Countdown to South Africa: Group C

With 32 teams in the mix, the World Cup always plays host to some interesting rivalries. In 2010, there is no better matchup than the United States v. England. 60 years after the Americans pulled off (arguably) the biggest upset in football history, beating England in the 1950 World Cup, the two sides will face off under vastly different circumstances. England has been a perpetual failure in all major competitions since 1966, while the United States are one of the rising powers in the world's game. Algeria and Slovenia should not be overlooked in this group, but for the English-speaking world, USA – England will be the marquee match in South Africa, and make this the group to watch.

Algeria

Algeria can most accurately be described as temperamental, at best. On any given day, you have no idea which Algerian team will show up. You could get the side that was obliterated by Malawi in the African Cup of Nations, or you could get the side that defeated the Ivory Coast two weeks later. Algeria could come out with an unbelievable amount of discipline, as they did in their one-off World Cup playoff with Egypt in Khartoum. Alternatively, they could lose 4-0 and pick up three red cards, as in their African Cup of Nations semi-final against the same Egyptian team.

Algeria's qualification to the World Cup was shocking to the football world. Algeria has not won an African Cup of Nations since 1990, when they hosted the tournament, and until this January, they hadn't even qualified for one since 2004. The majority of their national team plays in the Algerian Championnat National, a league ranked 48th in the world by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, just below the Moldovan league. On the international stage, players who regularly compete at this low of a level can succumb to the intense pressure and spotlight thrust upon them by the world media.

Clearly, Algerian manager Rabah Saâdane and captain Yazid Mansouri have a lot of work to do in South Africa to keep this team in order. Imploding in the continental championship is one thing, but doing it on the world stage, especially early on, will condemn a team to a humiliating three-and-out, akin to Saudi Arabia in 2002. Problems may arise for Algeria, as this is their first World Cup appearance since 1986, and tensions and nerves will certainly be high both in the locker room and on the pitch. Fortunately, they open the Cup against Slovenia, who will almost certainly be the easiest of their three group

opponents.

Looking through Algeria's roster, one gets a feeling of mediocrity, an impression that is certainly not misguided. They boast a solid midfield, and Madjid Bougherra is a top-class player out of the back, but the rest of the squad fails to impress even the most casual observer. Their greatest offensive threat, outside of Bougherra (and having a defender as your strongest attacking option is never a good sign) is Rafik Saïfi, a 35-year old currently playing for Istres, a club currently in the relegation zone in France's Ligue 2. In a group filled with top-level talent, Algeria has the potential to get completely blown away.

Player to watch: Hull City forward Kamel Ghilas. Ghilas has put in a series of workman-like performances for the Tigers this season, much like all of Hull's forwards. If he can re-gain the scoring touch he had at Celta Vigo in the 2008-09 season, Algeria's offensive woes could be instantly cured. Algeria has a rough road ahead of them in South Africa, but good play from the 25-year old would make things a whole lot easier.

England

England will go to South Africa as one of the favorites, mainly due to their dominant performance in UEFA qualifiers. In meaningful matches, the English were undefeated, only losing to Ukraine once qualification had been secured. In group play, England scored a total of 34 goals while allowing only six, clearly displaying their quality on the pitch. Most impressive were their wins over Croatia, the side who kept England out of Euro 2008, beating the Brits 4-1 in Zagreb and 5-1 at Wembley. Their only real challenge came against Ukraine at home, where they still pulled out a 2-1 win. After World Cup quarter-final appearances in 2002 and 2006, the English will be hoping to earn a place in the semifinals, at the very least. They have the potential to take a World Cup trophy home from South Africa, satisfying a long-lasting desire for an English championship of any kind.

England is widely known as the birthplace of football. Their best World Cup performance was their title-winning run in 1966, when they hosted, but since then the best they have done is a fourth place finish in 1990. In 2006, as usual, the English arrived as one of the favorites, and advanced out of a tough group, earning seven points along the way. After a Round of 16 win over Ecuador, England took on Portugal in the quarter-finals. It seemed like England was en route to their first semifinal in 16 years, but they fell to Portugal in penalty kicks after drawing, 0-0, in a controversial match that saw Wayne Rooney sent off. This coming summer, great things will once again be expected from the English, who were awarded a relatively easy group with only the Americans posing serious competition. This squad who should go into the tournament with a "championship or bust" mentality, and an entire nation will again hold its breath and watch.

Player to watch: Former captain and current Chelsea defender, John Terry, was recently involved in a scandal after news of an affair with former teammate Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend surfaced last month. This situation cost him his captaincy and the respect of his teammates, especially now that Bridge has quit the England team in the ensuing fallout. Terry's performance will be crucial to his team's success, but nothing good will happen if he does not leave recent events in the past and concentrate on the task at hand.