Will the US wind up Wayne Rooney?
With today’s much anticipated game between England and The USA, the question everyone is asking, is would the USA players be planning on winding Rooney up? The game is taking place at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, is Rustenburg.
The United States will not set out to wind up Wayne Rooney in Group C's World Cup opener against England on Saturday, is what was insisted by their manager Bob Bradley. Rooney's temperament was questioned after he was given a warning by referee Jeff Selogilwe after being booked in a warm-up victory over Platinum Stars. But Bradley denied his team would target the striker in Rustenburg "I'm asked this a lot and no we won't try and wind him up. We don't get into that sort of thing," said Bradley.
England and the US get their World Cup campaigns off and running with their match this evening, kick-off at 1930 BST. And with Rooney, widely regarded as England's most important player, expected to lead the line in Rustenburg, questions have again been asked about the Manchester United star's ability to control his temper. If Rooney can blow up, however briefly, in a game of such minor significance, what might he be tempted to do when the World Cup is at stake? The 24-year-old, sent off at the last World Cup in 2006 for stamping on Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho in their quarter-final tie, got involved in a needless spat with Platinum Stars' Kagiso Senamela during the 3-0 victory before being booked for dissent on Monday.
It prompted Selogilwe to note after the game that he didn't expect a player like Rooney to insult the referee and if it happens in that way, Rooney in not going to be seen in the World Cup. Team-mates Rio Ferdinand and Jermain Defoe also spoke out in defense of Rooney, the former insisting that Wayne's experienced now and his disciplinary record has been magnificent over the last couple of years, while Defoe referred to Rooney's temperament as a good thing, if under control.
But there have still been suggestions that teams could look to target the England striker's temper in an effort to put him off his game or even get him sent off. However, Bradley and US striker Landon Donovan refused to be drawn on the subject at a pre-match press conference. Bradley said he has tremendous respect for Rooney and what he brings to England in so many ways, his effort, his competitiveness, his movement, his influence on the team is great. He also stated specifically that they won't try and wind him up. He said that the US understand that when they all play as a team, when everyone is committed the right way, then they can compete with the top teams
The last time the two sides met was in an international at Wembley in October 2007, with England emerging 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Steven Gerrard and John Terry. Bradley, however, believes his team has developed significantly since that match. He said that those kinds of games provide good experiences although he doesn’t believe they were overawed that night. He said they have grown as a team a lot since then and have played a lot of top opponents and those kinds of games continue to help them improve. He said that there is a core of players that have been through all those experiences, including the Confederations Cup last summer and, from that point of view, he thinks their leadership is strong. He points out many facts about his team, but essentially his effect on how the players of the US would plan on winding Rooney up during the game, seems insignificant. Fans will just have to wait and find out once the long awaited match starts later today.
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