September 5th, 2008 - The World Stage

There are 53 2010 FIFA World Cup matches that are going to be played this Saturday the 6th.

Although they're only qualifying matches for group play, the majority of the matches are bound to be just as exciting as the real tournament, which, according to the countdown on the FIFA site will happen exactly 643 days, 4 hours, 23 minutes and 47 seconds from right now.

Among the teams that are going to be playing this weekend are England, the USA and France. These three teams are some of the most hopeful about making it to the WC, as well as are some of the teams that have the most prove.

England
After failing to qualify for UEFA EURO 2008 during the summer England has a lot to prove to their fans and more importantly themselves. The loss to Croatia is really going to stick in the minds of the players, but their minds can't stay in the past. If they dwell on the mistakes that were made in that game, it's really going to hinder their ability to focus on the game against Andorra on Saturday. The upcoming game will also undoubtedly bring back memories of some of the worst crowd abuse the English team has ever had to endure. The March 2007 win over Andorra was anything but pretty when English teams were ridiculed by their own fans for taking 54 minutes to end a 0-0 deadlock. The English team is really going to have to push these goasts of their recent past out of their minds to get a much needed with for both their fans and themselves.

USA
The USA team has the hard task of keeping the 14 year win streak against the teams of the Caribbean going on Saturday, when they will face the Cuban National team. Although the American team is projected to win the match, they have will really have to play up to their potential, which is not something that they always do. The match, which will be held in Havanna, is the first time an American team has played in Havanna in 60 years which means high expectations for both sides. Because two countries have been at odds for many years, winning the match will not only mean something on a sports level, but also on a small political level as well. A win for the Cuban team will be a huge home game win that will defend the image of Cuba, while the American's are just looking forward to seeing how they will be recieved by Cuban fans.

France
After getting thrown out early in UEFA EURO 2008, the French team is looking forward to proving themselves in the 2010 World Cup games. The buised and battered team is going to need to scrape their pride and confidence off the floor to focus on their match against Austria on Saturday. The team is also under additional stress from the FFF who is trying to change the image into one that practices more humility and genorosity (the FFF's new slogan is "Generosity, humility, commitment and accessibility"). With major image changes at hand, the French team will have to focus on acting in a more civil way than they usually do, as well as try to gain some confidence back from their devistating last tournament. The team has a lot to prove after winning the World Cup in 1998.

Check back for the results and rundowns of these games next week!