When looking at the prospect of a nation of 300 million people battling a nation with just 2 million, it would be easy to slip into the classic David vs. Goliath cliché.

But it really doesn’t fit here.

The United States takes on Slovenia Friday at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, and while a loss wouldn’t mathematically the Americans, it would make progressing to the knockout stages very, very difficult.

So call it a must-win. Or at least a must-not lose.

But don’t call it a mismatch.

The United States is 14th in the latest FIFA rankings, just 11 spots higher than Slovenia. And in order for Slovenia to arrive in South Africa for the World Cup, they had to beat Russia in a two-match playoff. Russia, if you’re wondering, is rated No. 11.

Still thinking of queuing up the biblical references? They’re not thinking that way in the Slovenian camp.

“We will win this game,” midfielder Andrej Komac said. “I have a good feeling.”

Is he right? Let’s look a little closer.

When the U.S. is on attack

It will be interesting to see if the Americans take a bit bolder tack in this match than they did in the 1-1 draw against England.

In an ideal world, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey will see plenty of the ball on either wing, either cutting inside or floating crosses in to Jozy Altidore.

Breaking down Slovenia may be difficult, however. They’re coming off a 1-0 win over Algeria and allowed just 5 goals in 12 qualifying games, including just one to Russia in the last two. Udinese keeper Samir Handanovic is an important last line of defense for the Little Dragons, so it will take a strong technical effort to put goals on the board.

When Slovenia is on attack

Valter Birsa figures to attack from the left wing, trying to make trouble for Steve Cherundolo. In addition, captain Robert Koren, who had the goal against Algeria, leads from the midfield while Milivoje Novakovic (Cologne) and Zlatko Dedic (Bochum) also provide punch up front.

Intangibles

The Americans are downplaying the guarantee from Komac, but you have to believe that it’s been pinned to the whiteboard somewhere in the U.S. camp.

The draw against England was a fine result, one that should give the Americans the confidence they need to push forward, nip a goal or two, and win this game.

Slovenia looked a little shaky at the back against Algeria, particularly in the first half, and they might indeed crack under a little more sustained pressure.

Prediction

It’s hard to imagine Bob Bradley’s side taking a step back after the England game. This is an opportunity to make a statement for guys like Dempsey, Donovan, Tim Howard and Michael Bradley.

It won’t be easy, and it isn’t likely to be overly artistic.

But I say they get it done.

Now that the United States has put its game against England away, the men’s national team faces a agonizing wait until Friday when it plays its next game against Slovenia.

While the US World Cup squad will be conducting rigorous training in South Africa, the players do have a lot of spare time. To get a better idea of what the US men’s national team players get up to when they’re at their hotel, watch the following video to see the inside scoop.

Stuart Holden hosts the tour of the game room while other stars from the US team can be seen relaxing in front of the camera.

Going into this World Cup many people are expecting big things from the England squad, and why not?  All play in what’s considered the best league in the world, they have one of the top three strikers in the world in Wayne Rooney, a top 5 defender in John Terry, and manager Fabio Capello comes second only to Jose Mourinho. But for every positive you find, their seems to be glaring negatives, and it forces you to ask, “Which England squad will show up in South Africa?”

One can point to their World Cup qualifying and how they blazed through their group, scoring the most goals in the qualifying round with 34 and a goal differential of 28. Impressive right, but lets look at the competition; Ukraine, Croatia, Belarus, Kazakstan and Andorra.  Ukraine and Croatia are both respectively ranked in the top 25 in the deceptive FIFA Coca-Cola World Rankings.  Croatia got a case of Billy Big Boots due to their knocking England our of qualifying for Euro 2008 and their impressive run in that tournament, and no disrespect, but Ukraine along with the rest are not quality opponents. How did England do against the elite? Loss to Brazil, loss to Spain, loss to France.  Now they were able to manage a draw with Holland and a win against Germany, but are these fixtures enough of a test for team that wants to raise the World Cup.  What we haven’t seen from England is how they are going to respond when they get punched in the mouth. What will they do when their lip gets bloodied?  We’ve seen it from the World Cup favorites. We’ve seen Brazil go 2-0 down to the US in the Confederations Cup final. They battled through a marathon qualify campaign. A campaign that saw surprising home draws to Colombia and Ecuador, and an unacceptable home draw and loss to lowly Bolivia. The result? They came out winners of the Confederations Cup and top of the group. Even Spain after having their 35 game win streak broken by the US they went undefeated in WC qualifying.

While nations are cutting players like Patrik Viera, Marco Borriello,  Guiseppe Rossi, and Benni McCarthy. England is reaching out to an ailing Owen Hargreaves, and retirees Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher.  England can be a very good team but it looks like this team will get its baptism by fire.  How it responds to the heat from opposing sides and their home media will show us how strong and courageous these Three Lions really are.

USMNT Head Coach Bob Bradley annouces roster for January Camp

A pair of Scandinavian stand outs as well as few MLS emerging stars headline Bob Bradley’s 30 man roster for the annual January training camp.  Rising MLS stars, Omar Gonzalez, Chris Pontius and Kevin Alston will have the opportunity to show their skills to Coach Bradley ahead of the opening of camp on January 4th. The camp leads up to the first match of a vital year for the US Men’s National Team, against Honduras on January 23rd.

The January camp typically includes the best players from MLS as well as the Scandinavian leagues which are on winter break. Although typically made up of players from MLS and Scandinavia, the January camp allows the brightest stars of the past MLS camp, a chance to show their worth with the national team. This year, such stands outs include MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Zach Thornton, MLS Champions Nick Rimando, Robbie Findley and Kyle Beckerman as well as MLS Golden Boot winner Jeff Cunningham among others. In addition to their MLS compatriots, several Scandinavian players join the mix including, Marcus Tracy and Alejandro Bedoya who have earned a place on Bradley’s radar with strong seasons in their respective leagues.

Here’s the complete roster:

GOALKEEPERS: Kevin Hartman (Kansas City), Troy Perkins (Valerenga), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake), Zach Thornton (Chivas USA)

DEFENDERS: Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC), Brandon McDonald (San Jose Earthquakes)

MIDFIELDERS: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Örebro), Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus), Eddie Gaven (Columbus Crew), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Jeff Larentowicz (New England Revolution), Dax McCarty (FC Dallas), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

FORWARDS: Justin Braun (Chivas USA), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids), Jeff Cunningham (FC Dallas), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake),  Marcus Tracy (Aalborg)

What are your thoughts on this roster? Who do you feel should have been included? Who should have been excluded?

Testify in the comments below.

Once again, MLS executives prove they are not in tune with their product.  The Gold Cup provided the perfect opportunity for MLS to expand their fan base.  Collaboration with CONCACAF representatives could have brought doubleheaders featuring one MLS game and one Gold Cup game from the first game through to the final (This year’s format does provide doubleheaders, two Gold Cup games/one stadium, except for the final).  

A collaboration among organizations would have allowed for more stadiums to get an opportunity to host the Gold Cup, which in turn, allows more people overall to see live soccer action.  By spreading the wealth, Soccer gets more promotion and more exposure.

What this would have accomplished is good for both CONCACAF and for MLS.  By having an MLS game take place for fans who might not be familiar with the MLS product, there is a possibility of enhancing the significance of the CONCACAF Champions League.  Fans of different heritage would get the chance to see teams which may play in the Champions League.   

MLS would  have benefited by getting their product to their easiest fans to win over, soccer fans.  A game between Guadeloupe and Nicaragua in Reliant Stadium on the 9th of July with an MLS game as part of the attraction is a marketing wet dream for the Houston Dynamo.  

The biggest dilemma for the organizers of these events would have been which game becomes the headliner.  This is a problem you want to have.  Some may argue the MLS game may have more broad appeal than the Gold Cup game or visa versa.  Regardless, there are still two games to be played and to be enjoyed for fans. 

There’s also the possibility of marketing to the sports fan and getting them more heavily involved.  With 2 games to see, there’s a stronger likelihood they’ll see a great game and be pulled in more to soccer as an entertainment option.  (International doubleheaders tend to attract a specific audience already familiar with Soccer). 

Scheduling MLS games could have been made easier by getting all the teams involved during this 3 week period of 25 matches.  They could have scheduled just 25 MLS matches during this time. 

Among the 25 matches to be slotted to accompany Gold Cup matches, another brand could also fill the void.  With sufficient planning and anticipation from U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF, some U.S. Open Cup matches could have been included. 

It’s dissappointing this is not transpiring because it would have made for great theater and discussion for soccer fans.  It also seems that this idea would have garnered more national attention from ESPN.