Rio Ferdinand led out England as skipper but it didn't get off to the best of starts. Defensively England looked disorganised and shaky, especially during the first 10/15 minutes. Ferdinand was taken off at halftime, replaced by Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher.
Michael Carrick had been poor for Man United during the 09/10 got off to a poor start at Wembley; he couldn’t take control of the game and was substituted in the 62nd minute. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he isn’t named in the 23 man squad, who will travel to South Africa for the World Cup.
Surprisingly Wayne Rooney played the full 90 minutes, which was a risk considering it is a friendly and the criticism that the Wembley Turf has had over recent weeks. Rooney didn’t have a stand out game but he did have one or two good chances at goal.
We didn’t really see much from United’s potential new signing (subject to a work permit) Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez. Saying that Mexican did look lively on and off the ball and was involved in some good play. He did have a shot at goal but he didn’t get the opportunities on goal that he would get whilst playing at United.
England won the game 3-1 with goals from Ledley King, Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson for England. Guillermo Franco scored for Mexico.
Other reds in action today were Luis Nani, who played in Portugal’s disappointing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde Islands. Ji-Sung Park played in South Korea’s 2-0 win over England’s next friendly opponents Japan.
