England Eternal

Forgive my penchance for History, I cannot help but to see the deep fate at work for the English and their quest for world conquest. In 1066, William the Conqueorer invaded England and seized the British Crown. Nine hundred years later, England was once again invaded, and like it had done since William took over in 1066, the Brits defended their island with world champion tenacity.

Since that time in 1966, when England won the World Cup at home, the Three Lions have had their share of ups and downs. But, as the date for their campaign nears a full 40 years since their World Championship, no one in Germany is looking as strong as Beckham & Co.

In their match today against Trinidad & Tobago, the Three Lions showed once again why they are a force to be reckoned with. Taking over 20 shots on goal, the English pounded the Trinidad goal with the sort of ruthlessness Germany has not seen since Dresden.

At the other end of the pitch, Robinson played well in net and dominated his goal. On the single occasion that all seemed lost for England and Robinson was caught out of position, John Terry saved a Trinidad header in what HAD to be the greatest play of the game. His near bicycle kick was an absolute gem of selfless defending. Though Crouch and Gerrard may get credit for winning the game, it was John Terry who saved it.

To be fair to the Trinidad & Tobago footballers, the Caribbeanners played one of the most defensively sound games that I have ever WATCHED. I saw T&T play the US at Foxboro about 4 years ago and they played horribly. After giving up 2 goals to the US, the defense completely fell apart and began bickering. Since then however, T&T has got fantastically better. Their solid game against England should be considered a great milestone in the development of Island Football. Had Terry not saved the first half Trinidad header, we all might be reading about a very different game.

If one man must be praised for Trinidad's brillance it is their keeper Shaka Hislop. Shaka may well be one of the greatest goalkeepers that I have ever watched in action. His leadership on the field continued to keep up T&T's outstanding defense despite a veritable British bombardment. Several times in the match today, Shaka saved the Islanders from going one down. The two times that he was beat, were brillant shots from World Class strikers. His performance today forced the Brits to be at their best.

On the whole, England's play was exceptional, and only a strong Trinidad defense kept out a number of would-be goals. However, Peter Crouch, the "hero" of today's match, should be kept of the pitch for the rest of the tournament. When I saw that Wayne Rooney was healthy, I expected the end of Peter Crouch. Instead, I was tortured by his insipid weakness, his inability to finish, and his love for foiling otherwise simple goals. The fact that he scored today should be considered a miracle. He missed sooooo many chances to score that he should never be allowed to take the field for England so long as Owen and Rooney are healthy.

That said, with Rooney back in the line-up England is unstoppable. I eagerly await their campaign for the Cup and expect to see history repeat itself when the Three Lions claim victory forty years out of Wembley.