World Cup 2010 Know Your Rivals: Group C - John Harkes Knows The Score

Posted Sunday, January 31, 2010 by Goal.com

The ex-skipper and current pundit reveals all about the USA's chances.

From Group C comes a man who's seen it and done it all before. It's none other than John Harkes, the former USA captain and current pundit with ESPN. Goal.com asked the ex-Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County man for his thoughts on England, Algeria, Slovenia, and of course the USA...

What do you think of the U.S.A.'s chances to advance out of the group?

"I think they're as good as any because it's an equal opportunity for any team at that level. When you get to the finals, you're there for a reason. It doesn't matter who you play at certain times.

"People will look at this [group] initially and say, 'Wow, we've got Algeria and Slovenia in there with England. This should be a good group for us to get out.' But there are no easy groups at the World Cup. I know it as a player. I've discussed it with so many coaches at the World Cup level. There's so much preparation that goes into it, but again, it doesn't matter. It's about seizing the moment on the day. It's up to the players. Of course the coaches can tinker with tactical formations and things like that to give the players advantages and, at times, disadvantages, but you never know what's going to happen at the World Cup.

"Having said that, the way the U.S. is playing right now and some of the more recent performances at the Confederations Cup give you an opportunity for hope. I think we're more than capable of holding our own. I think it's going to be a great game, the first match against England. It will be a difficult game for sure, but it's one that I think could be a little bit difficult for England too, because if you look at the past World Cups, they are always under certain pressure from their media to perform. There are not high expectations for the U.S. to go in and defeat England, and the U.S. loves that underdog role. They excel in that role and this is a great opportunity to press England right from the start.

"Playing against Slovenia, who is a very hard-working team, very organized, is going to be difficult and Algeria as well. Obviously they are doing okay in the African Cup of Nations. They are playing pretty well. They had a good result against Mali 1-0. They are not going to be teams that you walk over but teams that in terms of the organization, I think the U.S. could have some success against."

The U.S. has suffered some injuries to key players including Charlie Davies (who is likely out for the tournament) and Oguchi Onyewu (who should return in time). Do you think the team is deep enough to overcome these setbacks?

"That's a question for every team in the World Cup, whether or not the depth is there. For the U.S., Charlie Davies and Oguchi Onyewu are very important pieces of the puzzle for the team to do well and be successful, so having them out does not help the situation... It's up to the individuals to step up. The platform is there now and I think that the open invitation for somebody to step in and show what they can do over the next five months prior to the World Cup is there.

"Over the years, Bob Bradley has used many, many players and he's given the opportunity to many players to show what they can do. Now it's decision time for Bob Bradley. Only he knows what he can do with that side."

What are your thoughts on Africa hosting its first World Cup?

With FIFA, they are always trying to branch out and have the game reach to all corners of the globe, to globalize this game that we love so much. I think it's a great thing and in terms of raising the economy and everything else about Africa I think it's going to do very well.

It's going to be a little bit different with the infrastructure there, certainly different than the experience I had along with the media, players, coaches, and teams in Germany, but I think a lot of people are looking forward to going down there.

Any dark horse candidates?

"I've always picked Ivory Coast. You have a striker like [Didier] Drogba, and it's not just him but there are so many players within that team that play with strength and pace, and they are pretty organized now. I think they could do well."

Will the U.S. be disappointed if they don't get out of the group stage?

"Yeah, absolutely. I think every country wants to get out of the first round to be successful. It's not like you are going there for the first time and you're just there to play. Nobody's there to play. Of course the U.S. want to advance through the first round. I think that they should at this point, but then again, there are no guarantees. There's the luck of the day itself. A certain ball bounces a certain way or a referee makes a call; there are all these things that are involved in the game.

"The U.S. has the talent and the belief to get out of that first round but it's not going to be easy. It's not. They have to bring their 100 per cent A game, focus, concentration, their work ethic, and of course, one of the most important things is they have to sacrifice for each other. That's when the U.S. is really on their game. When they really all individually come together as a collective unit and they sacrifice for each other and they put their minds to it, I think it's very hard to stop a U.S. side.