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June 7 - On Saturday the England national football team will kick off its bid to win the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa against the United States, a team it is expected to trounce easily despite being without its captain, Rio Ferdinand.
Despite Rio Ferdinand's checkered season, he was England coach Fabio Cappelo's first choice to captain England in South Africa. However, barely a day after arriving at their hotel and training facility in Rustenburg, Ferdinand succumbed to injury.
During the team's first training session, a collision with a teammate damaged the ligaments in one of Ferdinand's knees, and in so doing sealed his World Cup fate. But despite this setback, Capello appointed Steven Gerrard to fill Ferdinand's shoes.
And despite rumours that Ferdinand would be on the first plane back to England, he has decided to stay in South Africa until after England's game against the U.S. So on Saturday he'll join fellow injured England player, David Beckham on the bench.
While team USA made a name for itself in international football some months ago in South Africa during the 2009 Federations Cup when it caused a huge upset by beating Spain 2-0, it will likely start against England as the overwhelming underdogs.
Pundits argue that although the United States has come a long way in terms of its football prowess, it is still no match for a team like England that eats and sleeps football, and is more hungry than ever for another World Cup title since its last in 1966.
In terms of the England player the U.S. team will most have to keep their eye on come Saturday, is Wayne Rooney who has come off a great season with his English Premier Division club, Manchester United, for whom he scored a whopping 34 goals.
Leading online sportsbook Ladbrokes has laid the following World Cup odds on England vs. the United States on Saturday:
England 1/2
Draw 3/1
USA 6/1
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