TORONTO -- A "devastated" Jermain Defoe will be watching the World Cup from afar, barring an injury call-up from England.
Vinny Curry White Jersey. The 31-year-old Toronto FC forward did not make Englands main 23-man squad which features Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Rickie Lambert at forward. Instead the Major League Soccer star was one of two strikers named to Englands seven-man standby list. Defoe said he felt sharp, was scoring goals and thought he had done enough to make the team. He added he had also been looking forward to representing his country in Brazil. "You cant expect anything but I did feel like I had a good chance of going because Ive been in most of the squads if not all the squads," he told BBC Radio. "So to miss out, I dont know, I just feel devastated to be honest," he added. Asked by the BBC if coming to Toronto was a mistake, Defoe said "Not at all." On a personal level, Defoe said it was difficult. But he wished the England team the best of luck. Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen said Defoe will remain with the MLS club unless summoned by England. "I was a bit surprised and disappointed for Jermain because he arguably deserves it," Nelsen said from Vancouver, where Toronto plays the Whitecaps in the second leg of their Amway Canadian Championship semifinal Wednesday. "Its a shame for him. But hes on the standby (squad) and you never know." Torontos practice was closed Monday. "Of course hes disappointed. Anybody would be," said Nelsen. "But theres nothing you can really say when a situation like that happens. Thats the managers decision. So hes just got to keep scoring goals, keep fit and maybe he gets that call-up." Toronto will be losing Brazil goalie Julio Cesar and U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley to the soccer showcase. Bradley will play for Toronto on Wednesday and then join the American camp. Cesar is expected to leave Toronto after the weekend game against the New York Red Bulls. Age and geography probably played against Defoe in his bid to go to Brazil. The first-team England strike force has combined for 51 international goals and 124 caps in Rooney (38 goals, 89 caps), Sturridge (3, 10), Welbeck (8, 21) and Lambert (2, 4). Manager Roy Hodgson also has attacking options in midfield in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley and Raheem Stirling, among others. "Certainly once you move into that front six position, I think we have a lot of options. I think theres a lot of possibilities," Hodgson told a news conference Monday in London. "A lot of players can play in different positions. And Id like to think thats that a very exciting group we have for those front six positions." Defoe, a veteran of the 2010 World Cup who has 19 goals and 55 caps with England, had figured in all but two of Hodgsons matchday squads before this. But Defoe, who has three goals in four MLS games, may not have been helped by playing overseas. According to Opta Sports, only four of the 114 players chosen for Englands last five World Cup squads played for non-English teams (Calgary-born Owen Hargreaves twice, David Beckham and Fraser Forster). Hargreaves played for Germans Bayern Munich, Beckham for the Los Angeles Galaxy of MLS and Fraser for Glasgow Celtic. "Jermain Defoes international career could be over," the Daily Telegraph said after the squad announcement. Veteran fullback Ashley Cole, a 33-year-old fullback with 107 caps, announced his international retirement Sunday. Hodgson had opted for veteran Leighton Baines and 18-year-old Luke Shaw over Cole. Monday was the deadline for teams to provide FIFA with their 30-man provisional squads. The final 23-man squads must be declared by June 2. Injuries could still change the face of the England squad with Defoe and West Hams Andy Carroll selected as cover for up front. The England squad heads to Portugal next week to begin World Cup preparations, before playing Peru at Wembley on May 30. Nelsen, who captained New Zealand at the 2010 World Cup, has been torn about Defoe and the World Cup. While backing his players skills on the international stage, he also wants his top striker wearing a Toronto jersey as often as possible. "If I was the England manager, I probably would pick him," Nelsen said last week. "Because you know what youre going to get with him -- you absolutely know what youre going to get with him." Defoe offers experience and a scoring touch off the bench. He has scored everywhere he has played. Hodgson opted for youth in most cases although he went with the 32-year-old Lambert up front. Rooney is 28, Sturridge 24 and Welbeck 23. Lambert, a late bloomer on the international scene, has two goals and four caps. The average age of the Englands squad is 26 years 117 days, more than two years younger than 2010 but older than 2006 (25 years 258 days), according to Opta. Barkley, Sterling, Luke Shaw and Jordan Henderson have a combined 14 caps. Eleven of the 23 players have 10 caps or less while only six have been to a World Cup. "Bags of attacking talent, much unproven but exciting nevertheless, blatantly short defensively through the centre," tweeted former England striker and current TV pundit Gary Lineker. The greybeads on the squad are Frank Lampard (35), captain Steven Gerrard (33) Phil Jagielka (31), Lambert (32) and Ben Foster (31). Youngsters include Sterling (19), Oxlade-Chamberlain (20), Henderson (23), Phil Jones (22), and Jack Wilshere (22). After the Portugal camp, England flies to Miami for warmup games against Honduras and Ecuador before opening the World Cup on June 14 against Italy. England is in a group with Costa Rica, Italy and Uruguay at the summer tournament in Brazil. The England standby list also includes uncapped defenders John Stones (19) of Everton and Jon Flanagan of Liverpool, less than a year after featuring for England in the U20s World Cup in Turkey last summer. Flanagan is the nephew of Toronto FC defender Bradley Orr. The other standby players are Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy and midfielders Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley of Manchester United.
Nick Foles Black Jersey. The judges scored it 49-46, 49-46, 50-45 for Kennedy. Wrestling proved to be the difference with Kennedy taking Bisping down in the first, third and fifth rounds and keeping him there. The crowd at the Colisee Pepsi didnt like it and neither did Bisping, whose game is built on movement and technical striking.
Mark Sanchez Green Jersey. - Gaston Fernandez is making the most of his new job with the Portland Timbers.Getting called out by former NFL star receiver Chad Johnson was a welcome break from the monotony of training camp for Tyron Brackenridge. Johnson, now with the Montreal Alouettes, took aim at the Saskatchewan Roughriders safety Tuesday on Twitter. Brackenridge was still chuckling about it Wednesday. "Was it entertaining?" Brackenridge asked with a laugh during a telephone interview. "I had fun with it. "When youre dealing with the pressure of training camp, these two-a-days and meetings, its good to have a little laugh here and there. He felt like I was the one he wanted to call out, I just entertained his antics." It began innocently enough on Twitter when a fan asked Johnson, a popular social media figure with 3.6 million followers, which team was he most looking forward to facing this season. "#41 from the Rough Riders," Johnson tweeted, referencing Brackenridge. After Brackenridge said, "Cant wait!" Johnson turned up the heat, tweeting: "I will run through you or around you, whichever you prefer." Brackenridge responded: "your cfl career will be short messing with me! You better ask your teammates or better yet find out for yourself." Johnson countered: "They speak highly of you but youll be dealt with." Added Brackenridge, "they speak highly of me for a reason. Its a thin line between tough & stupid. If your not looking for #41 youll regret it.." The colourful Johnson, in his first CFL season following a two-year hiatus from football, certainly didnt select a shrinking violet. The six-foot, 190-pound Brackenridge was a league all-star last year and voted the CFLs hardest hitter by his peers. Johnson referenced that when a fan asked who Brackenridge was. "The person wholl force me to keep my head on a swivel August 16," Johnson tweeted. Johnson ended the lively banter asking his supporters to follow Brackenridge. "I need at least 2 million of you to follow the homie @Tbrack41 please," Johnson tweeted. Brackenridge, 29, who has over 7,000 Twitter followers, said Johnsons comments were unsolicited although the two have a history. Theyve faced each other in the NFL and worked out together during the off-season with the same trainer. "We dont really know each other personally, like buddy buddy," Brackenridge said. "But at the end of the day, things like this make it fun to play the game and look forward to . . . its all fun and games." That is until June 29, when Saskatchewan opens its season hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a Grey Cup rematch. Brackenridge hasnt circled Aug. 16 on his calendar — when Montreal visits Regina — because as defending champions the Riders are expecting the best from every opponent this season. "Yes, we have a target on our back but we must defend the title week in and week out and just continue to be consistent and play like pros," he said. "Thats what keeps me on my toes . . . knowing I must continue to elevate my game." However, Brackenridge apppreciates the recognition he received from Johnson.
James Casey Jersey "It feels good to know you have respect around the league but you have to continue to earn that every week," he said. "Each year is a new year, you constantly have to get better otherwise somebody will come in and try to take your job or expose you." As for facing Johnson, Brackenridge will worry about that in August. The two teams will meet again in October in Montreal. "I approach every game the same . . . like its a championship game," Brackenridge said. "Im a competitor and I want to win each game, I want to win every play. "When we play them, Ill have the same mentality as I do when we play Hamilton in Week 1." Johnsons tweets did prompt one Riders fan to offer on Twitter a $100 donation to charity if Brackenridge legally hits Johnson hard enough to separate him from the football. The Riders team that will defend the Grey Cup title will differ vastly from the one that won it. Among those departing are running back Kory Sheets (Oakland, NFL), receivers Weston Dressler (Kansas City, NFL) and Geroy Simon (retired), linebackers Rey Williams (retired) and Craig Butler (Hamilton, free agent) and defensive tackle Keith Shologan (Ottawa expansion draft). "Unfortunately, its the nature of the game," Brackenridge said. "Each year youre going to have new personnel, youve just got to make it work. "Training camp is about building the chemistry to goes on throughout the season." Brackenridge was a key contributor last year with 48 tackles, a league-high five forced fumbles and three interceptions. He was a league all-star and voted the Riders top defensive player. Brackenridge spent time in the NFL with Kansas City (07-08), the New York Jets (09) and Jacksonville (09-10). Entering his fourth CFL campaign, Brackenridge says hes very comfortable with the nuances of Canadian football. "Ive learned a lot in this league," he said. "I was a little raw when I first came in but now the game is normal again . . . Id say Im pretty comfortable right now." And that includes life off the field as Brackenridge was married this off-season. "Everything is complete," he said. "They (wife, Christine, and three-year-old daughter Brooklyn) make it fun for me every day. "Im very blessed and thankful and enjoy this game with a smile on my face." Hes also thankful to be playing in Saskatchewan, home to the CFLs most passionate fans. Last November, a loud, predominantly green gathering of 44,710 watched the Riders defeat Hamilton 45-23 for just their fourth CFL title and first at Mosaic Stadium. "Ill tell you what, they make it extremely fun to play this game," Brackenridge said of Rider Nation. "They make it easier for guys like me who are away from home and our families. "Everything we do is dedicated to them as well as our families. It (13 Grey Cup) is very special to people born and raised in this province . . . that moment will live on forever."
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