USA Vs. England World Cup Game Time & Preview

The USA vs. England World Cup game has been eagerly anticipated since it was announced that both countries would begin their 2010 South Africa World Cup adventure in Group C. It's the first match for both teams in the World Cup, and as it takes place on just the second day of the tournament, the USA vs. England World Cup game marks the official beginning to the tournament for US soccer fans.

USA vs. England World Cup Game Time

The US soccer team will meet the English squad on Saturday, June 12th, at 2:30 pm Eastern. The game will be broadcast on ABC. As mentioned, it's the first game for both teams in the tournament, and it's taking place on just the second day of the month-long 2010 World Cup. Considering the prestige of this match-up, for US soccer fans at least, the Saturday afternoon time slot is ideal.

USA vs. England World Cup Preview

Nobody would argue that the US soccer team is better than the English unit heading into South Africa 2010. However, the USA vs. England World Cup game is still very intriguing for a variety of reasons. The US soccer team is motivated to prove to the world that it deserves to be respected. With a top 15 FIFA ranking, and an upset win over Spain last year, the US soccer squad believes it can make a deep push into the 2010 World Cup.

They will need to do well against England to prove this to other countries, but also to prove it to themselves and boost their confidence. Interestingly, one of the biggest World Cup wins ever for US soccer came against England 60 years ago. In 1950, an unheralded USA squad bested one of the top teams in the world 1-0 in a group match in "The Miracle on Grass". The US didn't even qualify for another World Cup for another 40 years following this huge upset win!

Can the USA Soccer Team Beat England?

In the 2010 World Cup, perhaps for the first time, the US soccer team is expected to advance past the Group Stage. In addition to England, the other team Group C teams are Slovenia and Algeria... two squads the US soccer team should beat. They have three matches to prove their merits, and the first crack is the USA vs. England World Cup game. Failing to qualify for the knockout stages would be a huge failure on the part of US soccer.

Besides the confidence from last year's victory over Spain and near-upset over Brazil, the US soccer team also has talented players with experience in the world's top club leagues, including the English Premier League. Landon Donovan is coming off a strong showing for Everton, where he won over British fans, goalkeeper Tim Howard has played for Manchester United and Everton, striker Clint Dempsey showed what he could do with Fulham and defender Oguchi Onyewu plays for Milan for the Italian Serie A.

Other players have top-level Europe club experience as well, which means that the English soccer team and their fans should know many of the American players and what they are capable of. Still, the English team is one of the favorites to win the World Cup, and anything besides a rout of the Yanks could be seen as a massive disappointment.

In the USA vs. England World Cup game, the US squad could absolutely win the game if they play to their best and don't get lost in the moment or the spotlight. Players like Jozy Altidore, Dempsey and Donovan will need to grab an early lead for the US soccer team, and the health of Onyewu will figure prominently into the outcome.

For more World Cup information, you can check out this entire World Cup Schedule, a guide to the World Cup Favorites, and a guide to the World Cup Groups and Teams.