Michael Owen was the major omission from the England squad to play the opening World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia later this month.
While Fulham’s Jimmy Bullard was called up as cover for the injured Steven Gerrard, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Carrick, Owen was not called up by Fabio Capello, although he watched him play for Newcastle United at Arsenal on Saturday.
With Capello in attendance at the Emirates Stadium, it was felt Owen would be part of the Italian’s 23-man squad, particularly as he has scored match-winners against Bolton Wanderers and Coventry City in the past week.
Whether Capello can afford to be without Owen, one of only four players to score 40 goals for England, is a debatable point, if not for the meeting with Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday, then certainly for the crunch clash against Croatia in Zagreb four days later. Instead, Capello has stuck with the four strikers from the squad that earned mixed reviews for their performance in the draw against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Aug. 20.
Capello will be hoping to avoid the kind of abuse Steve McClaren endured at the same venue 18 months ago, when Gerrard’s double and a late David Nugent effort staved off total humiliation against the part-timers after a goalless first half.
That embarrassment provided the trigger for David Beckham’s return and the former England skipper has retained his place in Capello’s squad.
With Manchester City keeper Joe Hart returning to England under-21 duty and Jonathan Woodgate injured, Robert Green and Joleon Lescott have been recalled, while Glen Johnson will provide cover for Wes Brown at right-back.
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
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