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Camden New Journal - by CATHERINE ETOE
Published: 29 May 2008

Terry heading in right direction

International Friendly
England 2, USA 0

ENGLAND have banished the fear factor from Wembley according to the national side’s coach Fabio Capello.
The state-of-the-art north London venue was the scene of the heartache defeat at the hands of Croatia that denied England a place in Euro 2008.
But under Capello, the stadium has witnessed two friendly match victories and, after overseeing the second of those, the England manager said: “It’s a good performance here in Wembley because we play without fear which is very important.”
Goals from captain of the day John Terry and man of the match Steven Gerrard saw England comfortably beat the US in front of 71,233 fans who did their noisy best to enliven a fairly leg weary home side.
Yet the irony of the non-Euro 2008 starring England easing past a side that arrived on these shores on the back of an even more comfortable win over Poland, who will feature in the tournament, was not lost on USA manager Bob Bradley.
“Sometimes football is a crazy game,” Bradley shrugged.
Former Spurs forward Jermain Defoe may agree after missing the kind of goal he was scoring for fun following his January transfer to Portsmouth.
Supplied with a teasing cross from Gerrard, Defoe knocked the ball beyond the upright when it looked easier to prod it into the goal.
It was a miss that summed up an ineffective 68 minutes from the Pompey player, who played a part in England’s second goal but was too often and too easily knocked off his stride by the USA’s bullish defence.
Not so Liverpool’s Gerrard, who along with the bullish Owen Hargreaves, showed a genuine hunger for the ball just as Capello had urged in training.
“I like the pressing and that we won back the ball quickly,” said the coach.
Terry definitely enjoyed scoring England’s opener, banishing his Champions League final miss by rising above the defence to firmly plant David Beckham’s exact free kick beyond Everton’s Tim Howard.
“Now he can go on holiday happy,” declared Capello, who plans to allow at least seven of the players involved in the Champions League final the chance to jet off on holiday rather than make the trek to Trinidad and Tobago for Sunday’s friendly.
That decision could give the Gerrard–Gareth Barry midfield pairing that combined to create England’s second goal another airing (fuelling further Liverpool transfer rumour interest in the Aston Villa man in the process no doubt).
But more importantly for north London, it could also give fellow squad members Theo Walcott of Arsenal and his Spurs rivals Jonathan Woodgate and Tom Huddlestone a chance to shine in the sun too.

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