Injury doubt Altidore to start for U.S.
Injury doubt Altidore to start for U.S.
Injury doubt Altidore to start for U.S.

By Simon Evans RUSTENBURG (Reuters) - Jozy Altidore will start in attack for the United States against England in their Group C opener on Saturday with coach Bob Bradley saying that he expects victory in the game. "Jozy will start, there is the first sign of our line-up given out so far," Bradley, told the Dan Patrick show, a U.S. syndicated sports talk radio programme. Altidore has struggled with an ankle injury and missed the final warm-up game, the 3-1 win over Australia last Saturday, but he trained during the past three days. Asked if he expected to beat England, Bradley replied simply "yes" and when pressed for what needed to happen said the key was finding the right mix in approach. "In a first match situation we have to find a good balance between being aggressive and smart," he said. "They have a great player Wayne Rooney and we have got to keep a close eye on him. It is not a one-man job because he moves around a lot. "But a lot of it comes down to the mentality on the day -- one that involves confidence and going for it in a smart disciplined way." BOCANEGRA TO PLAY Later Bradley told a news conference that captain Carlos Bocanegra would play but declined to give any other team details rather than explain his choice of Altidore. "We just also felt that the timing of the injury and the fact that it was so minor that it wouldn't interfere at all," he said. Altidore had a disappointing spell in England with relegated Premier League side Hull City last season but Bradley said he had always impressed with the national side. "He knows that in our team we believe in him, what he can do is important for us," he added. Bradley also clarified his earlier comment about expecting victory against England. "With the work that we have put in and with what we believe in terms of our team and our ability to compete, we step on the field believing that we will win," he said. "It is said with no disrespect for our opponent, we certainly know that it will take a strong, strong effort on our part but the preparation has been good and I think the feeling is that the players are ready to go." The other major selection issue for Bradley surrounds centre-half Oguchi Onyewu who has not played a full ninety minutes in over seven months. Onyewu was sidelined by a knee injury in October and has played only parts of the three warm-up games for the World Cup. (Editing by Michael Holden)

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