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USA vs Algeria
World Cup Prediction
6/23/10
If you aren’t watching World Cup soccer yet, then you are truly missing out. The action has been top notch and the players are putting on a show. Every country has come to win and the competition is fierce. The United States entered the 2010 World Cup with high hopes. They tied England in their first match 1-1 thanks to an error by the English GK and strong play from American GK Tim Howard. Their opponent for Wednesday will be Algeria who also tied with England.
The United States played a very sluggish first half against Slovenia last Thursday. They entered the locker room down 2-0. Forward LAndon Donovan said at HT they shouldn’t come back out if they didn’t think they can win. Needless to say, they returned to play and Donovan was fiery on the field. He scored a nice goal to get the Game back to 1-2.
After that Michael Bradley, the son of Coach Bob Bradley, scored a sliding kick dead ahead of the goal to even things at 2-2. The U.S. looked poised to take the lead on a free kick. They scored, but the kick was inexplicably waved off. Many in the media have since referred to the referee as a disgrace and FIFA will likely disallow him from refereeing any future Games. Because of that poor call, the Americans find themselves in a must win situation.
The Americans were the victims of poor officiating throughout the Game. Several fouls on F Altidore were not called. Despite that, there is no excuse for them to have been losing 2-0 at HT against Slovenia. They should have quickly stepped on their opponent’s throat from the start of the match. It seems that the U.S. team has to be punched in the face before they will respond. They are clearly a come from behind team. That could come back to haunt them later in the Tournament.
The Americans control their fate in this Game. If they defeat Algeria they will advance to the knockout stage. If they lose or tie the Game things will look bleak. The talent is there for a big Game. LAndon Donovan has lived up to the hype by scoring a goal. Michael Bradley has also been great. GK Tim Howard is playing well, but appears to be a bit fatigued. If he can bring his “A” Game there will little to no doubt that the Americans will beat Algeria. If he doesn’t things could get ugly.
Algeria has played well in this World Cup. If not for an errant goal allowed against Slovenia, they would be in a great position to advance. They looked strong holding England to a 0-0 tie, but we have to wonder if that was more thanks to England’s lackadaisical play. Motivation will be a huge factor in this Game against the Americans. The U.S. will be fired up and ready to play their best after essentially being jobbed out of a win against Slovenia by the referees. Algeria will have to come with just as much intensity in order to have a chance.
The bet in this Game is clearly the U.S. at -117. This a do or die match for them. If they lose they will essentially be eliminated from the World Cup. They have plenty of talent thanks to GK Tim Howard, LAndon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore. If they play their best Game they will blow Algeria out of the water. On the other hand, Algeria played well against England and the U.S. has been susceptible to letdowns. If you like Algeria you will get a solid price of +285.
Current Odds
USA -105
Algeria +275
Draw +245