sstackho Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 What are the chances we can convince them to drop into Canada for a match? (Pick one: slim or none) England to face United States and Colombia on U.S. swing March 11, 2005 LONDON (AP) -- England's national soccer team will play in the United States for the first time since 1993, facing the Americans on May 28 at Soldier Field in Chicago and Colombia on May 31 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The United States, likely to have most of its top players available, will be preparing for World Cup qualifiers on June 4 against Costa Rica in Salt Lake City and June 8 at Panama. ``The trip will be an excellent learning experience, as well as a unique chance to increase interest in English football among the American public,'' England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said Friday. ADVERTISEMENT England captain David Beckham and forward Michael Owen, who play for Real Madrid, are likely to miss the exhibition games. Real Madrid is scheduled to play its final Spanish League game of the season on May 30 at Real Zaragoza. Other top English players could miss the tour if Liverpool or Chelsea reach the final of the European Champions Cup, scheduled for May 25 in Istanbul, Turkey. England's top midfielder, Steven Gerrard, plays for Liverpool. Defender John Terry and midfielder Frank Lampard are with Chelsea. Following the U.S. tour, the English play World Cup qualifiers at Denmark on Aug. 17 and Wales on Sept. 3. England and the United States reached the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup. England lost to eventual champion Brazil, and the Americans were eliminated by Germany ``It is a very good opportunity for me to be with the players for a week and to take a closer look at some of the newer members of the squad in a different environment,'' Eriksson said. ``Playing the USA in their own country is a big test. They are an excellent team who have made enormous progress over the last ten years or so, and were very unlucky not to make the semifinals at the last World Cup. They have some very good young players like Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley, and we have also seen in the Premiership that they have a choice of top-class goalkeepers.'' Americans Brad Friedel (Blackburn) and Tim Howard (Manchester United) were voted the top goalkeepers in the Premier League in the past two seasons, and Kasey Keller started for Tottenham before transferring this year to Borussia Moenchengladbach in Germany. The game at Giants Stadium is part of a doubleheader that includes a Major League Soccer match between the MetroStars and Chicago Fire. In its last U.S. tour in 1993, England lost to the United States 2-0 at Foxboro, Mass., tied Brazil 1-1 at Washington, D.C., and lost to Germany 2-1 at Pontiac, Mich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 Giants Stadium has a Fieldturf pitch. We'll see if they install grass... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Concacaf Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 quote:Originally posted by sstackho What are the chances we can convince them to drop into Canada for a match? (Pick one: slim or none) it really happened once... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrek Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 The CSA should pull all strings to get England to play at Skydome. Who cares if we get drubbed 5-0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarrek Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 The CSA should pull all strings to get England to play at Skydome. Who cares if we get drubbed 5-0. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoyleG Posted March 12, 2005 Share Posted March 12, 2005 Pick my bet at none. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I can't see the prodigal son returning to Richardson Field, despite the moustaches, bad suits and faux accents on Metcalfe St. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I spoke to Andy Sharpe today and he indicated that England was a "whisker" away and that the CSA was prepared to put turf in Skydome to play the game. The English FA was willing but Sven Goran Erikson pulled the plug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 Can I take it Sharpe was at that Saskatchewan football gig then? Nice of him to show. Anything else especially interesting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC supporter Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I would not be surprised in the least if the Americans beat England on May 28. Once you get past the individual player hype, the English "whole" rarely seems to be greater than the sum of its parts. Many English players will also be coming off a long, tiring season, while those US players that are MLS-based will be in prime shape, two months into their schedule. The English excuses after a US loss would truly be something to behold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desigol Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 Tony Blair's 'Reward' for being Bush's Poodle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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