England
Group B | World ranking: 10 Coach: Sven Goran Eriksson
Key Players: Wayne Rooney (forward), Frank Lampard (midfield), Steven Gerrard (midfield), Rio Ferdinand (defense)
Past Record: Champions on home soil in 1966, semifinalists in 1990 Group B Results:
June 10: Paraguay (1-0 | Report)
June 15: Trinidad & Tobago (2-0 | Report)
June 20: Sweden (2-2 | Report) Knockout Stages:
June 25: Ecuador (1-0 | Report)
July 1: Portugal (0-0 aet; Portugal win 3-1 on penalties | Report) Group Summary:
Despite winning their group, England have yet to live up to pre-tournament expectations which had them among the favorites for the title. Unconvincing victories against Paraguay and Trinidad and Tobago sealed their place in the second round, but only some good fortune spared England from defeat in their final match with Sweden after a poor second half. On the positive side, Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole have been in good form and Wayne Rooney is back to fitness ahead of schedule, although the loss of Michael Owen to injury has left England desperately short of striking options. Pre-Tournament Preview:
England drew a line under an up and down qualifying campaign that hit rock bottom with their 1-0 defeat by Northern Ireland in Belfast with a stunning, if meaningless, friendly win over Argentina. Uncertainty surrounding the future of coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has also been cleared up with the announcement that the Swede will be moving on after the tournament. Heightened expectations may be nothing new in the land that still claims proprietorship over the global game, but for once England's players actually have a hope of living up to the hype, with a spine of players with World Cup, European Championship and Champions League experience -- though question marks remain over squad strength if more first-choice players are injured. Manchester United's exciting young striker Wayne Rooney is named in the squad but not expected to be fit in time for the early stages of the tournament. SquadGoalkeepers:
1. Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur)
13. David James (Manchester City)
22. Scott Carson (Liverpool) Defenders:
2. Gary Neville (Manchester United)
3. Ashley Cole (Arsenal)
5. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
6. John Terry (Chelsea)
12. Sol Campbell (Arsenal)
14. Wayne Bridge (Chelsea)
15. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool) Midfielders:
4. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
7. David Beckham (Real Madrid)
8. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
11. Joe Cole (Chelsea)
16. Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich)
17. Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham Hotspur)
18. Michael Carrick (Tottenham Hotspur)
19. Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
20. Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) Forwards:
9. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
10. Michael Owen (Newcastle United)
21. Peter Crouch (Liverpool)
23. Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
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