Group C - Final Games Preview

Teams Mathematically Eliminated:
None

Final Games:
Slovenia 4 points - England 2 points
USA 2 points - Algeria 1 point

Ok, let's get this out of the way. WE WUZ ROBBED! AGAIN! In 2002 the ball was in the goal when it hit the hand of the German player and came out. No goal, no red card, no penalty kick. Now, in 2010, while 3 or 4 of our players are being tackled American football style we decisively put the ball in the back of the net only to have it called back for... something. No one knows what the call was. Why are Sepp Blatter (I only just now realized how silly that name sounds) and FIFA so scared of the US doing well in the World Cup? Hmmm...

Slovenia is through with a win or tie. Or even a loss coupled with an Algerian win by less than 2. England, on the other hand, needs a win. Technically, England could get through with a tie coupled with a USA-Algeria tie as long as they score 3 more goals than the US. Doesn't seem all that likely given their lack of scoring so far. I really have no idea how this game will turn out. Will England finally show up? Behind France they are definitely the most dysfunction team in the tournament. Can they handle the pressure? They haven't so far and I haven't really heard anything that makes me think they can now. Slovenia comes into this game with a chip on their shoulder. As has been pointed out numerous times they are the smallest country, population-wise, in the tournament, they've got something to prove. At the same time, they have got to have a little bit of a nagging doubt. They lost their last game after going 2 up. They know it, the final score may not agree, but they know they lost that game. That's gotta mess with your head a little. I predict a foul-ridden game of attrition that ends on a penalty kick. Final Prediction: 2-1 England

Algeria has the 2nd best chance of the 6 African teams to go through and it's a pretty dismal chance. They have to win and hope for a Slovenia win or an England/Slovenia tie or to put it another way, if England wins they're out regardless of how they do. Actually, maybe it's not that far-fetched. Algeria's not terrible and they've been in high pressure games before, or at least one high pressure game, their playoff with Egypt to make it to the tournament. But absent that kind of emotion (think USA vs. Mexico with rioting fans) can they get the job done? They haven't scored a goal yet, but they've also only conceded one. But, I don't think it's going to be enough to overcome the US. Look, we've been in this position before, in 2006, we needed a win against Ghana to advance, one awful giveaway and injury to captain Claudio Reyna and one crap penalty call later (hmmm, an incorrect call going against the US, where have I heard that before?) and we're out. But more recently, in the 2009 Confederations Cup, we needed a huge win against Egypt to advance and got it. I think this team has possibly the best team unity of any in the tournament. They know they can't allow the official to be in the position of taking the game from them and despite all the naysayers I think they better coached than any US team in the modern era. I think we will score early and often. Final Prediction: 3-1 USA.