For once though it is an opponent of the United States sweating it out over a star player. Wayne Rooney turned an ankle in added time of Manchester United's defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champion's League.
The injury occurred just prior to a superb individual effort by Bayern's Ivica Olic resulted in the go ahead goal as the German team will take a 2-1 lead into the second leg at Old Trafford.
I never want to see players get hurt, but the US chances will only improve if Rooney is less than 100% when they face off against England on June 11th. While Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch, and company would all instantly slot into a starting role for the Stars and Stripes, none of them are at Rooney's level. Which, quite frankly has been terrifying me for months as he has been in the form of his life.
I want to beat England with Rooney on the field ... though I prefer that his form be 'poor' or 'weak' at best on June 12.
ReplyDeleteNick, I appreciate where you are coming from. But if the USA beats England w/o Rooney no one but the English will remember that he wasn't there 20 years from now. And they'd still be crying in their beers about it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I would value the win itself more than the strength of the England side that we beat. It gets us closer to the second round of the WC, and that's really what I'd love to see.