The view from the other side of the pond The buildup to the World Cup is traditionally a time for unbridled optimism, as fans dream of what their nation may be capable on foreign fields in the months to come. Nowhere is this more the case than in England. For yours truly, the 2010 group stage draw coincided with a holiday "back home" to England, which in a soccer sense, has re-established itself as a force to be reckoned with by cruising through qualifying, after Fabio Capello transformed the ramshackle outfit that failed to reach the 2008 European Championships. Although the majority in England has no doubt that England will easily win Group C -- following the draw, one bookmaker saw sufficient patriotic action to promote Fabio Capello's side to second favorite, ahead of Brazil and behind only Spain -- the U.S. is, nevertheless, seen as its most testing opponent. It is reflective of the increased respect that exists for the American game in the land of the Premier League, even if it may be dangerous to overlook Algeria, which beat the African champions, Egypt, to qualify. To this observer, Group C's "other half" has the ability to make the section tighter than some have predicted. But enough about all that, for England versus the U.S. is where it's going to be at for the next six months. The English press began the hype immediately and ramped it up further on Sunday, following Tim Howard's penalty-saving heroics against Jermain Defoe. A day later, the back-page headline in London's Metro newspaper read "USA 1 England 0." The virtues of Clint Dempsey were extolled in the media all weekend, especially in light of his excellent recent form, while reports have appeared linking Landon Donovan, who is currently best known in England for his fallout with David Beckham, with a January loan move to Everton. Meanwhile, it's not just on the field that America and England appear set to clash next year. The Daily Mirror reported on Tuesday that the United States may try to base itself in Rustenburg at a state-of-the-art training complex originally earmarked by England as a possible base. Let the fun before the game begin. England (and the U.S.) expectations Although much is always demanded of England, in light of its favorable draw, it will be interesting to see how the U.S. deals with the expectation that will be placed upon it. With no "Group of Death" tag to hide behind and following a year in which its Confederations Cup run has seen it grab the wider world's attention, gone is the underdog moniker worn by the United States, to mixed effect, in previous World Cups. Can it deal with the pressure? When it comes to heroic failure, the U.S. and England have become almost kindred spirits in recent World Cups. In 2002, Bruce Arena's side was hard done by when an unseen German hand denied Gregg Berhalter's goal-bound effort. The phantom foul called on Carlos Bocanegra against Ghana in Nuremberg four years later was another heartbreaking moment. No team, though, has found a greater variety of ways to be knocked out of World Cups than England. Since winning the tournament in 1966, success-starved fans of the Three Lions have contended with the "Hand of God," as well as questionable red cards, not to mention disallowed goals and, last but not certainly least, a litany of fluffed penalties. For the sake of the long-suffering fans of both nations, perhaps it is just as well that England and the U.S. are to meet in a group stage match! A thing that made me go hmmm It's a shame that one of the group stage's most mouth-watering games will be played in the World Cup's smallest venue. Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg has a capacity of just 42,000 and could likely be sold out three or four times over, such will be the demand for tickets from England and U.S. fans. Luck of the draw dictated where teams would meet but, given that the U.S.'s games against Slovenia and Algeria, which will be played in venues of 62,567 (Johannesburg) and 51,760 (Pretoria) capacities, it's a shame that the fortune it enjoyed with the drawing of its opponents did not extend to the venues at which it will play them.