By AVI CREDITOR
Fabio Capello wanted his team to have a CONCACAF dress rehearsal before this summer's World Cup, and the England manager has his wish.
England will host Mexico on May 24 at Wembley Stadium in what should make for an intriguing international friendly for U.S. fans.
Capello reportedly believes that a match with Mexico will best prepare the Three Lions for their June 12 World Cup date with the U.S.
Mexico, meanwhile, adds another top-notch opponent to its friendly slate that already included Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Ecuador.
The match will be shown in the United States on Telemundo, which has broadcast rights for the Mexican national team. No word yet on which English-language network will broadcast the match.
Here are a couple of other stories to get you through the night:
EGYPT ERASES ALGERIA IN ACN SEMIS
Two-time defending African Cup of Nations champions Egypt are through to the final after dismantling Algeria 4-0 in Thursday's second semifinal. Ghana defeated Nigeria 1-0 to claim the other spot in Sunday's final.
Algeria finished the game with eight men after having three sent off in the run of play.
Rafik Halliche's 38th-minute red card for a harsh tackle in the box allowed Hosni Abd Rabou to open the scoring from the penalty spot.
Also sent off for Algeria were Nadir Belhadj, who saw red in the 70th minute for a vicious tackle, and keeper Faouzi Chaouchi, who picked up his second yellow of the match in the 88th.
Mohamed Zidan doubled Egypt's lead in the 65th minute, Mohamed Abdelshafy tacked on another goal in the 81st and Mohamed Gedo finished things off with a 90th-minute score.
The win allowed Egypt to exact some measure of revenge on Algeria for defeating the Pharaohs in a playoff for Africa's final World Cup spot.
SUN SETS ON SOL
Sporting the game's premiere player, winning the league's regular season crown and reaching the championship game weren't enough to keep the Los Angeles Sol afloat.
The Los Angeles Times reports that the Women's Professional Soccer franchise will fold after one season because of financial issues.
The crux of the issue, according to the Times, is that co-owner AEG tried, but failed, to sell its share of the team, and co-owner Blue Star, LLC didn't have the resources to run the team on its own.
It's not as if Los Angeles was the only WPS franchise with money issues. None of the seven teams made a profit in the league's inaugural season. Expansion teams in Atlanta and Philadelphia are joining the league for the 2010 season.
The Sol players will be scattered around the now-eight-team league through a dispersal draft. It is unclear what will happen with Marta, the four-time reigning FIFA World Player of the Year. She is currently playing on loan for Brazilian club Santos.
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What will you root for in the England-Mexico friendly? Hope Algeria is as undisciplined come June? Shocked that the Sol are going under?
Share your thoughts below.