May 23, 2006
ERIKSSON NAMES ENGLAND ROSTER
Injured Rooney, Uncapped Walcott Included

The World Cup will be Sven-Goran Eriksson's swan song as England coach, and he was expected to bring one of the country's most promising teams in decades to Germany in June. However, one of the team's brightest hopes, Manchester United youngster Wayne Rooney, hobbled off the field with a broken foot on April 29.

Even if the 20-year-old, who has scored 11 goals in 29 international matches, can recover from the injury in time for the World Cup - which almost everyone except Eriksson and Rooney himself considers highly unlikely - his match fitness will be in question. Another one of the team's target men, Michael Owen, has been recovering from a similar injury since January, and still is not 100% fit.

With the third of England's four forward slots going to untested and uncapped Theo Walcott, a 17-year-old from Manchester United, Liverpool's Peter Crouch will need to shoulder a large share of the offensive load, especially in the early games of the tournament.

The good news is that Eriksson will be allowed to replace Rooney on the roster if he has not recovered in time for the team's June 10 opener against Paraguay.

There's more good news from the midfield, with the healthy tandem of David Beckham (Real Madrid) and Frank Lampard (Chelsea) keeping things moving England's way.

The full England roster:

Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur), David James (Manchester City), Robert Green (Norwich City)

Defenders: Gary Neville (Manchester United), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Arsenal), Sol Campbell (Arsenal), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea)

Midfielders: David Beckham (Real Madrid), Michael Carrick (Tottenham Hotspur), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham Hotspur), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Michael Owen (Newcastle United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
On stand-by: Scott Carson (Liverpool), Luke Young (Charlton Athletic), Nigel Reo-Coker (West Ham United), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur) Andrew Johnson (Crystal Palace)