Wednesday night sees England’s Euro 2008 starved squad take on a plucky USA side who are unbeaten in 2008.
After the national side’s dismal failure to reach the final tournament in Austria and Switzerland that starts in June, the FA has seen to it that new boss Fabio Capello can give his players a run out before they swan off to a beach for two months (although with a friendly match organized against Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean on Sunday, the beach may already be too close to ignore).
Capello has been able to round up his troops for 10 days prior to Wednesday’s fixture and should be able to field a strong side.
He has already handed the captain’s armband to John Terry which will serve as a nice little pick me up after his slip in the Champion's League Final shootout last week.
Dean Ashton, providing he wraps himself in cotton wool for the next couple of days, should line up in attack against his West Ham teammate John Spector. The former Manchester United flop has put in some dogged displays for the Hammers this season and will have his work cut out against a player that will be out to prove not only his fitness, but his international credentials.
Frank Lampard is likely to start in the middle for England and will be hoping to continue his spell of good form after what has been a tragic month. Only time will tell if the Chelsea man can fight off the allergic reaction he seems to suffer when pulling on the England shirt, which affects his vision, his coordination and his ability to work with others.
Other players in need of a large dose of antihistamine for their England-itus are Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney.
The two scouse chums have had wonderful seasons linking up with their respective Iberian foils Fernando Torres and Cristiano Ronaldo, but have continued to serve up a load of old rubbish when linking up with each other in the national team.
Facing off against Gerrard in the US midfield will be Michael Bradley.
While those of a conspiratorial nature will point cynically at the nepotistic ties to his father and first team coach Bob Bradley, the SC Heerenveen midfielder has been in fine form this season scoring a hat full of goals for the Dutch club.
Pitting his wits against the likes of Gerrard, Lampard and Owen Hargreaves will be a good test for the young midfielder, who has attracted Premier League attention.
As friendlies go this is as run of the mill as you can get and aside from the chance to nip down the boozer for a midweek pint and a game of footy, excitement is likely to be at a minimum.
One surprise that has reared its head, however, is the inclusion of Joe Lewis as stand in for injured goalkeeper Chris Kirkland. The Peterborough United (League Two runners-up) keeper has been given the nod ahead of several Premier League stoppers, most notably West Ham’s Robert Green.
Green’s absences from all of Capello’s squads to date, despite a dazzling season between the sticks for his club, are a surprise to all.
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