To be the best, you have to beat the best—and England very rarely do. In fact, despite being loaded with Premier League talent, they consistently struggle against the big boys. However, Capello has his team playing tighter, more focused and better organized than in recent years, and that could prove the difference between yet another quarterfinal exit (after PKs, naturally) and a national state of bliss. But don’t hold your breath.

WATCH:ENGLAND: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH: ENGLAND: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power:Wayne Rooney[WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE] is widely regarded as one of the world’s best strikers. He scores goals by the bucket load, and his work rate is inimitable, too. Steven Gerrard is someone who can singlehandedly change a game, which is why every summer he’s a transfer target. This year, Jose Mourinho has shown interest, again. Despite his transgressions, John Terry’s leadership is rarely questioned. A defender who can score key goals, he remains elemental to the England back line.

MLS Connection: Many thought David Beckham’s international career was well over following the 2006 World Cup. However, Capello recalled him, and he played a key part in England’s qualifying campaign. Of course, an Achilles injury kept him out of consideration for this year’s tournament, but the LA Galaxy midfielder is in South Africa scouting for England.

BUY: 2010 England Jersey

FIFA Ranking: 14

Coach: Bob Bradley (USA)

World Cup Appearances: 8 (Best finish: 3rd – 1930)

Intro: What can we expect from the United States? The Americans have come a long way since their disappointing—and early—exit from the 2006 edition, but they remain a World Cup underdog … or is it a dark horse? Expectations were significantly raised following their superb show in last year’s Confederations Cup, but the reality is they remain an unknown, and untested, quantity on the world stage. That said, Bob Bradley’s roster boasts players earning their wage throughout the top leagues in Europe, and should they progress to the knockouts, they’ll have a legitimate shot at surprising anyone.

WATCH: USA: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH: USA: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power:Landon Donovan [WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE] is the all-time leader in goals and assists, and he’s coming off an impressive stint in the EPL. Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard should make key saves that will keep the US in the tournament. Clint Dempsey is as much a cult hero in Europe as he is here. The former Revs forward burst onto the world stage exactly four years ago, and he’ll look to build on that this summer.

MLS Connection: Where to start? The roster may not be loaded with current domestic talent, but nearly every player (and coach) on the team cut his teeth in MLS. In fact, only two starters in last week’s 3-1 defeat of Australia have yet to play in the league. And let’s not forget, Donovan—arguably the greatest player to don a United States jersey—remains a marquee player for the LA Galaxy.

BUY: 2010 World Cup Jersey

FIFA Ranking: 30

Coach: Rabah Saadane (Algeria)

World Cup Appearances: 2 (Best finish: 1st round)

Intro: Algeria bullied their way into the World Cup, defeating fierce rivals—and higher-ranked—Egypt in a red-hot playoff match. Egypt got their revenge in the African Cup of Nations, thrashing Algeria 4-0, casting doubt over the Desert Foxes’ prized possession—their defense. Traditionally led by a quality back four (or back three with two holding midfielders), the Algerians only conceded eight goals in 12 matches over two rounds of World Cup qualifying. However, in South Africa they’ll likely pack the midfield and look to frustrate their opponents, and it’s unlikely they’ll create many scoring chances.

WATCH:ALGERIA: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH: ALGERIA: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: French-born Karim Ziani was once a fixture in Marseille’s midfield; however, at Wolfsburg last year, injuries and public spat with his coach limited his playing time. Portsmouth’s speedy Nadir Belhadj has the ability to take players on, which is why England great Gary Lineker called him “one of the best left backs in England.” A consistent goalscorer, 26-year-old forward Rafik Zoheir has attracted the likes of Blackburn and Celtic after tallying 14 goals in two seasons with Greek side AEK.

MLS Connection: Though there are no formal MLS ties on the Algeria national team, there are a handful of former MLS players who share locker rooms with current Desert Foxes. DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu play at Rangers with Madjid Bougherra, Ricardo Clark is with Habib Bellaid at Eintracht, Marcus Hahnemann is with Adlène Guedioura at Wolves, and Michael Bradley suits up with Karim Matmour at Moenchengladbach.

FIFA Ranking: 25

Coach: Matjaž Kek (Slovenia)

World Cup Appearances: 1 (Best finish: 1st round)

Intro: Slovenia are the quintessential unknowns of this World Cup. They dropped the free-flowing style that gave the former Yugoslavia the moniker, “the Brazil of Europe,” and adopted a stiff, organized 4-4-2 that’s incredibly tough to break down. They qualified for South Africa from a group that included Poland and the Czech Republic, conceding only four goals in the process—but they didn’t score many, either. All but one of their full roster play their club soccer outside of Slovenia; that said, it’s difficult to find a real star among the bench-warmers scattered throughout Europe.

WATCH: SLOVENIA: TEAM PROFILE

WATCH: SLOVENIA: ROAD TO THE WORLD CUP

Star Power: Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic has been manning the pipes for Italy’s Udinese for the past four seasons and was Slovenia’s best player in the playoff defeat of Russia. 31-year-old striker Milivoje Novakovič[WATCH: PLAYER PROFILE] was a consistent goalscorer in Köln’s promotion campaign of 2008, and he remains a threat despite a drop in form last season. Novakovič will partner up front with Zlatko Dedič, who has attracted looks from clubs across Europe since his Bochum were relegated from the German Bundesliga.

Group Dynamics: Only a fool would bet against England winning the group with ease. The tried-and-true way to undo England is to play them off the field with quick-and-classy one-touch possession ball. None of these teams here is capable of producing that kind of game, so England should ease through at half-speed.

The race for second place is where things become interesting. Algeria will look to fight and frustrate their way into the knockouts, but it looks as if the well-organized Slovenia are the best equipped to deal with that threat. The US and Slovenia are, on paper, evenly matched, so the race for second could come down to the Yanks needing help from England and a result from Algeria.

That could prove a problem for the US—Slovenia are certainly capable of beating England, especially if Capello’s team is already through, and therefore disinterested.

Don’t Miss This Match: England vs. USA, 6/12, 2:30 pm ET

This is a no-brainer: There’s not a soccer fan in the United States that will miss the group opener on June 12. Though the match may not mean as much to the group dynamics as, say, US vs. Slovenia, who can resist seeing the Yanks go up against the likes of Rooney and Gerrard?

Full Schedule (all times ET)

June 12: England vs. United States (2:30 p.m.)

June 13: Algeria vs. Slovenia (7:30 a.m.)

June 18: Slovenia vs. United States (10:30 a.m.); England vs. Algeria (2:30 p.m.)

June 23: Slovenia vs. England (10:30 a.m.); United States vs. Algeria (10:30 a.m.)

MLSsoccer.com Prediction

1. England

2. United States

3. Slovenia

4. Algeria