USA star Landon Donovan is looking forward to some banter with team-mate David Beckham as the World Cup opener between the Americans and England looms.

USA star Landon Donovan is looking forward to some banter with team-mate David Beckham as the World Cup opener between the Americans and England looms.

The two countries will meet in Rustenberg on June 12 after the teams were yesterday paired in Group C at next summer's extravaganza in South Africa.

That could pit 27-year-old Donovan, the USA's leading all-time goalscorer with 47 goals in 120 appearances, against Beckham in a clash between two players who earlier this year traded insults over the England midfielder's level of commitment to Major League Soccer and their team, the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The warring players had to be brought together by Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena to settle their differences when Beckham returned to LA in July, halfway through the MLS season, having extended his loan move at AC Milan.

Arena mediated a truce and the players united to help the Galaxy win the Western Conference and go on to reach the MLS Cup, losing the league title decider in Seattle two weeks ago in a sudden death penalty shoot-out.

"We've moved past the things that we had problems with and now it will just be fun," Donovan said yesterday in New York during an appearance for World Cup sponsors Visa.

"The banter will be good, there'll be some trash talking I'm sure."

Donovan, the USA team's player of the year and MLS Most Valuable Player for 2009, was extremely happy with the draw which put his country in the same group as England, Algeria and Slovenia.

He continued: "I'm excited. England's a very good team and it's a great match-up. It's going to be very exciting.

"I think under (coach, Fabio) Capello, they've become a very good team.

"They qualified relatively easily in a very tough group and they've got players who play in some of the best teams in the world consistently.

"And it could have been worse, we could have got France or Portugal as well.

"Any of those games is going to be tough. Playing against South Africa in the opening game would have been as tough as playing England or Italy or Brazil but I think the history between America and England, will make it a lot of fun."

Also looking forward to a potential Beckham-Donovan head-to-head was MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

He said: "This particular game is very important for MLS as it should have two of our biggest stars playing against each other on the world's stage.

"It will be an exciting day for soccer in this country as we have an incredibly special match-up which has the potential to draw a massive (television) audience.

"It's a match-up which has the potential to be one of the most memorable games in the history of our country."