Fulham midfielder/forward Clint Dempsey is relishing the fact the USAS national team drew England in their group for next year's World Cup.

The 26-year old is excited about the first-round clash with the Three Lions and plans to get some gee up his English teammates leading up to the event.

"It was good, it'll be a chance to get some banter going on the club, but I'm looking forward to the tournament and I think it's a good group. I'm excited to play against England, they're a great team with great players," Dempsey said.

"We'll have to play the same style of play we used against Spain (in the Confederations Cup), we need to stay compact defensively and hit them on the counter. Hopefully we can be confident and take the game to them a little bit."

Dempsey said the crowd would play an important role in the match and hopes some of the South African get behind the USA.

"I think having a good crowd is going to make a more exciting game, but I guess it depends on who the crowd is cheering for," he added.

"I think sometimes having the crowd on your back can make you lose confidence, but we got a lot of love last summer in South Africa, so hopefully they'll be happy to see us come back there."