There may be no development more important for the United States than the continued recovery of Oguchi Onyewu from knee surgery. He’s rusty and hasn't played a full match since October. However, he needs to not only start for the Americans to have a chance, but also he will need to be imposing. Onyewu will need to dominate in the air like he did in last year's Confederations Cup, and he must run at top speed without fear of hurting himself, because Wayne Rooney will definitely put him to the test.

Onyewu can't do it alone, even if he's fully fit and at top form. One trend that has been clear is that he makes his centerback partners better, so a strong Onyewu could mean a strong Jay DeMerit, which is what we saw last summer.

What's the alternative? There really isn't one. Both Clarence Goodson and DeMerit have impressed at times, but not playing together, so if Onyewu can't play, then that would be a major strike against an American upset.

As important as Wayne Rooney is to the English attack, the combination of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard in central midfield will be just as key. It will be up to Michael Bradley (pictured) and either Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu or Jose Torres to make things as difficult as possible.

Bradley and Clark did a masterful job of disrupting Spain's vaunted midfield in last summer's upset, but England will be a different proposition. Rather than trying to provide a blockade, the U.S. central midfielders would do well to attack more against England as neither Lampard nor Gerrard is adept at the defensive side. Don't be surprised if Bradley looks to impose himself offensively.

The real question is who Bob Bradley will call on to partner with Michael Bradley. Clark is a defensive-minded player who has paired well in the past, and he should get the call even though he hasn't been at his best recently. Torres and Edu also are options if the U.S. wants more offense.

There aren't many historic USA results that didn't have standout goalkeeping performances. From Kasey Keller's match against Italy in the 2006 World Cup to Tim Howard's inspirational effort against Spain, Americans goalkeepers have made their reputations against top competition.

Howard has done it before, but he will need to deliver one of his show-stopping efforts if the Americans want to come out ahead of a dangerous English attack. Howard's athleticism is good for a few heart-stopping saves a match, but his ability to organize the defense and sky for crosses will be tested severely by England's aerial attack.

One player has stepped up and played well in the United States' historic results against Portugal, Italy and Spain. Now Landon Donovan must add England to that list if the Americans are going to pull the upset.

As many standout efforts as Donovan has delivered, he also has fallen short in big spots, so it is fair to wonder which Donovan will show up. He has professed a newfound maturity and confidence, but more importantly, he is coming off a highly-successful loan stint in the English Premier League in which he did well against England's best.

At his best, Donovan isn't just an attacking threat, he's also a relentless two-way player capable of racing down field and scoring on a counter as well as racing back to help break up an attack. If he plays with that level of dedication against England, the Americans could find themselves enjoying an advantage on Donovan's side of the field.

When the 2002 World Cup began, there wasn't much expected of defender Tony Sanneh, but all the American right back did was help key the upset of Portugal with his marauding runs forward. Four years later Jimmy Conrad came on and helped the defense withstand an unrelenting onslaught from Italy to salvage a draw. Last summer it was Benny Feilhaber who came off the bench to help spark the attack and seal the upset of Spain.

Who will be the surprising contributor against England? There are plenty of candidates, from the red-hot Edson Buddle to the speedy Robbie Findley. Young central midfielder Jose Torres could be called on to deliver, as could Herculez Gomez. If one of these players can come on and put away a chance or two, or create a chance or two, it could be the final ingredient needed for the upset.

Our pick is Findley, who has the speed to trouble England's centerbacks, particularly as a potential second-half replacement in a fast and physical match.

How do you beat England?

That is the question being posed to Bob Bradley and the U.S. men’s national team on Saturday in the World Cup opener for both countries.

How do you stop a team with the one of the world’s best strikers, one of the World Cup’s most impressive central midfields and a dangerous set of wingers and fullbacks?

It won’t be easy, but winning is not impossible for a U.S. team that has managed surprising results against European powers in the past two World Cups, beating Portugal in 2002 and tying Italy in 2006.

There are still question marks about the United States that make predicting a victory difficult, but if those questions find positive answers for the Americans, England will find Saturday’s match a much tougher one than most outside the United States could have imagined.

So what will it take to beat England? Ives Galarcep takes a look.