USA players have heaped praise upon English football and credited the progression of the national team with their experiences across the Atlantic.
Tim Howard, Landon Donavan and Clint Dempsey have all made the grade with Premier League clubs and all speak highly of playing at a much higher level than the MLS and European leagues.
Goalkeeper Tim Howard has been with Everton since 2007 and has been one of the big-name Americans to prove his worth in England.
“It’s just different than Spain and Italy and Germany in the sense that it’s 100 miles an hour, and that’s what makes it so appealing,” goalkeeper Tim Howard told Associated Press.
“There’s challenges flying in everywhere. It’s nonstop action. You know, no teams in the Premier League really sit back and just play defense. It’s end to end, and that’s what makes it different than other leagues.”
“I’ve definitely become hardened and more resolute, and for me it’s been an amazing journey. And I think a lot of our players are experiencing that. I think that resilience is paying off for us,” Howard said.
“I think it’s important that we’re playing at that level.”
USA striker Landon Donavan will be a major threat to Fabio Capello’s defensive unit on Saturday night and his loan spell with Everton was productive.
“When I went to Everton, there was immediate respect, and that was eye-opening for me, because I had never experienced that in Europe,” Donovan said.
Fulham attacker Clint Dempsey loves the physical element to the Premier League and after a dream season, in which his club reached the Europa League final, personal confidence will be high.
“It’s faced-paced,” said Dempsey.
“I think it’s because of the pace of the game that sometimes you see people taking risks that sometimes they normally wouldn’t take because they just get caught up in the game.”
USA face England in Group C on Saturday at 7.30pm in Royal Bafokeng.
