England 2 - 1 Japan

You know ... it's good to make mistakes.

England did not shine today at Graz.

Japanese defender Nataka scored early. By half time, it was 1-0 to the Japs.

Seven changes were made at half time for England. Joe Hart replaced David James as goalkeeper. Jamie Carragher took over for Glen Johnson. Darren Bent was replaced by Joe Cole. Steven Gerrard came on for hopeful Tom Huddlestone. The game changed completely. England had the ball more and weren't losing out to silly midfield mistakes.

True, Frank Lampard missed a penalty to a third-choice Japanese goalie.
True, both of England's goals were Japanese own goals.

BUT England inflicted pressure on Japan. The second own goal (the winner!) should have been an amazing Ashley Cole goal.

Fabio Capello is not as angry. In two days he will announce his shortened World Cup squad. Did the doubtfuls do enough to convince the Italian? We shall see.

England 3 - 1 Mexico

Tottenham Hotspur defender Ledley King put England ahead after 17 minutes with a brilliant header. Peter Crouch scored again to inflict a cushion of comfort as England went 2 - 0 up. West Ham's Guillermo Franco scored for Mexico just before the end of the first half to seal a bad first half for England in terms of performance.

15 minutes. England players went back on the pitch. Fans were curious of what their Italian manager told them. A fantastic shot from a fantastic run got the fantastic Glen Johnson a fantastic goal. After that, nothing much happened.

MATCH SUMMARY:
• Man of the match: Glen Johnson: In his first international start for six months, Johnson showed England what they had been missing down the right flank. Solid at the back and silky going forward, Johnson capped a solid performance with a superb goal, as he cut inside and found the top corner.
• England verdict: Perhaps end of season fatigue and a sweltering Wembley night combined to zap the energy from England's players who looked slow and ponderous in the opening half, allowing their slick opponents far too much time on the ball. Once Capello had instructed them to up their own tempo (and aggression), they disrupted Mexico's pattern of play and looked far more composed. A far from fluid outing.
• Mexico verdict: By far the superior side in the opening half, Mexico tailed off after the break once England discovered how to close them down better. But 23 shots on goal at Wembley is no mean feat and Javier Aguirre will take confidence from their dominance in the opening stages. A touch more composure in front of goal and they would have led at the break.
• Could do better: Leighton Baines had a testing night at left-back and was culpable for a string of mistakes that should have been punished by Mexico. Unsure of the bouncing ball and shaky in possession, Baines was thankful to Ledley King more than once to avert the ensuing danger. Johnson's solidity on the opposite flank highlighted the Everton defender's frailties at this level.
• Stat attack: Mexico has 66% of possession and 23 shots on goal, nearly three times more than England.

England's 30 men? Who does Capello have faith in?

June. School ends. Summer begins. Football season is in its first month of summer break.

2010. Haiti earthquake. Burj Dubai. Polish president death.

June 2010. FIFA World Cup 2010!

I, Sam Karam, will countdown the FIFA World Cup with all England fans (updates of other things will be posted too.)

It's May 11 and Mr. Fabio Capello has picked the 30-man provisional squad for the warm-ups to the World Cup to be held this summer in South Africa.
_______________________________________________________________________________
England's 30-man provisional squad
_______________________________________________________________________________
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock.

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Forwards: Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney.

England will have friendly matches against:
- England vs Mexico | Wembley, London
- England vs Japan | Graz*, Austria

*High altitude match

Good Luck!

Sam Karam