World Cup Betting - England vs. USA

Online, May 18, 2010 (Newswire.com) - With the World Cup getting underway June 11th, the first big matchup comes a day later courtesy of the Group C battle USA vs England. Although this may seem like quite the rivalry, history and the English, of course, may have a different opinion. What is your opinion? The place to bet on World Cup football is www.sportsbook.com where everybody bets.

The last time these two countries played in the World Cup was 1950, in a group match won by the United States 1-0. That's right. The Americans won. The British lost. And it was best summed up by American defender Harry Keough when he said, "Boy, I feel sorry for those bastards. How are they ever going to live down the fact that we beat them?" The U.S. then went on to miss the World Cup the next 40 years. England won the World Cup in 1966.

England's squad for 2010 is loaded, as always, with far superior players then that of the American squad. Forward Wayne Rooney (club: Manchester United), Midfielders Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), and Defender John Terry (Chelsea) are undoubtedly the best players on the pitch for England. Their experience playing in previous World Cups and also playing for top club teams in the English Premier League (EPL) give them such a massive advantage over the Americans.

The Yanks will have a roster that will try and match the talent of the English. Forward Landon Donovan is coming off a stint where he played for EPL team Everton, and did a valiant job holding his own in a league many consider the top flight of the world. Another forward, Jozy Altidore (Hull City), and midfielder Clint Dempsey (Fulham), both play in the EPL and hope to use that experience against English opposition to help better the American's chances. The strong point for this team is their Goalkeeping, with Tim Howard (Everton) used to facing England's best players weekly.

Where this game gets interesting is in the injury department. The U.S. has two valuable starters who are coming off of injury. Defender Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan) and forward Charlie Davies (French club Sochaux) haven't played for their respective clubs in months. Both players, though, are expected to return for the Cup. What impact they both will have greatly determines the success of the Yanks. England's best wing defender, Ashley Cole (Chelsea), is coming off his own injury that has caused him to miss the final three and a half months of league play. He too has said he will be ready for the Cup, but his effectiveness in slowing down quick strikers may be hindered. This is something all World Cup betting will keep a keen eye on.

To think that the Americans are outmatched in a game like this on such a grand stage would be to discount how far U.S. soccer has come from their rare win in that 1950's World Cup. They took huge strides from a quarterfinals appearance in 1994 to even last year's miraculous run in the Confederations Cup, where they beat Spain 2-0 and took Brazil to the limits before losing 3-2 in the finals. Both of those countries are 1 and 2, respectively in the world. A FIFA world ranking of 16 for the Yanks insists that they should get out of group play, but what happens beyond that, well, depends on how much heart the Americans can muster, and a little luck, World Cup bettors are gong to be watching this one closely.

But for England and America, after all is said and done, kicking off this grand expose in fine fashion as one of the first games many will see should bring an extra bounce to their steps, extra strength to their kicks, and eventually a goal to each team as a draw seems likely for these two countries.

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