Who Will You Support: England or the United States?

Having England and the United States in the same World Cup group is one thing. They played each other once and life moved on. However, one item we neglected to consider is what happens on the final day of the World Cup first round matches (which begin tomorrow), and who we’ll support on Wednesday when both England and the United States kick off at the same time with their future in their own hands.

On Wednesday at 10am ET, USA versus Algeria will be shown on ESPN while, at the same time, England against Slovenia will be televised on ESPN2. With so much riding on both matches, which games will you be watching? And if you’re watching both, which ones will you be paying more attention to?

Many of us who watch Premier League games are used to watching two matches at once. One on the TV and another on a laptop. Or sometimes both on the television at the same time with the picture-in-picture feature. But Wednesday’s games are probably two of the biggest soccer games in recent memory that are being shown at the same exact time.

The intriguing aspect about Wednesday’s games is that soccer fans will be watching the games for different reasons. Die-hard USA fans will be hoping that they beat Algeria to advance to the next round. But many of those fans will also be cheering on Slovenia in the hopes that they can knock England out of the tournament. And I’m sure there’ll be plenty of England fans hoping for a win and hoping that the USA gets knocked out, too. As crazy as it sounds, there’ll be some US fans who will be looking forward to England losing more than the United States winning, such is the heated rivalry between both soccer nations.

What usually happens in these types of scenarios is that the scores go back and forth and one goal in either game has massive implications on the other one. If ever there was a game to be watched live, Wednesday it is. This way, whether you’re at home or at a sports bar, you can watch both games side by side and ride the emotional rollercoaster ride. This is definitely one day you need to call in sick or take the day off from work. World Cup fever strikes again!

For me, I’m hoping that both England and the United States advances on Wednesday. Neither game will be easy but I have a lot of respect for both nations and both teams. All I ask is that both teams show that they are worthy winners by playing wonderful games. If they deserve to go through to the next round based on their performances on Wednesday, then that would be ideal.

What about you? Which countries will you be supporting on Wednesday and how are you planning on experiencing the biggest USA and England games of the 2010 World Cup tournament? Share your answers in the comments section below.