2010 World Cup USA vs. England Preview: Rooney, Lampard Leave U.S. Outmatched

If you didn't get this from the title, allow me to reiterate: The United States WILL NOT beat England on June 12, 2010.

Sorry to sound so negative, but the truth hurts.

Even as a huge U.S. soccer fan I can say, without feeling like a traitor, we really don't have much of a chance to beat the Three Lions.

Why?

Because the talent is so lopsided it's like a crew of Parade All-Americans playing a bunch of varsity rejects. Anyone who doesn't realize this needs a serious reality check.

Look through each team's roster and you will realize that England is superior to the Americans at every position except goalkeeper. That's not exactly a good thing when attempting to compete with the country who invented the sport.

To emphasize the point, I'll give a breakdown of each third (attacking, middle and defensive) against its counterpart. 

England attack vs. United States defense

Only two words are necessary to sum this up: Wayne Rooney.

After scoring 32 goals in 26 games for Manchester United this past season, the name alone is enough reason to choose England over the U.S.—but there's more. Alongside Rooney in the starting eleven will be either the freakishly tall Peter Crouch or the skillful Jermain Defoe.

Listed at 6-foot-7, it goes without saying that Crouch is dangerous in the air, but his foot skills are often overlooked as well. As for Defoe, he had a stellar year at Tottenham and scored 18 goals in 32 appearances for the Hotspurs. Either one of these players provides more than enough support for Rooney in the attacking third.

And that's not good for the U.S., who has zero depth at defense. After watching them get picked apart by Turkey in the first half of last week's friendly, it would be nothing short of a miracle for the Americans to hold England scoreless. 

It's just not going to be possible for the U.S. defense, whose stalwarts are Carlos Bocanegra and a hobbled Oguchi Onyewu, to stop the English attack from getting chances. The only hope lies in goalkeeper Tim Howard to play lights out, which is a possibility but not something the U.S. should rely upon.

But factor in attacking midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, and you have too much for Howard to handle.

Advantage: England

England midfield vs. United States midfield

Even though England has the far superior midfield, this may be where the U.S. matches up with them best.

It's a given that no one on the American side can stop Gerrard or Lampard from moving forward, but the Americans have similar threats in Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan. Both Dempsey and Donovan made notable impacts this past year in the EPL and can be game-changers.

But even England's, for lack of a better phrase, "less-renowned" mids are better than the stars of the U.S.

Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips are just a few of the other halfbacks on the Three Lions' squad, each of whom can make a definite impact in the midfield and beyond.

Basically, the entire set of English midfielders could easily be starting on the U.S.; unfortunately, the same cannot be said vice versa.

Advantage: England

England defense vs. United States attack

Even without star centerback Rio Ferdinand the England defense is more than capable of stopping the U.S. in the offensive third.

Chelsea teammates John Terry and Ashley Cole are as experienced as anybody at the club and international level, and Liverpool's Jamie Carragher isn't exactly a stranger either. All are solid enough to prevent the U.S. from getting a lot of dangerous chances.

At the forward position, the spark for the United States has to come from 20-year-old Jozy Altidore. Despite a rocky season in the EPL and limited international experience, Altidore has the speed and size to cause problems for the English defense. Altidore will have some help from projected starter Edson Buddle, but he is still somewhat unproven.

The key for the U.S. is to take advantage of the general lack of confidence in the English goalkeepers. Altidore, Dempsey and Donovan must take shots early and often to test the keeper.

Shaky goalkeeping could be England's downfall but I think their solid defense will prevent anything too damaging from happening.

Advantage: England

Summary

Simply put, the English are too good at their own game to let the U.S. take three points on the world's biggest stage.

Outmatched in nearly every position, there is too much talent on the Three Lions for the good-but-not-great U.S. squad to overcome. Despite England's history of underachieving, I don't see that happening this summer.

Anything less than a win for them will be considered a failure, while the U.S. would certainly welcome a draw.

I know I would.

Prediction: England 3, United States 1