England v. USA PREVIEW

It's one of the most anticipated games of the opening round—certainly around these parts ... I cannot wait for this to start. After the jump, a quick and dirty on what to watch for in today's "Revolutionary" matchup.

England

Defense: The Three Lions lost their captain, center-back Rio Ferdinand, to a knee injury during the run-up to the World Cup. Ledley King, the man tipped to replace him, has knee issues of his own, and rarely trains as a result. He somehow manages to keep his game at a high enough level to compete—no small feat at this level. Still, King's limited mobility might represent an opportunity for the US. Look for Altidore and his strike partner to stay active up top and test King's range.

Left back Ashley Cole is arguably the best in the world at his position, but Landon Donovan got the better of him in a Premier League matchup earlier this year (both tactically and physically: Cole hobbled off with a broken ankle after a fair challenge from Donovan).

At right back, Glen Johnson is an attacking dynamo, but he can be guilty of mental lapses in the back. Look for Clint Dempsey to exploit Johnson's indiscipline.

Midfield: At nearly every position, England players enjoy a technical superiority to their American counterparts. It's an advantage that speaks to the gap in historical commitment between the country that invented the game and the one that's only recently exhibiting a genuine commitment to it. But in one case, that abundance of talent might actually be a glut. Steven Gerard (England's captain after Ferdinand's withdrawal) is a skillful, fierce midfielder. Frank Lampard is a skillful, cerebral midfielder. To date, no English coach has managed to alchemize the two — for whatever reason each player seems to nullify the other's assets. But England coach Fabio Capello is as good as it gets tactically, and he'll play Gerard and Lampard together this afternoon.

Attack: The majority of the England attack will go through Wayne Rooney. He's the archetypal English player—passionate, tireless and tough as nails—but he's blessed with skill package more typical of footballers from the continent or South America (i.e. ability to take defenders one-on-one). He is one of the top players in this tournament and legions of England fans expect this to be a huge tournament for "Wazza." There's been some suggestion that the US might try to wind up the temperamental Rooney (he received a much-publicized yellow card in a warm-up match for cursing at the ref), but Rooney's gone a long way toward curbing the temper that saw him sent off in a knock-out game against Portugal four years ago. He's one of the most complete players in South Africa, and an already shaky US back line will have its hands full.

USA

Defense: The US back line has looked porous, suffering, it seems, from a lack of organization, which is typically a strong suit for American squads. Will the likely inclusion of Oguchi "Gooch" Onyewu help mitigate the disarray? He's a commanding presence in the middle, and has the necessary experience to calm the side. But, if he starts, he'll be playing in his first non-friendly match in over seven months after dislocating his patella in a World Cup qualifier last year. Coach Bob Bradley has insisted this week that Gooch is ready to go a full 90 minutes. He'd better be, playing against the likes of Wayne Rooney and b.

Midfield: The coach's son Michael Bradley has shrugged off suggestions of nepotism and cemented his claim to one of the two starting midfield roles. The question of who best partners with him remains up for debate. I prefer the balance offered by Maurice Edu, who's attacking and defensive game has improved dramatically since moving to Glasgow Rangers of the Scottish Premier League two seasons ago. But Edu is recovering from a raft of injuries, and Bradley has preferred Ricardo Clark in that position. For me, Clark gives the ball away too often; but he works hard and tackles hard. The outside shot for a start is Texan youngster Francisco Torres, who looked brilliant coming off the bench against Turkey two weeks ago. Look for Torres to reprise his substitute role this afternoon and bring a level of skill and vision to the midfield that may well surprise an England team expecting a simple, hardworking US squad.

Veteran outside midfielders Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan are the US team's best players. Both have played against many of England's stars in the EPL; Dempsey, in particular, knows his opponents well and will be eager to impress. Look for most of the attack to start with these two.

Attack: Jozy Altidore will start — that's the word out the US camp at the end of the week. Now the question is who coach Bob Bradley will select to partner with Altidore up front. His three primary options—Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley and Herculez Gomez—are all very green on the international stage. My choice would be Buddle, who looked sharp scoring two goals in the US's warmup against Australia. But Buddle is a very similar player to Altidore—strong, athletic, mobile but not necessarily quick—and the rule of thumb in soccer is that like players don't gel (see commentary on Gerard/Lampard, above). Bradley may well go with speedster Robbie Findley, who offers a more nuanced game than you might expect for someone who plies his trade for the worst-named team in the world, Real Salt Lake. His movement might be just the thing to disrupt England's King, but his finishing has to be better than it was against Australia. Look for Gomez to play a super-sub role—he scored in each of his last two international matches.

Ok, not so quick but still kind of dirty. Enjoy the game, and post a comment whenever you have a chance. Go USA!