USA vs. England World Cup 2010: Why Americans could withdraw a shock

But the day is not yet come when the United States can always stand with the nations of the best soccer game as equals.

That leaves today's USA vs England 2010 World Cup match as something of a litmus test for both nations.

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For the U.S., one year removed from his sensational race in the final of the Confederations Cup is an opportunity to prove that success was no accident. For perhaps the first time in American history, the nation and the team expects a significant success. What better way to confirm that a victory over the No. 3 team in the world, according to the index ESPN Soccer Power.

For England, it is an opportunity to declare its intentions from the first moment of this World Cup. Long a underachievers football, England enters this tournament with a legitimate chance of winning, perhaps the first time that has been the case since 1990. A complete victory over tricky one side of the United States would be a strong declaration.

The script suggests England will be too much for the United States. The characteristic of England from the Italian coach Fabio Capello has taken over two years ago was the consistency. The team simply loses games he should win. And the game of the United States is one he should win.

Talent alone, there is no comparison. The Americans did not distance as accomplished as the England defender John Terry and midfielder Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. And under the guidance of Capello, Wayne Rooney ahead fulfilled its promise as one of the best players in the world.

A bulldog shin guards, Rooney is both tireless and unpleasant, and sublime, combining jaw of a boxer in the spirit of an artist. While Lampard and Gerrard the field of painting straight lines, which falls on the lens as on the tracks, probes and prods Rooney as much a creator as a finisher of thunder.

In the past, the best U.S. response to the arms of England could own contradictions of England. Always full of passion, England has been too often careless or naive, to play with heart, when cooler heads need to prevail. Capello has remedied that.

Instead, it is the U.S. which is now a mystery set in the tournament. Although unlikely, it is not inconceivable that the team can go as far as the semi-finals. But it could easily fail in advance of the first round.