Let the smack talk begin, US-ENG style

Following up on assessing England’s frailties, the CounterAttack came across an article from London. The Times of London claimed the US exposed their weaknesses against Australia. While the article is not wrong, it also missed the point as badly as Robbie Findley going on goal.

We would expect that Carlos Bocanegra would slide into the other center-half position alongside Gooch Onyewu. The two have worked in tandem for the US until Carlos was recently converted to the left wingback role. While the US would miss his attacking forays, they make up for it with a more solid defensive center.

That means Jonathan Spector, a steady if unspectacular back, takes the right side while Steve Cherundolo shifts over to the left. Spector is accustomed to English attacks, playing at West Ham as he does. The US backline may not be as mobile as it could be with a healthy Gooch. It has, however, worked together as unit for some time now and, in fact, does work well.

The US tactic is to bend, allowing teams to enter up to 30 yards from goal, and then quickly break on a counterattack. Can it stop Rooney? Perhaps not but then, few can. But Rooney is prone to overreaching, leaving himself isolated, with few options. It could happen, if the US shuts down passing lanes as it has done with great success recently. That requires some other Englander to step up and do the business, as they say. Can they?

The American midfield is a lot stronger than the English might give it credit. It works well as a unit and they play off each other with effectiveness. No one at the level of Stevie G or Frank Lampard, of course, but Donovan was an instant hit with Everton and Dempsey is a key player at Fulham. Unglamorous clubs all…but all in England.

So yes, the Times is correct that they aren’t at Manchester or Chelski. On the other hand, US players (don’t forget Altidore) at least have a good idea of how English players like to defend. They can prepare mentally for what they will see because quite a few – including goalkeeper Tim Howard – do it every week in the Premier League.

We already discussed England’s weaknesses. The idea is that Rooney might beat you, just make sure no one else does. But factor in an intangible: while neither side has to win this first group match, a loss is more damaging to England than the Americans. After all, the English did not look good v Japan, and little (literally) Mexico gave the English fits. The US is a better team than the first and matches up well against the latter.

There is also the Unknown factor. This is where the US actually has an edge. The Times correctly points out that Heskey, Crouch, Lennon, Defoe, Joe Cole, et al could rise to the occasion. The CounterAttack, well, counters that all are players that are known to the US. Their playing styles are well known to both Howard and Hahnemann, the backup keeper. That doesn’t mean the English Unknowns can be overcome, it’s just that they present no surprises.

The contrast is the US: how do you play a Gomez or a Buddle? What about a Jose Torres, do you know what he can do? Gomez and Torres both play in the hypercompetitive Mexican league, and play well. Truth be told, even the MNT is not 100% sure of what they bring because they literally are unknowns on the international stage.

Most of all, the ball is round. Anything can happen. But while the MNT would be disappointed with a loss, they would likely bounce back in their next two games, probably wins both. How do we know? Because they’ve done it before, recently.

For all the hype surrounding England, despite their fantastic qualifying record, the English have much more to lose than the Yanks and that could be a bridge too far for them on Saturday. One thing is sure: it should be a fun match.

Fingers crossed for that, at least….