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Heading to the World Cup, the consensus was
that if the United States could tie or beat England, it would be in
great shape to advance to the second round.


      After all, the next two opponents were supposed weaklings
Slovenia and Algeria.


      Buoyed by a draw with the English, the Americans face Slovenia
on Friday (10 a.m. at Johannesburg). Yet the scenario is not so
bright for the United States.


      Simply put, anything short of a victory would damage U.S. hopes
of moving ahead after Slovenia beat Algeria 1-0. If the Slovenes
pull the upset - they are ranked 25th compared to the U.S. ranking
of 14 - they will guarantee a place in the next round. Even a draw
would mean the Americans must beat Algeria or else they could need
help to stay alive.


      "The game against Slovenia is going to determine if we get out
of the group or not," U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu said.


      One Slovenes are confident enough that one player, Andrej Komac,
even predicted victory.


      "I think talk is cheap," said American goalkeeper Tim Howard,
who is expected to start after recovering from a rib injury
sustained in the 1-1 draw with England. "He's got to stand toe to
toe. And they've got to stand toe to toe with us for 90 minutes.
And if he's still standing, then I'll take my hat off to him. But a
lot of boxers talk, too, and they're looking up at the lights. And
the next thing they know, they're trying to figure out how they got
there."


      Slovenia, the smallest nation in the tournament, got here by
upsetting Russia in a two-game playoff. That alone makes it a
dangerous opponent.


      "We have the opportunity to make our dreams come true already
after the second game," coach Matjaz Kek said. "That would be a
sensation, but I'm sure we are capable of it."


      The fortunes of both the Slovenes and the Americans could turn
on what England is capable of against Algeria (2:30 p.m. at Cape
Town). A pretournament favorite, the English looked nervous when
playing the U.S., and star striker Wayne Rooney never really got
going. Anything less than a win against Algeria could seriously
dent England's chances of advancing, especially if the United
States beats Slovenia.


      Already, the players - particularly goalkeeper Robert Green,
whose miscue gave Clint Dempsey the only U.S. goal - and coach
Fabio Capello are under fire back home. Capello is contemplating
several lineup changes, including replacing Green.


      "Against Algeria, we can't not be at our best and win the
game," Rooney said. "The further it goes, when you are playing
against better teams, then you need to be at your best to win.
Friday, we just have to win."


      Algeria also has keeper issues: Fawzi Chaouchi misjudged Robert
Koren's shot and it beat him for the only goal against Slovenia. He
hurt his knee in training on Tuesday.


      The Desert Foxes have proven their strength by rising from No.
103 in the world to No. 30 over the last two years.


      Germany always seems to prove itself, and it was the best
performer in the first set of games with a 4-0 rout of Australia. A
win over Serbia (7:30 a.m. at Port Elizabeth) would put the
three-time champions close to advancing from Group D.

      "It's (Serbia's) last chance to stay in the tournament and
we'll have to be very careful and concentrated," Germany assistant
coach Hansi Flick said, noting that Serbia lost 1-0 to Ghana in its
opener. "Australia was no measuring stick and Serbia is a very
good team, with players in top clubs in Europe. We'll have to
improve what we did well against Australia."


      That is a scary prospect considering how good the Germans were
against the Socceroos.


      "This upcoming match is really a historic match for us," coach
Radomir Antic said. "But Germany should also inspire us to regain
the passion and joy in our game. We were too tight against Ghana,
we failed mentally. All our players have to raise their level."
      

Gallery

Sports

Buoyed by a draw with the English, the Americans face Slovenia
on Friday, but the scenario is not so
bright for the United States.

US can't afford to slip vs Slovenia

Go Deeper.

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