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Beckham omitted by Capello
2008-01-31
David Beckham will have to wait for his 100th international appearance. The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder was omitted Thursday when Fabio Capello picked his first roster as England's coach. While bypassing the former captain for next Wednesday's exhibition game against Switzerland, Capello said he will consider picking Beckham in the future if the 32-year-old shows good form after the Major League Soccer season opens March 29. "I know there has been a lot of discussion about David Beckham," Capello said. "When I spoke with David on the phone yesterday, I advised him that he is still part of my plans and once he is playing regularly in America, we will look closely at him again." Beckham would be England's fifth player with 100 appearances, following Peter Shilton (125), Bobby Moore (108), Bobby Charlton (106) and Billy Wright (105). Beckham has been training with Arsenal to stay fit during the MLS offseason. Capello instead chose Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips and Blackburn's David Bentley as contenders for Beckham's role on the right of midfield, although one could miss out when the coach trims the roster from 30 to a final 23 on Saturday. Beckham was dropped from the national team when Steve McClaren took over after the 2006 World Cup, then returned last spring. After spending the past month watching Premier League and domestic cup games to assess the talent available to him, Capello also selected Gabriel Agbonlahor and Curtis Davies as he starts to build what the Football Association hopes will be a team capable of reaching and challenging for the 2010 World Cup. Agbonlahor makes the step up from the under-21 team after scoring seven goals in 24 games to help Aston Villa rise to fifth in this season's Premier League standings. Davies has led Villa's defense while on loan from West Bromwich Albion. The roster: Goalkeepers: Scott Carson (Aston Villa), David James (Portsmouth), Chris Kirkland (Wigan) Defenders: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea), Wes Brown (Manchester United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Curtis Davies (Aston Villa), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Ledley King (Tottenham), Joleon Lescott (Everton), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Nicky Shorey (Reading), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham) Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), David Bentley (Blackburn), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Ashley Young (Aston Villa) Forwards: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Emile Heskey (Wigan), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
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