Photo from fOTOGLIF

Earlier this week at the FIFA World Cup Draw, England and the United States wound up in the same pool. This British press prematurely celebrated, claiming their national team should have no trouble against the likes of Algeria, Slovenia, and their friends from across the pond.

The competition thinks otherwise, and they want England to know about it.

Easy. That’s what the English hacks think of the group. They see virtually no chance of an upset, no chance for the Algerians, the Slovenians or the Americans finishing atop the table.

Alexi Lalas, who played for the U.S. when it defeated England in a friendly in 1993, is unimpressed by it all, at least according to the Sun.

“We can play off the fact that England always thinks they are better than they are,” Lalas said.

Former Slovenian star Zlatko Zahovic was even more scathing.

“For me, England is not one of the favorites,” he said.

“They are a team full of stars and egos. They cannot possibly spend a month and a half together without friction.”

This is the kind of trash talk — bland or not — that the World Cup needs in the following months. Now Landon Donovan needs to hit the podium and lay down some slams.

Check out FIFA’s World Cup site to view the rest of the draws.