USA captain Bocanegra close to full fitness

Defender Bocanegra underwent surgery about a month ago but is expected to lead the side in their opening Group C match against England on June 12.

The month-long World Cup kicks off in South Africa on June 11.

"I feel good, it was nice to get 75 minutes under my belt (against Turkey in a friendly on Saturday)," he told reporters near their tournament base camp at Irene, between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

"I'm not far now, I just need to, myself, work on sharpening up the last five percent or so. I feel good."

The 31-year-old, who plays for French first division side Stade Rennes, said there was room for improvement in defence.

"The thing that sticks out to me is we need to be a bit better defensively," Bocanegra said.

Coach Bob Bradley said the team would draw inspiration from their form in the Confederations Cup in South Africa last year, when they took a 2-0 lead in the final before Brazil recovered to win 3-2.

"We learnt a lot last year and that includes making the final and playing well against Spain. That has given us confidence," he said.

He said the first match against England - who the U.S. beat 1-0 in 1950 for their biggest World Cup upset - was a key game but the team's management was also keeping a close eye on the form of their other group opponents, Slovenia and Algeria.

"I think we have a tough group (but) of course so much attention has been put on the first match against England," Bradley said.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for us. The spotlight on that game is huge. It has already generated a great deal of interest in the United States."

Follow FFT.com on Twitter
Join FFT.com on Facebook