Euro 2016 Draw Announced

If you were sleeping this morning, US time, or perhaps just in a funk over what looks like will be the USA kit for the upcoming World Cup, you might have missed this bit of news.  The draw for Euro 2016, which will be held in France, took place Sunday in Nice.  The tourney will look a bit different this time around as 24 nations will get a chance to compete in the finals, instead of 16 which was the previous case.

It doesn't look like many of the big fish should have a problem making the finals.  England manager Roy Hodgson was particularly happy with the Three Lions' draw in Group E against San Marino, Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia, and Lithuania.  It's hard to see any of those countries putting up much a fight against England, outside of perhaps Switzerland, whom Roy Hodgson previously coached in 1990s.

Wales should also like their draw.  They were placed into Group B with Belgium, Isreal, Cyprus, Andorra, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.  It's doubtful that they could top Belgium, but one would think they would have a decent shot at battling Israel for second place.

Euro 2016 qualification will also see a new nation competing to make their first international tournament.  Gibraltar was admitted into UEFA in 2013 and will play their first qualifiers this time around in Group D against Germany, Georgia, Scotland, Poland, and the Republic of Ireland.  They were originally drawn into Group C, but were moved because of political tensions between themselves and Spain.

You can check out the full draw below:

Matches begin in September 2014.  The top two teams in each group and the best third place team will automatically qualify for the finals.  The remaining third place finishers will have a playoff to fill out the field that will take to the pitch in France, Summer 2016.

Celtic's Forster Called Up For England.

Celtic GK Fraser Forster has been called in for England

I've been a fan of what Fraser Forster has been able to do in goal for Celtic, and I'm happy to hear the news that came down the pipe when the England squad was announced for the next World Cup Qualifiers.  Forster has been selected to represent the Three Lions, a relative rarity for a player in the SPL.

Certainly the fact that Jack Butland has been released to the U-21 side has helped in Forter's selection, but some folks in the England camp have been arguing that a more tried and experienced backup is needed for Joe Hart.  With Forster's and Celtic's appearance in the group stage of the UEFA Champion's League, Forester's stock and profile have risen.

Fraser himself had this to say about his new opportunity:

"I'm excited as well and just looking forward to meeting up with everyone really. It's a great opportunity and a great chance to test myself against some great players"

"I got a call from the gaffer yesterday to let me know he thought it was going to happen and then I found out for definite today so I'm thrilled" 

If capped, Forster would be the first player from the SPL to be capped by England since 2004, when Parkhead MF Alan Thompson played 60 minutes for England in a 1-0 loss to Sweden.  He was never called up again.

England Salvage Point From Scare at Wembley

England Captain Steven Gerrard attempts a tackle at Wembley (Getty Images)

Well pretty much everything that was impressive for England in their away win at Moldova turned out to be less than impressive as the Three Lions took on Ukraine today at Wembley.  Their finishing and poise in front of goal was largely absent against a Ukrainian side that was obviously superior to the group England faced in Moldova on last week.

Despite that aspect, England nearly took the lead on 10 minutes.  Jermaine Defoe sliced into the penalty are and deposited the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out.  The referee's whistle sounded, ringing up Defoe for a foul on a Ukraine defender and the score remained 0-0.  There didn't look to be much in it, but call it karma for Ukraine's fortunes against England in Euro 2012.

Ukraine were more than up for the match and flexed their offensive muscles a few times the first half.  Early on Oleg Gusiev seemed to have Joe Hart totally beaten, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain saved the day, deflecting the shot off the post.  However in the 39th minute Yevhen Konoplianka avoided Gerrard about 25 yards out and got just enough room to squeeze out a shot that found it's way in the top corner of Hart's goal to make it 0-1.

The visitors' goal highlighted an almost comical performance in front of goal by England.  In the 35th minute Gerrard sent a nice ball into the box that Defoe headed over to Manchester United's Tom Cleverly, who for some reason smacked the ball right into the 'keeper from close range.  He really should have scored.  Then in the 44th minute Frank Lampard picked Cleverly out alone in the box, but this time he totally missed the target, screwing his shot wide of the post to keep it 0-1 going into the half. 

England came out in the second half looking better and seemed to put Ukraine back on their heels a little bit.  Gerrard tried to send a ball into the box off of a wonderful free kick chance, but the Ukrainians were able to clear it harmlessly.  In the 71st minute Glen Johnson nearly equalized, but saw his low driven shot just blocked outside of the post.

The Three Lions finally got their big break in the 86th minute.  Ukraine defender Yevhen Khacheridi was whistled for a handball in the box, conceding a penalty kick.  Frank Lampard stepped up to take the shot and was as automatic as ever, slotting home the goal to even the match at 1-1.

However any hope that the English had of putting in a late winner was dashed in the 88th minute.  Gerrard was shown his second yellow card of the night for a tackle on Denys Garmash and earned his marching orders.  After the red card the Three Lions just looked to hold on, which they did, preserving the 1-1 score through to the full time whistle.

The win puts England joint top of their qualifying group, tied with Montenegro on 4 pts.  Montenegro had beaten San Marino 6-0 earlier in the day.  The next round sees the Three Lions hosting San Marino on October 12 and visiting former Euro 2012 cohosts Poland on October 16.  Steven Gerrard will miss the San Marino match due to today's sending off.

England Cruise to Qualifying Win at Moldova

Frank Lampard heads home his second goal of the match.

England could probably not have asked for a better start to their 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign.  The Three Lions headed to Moldova, where they easily sailed to a 0-5 win over their obviously overmatched hosts.

England took control of the match from the opening whistle, and their first scoring chance arrived after Moldova conceded a penalty kick for a handball in the box.  The defender didn't know much about it, as it was really ball to hand, but England didn't care a bit.  Frank Lampard stepped up and drilled the PK into the bottom corner to give the Three Lions the 0-1 lead on four minutes.

England kept up massive pressure on the Moldova goal and Jermaine Defoe had a couple of great chances to double the lead.  In the 9th minute the ball dropped to him right in front of goal, but he tapped his shot wide of the near post.  Then in the 11th Steven Gerrard hit him with a nice through ball, but a diving save by the Moldova 'keeper denied the Spurs' striker.

Moldova did try to come to life a little bit midway through the first half.  In the 26th minute Alexandru Gatcan had a nice look, but John Terry stepped in to block the shot.  A minute later Artur Patras forced a bit of a clumsy save from Joe Hart, but it would be about as close as Moldova would get all night.

England finally added a second goal in the 29th minute.  Liverpool man Glen Johnson found Lampard lurking at the back of the six with a spot on cross, and Lamps easily headed it inside the far post to give England the 0-2 lead.  They weren't finished for the half though, as Defoe collected a through ball from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and tapped home an easy finish on 32 minutes to make it 0-3 heading into the interval.

The second half was not played to the tempo of the first as England took their foot of the gas a bit.  Moldova never really threatened though.  In the 74th minute the Three Lions cruised up the pitch on a counter attack, and set up some nice one touch passing in the Moldova box.  The ball finally fell to James Milner who slotted home his first international goal to make it 0-4.  Leighton Baines would add another goal off of a deflected free kick in the 84th minute to make the final score 0-5 to the Three Lions.  It was the Everton defender's first England goal as well.

For the most part, it was exactly the kind of performance fans were looking for from England.  The side wasn't tentative at all, and really came out and bossed the game against a lower quality opponent.  Moldova clearly didn't have the defense to stop England or the offense to test them, and the right result was achieved without much trouble.  Next up England host the Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday.

Wayne Rooney Out 4 Weeks With Leg Injury

Wayne Rooney suffered an injury late against Fulham (BBC)

Yesterday was a day of both good news and bad news for Manchester United fans.  The good news was that Robin Van Persie picked up his first goal for the Red Devils and they held on to beat Fulham 3-2 at Old Trafford.  The bad news is that Wayne Rooney suffered an absolutely NASTY gash in his right leg and is set to miss significant time.

The incident happened in stoppage time of United's win.  Rooney headed in to face the shot of Fulham's Hugo Rodallega and the Fulham man caught him on the inside of his leg with his studs.  The TV shots picked up the deep wound, which appeared to be bleeding quite badly.  Rooney was stretchered off and taken to hospital in Manchester, where he was still being treated as of Saturday night.

Sir Alex is quoted as saying he believes Rooney will be out at least four weeks,  If this proves to be the case, he will miss some important matches for club and country.  He looks to miss not only United's match at Liverpool in late September, but also the start of United's Champion's League run.  He will also likely miss England's International double header against Moldova and the Ukraine.

I'm not a United fan, but one always wants to see the best players play.  The Puddle wishes Mr. Rooney a full and speedy recovery free from complication and infection.

Puddle's Goal of the Midweek: Danny Welbeck vs. Sweden

If you haven't seen this one yet, check it out while you can. One of my favorite goals in recent memory.

Euro 2012: France vs. England

England's James Milner reacts after missing a chance against France.  (Getty Images)

This is likely to be one of my shortest match reviews on this blog.  Even as an England fan, I'll say this match sucked.  However, I'm sure the Three Lions will probably be happier to come away with just the single point than France will.

The first shot of the match didn't come until the 11th minute from France's Samir Nasri.  The effort itself was nothing but speculative though and sailed harmlessly off target.  England should have taken the lead four minutes later as James Milner sprung loose to get 1v1 with the French 'keeper, but somehow he managed to find side netting instead of the actual target.

Nothing else happened until the 30th minute when England got on the board.  Captain Steven Gerrard sent a free kick into the box and Man City defender Jolleon Lescott eased it off his head and into the goal to make it 0-1 to England.  The lead lasted less than ten minutes though.  In the 39th Nasri sent in a shot that just managed to sneak into the near post to equalize the match at 1-1.  Joe Hart probably should have done better.

That was it for the first half and pretty much for the game as both sides seemed to sit back and be satisfied with the draw.  In the 64th minute Karim Benzema forced a rather meek save out of Hart to account for France's best chance.  The best look of the half for England was even worse.  In the 66th minute Glen Johnson fired a shot over the bar that ended up in row ZZZ.  That was all she wrote and the match finished 1-1.

For my money, it was the worst match of tournament so far.

Puddle's Goal of the Weekend: Danny Welbeck vs, Belgium

Not a ton of goals to be seen out there this weekend, but check out Danny Welbeck's silky smooth finish vs Belgium that ultimately led to the 1-0 win for the Three Lions

Frank Lampard Out of Euro 2012

Frank Lampard has been ruled out of Euro 2012

Unfortunate rumors became confirmed bad news for England and Chelsea fans today as midfielder Frank Lampard was officially ruled out of the upcoming European Championships with a thigh injury.  The 34 year old Chelsea man sustained the injury in practice on Wednesday, and went in for a scan on Thursday.  The scan revealed the extent of the injury and ruled him out of the England squad.

This is the second huge injury loss for Roy Hodgson's side in the midfield before the tournament even starts.  Manchester City's Gareth Berry suffered a stomach injury in England's friendly win over Norway last week.  Hodgson has called in Liverpool's Jordan Henderson to replace Lampard, pending UEFA approval.

Lampard suffered the injury on only his second day of training after joining the national side late after Chelsea's Champions League win over Bayern Munich.

Hodgson is quoted as saying:

"The fact that the doctor cannot guarantee Frank could take part in any of the group matches means we have to replace him in the central midfield area. Apart from it being a huge blow to me and the team, I'm especially disappointed for Frank himself. He has been in very good form and was looking forward to the tournament."

Campbell's Comments Cast Shadow Over Euro 2012

Former England International Sol Campbell has warned fans off of Euro 2012 (sun.co.uk)

More controversy about the worlds of racism and football as the two collide before the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and the Ukraine.  Former England International and Arsenal player Sol Campbell has warned England supporters to stay away from the matches.  Campbell told the BBC, ''Stay at home, watch it on TV. Don't even risk it ... because you could end up coming back in a coffin.''

Campbell's comments come with a BBC program called "Panorama" on which he viewed fans from Poland and the Ukraine giving Nazi salutes and taunting black players by making monkey noises.  More footage was shown of Asian students being penned in and attacked at one of the stadiums that will be used a venue for the tournament.  Campbell also made the comment that he did not think that Poland and the Ukraine should have been awarded the tournament since they appear to have these issues.

''What they should say is, `If you want this tournament, you sort your problems out. Until we see a massive improvement ... you do not deserve these prestigious tournaments in your country.'"

These comments come on the heels of the families of England's Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain indicating that they will probably not travel to the tournament for fear of racist abuse.  English FA chairman David Bernstein has also expressed his concerns to UEFA President Michael Platini.  According to these concerns, an anti-racism group investigated allegations in Poland and the Ukraine and found 195 different racist incidents at matches in the host countries in an 18 month period ending in March 2011.

UEFA has had this to say about the allegations:

"The tournament clearly creates an opportunity to address and confront such societal issues. UEFA's `zero tolerance' approach to racism is still valid both on and off the pitch and ultimately the referee has the power to stop or abandon a match should racist incidents occur.''

All of England's group stage matches will be in the Ukraine, and the FA has reiterated the fact the referees will have the power to stop matches if racism ends up being an issue.  The British Police will also have a presence at the tournament.

These allegations have been getting a lot of play in England.  It'll be interesting to see how different representatives from England, UEFA, and the host countries address these comments and the underlying issues in the coming days.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this entry.

Roy Hodgson Confirmed as New England National Team Boss

West Brom boss Roy Hodgson signed a 4 year deal to manage England (heraldsun.com.au)

Well it's certainly not a sexy hire, but a hire it is.  Yesterday the FA announced that West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson has signed a 4 year contract to replace Fabio Capello as manager of the England men's national team.  The announcement was met by a fair bit of skepticism in the footballing world.

After all, The FA appears to have snubbed the man dubbed "The people's choice," Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.  Several rumors have surfaced about why this might be the case, but one of the biggest surrounds the thought that Redknapp might just have cost too much money.

At any rate, it's now Hodgson's poisoned chalice, err job.  He should quite prepared as he has an extensive amount of international experience, managing a successful stint at Switzerland for starters.  He has also managed Italian giants Inter Milan, and took Fulham to the Europa League final a couple of years back.

However, it's Hodgson's spell at Liverpool that has fans of the Three Lions worried.  He took over at Anfield last year, but lasted just half a season as results were dismal and supporters upset.  When Liverpool's new owners took over, they replaced him with Kenny Dalglish.  However, it should be noted that outside of domestic cup success, Dalglish has failed to return Liverpool to the Premier League glory, despite having plenty of money to go out and spend.

Hodgson's contract will take him through the next European Championships in 2016.  However, Euro 2012 is already on his mind.  While some pundits have urged England fans to keep their expectations under control, it's been speculated that Hodgson will be expected to at least get out of the group stage.

We'll see what happens.

International Friendly: England 2-3 Netherlands

England's Adam Johnson fights for the ball. (AP Images)

Well well, what have we here? Upheaval in the England camp? Who knew? This match was always going to prove a bit of an unknown to England supporters, but in the end, there might still be more questions than answers about the side headed into Euro 2012.

Caretaker manager and former Capello assistant Stuart Pearce threw out the first WTF moment of the proceedings by naming Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker as captain for the match. Odds had heavily favored Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, but Stu had other ideas. I personally was not down with this at all.

However, Parker did a pretty good job all match long, so I guess I can't complain. Stuart also made some other interesting choices, some of which worked out pretty well. In particular he gave starts to the Manchester City duo of Adam Johnson, who I've always liked for a spot in the Three Lions, and Micah Richards. These two combined rather well, and tested the Dutch defense, but the first half at Wembley ended scoreless.

The Netherlands are quite the contrast to England. They have the same coach that took them to the 2010 World Cup final, and 9 of the 11 starters from that final in the starting lineup for this match. In particular, Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben is pretty good, or a lot more than pretty good. He managed to put the Dutch up in the 57th minute, taking the ball off of Daniel Sturridge in the England end, then making Smalling and Cahill look foolish before drilling the ball by Joe Hart to make it 0-1. Just a minute later The Dutch went up 0-2, after Klass-Jan Huntelaar headed in a goal on the next attack. However, he bumped heads with Smalling, and both left the match. Smalling was taken to the hospital.

Credit to England though for trying to salvage something from what should have ended up being a dismal night. They almost waited too late. In the 87th minute, Cahill took a through ball from Leighton Baines and scored to make it 1-2, surprising what bit of the crowd was left in the stadium. Then in the 90th, Ashley Young converted another England through ball, this time from Phil Jones, and equalized at 2-2.

However the Dutch and Arjen Robben would have the last laugh. Robben snatched a goal in stoppage time, that partially deflected off of Gary Cahill, to give the Netherlands the 2-3 win.

So, can we have Harry now? Please?

England UEFA Euro 2012 Core Nations Hoody - WorldSoccerShop.com

Really liking the new line of products coming out for Euro 2012 over at World Soccer Shop. For example, really digging this England hoody.



England UEFA Euro 2012 Core Nations Hoody - WorldSoccerShop.com

Pearce Takes Over as England Caretaker Manager

The FA have announced today that former Capello assistant Stuart Pearce will take over as the manager of the England national team on a caretaker basis. He will manage the side in a friendly against Holland on February 29th. In the meantime, the focus will be on trying to secure a permanent replacement.

Pearce is also the coach for the England U-21 side, and will coach team Great Britain at the Summer Olympics this year in London. FA Chairman David Bernstein had this to say about Pearce, "He has huge experience outside and inside the organisation. He has been working with the under-21 team and has been working with Fabio for some time. I have got great confidence in Stuart. We will be in good hands."

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp remains the favorite to ultimately succeed Capello, as the desire to put an Englishman back in charge of the team has been well stated. Redknapp has also seen the public backing of several figures, including Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, and Sunderland boss Martin O'Neil. Redknapp was cleared on tax evasion charges yesterday in London and has said he hasn't thought about the England job yet.

Capello Leaves England: My Take.

Fabio Capello made an announcement today that saddened more than surprised a lot of England fans. He officially resigned as manager of the England national team in the wake of the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captain's arm band. Terry was stripped of the captaincy for a second time in the midst of allegations that he racially abused Anton Ferdinand (Rio Ferdinand's brother) during a match between QPR and Chelsea last year. The case has yet to be tried in Britain's courts.

First off, on John Terry. He is the captain of my favorite team, Chelsea, and I support him. Yet it's easy to see that he's been a rather large douche a few times. As I mentioned, this is the second time he has lost the armband. The first was prior to the 2010 World Cup after he had an affair with Wayne Bridge's wife. The racism charges are yet another big black eye. I don't think John Terry is a racist. Granted, I don't know him. However, people say things when they get mad that they don't always mean. That doesn't make it right, at all. Self control is something we all need to learn, and it can be seen as an even more important trait for a public figure to have. It's different here in the USA. We don't face the same kind of official charges for saying such things, but I'd like to think we don't tolerate it anymore either. The Chelsea and former England captain needs to have his head examined.

The thing about Capello was that he wanted it his way. He was reluctant to strip Terry of the arm band the first time around, initially claiming it was something to be handled between Bridge and Terry. However, he eventually bowed to the FA in the lead up to South Africa. He was not about to do it again.

To say the FA cucked this up is an understatement. Yes, Capello told Italian TV he didn't agree with it. However, for the FA then to come out and throw all of this breach of contract garbage out there didn't help. At best, this issue with Terry's big mouth should have been handled LAST YEAR. At worst, it should have been left until Terry's court date. Now they're down a captain and a manager, with Euro 2012 right around the corner. It's also worth nothing that percentage wise, Capello was the winingest manager in England history.

This is something I care about a lot. Even as an American, I'm an ardent England supporter. Everyone else here celebrates their heritage, and England is mine. The only time I don't pull for them is when they play the USA. Now you have players revolting via twitter and many more issues than you would have had if it would have been handled earlier.

Many suspect Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will be Capello's replacement, particularly now that he has been cleared of Tax evasion charges. I agree with this move. Get him in, and get on with it. Sorry, Spurs fans.

I'm sorry to see Capello go. I wish him good luck. Hopefully the FA can get this straightened out and John Terry can learn to control himself.

Euro 2012 Qualifying: Montenegro vs England

So all England needed was a point from this match in Montenegro to win the group. So perhaps the three weren't that big of a deal. It also turns out that all Montenegro needed was a point to seal second place and a spot in the playoff, since Wales beat Switzerland at the same time this match was going on.

Both sides ended up with the result they needed, but I think it would be safe to say that Montenegro was the happier of the two. All in all it was an underwhelming performance from the Three Lions.

It started off well enough for them. In fact, most of the first half was firmly controlled by England and it looked like they might be cruising to another impressive road win. In the 6th minute Theo Walcott had a nice volley chance that was saves, and then in the 11th he assisted on the first goal by knocking in a nice cross that Ashley Young headed in to make it 0-1. Then in the 31st minute Young turned provider, sending in a nice ball that Darren Bent slotted home to make it 0-2.

However, as the first half wore on. England started to get sloppy. Montenegro used this to get a foothold in the match. They got a goal back right before half time as Elsad Zverotic deflected a shot off of Cahill and into Joe Hart's net to make it 1-2 at the interval.

The second half was not much short of lazy for England. I swear I could feel the equalizer coming. it just took longer than I thought. Montenegro was assisted in this effort by the idiocy of Wayne Rooney, who earned a red card in the 77th minute. For some reason, he decided to petulantly kick a Montenegro player in the back of the leg. The red means he'll miss the first two matches of Euro 2012.

The equalizer itself came in the first minute of stoppage time. Delibasic headed in a cross from Pekovic to make it 2-2. Hart stood no chance. Coupled with the Wales result, the goal jazzed up the crowd and a couple of minutes later the ref blew for full time. England left the pitch in disinterest as Montenegro celebrated their birth in the playoff.

Euro 2012 Qualifying: England vs Wales

Both the English and Welsh teams had nice results in the first round of this qualifying weekend. England took out Bulgaria on the road and Wales beat Montenegro at home. England was in the driver's seat in the group but Wales has started to look a lot better.

Unfortunately there wasn't much to this match. Both sides started out very tentatively. The commentators pointed out that this was perhaps due to the fact that so many of these players know each other so well, and are good friends. Perhaps that altered the approach to the match. Intensity was not something really exhibited by either team throughout.

England had the better moments for the most part, and they had the only moment that ended up counting. In the 35th minute Ashely Young took a nice cross in the area from Stewart Downing and slotted it just inside the near post to give England the 1-0 lead. They held that lead through the half time interval and the rest of the match.

Wales did have one glorious chance though. In the 77th minute, a rebound off of a set piece fell right to Earnshaw in front of goal, but he missed, putting the ball high from point blank range. Wales put up quite a fight in the last 10 minutes, but couldn't really trouble Joe Hart. England went on to win 1-0. A lackluster effort to be sure, but 3 points, and it put the Three Lions very close to qualification.

Arsenal's Wilshere Out 2-3 Months.

Arsenal and England MF Jack Wilshere confirmed on his twitter account what multiple sources have been reporting. He will be out 2-3 months with an ankle injury, missing some critical matches for both the Gunners and England.

The 19 year old said that he is "gutted and will be back stronger than ever." He sustained the injury in the July 31 match against the New York Red Bulls.

It's tough to tell if his absence will effect England or Arsenal more, in light of the Gunner's recent signings. Still, Wilshere is a quality young man and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Euro 2012 Qualifying: Bulgaria vs England

Unfortunately, the story of this match hasn't been the great performance by The Three Lions to grind out a convincing road win in a hostile atmosphere. It's been about the racist chants hurled at the England players from the Bulgarian fans. I'll get to that in a minute.

The match itself was indeed very impressive for England. You could tell that the hostility had them a bit unsettled in the opening minutes. After all, the not so tasteful among the Bulgarian supporters booed and jeered all the way through "God Save the Queen." England had a bit of a hard time getting a hold of the ball in the opening minutes, but Bulgaria couldn't carve out any chances on Joe Hart's goal.

England started to settle rather quickly though. In the 13th minute, defender Gary Cahill got his first goal for England as he poked it past the keeper to give England the 0-1 lead. Just eight minutes later Wayne Rooney headed a corner home to make it 0-2. The Red Devil ace completed his brace right before half time with a nice little tap in to make it 0-3 at the half.

The second half was pretty much all England again, even though there were no goals scored. Aston Villa's own Stiliyan Petrov got a header on goal in the 55th, but it really didn't bother Hart. A bit later Downing had a chance for England, but his nifty header clanked off the far post. The match ended with the same 0-3 score line.

Unfortunately the specter of racism in big time football showed up again, as the Bulgarian fans directed monkey chants at the black players for England. Theo Walcott said he heard it, but didn't offer much comment other than that he expected the FA would deal with it. Captain John Terry said:

"It was a great spectacle for everyone to watch this evening. Let's not let that spoil it."

England did complain to the Bulgarian FA and the UEFA delegate at the match. Bulgarian coach Lothar Matthaus apologized on behalf of the Bulgarian FA.

At any rate, the win puts England in control of the group and very close to qualification. They take on Wales on Tuesday.

England Friendly Match Called Off.

The English FA announced this morning that this week's International Friendly between England and The Netherlands has been called off due to the violence in London. The riots continued for a third straight night, and have spread beyond Tottenham, where they had originated.

The FA and the London Metropolitan Police said under the circumstances they could not guarantee the safety of the players and fans at the game.

This match isn't the first casualty of the London Riots. Carling Cup matches at West Ham, Charlton, Crystal Palace, and Bristol City had already been canceled.

For more on these developments, check out Fox Soccer's Coverage.