People are watching and I’ve even heard of work production at places like the New York Stock Exchange slowing down massively during the games.

The Algeria game was seen by an average of 6.12 million viewers on ESPN, the highest number for a soccer game on ESPN. The Slovenia game just days before it drew in 5.2 million viewers. Also even more impressive was the fact that nearly 1.1 million unique viewers were watching on ESPN3.com for the Algeria game.

Not bad folks. Not bad at all. People are indeed starting to care and the further this thing goes on for the US the more will show up.

Any match involving Brazil is a must-see. (Getty Images)

I know these lists have been out since December but honestly I have to add my own (you all know I’m a list guy). I know personally I won’t get to see every single match in this World Cup. For that to happen I’d have to take a vacation and add another DVR to the home TV. While I will be taking a short vacation towards the end of next week, adding that extra DVR just won’t happen.

In other words seeing every game is a tough task for even the biggest of fans. I figured I’d trim my list down to a solid 10 (or so) that I have to see one way or another. Feel free to add the games you want to see the most below.

1. South Africa vs. Mexico, June 11 – Its the start of the party so it leads off things for me. A couple big questions jump out to me, can the hosts actually get out of this group and will Mexico be as good as some folks hype them up to be? It could be a real lively game and while I do see Mexico pulling out on top I wouldn’t put anything past the home nation actually rising up to the occasion here and getting some sort of result.

2.United States vs. England, June 12 – Boy Saturday can’t come soon enough can it? I really don’t think I have to explain why this game is so big.

3. Argentina vs. Nigeria, June 12 – What exactly are we going to get out of Argentina. We know they’re good enough to win the entire thing but at the same time with the way they qualified I wouldn’t put it past them to struggle to get out of their group. The team goes as Lionel Messi goes. Nigeria could be one of the more surprising African teams in my eyes, don’t put it past them to get something out of this game.

4. Italy vs. Paraguay, June 14 – For a defending champion this opening match is rough. Paraguay is a highly underrated South American side that will present the Azzurri with loads of problems. Italy’s age worries me while Paraguay’s attack could sneak one in one them.

5. Any Group G match - I’m not even kidding here, just record or set your clocks up to watch them all. Even the games involving North Korea. We could see lots of goals in those North Korean games while the Brazil vs Portugal, Brazil vs Ivory Coast and Portugal vs Ivory Coast games will all be entertaining to see.

6. US vs. Algeria and Slovenia – While the England game gets all the hype these two games are vital for the US’s chances to move forward in this competition.

7. Cameroon vs. Denmark, June 19 – We know that Holland is the class of their Group but this game will likely determine second place. Plus its a chance to see Samuel Eto’o, who wouldn’t want to pass that one up?

8. Chile vs. Spain, June 25 – I said Paraguay is underrated in this field, but so is Chile. The offensive firepower alone between these two sides will be fun to watch. Who’s defense will crack the most will determine a winner here.

9. Ghana vs. Germany, June 23 – Without Michael Essien Ghana will have to figure out a way past the Germans in this one. Then again Germany will be without Michael Ballack in the midfield as well which could level things out a bit. Ghana was the only African side to do well in Germany in 2006, and with a good chunk of that roster back for this go-around they could make things tough on the Germans in this very deep group.

10. Netherlands vs. Cameroon, June 24 – I mentioned Cameroon’s game with Denmark but this one against the Dutch will also likely be a classic game to watch. Expect the Dutch to begin hitting their marks more in this one as they typically begin to get their motor running on high gear around this time of the tournament.

Injuries are an issue in Group D, just ask Germany about them. (Getty Images)

By Geoff Reid

Group D didn’t have that necessary appeal that other groups had as the draw was made with the average person believing Germany would cake walk through this group with a three way battle for second place and a shot at the last 16. That was until German captain and best player Michael Ballack went down with an injury playing in the FA Cup Final for Chelsea a few weeks ago. Arguably you can say the loss of Ballack has evened the playing field. We’ll soon find out.

Germany: As mentioned already with Ballack’s injury someone will have to take his place, and Germany is not short on quality players. The problem is none of them are of Ballack’s quality. His injury leaves a big hole in central midfield next to Bastian Schweinsteiger and the most likely partner for the Bayern Munich man is Hamburg attacking midfielder Piotr Trochowski. Up front has been Miroslav Klose’s position the last two world cups, but his lack of form and playing time for club has raised questions about whether he should be starting for Die Mannschaft. The Bayern striker has always been right on the money and scored goals for the national side at exactly the right times in the past, and the question is can trainer Joachim Low afford to overlook him? It looks as that may be the case after not choosing goal scorer Kevin Kuranyi for walking out on the team in 2008, even after scoring goals for fun in the Budesliga this past season for Schalke. Lucas Podolski has also has the same question marks, but has always shown up for the three time world champions. Either way, Deutschland has always known how to win any way they possibly can, even if they don’t deserve it, and that’s a confidence they’ve had for many years.

Australia: It’s hard to get your head around this 2010 edition of the Socceroos. The starting 11 pretty much picks itself. A big difference today compared to 2006 is Guus Hiddink is not the manager anymore, and the squad is lead by another Dutch coach who was assistant under Hiddink at South Korea in 2002, Pim Verbeek. Verbeek has the squad built for the defensive 4-2-3-1 formation and solid foundation. The question will be who will score the vital goals without a natural striker? Former Liverpool and current Galatasarray attacker Harry Kewell should be the player up top by himself with help expected from Everton’s Tim Cahill, Blackburn Rovers’ Brett Emerton, and Palermo’s Mark Bresciano. All four players are very capable of scoring goals, but aren’t out and out strikers. The Aussies have natural talent for sure, but do they have enough to get through this group?

Ghana: Just like Germany, Ghana lost an edge with having Michael Ballack’s Chelsea teammate Michael Essien officially ruled out of the world cup a few weeks ago. No doubt it is a big blow to the Black Stars, and most people in Ghana thought their chances of reaching the knockout phase were reasonably good until that news broke. This also may lead to a formation change for coach Milovan Rajevac, instead of playing a 4-1-3-2 with Essien in the lineup, a straight 4-4-2 might be better with Inter Milan’s Sulley Muntari and Udinese’s Kwadwo Asamoah in central midfield? In defense, the squad looks weak, and while they can still get through the group stages, the loss of Essien looks like it may just be too great for these guys.

Serbia: The Serbians and Yugoslavs before them always had the same problem: Plenty of talent, but never came together as a team. Will this be the year that all that changes? Manger Radomir Antic is charged with making that happen and this has to be the best chance of that happening in a long time. So much talent at Antic’s disposal that includes Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic, Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, Inter Milan’s Dejan Stankovic, and new Liverpool signing Milan Jovanovic. The front pairing seems to balance well in that Ajax striker Marko Pantelic who’s technically gifted and can be prolific, who is complimented by Valencia’s Nikola Zigic who has an impressive work rate and a magnificent team ethic. This team could be this world cup’s dark horse.

Prediction: Even with the loss of Ballack, the Germans have enough to overcome and get out of this group, most likely as winners. However, I can’t see the same for Ghana. With Australia lacking an out and out goalscorer to compliment their attacking talent, I see Serbia emerging from this group along with Germany.

Germany 7pts
Serbia 5pts
Australia 3pts
Ghana 1pt

Will Lionel Messi and Argentina live up to expectations?

By Geoff Reid

This particular group intrigues me, not because it contains Messi, Maradona and company, but because it has gone under the radar in terms of attention with Group C getting most of it on both sides of the Atlantic for obvious reasons, and Group G being classed as the “group of death.” Drew mentioned in his Group A preview that that particular group could be one of the most competitive ones in the whole field, and while that is true, Group B might just be a lot more even then some folks will realize and predict.

Argentina: The clear favorites to top the group and advance as a top seed for obvious reason. On paper, they have the strongest squad, the world’s best player in Lionel Messi, and an embarrassment of talent at their disposal. The fact that the Champions League winning pair from Inter Milan Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso don’t even make the 30 man provisional squad shows that. Quite frankly the biggest question mark over this team is not the players, it’s the manager Diego Maradona. Easily the best player of his generation and in the top five best players ever produced in the world has had his fair share of health problems in recent years and that’s no secret to anyone which is why he was chosen to manage the national side was a surprise to everyone. The squad barely avoided the playoff against the forth nation from CONCACAF which ended up being Costa Rica. The list of surprises Maradona has given us all could go on for days and days, but the squad is picked and ready to go. This side will run into an unpredictable Nigeria first, much like themselves. The second match will have them go up against a well drilled South Korean squad who have some very underrated players, while finishing the group stage against what should be a stubborn Greece side. Messi is the obvious key, but the pressure should not be all on him, and there is plenty of it in the Argentina lineup to go round with the likes of Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuain, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez, and captain Javier Mascherano.

Greece: The Greeks finished second to Switzerland in their qualifying group and ended up beating the Ukraine in the two legged playoff to advance to their first world cup since USA ’94 where not only did they lose all three group matches, but did not score a single goal. A lot has changed in the last 16 years though, and in-particular their victory in Euro 2004. German coach Otto Rehhagel molded a champion out of defense first and proved to the rest of the world that the term “defense” can really win you championships which upset a lot of purists. Knowing that Greece didn’t have the luxury with talent to win on talent alone, he made his squad unbreakable and counter attacked very well. Expect the same from the Greeks in this tournament. They will be well drilled and stubborn. Main striker Fanis Gekas was top scorer in European qualifying with 10 goals and if he can catch fire, Greece will have every chance of qualifying.

Nigeria: The Super Eagles were handed a fairly kind draw comapred to their African counterparts, but this year’s team is a little different to previous sides. What’s particularly striking is that this year’s side lack that playmaker while past Nigerian world cup squads have had multiple players that could fill that role. Gone are the days of Jay-Jay Okocha and Sunday Oliseh. The current side do have two decent stikers in Obafemi Martins and Yakubu, but both have been rather inconsistent during national team play. The midfield is also talented with holding midfielders in Chelsea’s John Obi Mikel, and Fulham’s Dickson Etuhu, but lack that creative spark. The manager expected to guide the squad this tournament is Swede Lars Lagerback who has disciplined Sweden sides in previous tournaments and he is expected to bring exactly that to the table here. With the squad lacking a real creative spark in the midfield, Lagerback might have been a better choice then originally expected with his style as a disciplined, defensive coach.

South Korea: This year’s South Korean side is a little different in that in this tournament their manager is home grown, Huh Jung-moo, instead of being Dutch with Guus Hiddink taking the country to 4th place as a co-host nation in 2002, and Dick Advocaat in 2006. The squad has trust in the manager, and he guided them through qualifying with ease. The real test is again seeing how the team competes with other nations outside the Asian confederation. With a number of players playing overseas, mostly in Europe, they have players who know how to get the job done. Most notable is captain and Manchester United player Park Ji-sung, a solid player who is a workhorse that will run all day long for the cause. Another accomplished Premiership player, Lee Chung-yong for Bolton Wanderers is gifted technically. Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-yong has been one of the most talked about footballers in Asia over the last 18 months and has a bright future ahead of him. Expected to score the goals will be AS Monaco striker Park Chu-young who is the poster boy for South Korean football. The second is very much within reach for this group.

Group B Prediction:

This is a real tough one, tougher then originally anticipated. Before I give my predictions I believe all four sides have a good chance at qualifying for the last 16. I also would not at all be surprised if Argentina failed to reach the knockout phase because Maradona seems to have the squad in a mess. However, in saying that, the Argentines are blessed with talent and can get by this part of the tournament on talent alone so I believe they will end up qualifying unconvincingly. The side to join them I believe will be South Korea. The South Koreans have never reached the knockout phase outside of their home soil, and I fully expect them to get it done this time. They have enough experience now where just like the USA, they’ve qualified for enough world cups in a row where exiting at the group stage would be a failure.

South Korea 7pts
Argentina 5pts
Greece 3pts
Nigeria 1pt

Sebastian Abreu will lead Uruguay in Group A. (Getty Images)

Its hard to believe but the 2010 FIFA World Cup is less than two weeks away. We know our roster here in the US and other counties have released their rosters as well. Time to get excited if you aren’t already.

Geoff Reid and I will be going through each group to give you a preview of the tournament. I’ll tackle half the groups while he handles the other half. Today we begin with Group A, a group that could end up being one of the most competitive groups in the entire field. The hosts were drawn into this group back before the groups were all made up back in December. At the draw South Africa learned they’d get France, Mexico and Uruguay in their group.

A host nation has never failed to get out of the group stage in the World Cup. Most believe South Africa will be the first that fails to move on this year. Having three tough teams in their group it is easy to see why. France is a former champion, Mexico has always been tough and Uruguay may be one of the most underrated teams in the entire tournament.

Here is a quick look at each team:

South Africa: You have to wonder if home field advantage even matters. But in years past when a host was given a small chance to move forward into the knockout stages teams surprised us. The US moved forward in 1994, and both South Korea and Japan did a in 2002. On some levels most figured none of those three would have done so much like most would believe that South Africa won’t this year. But let’s not sleep on the South Africans here, they’ve had some solid matches this year leading up to the Cup including a 1-1 road draw in a friendly against Paraguay. They also won 2-1 against Colombia. The key for the hosts will be getting well-timed goals against teams with lots of pressure like France or Mexico to move on.

France: In some ways you can argue they are lucky to be here. They coasted into the World Cup thanks to some real shaky and at times questionable qualifying. But to me France is like a veteran team in the NFL or NBA that knows when to turn it on in key moments. They’ve looked so-so in friendlies leading up to this event with one more on the way this weekend against China. To me France will likely get out of this group but it won’t be pretty.

Mexico: El Tri is a tough cookie to crack. Usually they do well at the World Cup but in a group like this I think it will be a tough couple weeks on them. Looking at their recent results you can’t be all that impressed with them. Anyone remember that 0-0 draw with Iceland. The thing is Mexico has played more friendlies to prepare for this tournament than anyone else in the field. I worry about their focus though and their draw in the tournament isn’t too favorable. They open with South Africa which will likely be a very emotional game for the host nation. While I don’t think they’ll lose to South Africa, winning that match won’t be easy.

Uruguay: When the draw came out back in December this quickly became one of my dark-horse teams. Any team that can go into Costa Rica and get a win like they did to qualify is tough in my book. They’re deep up top and will put a lot of pressure on the French in the opening game. My bet is most teams will look for a draw against them due to their attack, or hope for mental errors in the back to score goals.

Group A Predictions:

I’ve gone back and forth between France and Mexico on this but I believe Uruguay will come out on top followed by France thanks to goal differential with Mexico. South Africa will be the monkey wrench in this group as I see them giving both France and Mexico fits.

1. Uruguay 7pts
2. France 4pts
3. Mexico 4 pts.
4. South Africa 0 pts.

Robbie Findley makes the World Cup squad because of his speed. (Getty Images)

Youth will be served, that seems to be the theme for the U.S. Men’s National team roster for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Manager Bob Bradley announced his 23-man roster yesterday afternoon to the press and the world. I thought talking about it yesterday but I really wanted to give myself a day to cool off and really look at the roster from top to bottom to see if I did like it or not.

For the most part the roster didn’t surprise me. At first the omission of Brian Ching for Robbie Findley was surprising but on a deeper look it wasn’t too shocking. Ching is older, a little more banged up while Findley has speed to burn and could be a spark off the bench.

I’ll be pretty blunt when I talk about Findley so Real Salt Lake fans don’t get too angry with me here. I really don’t see Findley getting lots of minutes in this World Cup so his selection is there for additional speed if Bradley needs it off the bench. I’d be utterly shocked if he starts a game there but I am always willing to be surprised in a good way if it comes to it.

A lot of folks will rail on Bradley for his selections but let’s face it the man knows what he is doing and for the most part his hands have been slightly tied behind his back lately with all the injury issues and lack of form for some keys that were considered for selection (ie Conor Casey, Jeff Cunningham, etc.).

We’ve been speculating for what seems like ages about who would replace the speed and power of Charlie Davies since his car crash in October. Bradley shocked some folks by selecting Findley, Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle. Findley we know is there for speed but Gomez and Buddle are there for other reasons, ones that Bradley should be happy he had to deal with. Gomez is playing better than any striker the U.S. has right now anyways and Buddle just continues to do the little thing right. Its hard not to go against those guys.

Experience is lagging up top and I get that. But remember the last time we had a fairly inexperienced group at a World Cup? Yeah 2002 was a fairly young bunch of guys that did alright and made it to the quarterfinals. I’d be willing to bet that most American fans would take that kind of run again this year.

I mentioned above that the majority of the roster was not a real shocker. The midfield selections were just about what we expected even before the friendly against the Czech Republic. Some folks wanted Robbie Rogers included here while others expected Alejandro Bedoya. Both were wingers and both would have trouble finding playing time with the likes of Stuart Holden and DeMarcus Beasley there.

In the back is still an issue but that may be a topic for another day. None of the selections surprised me and I know lots of you hated seeing Jonathan Bornstein’s name being called. Deal with it, we’re weak at left back and as much as I hate to say it he may be the best that we have right now. Carlos Bocanegra could be an option for Bradley but don’t be shocked if its Bornstein.

Depth is an issue that we should be used to by now. But even with the glaring issues I still feel confident about our chances in this tournament. It won’t be pretty but the results will come.

Goalkeepers- Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan

Defenders- Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein

Midfielders- Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, DaMarcus Beasley, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres

Forwards- Jozy Altidore, Herculez Gomez, Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley

Biggest shockers have to be no Brian Ching and the inclusion of Findley. Most (including myself) wrote Findley off after last night.

I may discuss this further later but feel free to talk about it now. Surprised by seeing Findley? Upset that Bob Bradley continues to stick with Bornstein?

With the start of the US Men’s National team World Cup camp this week there have been loads of talk about injuries and position battles as well as the all important discussion of who will be cut from camp.

After the first couple days of camp I came up with some questions of my own, some more or less go into the World Cup itself while others deal with the back and forth nature of who Bob Bradley will take.

1. Is Landon Donovan ready to become the real leader here?

One thing is certain, the past 12 months or so for Donovan have been pretty damn good. He earned a MLS MVP, nearly won another MLS Cup, earned a massive new contract with the LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer, then scored probably one of the best loan deals in US soccer history to Everton. Oh and let’s not forget his LA side is currently in first place thanks in large part to his league-leading nine assists.

So is Donovan ready to lead on the big stage for real? He’s had chances twice before but he was more of a kid the first time around in 2002 and in 2006 he was faced with probably more mental issues from being in Germany than anything else.

This year should be different though for Donovan. He’s older, wiser and playing probably the best soccer in his career. At the Confederation’s Cup last year in South Africa we got a glimpse of how good Donovan can be as a leader when he helped lead the US to a second place finish in that tournament.

2. Just how much will injuries play a part of this?

Injuries to say the least are a bitch in any sport, especially soccer and especially the World Cup. One injury can make a world of difference. With nearly half of the US defense mending some sort of injury the worry will be a constant thing going into the first game with England. Thankfully for the US side their Group C opener opponent has just as many question marks with injuries as we do.

I’d say as long as Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu and Tim Howard work out their injuries like I believe they can the defense will be fine, for the most part at least.

3. Can the US get past the mental issues?

Soccer is as mental of a sport as any out there. You have to deal with the other team, the refs, the fans, the environment that you’re playing in and more. Keeping a cool head isn’t easy. Bradley has to get that through to his bunch right now and especially to guys like Ricardo Clark, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley.

Its good to be amped up in big games but Bradley will need to find a way to keep these guys amped but within reason. Frustrations are just a part of the game and cooler heads usually prevail. The biggest is worry for me going into games right now isn’t injuries but keeping those cooler heads. Yellow cards add up and can be tough to overcome and a good discipline team usually does well in these tournaments.

Aside from the discipline the US also needs to get over their complex in these tournaments. Last year’s Confederation’s Cup probably did a good job of getting over some of those issues as the US team finally stopped playing the country on the other side of the field and just focused on beating who they were playing. For too long the US has had a mental issue when facing top teams in the world, now it should be a thing of the past.

4. Is Altidore ready to shine?

With the issues at striker one thing is clear, Altidore needs to be the guy to step up and lead the scoring for the US in this tournament. But is he ready for that spotlight? His final game with Hull showed he still has a lot of maturing to do. But as tough as the English Premiere League is the World Cup is that much tougher.

I see Altidore doing well in this tournament as long as his head is on straight. Another factor comes down to who he is paired with up top. That will go a long way in how well he does or doesn’t in this tournament.

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Note: I’m hoping to ramp up my World Cup discussions here. If you’re interested in writing some items about the World Cup for WVHooligan just shoot me an email.

Time for the debate to start. US Men’s National team manager Bob Bradley has released his provisional World Cup roster today. The 30-man roster will head to camp in Princeton, New Jersey later this month to train for the upcoming “Send-Off Series” against Turkey and the Czech Republic, as well as getting ready for the Australia game in South Africa before the start of the World Cup next month.

Below is the roster with some comments about each section. Feel free to leave your comments below.

Goalkeepers: Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnamann, and Brad Guzan

Thoughts: No argument here, it was really the only section of this roster that probably everyone agreed on and knew would happen.

Defense: Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall

Thoughts: Some shocks here with Marshall and maybe even Pearce to some. Really for me this group is pretty solid as long as Onyewu comes back healthy. Overall I’m pretty pleased with this group. I think the only two that really have a small chance are Marshall and Pearce but I’m holding out hope that Pearce does make it in the end.

Midfielders: Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, DaMarcus Beasley, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers

Thoughts: For starters seeing Kljestan and Rogers will spark some haters right away but remember this is a camp roster and it will get cut to 23 before long. I don’t expect to see Rogers or Kljestan in South Africa. Other than those two really this group is about what I expected when I discussed this a couple weeks ago.

No Freddy Adu in this group which really shouldn’t be a total shock. I don’t see him as a Bradley kind of guy right now anyways. He’s playing well in Greece but that kind of thing only goes so far for him. The only way I see him in a national team kit anytime in the next year is if Bradley isn’t the coach.

Forwards: Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez, and Robbie Findley

Thoughts: Yes there is no Charlie Davies which really sparked a lot of comments today. Honestly I’m not shocked at all here about this. Yes we wanted to see him play and get to the World Cup but at the same time his health and recovery here is what is more important. I still think he’ll be with the club in South Africa but just in a non-playing role.

After that seeing Findley and Johnson will turns some heads. It shows the lack of real depth that we have at this position. Johnson may be the hottest of the three right now as Findley is still trying to find his form.

Ching will also spark some comments but as long as he’s health I’d take him over Findley or Johnson. But good on Bradley to include Gomez and Buddle. It was going to be too hard to ignore what both have done this year to not include them. I fully expect at least one of those two if not both in South Africa.

If I had to pick seven that won’t make it right now they would be: Findley, Kljestan, Rogers, Beasley, Marshall, Johnson,  and Pearce. Just a thought but the camp may change things.

England manager Fabio Capello on Tuesday named the following 30-man provisional World Cup squad. It will be reduced to 23 by June 1. What do you think about this roster?

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham United), Joe Hart (Manchester City).

Defenders: Ashley Cole (Chelsea), John Terry (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Michael Dawson (Tottenham Hotspur), Leighton Baines (Everton), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), James Milner (Aston Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham Hotspur), Scott Parker (West Ham United), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Darren Bent (Sunderland), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur).