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US players think World Cup draw favorable

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By RONALD BLUM
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - U.S. soccer players sounded confident. The English sounded overjoyed.

The Americans were drawn to play England in their World Cup opener, part of a first round that will have the pair meet Slovenia and Algeria.

"BEST ENGLISH GROUP SINCE THE BEATLES," was the headline in England's The Sun.

After advancing to the quarterfinals in 2002, the best U.S. finish since the initial World Cup in 1930, there were high expectations for the Americans at the 2006 tournament in Germany. But they were eliminated in the first round with losses to the Czech Republic and Ghana around a tie with Italy.

Fearing the worst, players were almost giddy after a favorable draw in Cape Town gave them hope they'll reach the second round in South Africa next June.

"We are confident," U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said. "Now we need to get out of our group and we need to make some noise down there in South Africa."

The U.S. famously upset England 1-0 in the first round at the 1950 tournament in Brazil, still considered by many to be the greatest American soccer victory. The June 12 game in Rustenburg features a matchup that could pit Los Angeles Galaxy teammates David Beckham and Landon Donovan on opposite teams.

While the English are ranked ninth in the world and have stars such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, Algeria (28th) and Slovenia (33rd) both needed to win playoffs to reach the tournament and are ranked well behind the U.S. (14th).

"I think it was a very fair group," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "It gives us an opportunity, you know, to play well and to advance."

Odds on the U.S. winning were lowered from 80-1 to 65-1 after the draw, with Spain remaining the favorite at 4-1 followed by five-time champion Brazil at 5-1 along with England.

If the Americans finish second in their group, they likely would play Germany in the second round. If they finish first, they probably would advance to a meeting with Serbia or Ghana.

"For the U.S. it looks to be a positive grouping," said Bruce Arena, who coached the Americans at the previous two World Cups. "But again, let's not count them through yet."

Since returning to the World Cup in 1990 following a 40-year absence, the Americans are 3-12-3 in the tournament, including 1-9-2 against European teams.

"I think it's one of the more well-balanced groups," England coach Fabio Capello said. "We're going to have to be careful. All the games are difficult and we may start with the toughest game, since the United States will have a lot more time to prepare for the World Cup."

The U.S. plays Slovenia at Johannesburg's Ellis Park on June 18 and completes the first round on June 23 against Algeria in Pretoria. The U.S. has never played either nation.

All three games will be at venues where the U.S. played at this year's Confederations Cup, and all are at altitudes of 3,700 feet or higher. The Americans lost to Italy and Brazil in Pretoria, defeated Egypt in Rustenburg to advance to the semifinals, then took a two-goal halftime lead against Brazil in the final at Ellis Park before losing 3-2.

"This is the best draw we've ever had in any World Cup," said former U.S. forward Eric Wynalda, now an analyst for the Fox Soccer Channel. "No disrespect to England, but this is an ideal group for us."

The U.S. is 2-7 against England, winning 2-0 in a 1993 exhibition at Foxborough, Mass. In the most recent matchups, England won 2-1 at Chicago's Solider Field in 2005 and 2-0 at Wembley last year.

In the other groups, France, Mexico, South Africa and Uruguay were put in Group A; Argentina, Greece, Nigeria and South Korea were put in Group B; Australia, Germany, Ghana and Serbia in Group D; Cameroon, Denmark, Japan and Netherlands in Group E; defending champion Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay and Slovakia in Group F; Brazil, Ivory Coast, North Korea and Portugal in Group G; and Chile, Honduras, Spain and Switzerland in Group H.

There are 48 first-round matches, starting with South Africa vs. Mexico on June 11, but for now the focus is on one. American defender Jonathan Bornstein was already looking to the 1950 match in Belo Horizonte, won on a goal by Joe Gaetjens, for inspiration.

"Hopefully 60 years later we can have a similar performance," Bornstein said.

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AP Soccer Writer Robert Millward in Cape Town, South Africa, AP National Writer Nancy Armour in Chicago and AP Sports Writers Dave Skretta in New York and Stuart Condie in London contributed to this report.

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