Jozy Altidore sprained an ankle during training to give coach Bob Bradley a concern ahead of their opening match against England on June 12^th. The 20 year-old was expected to be the main front man for the USA but missed training following the incident although it has been described as ‘minor’ Daily monitoring will decide whether he is ultimately ready to face the English.

 

In his absence, Edson Buddle put himself right in the frame for a starting place with a brace against Australia during a 3-1 win. The LA Galaxy striker found the ideal time to hit his first goals for his country and after hitting the top of the MLS scoring charts, and with back-up forward Herculez Gomez bagging the third goal, the US’s potential threat up front is one that their opponents, including England, will have to watch during the World Cup tournament.

Buddle’s Galaxy teammate Landon Donovan believes that the US’s Confederations Cup performance was no one-off. After beating European Champions Spain, they reached the final before losing to Brazil. But Donovan thinks this has simply reflected a raising of the American’s game and certainly is not the ceiling of their ambition. “The sky’s the limit” he said.