Match Preview 38: Algeria vs USA (Group C)

The USA might consider themselves unlucky not to be better placed to qualify from Group C.  The laws of Karma, if not football, suggest that the five fouls committed by Slovenian defenders cancel out the one made by Herculez ‘Best Name in the World Cup’ Gomez.  But alas no, meaning Maurice Edu’s late strike was stricken from the records and the Stars and Stripes had to settle for a point.

America look set to make changes in midfield for the third match running, after Jose Torres’ poor first half performance against Slovenia.  Maurice Edu is expected to be the beneficiary, but Benny Feilhaber is also in contention. They face a similar challenge to England: win and go through. 

Algeria’s performance against Three Lions would suggest that’s not such an easy task.  Playing 3-4-2-1, they were defensively strong and passed the ball well, offering just enough menace on the counter.  In a game they need to win, and by a considerable amount of goals, they may revert to 4-4-2.  

Key Players

Michael Bradley (USA) – The manager’s son has been quietly efficient in this tournament so far, and perhaps the stand out player for the Americans.  He will need to get control of the midfield today to avoid the USA suffering a similar fate to England. 

Karim Matmour (Algeria) – His elusive movement caused England problems after he’d been pushed into a lone striker’s role.  With the USA looking for a victory, he could get even more space in a potentially open game.