Pressure gets to England before facing US

RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AP): The anxious outbursts by England coach Fabio Capello and his star striker Wayne Rooney this week are a fair indication that a US victory today would not be considered the World Cup upset that it was 60 years ago.

England's form and confidence have slumped following a stunning qualification campaign and Capello and Rooney have let it show in the lead-up to their South Africa 2010 opener against the Americans.

"Usually, the first game is hard because the expectations are really big, the pressure is big," Capello said yesterday. "I was not happy about the first game we played here in South Af-rica (against the Platinum Stars on Monday) and I spoke with the players after it."

The players have been hailed as being part of a 'Golden Generation' of talent but have failed to advance past the quarter-finals in their previous two attempts to capture England's first World Cup title since 1966.

"We feel as if we've underachieved over the years with the players we have," England captain Steven Gerrard said. "We must prove to people that we are a good side. At every major tournament, people always talk about us as one of the favourites. Now it is time to deliver."

Rooney's determination to end England's trophy drought was clear as he flew into a rage in the warm-up match on Monday, earning a yellow card for reportedly cursing at the referee.

This is the Manchester United striker's chance to emerge as a truly world-class player in a global tournament and Capello does not expect it to end in disgrace as it did in 2006 when he was sent off for stamping on an opponent.

"He's spontaneous, not uneducated," Capello said. "He's instinctive and when he goes out on to the pitch he goes out to win. He's someone who gets angry when he's treated to something unfair. But he'll be fine for the World Cup, just as he was for the entire qualifying period ... the aggression of him is really strong."

The tension is also getting to Capello with the Italian angrily berating news photographers he believed were prying into the players' facilities at their Rustenburg complex.

line-up unknown

Capello knows his line-up, but won't be letting his players know until two hours before kick-off in Rustenburg. Midfielder Gareth Barry is fit enough to feature on the bench despite still recovering from ankle ligament damage.

The Americans - almost half of whom have English Premier League experience - are considered to be an emerging force in world football, but have defensive frailties England will hope to exploit.

"The USA are very hard working - very fit and physical," Gerrard said. "They will be trying to deny us time and space on the ball. They know we have quality on the ball. We are expecting to be pressed really quickly. I'm sure it will be a good physical battle."

And with memories of their surprise run to the Confederations Cup final last June still fresh, the Americans feel capable of repeating the 1-0 victory over a star-studded England in the 1950 tournament - the last World Cup meeting between the teams.

US midfielder Landon Donovan is sensing a change in the mindset among England supporters, saying some who would have once considered a World Cup match against the United States a certain three points no longer have that confidence.

"When you think of the history of the World Cup, England is historically a team that has done relatively well, who have always gotten out of group and a country like the US, to them, is a guaranteed victory," he said. "There (are) some (English) people that you can tell that there is a sense of nerves about them that, 'Uh oh. Maybe we could lose this game'."

Spain can testify to that, having lost to the Americans in the Confederation Cup semi-finals last year. And Brazil experienced a fright in the final, falling behind 2-0 before striking back to lift the trophy.

"Last year was helpful in that it gives us the belief that we can do something special here," Donovan said.

As they prepare for their sixth straight finals, the Americans have come a long way from the 2006 World Cup squad which failed to win a game.