Betting odds USA

 Manager: Bob Bradley
Captain: Carlos Bocanegra
FIFA Ranking: 11
World Cup appearances: 8
Best World Cup: Third Place – 1930

USA Team Profile

In most sports, the American just turn up, strut their stuff and walk away with bags of medals. In football, however, that isn’t the case. In fact, the USA will be hard-pressed to make the last-sixteen of the competition in South Africa, although they did go as far as the quarter-finals back in Korea/Japan in 2002; their best performance in the finals of a World Cup for over 70 years, before later bowing at the group stages in Germany, 2006.

Credit were credit is due, the USA is showing huge signs of improvements both with their international displays and in regards to the popularity of the sport back home in general. Soccer is generally not perceived to be part of the popular brand of sports over in a country which consists of several high profile sporting activities, but in recent years better players have emerged from the shadows and their emergence of new talent was evident in their 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup performance which seen them make it as far as the final itself, taking a 2-0 lead in the final before losing 3-2 to eventual champions Brazil.

In North America however, despite ‘Soccer’ not yet reaching the heights in the popularity charts as expected when David Beckham moved over to the MLS several years ago in a bold bid to boost the reputation, the USA are the team to beat in qualifying or their own respective major tournaments. USA are the only North American team to have played in five successive World Cups. They stormed through qualifying, booking their tickets to South Africa with something to spare.

USA Key Players

Landon Donovan

We were tempted to call Landon Donovan a veteran as he does have so much experience but we mustn’t forget that the LA Galaxy forward is still just 27 years-old and still has every chance of reaching the following finals four years later. Donovan isn’t the biggest of players at just 5ft 7inc but his presence in the starting line-up brings about added enthusiasm from the rest of the squad as his work rate and ethic is second to none. He doesn’t allowed the opposing defenders any time on the ball, he chases down nothing balls and he also tracks back to help out in defence whenever necessary. He will be USA’s biggest goal threat in the final as he just seems to have a unique knack of getting in the right places at the right time, as well possessing the ability to create a chance out of nothing with his swift, intricate ball skills.

With 42 goals in 120 appearances for country, Landon Donovan is the most prolific striker the United States has ever had. He is the all-time leader in both goals and assists and will be the most-capped player in the US squad. Like we said above, Donovan brings vital experience to the fort as the squad is still fairly young in stature.

Tim Howard

The Everton number 1 has been his country’s number 1 for some time now but he’s a long way behind catching Landon Donovan in the caps department. Howard has been capped 48 times for his country and he has made that goalkeeping berth his own since Brad Friedel’s retirement from International duty. He has just about everything you want in a goalkeeper. He is clam and collected when in possession, he commands the respect of all those in front of him on the pitch whilst his immense shop-stopping ability makes him one of the best goalies in the game.

Tim Howard’s finest performance to date came against Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Howard pulled off a string of good saves to not only deny Spain several goals but also aid his side into the finals of the tournament, albeit losing against Brazil in the final after a valiant display. He was the first goalkeeper to keep Spain at bay for the full 90 minutes for over two years. He was deservedly awarded The Golden Glove for his performances on the whole throughout The Confederations Cup.

Strengths

The biggest compliment we can pay to the American’s is they work so damn hard during 90 minutes, harassing the opponent throughout. They don’t allow their opponents to have any time nor space when in possession, they aren’t afraid to get involved with a tackle and seemingly have energy in reserve. The US are arguably the most enduring and industrious team on the block, and whatever team they come up against, no matter how classy they are, they’ll have to work doubly hard to squeeze anything out of a game with a USA team which fights tooth and nail for every last blade of grass.

Weakness

While there is no doubting the commitment of the USA team, were one of their key players to suffer an injury setback while in South Africa, manager Bradley would struggle to fill the void left. Their starting eleven isn’t the strongest in the first place, but it’s their determination on the field which enables them to push the big teams hard. Were one of the wheels in the US cog to go missing, you would fear for their chances as the USA rely heavily on team work and the great chemistry they’ve built up over some successful years.

USA Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: North, Central America & Caribbean
Group: 1
Position: 1st
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-2-2
Goals Scored: 19
Goals Conceded: 13

World Cup Potential: 2/5

The USA are a team you would ideally prefer to avoid; great work ethic all round the team,their attitude on the field is great while their overall team work in second to none, both when in possession and not. However, for all their workmanlike qualities, the US still aren’t strong enough, certainly in depth, to handle the gauntlet thrown down by some of the more equipped nations, such as England, a team they’ll face in the group stages.

In fairness though, they were handed a very generous group, one they stand every chance of bypassing after being thrown into the mixer with England, the favourites to win the group, Slovenia and Algeria. The two key games as far as the USA are concerned are the Slovenia and Algeria matches, both of which they have to win in order to keep their chances of making the last-sixteen promising. If they can get something out of their game with the USA then great, and that’s not behold the realms of possibility. However, if the USA do want to go far, they’ll need to somehow finish the group in first place in order to avoid the ever consistent Germans in the round of 16.

On their day the USA can be a handful and are one of a select few that in terms of being rated as an outsider, could spring a shock against one of the elite nations. However, consistency would be an issue and while their ability to shock will be a threat to opponents, their main objective in South Africa will be to make the Round of 16.

USA World Cup Betting Odds

USA to win the World Cup: 80/1 Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on USA were 80/1 

Official USA World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)

Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Tim Howard (Everton)

Defenders

Carlos Bocanegra (Stade Rennes)

Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96)

Jay DeMerit (Watford)

Clarence Goodson (IK Start)

Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan)

Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

Midfielders

Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers)

Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Clint Dempsey (Fulham)

Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers)

Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus)

Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers)

Jose Torres (Pachuca)

Strikers

Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)

Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

Herculez Gomez (Puebla)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 USA Fixtures – Group C

26/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: USA – Ghana: 1-2 AET

World Cup 2010 Group C - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

USA v Ghana Betting Odds

Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg
Kick Off: 19.30 GMT

Ghana to win: 2/1 at William Hill
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
USA to win: 7/4 at Totesport

USA

World Cup Second Round: After Landon Donovan performed some last minute heroics for the USA against Algeria, the Americans now head into their last sixteen match against Group D runner’s up Ghana. The USA looked to have blown their chance of progressing to the next stage, needing a win against Algeria to confirm their place in the knockout round. It took a 91st minute effort from Donovan to break the deadlock and send the Americans into a state of euphoria. England and the USA were expected to progress from this group, but it was meant to be a lot easier for both of them. It didn’t turn out that way, and the Americans actually topped Group C in the end, setting up their clash with Ghana. The USA play with a lot of determination and a never say die attitude, but there is not always the skill levels there to back it up. They rode their luck against Algeria, but there was one important difference in this match to the others they had played, and that was, they did not fall behind early on. They very nearly did, with Algeria hitting the wood-work, and although the USA were creating chance after chance, and had a goal wrongly disallowed for off-side, it looked as if the break through was never going to come for the USA. That last minute goal by Donovan typified the game the American’s play, as they fought to the very last break.

They now will face their toughest task of the competition so far, as they take on Ghana. Ghana are a young side who will have just as much energy and pace as the Americans, but will have the passing abilities to push the USA back. But the USA will stick to their strengths, and that is playing the game at pace and taking chances at the back if need be. Coach Bob Bradley has been quite brave in his tactics, pushing people forward and trusting in things at the back. Things at the back have looked decidedly ropey at times, but their hard work and energy often makes up for the things in their game which are lacking. Whoever they play, the USA will present tough opponents for, but they will need to tighten up midfield if they are going to take a sensible approach to their last sixteen match. They have looked vulnerable in that area, as well as lacking punch up front. The USA look like one of those rough and rugged teams that play with great spirit and heart and won’t roll over. Time and time again they have come back from bad positions after lapses in concentration have put themselves behind in matches. They used their get out of jail card against the Algerians, do they have more left in them?

Ghana

Ghana are one of those sides which can impress but look vulnerable at the same time. Their defence sits quite high up the pitch, and there is often plenty of space in behind for opponents to exploit. Fortunately for Ghana, they have the youngest team at the World Cup, and that means they will have plenty of pace and running in their legs. They are not a great side by any stretch of the imagination, but they are tough opponents in their own right. They have nice touches through the middle of the park, and work the ball well into the final third of the pitch. They have Asamoah Gyan, who is their main source of goals up front, who works tirelessly and always seems to be in the thick of everything. They are missing Michael Essien, as his quality and time on the ball would make them an even stronger side, but they are not to be dismissed lightly. They got a lucky break in their opening match when Serbia lost a man and then gave away a penalty, and then Ghana failed to press home another man advantage in their drawn match against Australia. That very likely cost them top spot in the group, and their second place finish was confirmed by a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Germany in their final match.

Ghana are as energetic as the USA, but with a bit more polish. That will be the fair assessment of them. They work well as team, but they have some vulnerabilities at the back, which could be exploited with long balls over the top. The Americans will look at that and take heart, especially when attacking down the wings. But Ghana themselves are able to mix up their attacks, and created some good chances against Germany which they were unable to take. Ghana will probably be the betting tip to go with in this one, as they look just to have that little bit more quality and composure against them. They should certainly win the midfield battle, even without Chelsea’s Michael Essien. Ghana have a higher passing success rate than the USA, and that could make all the difference, if they get their slick passing game going. The accuracy of which, should cause the USA problems. After three games played though, only Argentina are ahead of both Ghana and the USA in attempts on goal, with the Africans having 55 attempts to the USA’s 49. That suggests than an open, attacking game may well be on the cards, and the winner would progress to a quarter final match against either Uruguay or South Korea.

World Cup Second Round Betting Tip: Ghana to win by 1 Goal 7/2 at Labdrokes

Current USA V Ghana Odds:

Gareth Barry Set to Miss England v USA World Cup fixture: More often than not, the unsung hero in the heart of the England, Gareth Barry has quietly gone about his duties for his nation, with limited fuss or bother, aggrandising the old football axiom that the players doing the best defensive midfield jobs, are those who do not get noticed. Those who never put a foot wrong. Think Claude Makelele. Think Roy Keane. Think Patrick Vieira. Think Michael Essien. The glue of the team. The clutch player. Call it what you will, when they go missing, the team can shake to its foundations. So, while England have been named among the favourites to lift the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, they have not dominated betting markets as favourites for one simple fact, that there remains questions over the strength which they possess in depth. While England’s World Cup chances hang on the thin tightrope of star striker and Golden Boot candidate Wayne Rooney not getting injured, coach Fabio Capello’s best laid plans seemed to come crashing down after Barry picked up an ankle injury on the final day of the domestic season. Such an impact has the threatened absence of Manchester City midfield star Gareth Barry been, it has highlighted the cracks in the England set up, and the reverberations should ring loudly around the ranks of the Barclays Premier League. Where is the future of English football, if the national coach has to consider changing formation and playing players out of position, all because of one injury?

England finished off a local side, Platinum Stars, in their final run out before they take on the USA in their first 2010 World Cup match in South Africa, on Saturday. If the starting line up was anything to go by, then Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard will be teaming up with Cheslea’s Frank Lampard in the middle of the park, leaving Lampard’s team mate Joe Cole on the left. Cole notched himself a goal in the friendly, continuing his impressive return to the international fold. But what will Gerrard moving back into the middle mean for him? Will it suppress his natural assets in driving forward? When he playing just behind Wayne Rooney in the friendly against Mexico, the newly instilled England captain was a dominant figure for England. Is it right to for the side to use him in such a role? Gerrard has been hard to fit into the side, playing in an unnatural position on the left of midfield, simply because he never worked well with Lampard. But Capello has seen them in action together, and seems confident it will do the job and back up England’s World Cup Odds. England need to get off to a good start against the USA, and Gerrard’s move could only be a temporary one. Barry has been responding to treatment better than expected, and should feature in the tournament before long. It makes sense to keep him back while England take on weaker opponents before the first knockout stages.

The US front pairing of Edson Buddle and Robert Findley, helped the US to a victory over Australia on the weekend, and there are signs that the US are improving. The pairing fired well, with Buddle, the Major League Soccer’s top goal scorer at the moment, with some surprise, as the US’s star player Jozy Altidore has been the focus of a worrying injury. Altidore is said to have a mild ankle sprain, but the new pairing should have given a lot of hope to Bob Bradley, backed up by Landon Donovan floating around from the wing. But, if the England back line, sans Rio Ferdinand are thinking they will be troubled, they may just need to get the ball to Wayne Rooney. For all of the improvements made by the United States, one are in which they continue to look very shaky, is at the back. The 3-1 scoreline may have cheered the US, but it should be noted that Australia were very dominant in the second half. So there are mixed signals coming from the US, but when all is said and done, if England are serious about winning the World Cup, then it is a side which they should brush aside with relative ease, as long as they can keep their composure and structure. The crucial link could be the pairing of Gerrard and Lampard in the middle, which needs to stamp its authority all over the game from the off, and not have any lazy start.

England v USA Betting Stats

England Last 6 Results
Japan 2-1 (a) W
Mexico 3-1 (h)
Egypt 3-1 (h)
Brazil 1-0 (a) L
Belarus 3-0 (h) W
Ukraine 1-0 (a) L

USA Last 6 Results
Australia 3-1 (h) W
Turkey 2-1 (h) W
Czech Republic 4-2 (h) L
Holland 2-1 (a) L
El Salvador 2-1 (h) W
Honduras 3-1 (h) L

Last 10 Match Form:
England: W7, D1, L2
USA: W4, D0, L6

Recent Overall Stats
England: P50, W33, D8, L9 = 66% win percentage
USA: P45, W18, D6, L21 = 40.0% win percentage

All Time World Cup Stats
Rank 5th: England P55, W25, D17, L13 GF74 GA47
Rank 25th: United States P25, W6, D3 L16 GF27 GA51

World Cup Group C Match Odds
England to win: 1/2 at Bet365
Draw: 10/3 at BetFred
USA to win: 13/2 at Totesport

World Cup Group C Teams: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia. England are one of the leaders in outright World Cup Betting to lift the trophy at the World Cup final on July 12th. You chance of picking up ante-post odds on the World cup are diminishing now, as the tournament starts on June 11th with the fixture between hosts nation South Africa and Mexico. So signing up with an online bookmaker right now, can not only bring you some nice welcome bonuses, it will also give you enough time to get your early bets down, as well as follow the progress of the world cup during the forthcoming month. Here you can enjoy another part in our series of looking at the best value bets for the eight individual groups. How big is the threat from the USA? Why do Slovenia represent such good value at the 2010 FIFA World Cup? Find out below:

Slovenia To Qualify: 15/8 at Victor Chandler
For some reason, the Slovenians are flying under the radar in the World Cup group betting, when they should be a lot stronger. The USA are dominating the betting in the race for second spot, but there is more to Slovenia than may meet the initial eye, and in planning your World Cup betting strategy, they are worth keeping an eye on. They showed a lot of potential during European Qualification, where they finished second in their group behind Slovakia, who Slovenia beat twice. Then coming through a tough qualification playoff against Russia, the Slovenians showed that they have an immense amount of spirit and fight, as well as quality. Therefore they should certainly not be discounted, even if they are new on the scene, and the big match in this group could come when they take on the USA. That should be a match for second spot in all reality, and where the USA also play with a lot of vim and vigor, they do not have as much technical ability in their squad as Slovenia. Therefore, check out the best bookmakers for Betting on the World Cup and look for options on Slovenia. This one represents great value, as they have the ability.

Most Group Stage Goals Scored: England 3/10 at Bwin
No, not great odds, but it is difficult to see where they will be beaten. Slovenia should be the next threat in this World Cup betting category, but as England proved through qualification, they were rampant in front of goal against weaker opposition. They have also been scoring in their international friendly warm up matches ahead of the tournament, even without putting their World Cup eleven out. Wayne Rooney is expected to firmly be in the running for the top goalscorer in the tournament, and so why would you bet against England topping this betting category. While the odds are not fantastic, they are at least realistic and that means it should be something of relatively safe bet. These are the kind of bets that you can look at in building up a multiple bet if you are doing a lot of group betting. Both of the USA and Algeria are considerably light up front, and therefore, combined with England being the strong seeded team, they should have a clear run at being top goalscorers in the group.

Not to Qualify: USA 6/5 at BetFred
This may look something of a brave bet, as World Cup Odds have really shown no signs going against the USA to finish second. But Bob Bradley’s men look as if they still have a great deal to do in order to catch up with the European standard of football, and that puts them on the back burner against group rivals England and Slovenia. The step up to the World stage could be a step too far for them this time, even though they can call on a lot of players who ply their trade in Europe. There appears to be a tactical frailty against them, but they will try and paper over any cracks their with their unbound confidence. There is a lot of work to do for the USA to make an impact, and they could be in for a bigger shock than they expected. They do not have the edge over Slovenia, and that puts them at great risk in not being able to qualify. They face England in their first fixture, and a strong victory for Fabio Capello’s England there, could mean that the uphill struggle from there on out in the group stage, could be even greater with their confidence bruised.

To Finish Second: Slovenia 5/2 at Paddy Power
Again this is simply backing up some of the above bets, and this one represents good value with your online betting for the World Cup. They had one of the best defensive records in the European qualification zone, conceding just 6 goals in their campaign. That means they are a strong defensive side, as well as possessing good discipline. There should be a clear contrast in the inexperienced USA side charging around, to the technical ability and passing game that Slovenia bring to the table. No, they are not packed with household names, but they have the ability to reach the second round, and at a price such as above, some good value on World Cup betting can be found on them. England are expected to win the group, and in the grand scheme of things, Slovenia look to be the best of the other three teams.

Most Group Goals Conceded: Algeria Evens at Bwin
Algeria totally lost their grip on discipline in the African Cup of Nations, finishing their semi final match against rivals Egypt with just eight men. They looked terribly short of any quality going forward during that tournament, and recently lost an international friendly to the Republic of Ireland. There is not a lot of threat coming from the North Africans, and to see them finish bottom and having conceded the most amount of goals in doing so, certainly is not beyond the realms of reality. At a decent price of Evens, it is worth backing that up.

There is no doubting the confidence that the USA will bring to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in June. World Cup Betting tips has the USA as clear second favourites to qualify from Group C behind England, but their warm up matches are certainly not showing the kind of form needed to do just that. With the group draw being relatively kind to Fabio Capello’s England, the odds on the USA may be flattering them a little bit, simply because other group opponents Slovenia and Algeria are not seen as of much of a threat. On the pitch however, there could be a completely different story being told, with the technical ability Slovenia showed in qualification, perhaps realistically pushing them ahead of the USA. At the African Cup of Nations, Algeria showed signs of being a very stubborn team.

In a recent International Friendly against the Czech Republic, who failed to qualify for the World Cup, the USA again showed a lot of the problems they may face in dealing with their group opposition at the World Cup. While they did not field their strongest side, it was the apparent lack of organisation in defence, and the seemingly wayward lack of direction in how to get forward, which will be troubling fans of the USA. The creativity from the midfield looked non-existent, and the USA have already been criticised before about their lack of firepower. The USA always play with a swagger borne of confidence, but how realistic is the price tag on them to qualify from Group C? When you compare them to other teams participating in the World Cup then they are clearly back in the running behind most of them. If they were to swap places with Australia for example, who face Serbia, Germany and Ghana, then the USA would probably be rank outsiders to get out of the group. So what does a shaky looking USA side, who have lost to Honduras and Holland in their build up, really offer in terms of World Cup odds?

Well, in their individual World Cup fixtures, the USA are favoured to beat both Slovenia and Algeria, by quite generous odds. Naturally against England, the USA are the outside bet, but are the USA likely to be that much of a clear cut choice to finish second? Strangely enough, the price mentioned above is actually good enough to get behind, and it is seriously tempting, and that price is largely down to the inexperience of their other group opponents. But they will face a Slovenia side who battled through a qualification play off against the hotly tipped strong Russians, and beat their qualification group winner Slovakia twice, and only conceded four goals in their ten matches. USA coach Bob Bradley needs a little more than optimism, and a win on Saturday against Turkey could be the perfect tonic ahead of the World Cup. While the USA have their support from Barrack Obama and Alex Ferguson, on the viewing of their 4-2 defeat to the Czech Republic, there is much tactical work to be done, especially in aerial defending.

International Friendly
USA to win: 13/10 at Bet365
Draw: 9/4 at SkyBet
Turkey to win: 11/5 at Coral

USA World Cup Specials
Group Stage Elimination: 5/4 at Sporting bet
Second Round Elimination: 13/8 at Bet365
Quarter Finals Elimination:11/2 at Totesport

To Qualify From Group C: Yes 7/10 at Bwin
Group Finishing place: Second 5/4 at Sporting Bet
 

England’s Group C World Cup opponents, the USA have announced their 30 man preliminary squad, with a handful of familiar names to fans of the Barclays Premier League. Topping the of those names will be Everton’s Tim Howard, who is one of three goalkeepers who ply their trade in the Premier League. He joins Brad Guzan from Aston Villa, and Marcus Hahnemann from Wolves. Jozy Altidore, who spent some time on loan with Hull this season, and Landon Donovan, who ran out for Everton for a while, are also in the 30 man squad. Fulham’s Clint Dempsey makes the squad, and World Cup fixtures will place the USA alongside England, Slovenia and Algeria in Group C of the tournament, with the Americans all gung-ho about their chances of getting through to the knockout stages, with Donovan insistent that his side can beat anyone.

World Cup Odds tell something of the same tale really, as the USA are second favourites in the Group, behind England. The two nations go head to head in the group opener on June 12th, and the Americans will be all hopeful of a shock repeat result which they inflicted on the English, way back in 1950, when they won 1-0 in a goup fixture. That remains the only World Cup encounter between the two sides, and there was a certain wry smile on David Beckham’s face when the draw was announced. Beckham is a team mate of Donovan at the LA Galaxy, but in his quest to maintain his fitness for the World Cup, Beckham was struck down with injury while on loan at AC Milan. A lot of the best bookmakers for betting on the World Cup had special bets on Beckham’s role in that first game, which have all been wiped out as he is not going.

Two prominent American names failed to make it to the squad, Charlie Davis, who was involved in a car accident last year has not been named, neither has Freddy Adu (remeber him!) who grabbed headlines everywhere, as he was expected to land a big money move to Europe, which never happened. Scottish side Rangers are contributing two players, with DaMarcus Beasley and Maurice Edu heading to the 30 man squad, who warm up for the World Cup with two international friendly matches against non World Cup participating teams, the Czech Republic and Turkey. The USA are one of the teams participating in the World Cup and that means there are possible odds to be taken advantage of.

The Americans looked extremely lack lustre in a friendly match against Holland, with next to no hint of  firepower whatsoever in their side. While this probably should mean that they should be at longer odds in Group C, and they could well have their hands full against the technical ability of Slovenia, and the doggedness Algeria. Qualification from the CONCACAF zone is not much of a problem for the USA, going up against teams like El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago. They did qualify ahead of Mexico and Costa Rica, and maybe that will give them the confidence to step up to the world stage. Likelihood though, looking at the squad, is that from a betting perspective, they are certainly not dark horses, but have every chance of heading to the second round. Coach Bob Bradley has his work cut out for him, and the real shock could be them fighting to stave off the wooden spoon.

USA 30 Man Squad:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann
Defence: Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Bornstein, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Chad Marshall, Oguchi Onyewu, Heath Pearce, Jonathan Spector
Midfield: DaMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers, Jose Torres
Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Edson Buddle, Brian Ching, Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez, Eddie Johnson

 Manager: Bob Bradley
Captain: Carlos Bocanegra
FIFA Ranking: 11
World Cup appearances: 8
Best World Cup: Third Place – 1930

USA Team Profile

In most sports, the American just turn up, strut their stuff and walk away with bags of medals. In football, however, that isn’t the case. In fact, the USA will be hard-pressed to make the last-sixteen of the competition in South Africa, although they did go as far as the quarter-finals back in Korea/Japan in 2002; their best performance in the finals of a World Cup for over 70 years, before later bowing at the group stages in Germany, 2006.

Credit were credit is due, the USA is showing huge signs of improvements both with their international displays and in regards to the popularity of the sport back home in general. Soccer is generally not perceived to be part of the popular brand of sports over in a country which consists of several high profile sporting activities, but in recent years better players have emerged from the shadows and their emergence of new talent was evident in their 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup performance which seen them make it as far as the final itself, taking a 2-0 lead in the final before losing 3-2 to eventual champions Brazil.

In North America however, despite ‘Soccer’ not yet reaching the heights in the popularity charts as expected when David Beckham moved over to the MLS several years ago in a bold bid to boost the reputation, the USA are the team to beat in qualifying or their own respective major tournaments. USA are the only North American team to have played in five successive World Cups. They stormed through qualifying, booking their tickets to South Africa with something to spare.

USA Key Players

Landon Donovan

We were tempted to call Landon Donovan a veteran as he does have so much experience but we mustn’t forget that the LA Galaxy forward is still just 27 years-old and still has every chance of reaching the following finals four years later. Donovan isn’t the biggest of players at just 5ft 7inc but his presence in the starting line-up brings about added enthusiasm from the rest of the squad as his work rate and ethic is second to none. He doesn’t allowed the opposing defenders any time on the ball, he chases down nothing balls and he also tracks back to help out in defence whenever necessary. He will be USA’s biggest goal threat in the final as he just seems to have a unique knack of getting in the right places at the right time, as well possessing the ability to create a chance out of nothing with his swift, intricate ball skills.

With 42 goals in 120 appearances for country, Landon Donovan is the most prolific striker the United States has ever had. He is the all-time leader in both goals and assists and will be the most-capped player in the US squad. Like we said above, Donovan brings vital experience to the fort as the squad is still fairly young in stature.

Tim Howard

The Everton number 1 has been his country’s number 1 for some time now but he’s a long way behind catching Landon Donovan in the caps department. Howard has been capped 48 times for his country and he has made that goalkeeping berth his own since Brad Friedel’s retirement from International duty. He has just about everything you want in a goalkeeper. He is clam and collected when in possession, he commands the respect of all those in front of him on the pitch whilst his immense shop-stopping ability makes him one of the best goalies in the game.

Tim Howard’s finest performance to date came against Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Howard pulled off a string of good saves to not only deny Spain several goals but also aid his side into the finals of the tournament, albeit losing against Brazil in the final after a valiant display. He was the first goalkeeper to keep Spain at bay for the full 90 minutes for over two years. He was deservedly awarded The Golden Glove for his performances on the whole throughout The Confederations Cup.

Strengths

The biggest compliment we can pay to the American’s is they work so damn hard during 90 minutes, harassing the opponent throughout. They don’t allow their opponents to have any time nor space when in possession, they aren’t afraid to get involved with a tackle and seemingly have energy in reserve. The US are arguably the most enduring and industrious team on the block, and whatever team they come up against, no matter how classy they are, they’ll have to work doubly hard to squeeze anything out of a game with a USA team which fights tooth and nail for every last blade of grass.

Weakness

While there is no doubting the commitment of the USA team, were one of their key players to suffer an injury setback while in South Africa, manager Bradley would struggle to fill the void left. Their starting eleven isn’t the strongest in the first place, but it’s their determination on the field which enables them to push the big teams hard. Were one of the wheels in the US cog to go missing, you would fear for their chances as the USA rely heavily on team work and the great chemistry they’ve built up over some successful years.

USA Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: North, Central America & Caribbean
Group: 1
Position: 1st
Win-Draw-Lose: 6-2-2
Goals Scored: 19
Goals Conceded: 13

World Cup Potential: 2/5

The USA are a team you would ideally prefer to avoid; great work ethic all round the team,their attitude on the field is great while their overall team work in second to none, both when in possession and not. However, for all their workmanlike qualities, the US still aren’t strong enough, certainly in depth, to handle the gauntlet thrown down by some of the more equipped nations, such as England, a team they’ll face in the group stages.

In fairness though, they were handed a very generous group, one they stand every chance of bypassing after being thrown into the mixer with England, the favourites to win the group, Slovenia and Algeria. The two key games as far as the USA are concerned are the Slovenia and Algeria matches, both of which they have to win in order to keep their chances of making the last-sixteen promising. If they can get something out of their game with the USA then great, and that’s not behold the realms of possibility. However, if the USA do want to go far, they’ll need to somehow finish the group in first place in order to avoid the ever consistent Germans in the round of 16.

On their day the USA can be a handful and are one of a select few that in terms of being rated as an outsider, could spring a shock against one of the elite nations. However, consistency would be an issue and while their ability to shock will be a threat to opponents, their main objective in South Africa will be to make the Round of 16.

USA World Cup Betting Odds

USA to win the World Cup: 80/1 Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on USA were 80/1 

Official USA World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)

Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Tim Howard (Everton)

Defenders

Carlos Bocanegra (Stade Rennes)

Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA)

Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96)

Jay DeMerit (Watford)

Clarence Goodson (IK Start)

Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan)

Jonathan Spector (West Ham)

Midfielders

Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)

DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers)

Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach)

Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Clint Dempsey (Fulham)

Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers)

Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus)

Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers)

Jose Torres (Pachuca)

Strikers

Jozy Altidore (Villarreal)

Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy)

Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake)

Herculez Gomez (Puebla)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 USA Fixtures – Group C

26/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: USA – Ghana: 1-2 AET

World Cup Group C - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of USA