Most of the tangibles of player quality favor England.
Except goalkeeper - I'll take Timmy over anyone England has.
And arguably - wide midfield. Landon vs Ashley Cole is (demonstrably) close to a draw. At wide midfield (not centrally) Dempsey may have the advantage of Gerrard if that's how England lines up.
But many of the intangibles are going to favor the U.S.
They'll play together better as a team. Yes, Capello has England doing better, but this is a bit of a waltzing bear: relative to past performance, it doesn't take much.
Vuvuzuela tolerance. Those things will drive anyone bugf*ck nuts. The Americans have been through it last year. Of course England will adjust and adapt, they're professionals. But this is their first match.
Conditioning. Yeah, Austria, I know. I believe the U.S. has been very focused and careful about how it conditions its people - part of what is considered it's relatively poor showing in friendlies is related to conditioning. In addition, a number of the U.S. footballers play at altitude and are in midseason form - Findley, Torres, and Gomez.
What it means. This is a must win for England and a huge embarrassment - huge - if they lose. Their chances of winning the group, and thus having the easy route for advancing are severely affected if they don't take full points here. The U.S. don't need to win the group. A draw will suit them just fine. They don't want anyone injured, they don't want card trouble. Bottom line: England is at risk for playing tight, while the U.S. can play loose and relaxed.
The difference in quality is real enough, but it isn't as great as many in England would like to believe. But those intangibles should make any English supporter wary.
One prediction:
USA 3-1 England
Donovan (1st 10 minutes)
Bocanegra (set piece late 1st half)
Rooney (before the hour)
If not that, a 1-1 or 2-2 draw.
Gomez (last 10 minutes)