Reality has set in (I)

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[USA-ENGLAND COUNTDOWN]

The U.S. players have been pondering the idea of facing England in the World Cup for six months. In the final days leading up to the match, reality has set in. They will face a forward of electrifying pace, utter commitment and endless energy in Wayne Rooney. They must contain two gifted yet toughened midfielders in Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

They will attack a back line that includes a pair of defenders who’ve just added another Premier League title to their resumes in Ashley Cole and John Terry of Chelsea.

They will be up against one of the most respected and accomplished coached -- and a former Italian international who once scored a goal to beat England – in Fabio Capello.

They know that if they play a strong game, and get a few breaks, they can win. They also know that England, and Rooney in particular, can be ruthless about punishing mistakes, and given their back-line gaffes in competitions great and small, they are more than capable of betraying stretches of good play by horrendous errors.

Most important of all, they know this game, as important as it is, isn’t the only game they will play. A fervor whipped up by six months of reminding everyone what happened 60 years ago and steadily increasing promotional blasts by ESPN could produce healthy ratings on ABC, yet has certainly obscured what happens after referee Carlos Simon blows his whistle to end the match at approximately 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday.

“In the bigger picture, it’s just one of three games, and we understand that they’re all equally important in that way,” said Landon Donovan at a press conference Wednesday. “They really are. Aside from that, the other part of it is knowing what this game means back home. For the last six months all we’ve seen is U.S-England, so if you were a casual sports fan at home you might think this is the World Cup final, you wouldn’t know any different.”