On Friday, FIFA drew groups for June's World Cup, with the United States and Mexico each drawing highly favorable groups. This is not to say either's passage into the Round of 16 is assured. As we will see going through the group of nations drawn with the United States, Bob Bradley's men will still have to play their best soccer if they are to finish in the group's top two.
England - Of the non-South Africa seeded nations for the draw, England is the least talented and has less recent success in major competitions. Even with Italian manager Fabio Capello, the Three Lions play a style very similar to the Italian-influenced approach implemented by Bradley. The problem for the United States: with the exception of the personnel in goal, the English are vastly superior in every aspect of the game. Thus, the seed. As opposed to nations like Spain, Brazil, and the Netherlands, England will not overrun the United States, and the match could stay close enough to allow the United States to win with a set piece or a goal against the run of play. It would be difficult to see so little yielding a win against some other seeds.
Slovenia - Slovenia is one of the best defensive teams in the world, allowing the second fewest goals during Europe's qualification stage. In the UEFA playoff, they eliminated Russia. Head coach Matjez Kek emphasizes defensive responsibility, something in evidence when you see determination with which the Slovenes maintain their positioning and marks. The downside is that the Slovenes are overly-dependent on the counter for their attacks. Their match with the U.S. could be a dull affair where one goal carries the day.
Algeria - This is another team that needed a playoff to get to South Africa, but in dispatching rival Egypt in a one-game, neutral site affair, they showed the ability to win big matches. The United States will play them last, and if there is any chance of Algeria making it to the Round of 16, the U.S. will be facing a team that has proven capable of performing under a kind of sporting, social, and political pressure unfamiliar to most teams. Lest anybody overlook The Desert Foxes, Algeria has more players than the Americans plying their trade in Europe's top leagues.
But representation on European club rosters counts for zilch on the scoreboards of South Africa. The United States's group is tough in isolation, a artifact of good fortune in context.
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