US v. Slovenia

In the second round of the group stage, the United States faces Group C leader Slovenia in a must win match-up.

Team USA did its job to hold a strong English side to a 1-1 tie, but if they want to advance beyond the group stages they'll need to come out flying against Slovenia.

A convincing win on Friday would give the US the momentum and morale to edge the Algerians and make a run into the round of sixteen.

Slovenia was outplayed by Algeria during much of their match, but thanks to a few errors by the Algerians including a goalkeeping gaffe, Slovenia netted the game’s only goal. Just three days ago, the Slovenians were considered the weakest member of a weak group, but that’s why the games are played. Now, sitting atop Group C, the Slovenians are so confident that one player, Andrej Komac, guaranteed a victory against the United States.

Slovenia — the smallest country in the tournament — will be looking to build on their performance against Algeria and take down the tournament's largest country — the USA.

If ever there was a time for the Stars and Stripes to assert their footballing prowess, this is it!

A few big questions going into the match:

• Tim Howard will be starting, but is he 100%?
• Will the US be able to get one by impressive Slovenian goalie, Samir Handanovic?
• Can the US deal with a slower, more deliberate Slovenian style of play and beat a team content to draw?

We can't wait for Friday. What are your plans and predictions for the middle game of group play?