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Monday Kickoff: England plays final tune-up, USA-England ref has suspect past and more

As the countdown to the start of the World Cup hits five days, the anticipation continues to build about a tournament that has arguably had more publicity surround it than any previous World Cup.

The U.S. national team is six days away from taking on England, and is enjoying a day off today, while the English play in a final tune-up scrimmage against South African club team Platinum Stars. England manager Fabio Capello is playing most of his starters (with Wayne Rooney among the starters being given a rest) today.

Here is the lineup England is fielding for today's tune-up:

——————-Peter Crouch—–Jermaine DeFoe————————-

Joe Cole——-Steven Gerrard—-Frank Lampard–Shawn Wright-Phillips

Ashley Cole——-John Terry——–Ledley King—————Glen Johnson

——————————–Joe Hart——————————————

American fans were treated to some good news on Sunday after reports from training camp revealed that Jozy Altidore is making good progress in his recovery from an ankle sprain. He is looking like a good bet to start against England, barring any setbacks.

Here are some other stories from today and the weekend to get this week started:

USA-ENGLAND REF HAS SUSPECT RECORD

The referee assigned to officiate the U.S. national team's high-profile World Cup opener against England has a bit of a questionabl past after it was revealed he was suspended for six weeks just last year amid accusations of corruption.

Brazilian referee Carlos Simon is set to officiate in his third straight World Cup, but questions are sure to be asked about his disciplinary history in his native Brazil. It should be noted that while there are reportedly a handful of incidents involving Simon and matches in Brazil, he has not come under any scrutiny for his officiating at previous World Cups, which includes England's 2002 World Cup opener against Sweden.

NEWS & NOTES

Didier Drogba is ready to rejoin his Ivory Coast teammates after successful surgery to repair a broken arm suffered during a friendly against Japan last week. It remains unclear whether Drogba will be available for Ivory Coast's World Cup opener against Portugal next week.

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The Netherlands are still bringing Arjen Robben to South Africa despite a hamstring tear, and Robben still believes he can recover in time to play some part for the Dutch.

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Wilson Palacios' injury scare appears to have been a bit of a false alarm as he is now reportedly fit and ready for the World Cup.

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What do you think of these developments? Relieved to hear that Altidore is doing better? Worried about the Brazilian referee calling USA-England? Happy to finally hear some promising news about all the injured stars at the World Cup?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Dan,

    England does not have “vastly superior technical skills/ability”.

    What they do have is greater experience under pressure but in England’s case, that is at the club level. The National team is another story.

    The US can beat them, though it will be difficult.

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  2. Not sure what game Blokihn was watching on Saturday because the one I watched DeMerit was a monster, tracking all over the place. I would be thrilled to see him on the back line with Gooch.

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  3. Demerit struggling?

    What?

    If you dont see the value of Demerit breaking up play after play when an attacker is near him, then i dont know what else to say. We are going to need Demerit to man-mark Rooney as best as we can.

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  4. Donovan and Howard obviously (Donovan’s at least as good as SWP and Lennon, probably comparable to Joe Cole), and Dempsey could make a run for a right wing position (compare Aaron Lennon’s 2009/2010 stats: Games: 20, Goals: 3, Assists: 9 to Dempsey: Games: 27, Goals: 7, Assists: 3 – on a weaker team. Lennon has 0 international goals, by the way). An in-form Gooch (circa ’06 through ’09) has got to be comparable at least to Ledley King. He’s bigger and stronger, and had 11 goals with Standard Liege (also named to the Belgian top XI and won club honors too).

    England’s also pretty weak in the holding midfield role, but Edu and Bradley are probably stretches.

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  5. findleys shown the ability to time his runs well enough to get in behind. He’s not JUST beating people for pace.

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  6. terry handles forwards just as quick as anyone the US has to offer. he plays for chelsea, it’s not like this will be new to him.

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  7. im a die hard US fan as much as the next one and get riled up for USA-Mexico clashes, BUT i think mexico has been playing great and on the one hand it woul dbe awesome to see 2 Concacaf teams be successful. i really like mexico’s chances this year. lacking some size up top, but other than that they looked very good in the friendlies. definitely some mixed emotions.

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  8. ives – i know you were commenting on the overall nature of some US fans to be inherently negative. i get that and agree, but at the end of the day it’s good to have the haters and there’s nothing wrong with some debate and argument.

    great site, enjoy the WC. i’ll be watching at dempsey’s.

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  9. Ives – in response to your actual tactical point. in the WC one good win is not going to get us to the finals or even out of group play like it did in the confed cup. i’m talking about consistent play. in my mind, for the US to play consistently well our current squad is better suited for possession play – this is my tactical opinion.

    but this idea that as a fan i have to accept exactly what BB does and cant have a tactical opinion of my own is also absurd. i’m not saying your over confident or overly optimistic, so give me the benefit of the doubt that im not being overly pessimistic or just a hater for no reason. im making a point based on my knowledge of soccer. i thought that was the point of this blog, especially the comments section – to debate soccer. that’s all im doing. and this idea that i should stop because im being “negative” is childish. i simply said i think for the US to do well we need to play possession because tactically it better suits us. ill happily admit that i may be wrong, so let’s talk about it.

    i’m not saying US fans need to be like the british and pounce on any hint of inadequacy, but US fans should have their own opinions, push their team to give them more while also being patriotic and loving their team.

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  10. I can’t believe Drogba is back with the team. He told his teammates he wasn’t going to be able to go, but I guess after “successful surgery” he’s all set now.

    Sven wanted his ace. I just wish I knew what the back room conversations were like on this one.

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  11. I’m strongly rooting for El Tri and Los Catrachos. It would be amazing if Honduras made it to the second round and the US and Mexico got to the quarters (or better). Then, when we dust them at the Gold Cup that matters (because it qualifies you for the Confed Cup) and in WCQ for 2014, the US gets seeded.

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  12. Points well taken, and I agree that Findley is likely to start on June 12. But…

    While Findley *could* stretch England, the three lions could also take note of his (don’t mean to bash the guy, but…) less than exceptional soccer IQ and lack of experience. An effective offside trap could help neutralize a guy like Findley who is fast but obviously lacks a certain level of both tactical and general awareness. This could frustrate our forwards, lead to the “lob and pray” tactics we are prone to when off our game, and provide yet another way to keep us off possession.

    Gomez and Buddle are roughly the same in international experience and possess less raw speed, but they at least show some instinct in and around the box. And they are both on fire.

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  13. One guy I will be happy to see not in the lineup on Saturday is Beckham. As poorly as the defense is handling long balls, free kicks and corner kicks recently, Beckham would be a terror against us. Even so, I see England attempting to pepper us with balls into the middle. It will be imperative for the midfield to close down on the man with possession to prevent free crosses into the middle.

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  14. Don’t care about their relative professional futures. If US starts ice-cold Altidore over smokin’ hot Buddle, Bradley’s nuts.

    Reply

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