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Defoe fails to make England World Cup team

JermainDefoeTFC1-DCUnited2014 (USATodaySports)

By CAITLIN MURRAY

Jermain Defoe’s World Cup dreams effectively ended on Monday.

Toronto FC’s Defoe missed England’s 23-man World Cup roster, instead being named an alternate in the 30-man preliminary roster.

England manager Roy Hodgson gambled on leaving some veterans behind in favor of bringing a more youthful squad to Brazil. The average age of the 23-man squad is 26 years old, which is more than two years younger than the 2010 World Cup squad but slightly older than 2006.

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole was left off the roster entirely, leading 33-year-old Cole to announce he would retire from international soccer. Defender Luke Shaw, 18, will be England’s third youngest player to represent them in a World Cup.

Here is England’s full 30-man roster:

FORWARDS (4): Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Ross Barkley (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

DEFENDERS (7): Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Man Utd), Luke Shaw (Southampton), Chris Smalling (Man Utd)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Joe Hart (Manchester City), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion), Fraser Forster (Celtic)

STANDBY (7): John Ruddy (Norwich City), Jon Flanagan (Liverpool), John Stones (Everton), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Andy Carroll (West Ham United), Jermain Defoe (Toronto FC).

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What do you think of England’s squad? Who did Hodgson leave off that he should go to Brazil? Who would you cut?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. What about Crouch? He has been amazing for England. Whenever he gets called up for the squad he never disappoints. I’m disappointed that he wasn’t even on the Standby list. I do believe that Jon Flanagan should be left out, he needs a little more experience (coming from a Liverpool fan), but I also believe that Shaw should have been left out. In the World Cup it’s great to have young players, but you also need experience. Ashley Cole should have been put on the squad. Granted he has lost his spot at left back to Azpiliqueta, he can still make a huge difference in this team. Those are the two that I thought should be in the squad. They have been great in the past and I thought this could be a great way to exit the International stage. Believe in hope, and lets go England! Just no penalties, please.

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  2. DEFOE?

    he wouldn’t start in the world cup. super-sub at best. Lambert will be a super-sub at best.

    is Defoe better than Rooney. Sturridge or Wellbeck? NOPE.

    He moved to MLS and this happens. But his chances were the NT were drying up since euro 2012 when Carroll and Wellbeck entered the picture. so it can’t be a shock

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  3. Woy Woy, good man but has his weaknesses. I remember him talking about how the Americans just weren’t good enough in 2010 . . . and then who wins the group? Anyway looking forward to lots of bogus calls against the US and having lots to yell about. Defoe should be on the England team but I doubt he cares . . . too much drama.

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  4. The pitfalls of moving to a lesser league.
    The thing about England is that, other than their press, Americans are the only ones that overrate them.
    We are still trying to be like them.

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    • I think it’s more the pitfalls of getting injured at the wrong time. If he’s scoring a brace every time out, it’s tough not to take him. If he’s old and getting hurt and not playing that much, no manager is going to take that risk.

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    • Rumor has it that hes filing his one time switch from England to USA.

      ……………..See we Americans aren’t so dum!

      Reply
  5. ————–Sturridge————
    Lallana—–Rooney—-Sterling
    ——-Wilshere–Gerrard——–
    Baines-Cahill-Jagielka-Walker
    —————-Hart—————-

    Seems ok, nothing too special.

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  6. I feel for Defoe. I think he’s earned it and should be there. I think he had 6 goals for England in their last 8 games. And how Cleaverly is on the 30 is incomprehensible. And I’m a Man U fan.

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  7. BS.

    england may not have the squad they had in 2006 (arguably world class all around)

    but they’d still beat the USA and any team outside the top 10. and you know it

    they wouldn’t win pretty like SPAIN or defensively precise like Italy

    but show some respect

    Reply
    • Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal…

      I would worry about all of those teams more than I would about playing England…

      At this point I would say England is closer to Croatia/Bosnia/Greece/Switzerland than they are to the top teams in Europe, but that is admittedly just an opinion…

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    • This is hilarious, considering that England failed to beat the US (and also Algeria, who I believe are also outside the top 10) in the last World Cup.

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  8. ABE. Attacking end: Get ball, dribble ball toward opponents goal as quickly as possible, lose ball, get stuck in and get ball back, little guy whips cross into big guy. Defending: keeper effs up.

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    • Man! I would be pissed.

      Defoe > Ricky Lambert

      I mean who the ____ is Ricky Lambert!

      How many goals for England has he scored?
      How many goals has he scored against the top four sides in the EPL?
      How many goals has he scored against the top MLS sides?

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      • yea im surprised as well, defoe has a history of knowing how to score. in comparing age, they’re both 31 so you cant say lambert is a youth up-n-coming….. very strange.

        both are 31, both are in good form, yet one has world cup exp (and goals) so you snub him and go with the team leader in goals for a mid level team? weird

  9. I think this is a pretty decent squad on paper but England always manage to disappoint. With the group they’re in this time around, I don’t think they’ll make it to the knockout stages.

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    • Exactly. Only the media tend to overrate the three lions. English fans know that a heavy emotional investment isn’t prudent with this NT no matter who’s on the squad. The keeper will have a brain fart and the big star will get ejected and the strikers won’t do jack. The script never changes.

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      • How is mexico overrated? Because their fans overrate them? Because as far as i know, nobody likes mexico except for mexicans, and then you could say that every team is overrated because every single team’s fans like to say their country is better than what they really are

      • Mexico was very well regarded internationally until this latest CONCACAF round. Remember, they always make it to the round of 16 before getting dumped out by argentina.

      • Is anyone rating Mexico highly this year? If they are it’s all based on speculation considering they have had a full squad make-over AFTER they qualified (well… before NZ, but also since if you follow my meaning).

    • The same could have been said about Spain up until six years ago and France before 1998. They are a good coach and one or two elite players away from being a serious contender.

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  10. that was obvious years ago. He had a chance to be a de facto starter for England from 2010-2012 but he failed. Rooney was always no 1 but he had the likes of Darren Bent to compete with and guys like Wellbeck/Carroll and he didn’t seize his chance.

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  11. Man, I wish Theo Walcott was not injured. He is a very good player and would have def made the 23. I hope he is ready for 2018.

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    • I’m sure someone else has, but if Walcott made the 2018 team would he be the first to make his only two WC squads 12 years apart?

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      • And such a weird turn of events too. They bring him as a 16 year old in 2006 to gain experience….only to not bring him in 2010.

      • After the hissy fit that Carrick pulled at the last world cup (or was it the Euros?), refusing to go if he wasn’t going to be a starter, I would never call him up again. But that’s just me.

      • what do you mean? can u go into detail? I feel for the guy. He’s never had any chance with the likes of Gerrard/Lampard always being ahead of him and then recently Gareth Barry and Scott Parker.

        underrated guy

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