Owen deserves his United chance

Manchester United have surprised the football world with the signing of Michael Owen.

A free agent after ending the season out of contract at Newcastle, Owen's earned a major chance to consign to history a difficult few seasons since returning to the English game from Real Madrid.

It's been a particularly torrid twelve months. He's battled with injuries and Fabio Capello just won't pick this one-time England regular - even for his wider squad.

But when he plays, he scores. And the bigger the opposition, the more likely Owen will make himself count.

So where better than Manchester United with their capacity for high-drama at a high-level for Owen to resume that career? He deserves this move on his track record. People are quick to write off players given the instant demands on them to perform to match their astronomical wages.

And it's true that Owen has battled with long injury layoffs and losses of momentum.

But he rarely battles with goalscoring form; he has a proud record. When he plays for a sustainable period, his goals-to-appearances ratio match most. It's just the amount of games he plays that's lacking.

Sir Alex Ferguson recognises that and has given Owen a deserved final shot at the big time. It's an opportunity I'm sure neither Owen nor his advisors expected, especially when circulating a glossy brochure on him around the football world a few weeks ago!

But now Owen must prove he can sustain his match-fitness to the levels he enjoyed three years ago. He must stay fit and work on the aspects of his body which are exposed to physical weakness.

If he can do that, he'll match the player he once was, skinning the Argies in '98, smacking a hat-trick in the Germans faces in '01 and coming off the bench to score two late goals to lift the FA Cup for Liverpool in the same year.

If anyone can, Owen can.

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Sporting public ambivalent to USA's improving soccer team

Heartbreak for the USA; the Confederations Cup trophy was dangled enticingly before them like a popstar's baby. They surrendered a two-goal half-time lead to mighty Brazil, who successfully retained the title by winning 3-2 inside normal time. Fitting that the five-times World Cup winners should become the first nation to win this tournament three-times, but America coulda shoulda!

Having seen off European Champions, Spain in the semis, the US got stronger during the tournament despite their unlikely path to the final. Let's not forget Brazil took them apart earlier in the tournament, three-nil.

I watched the final in a Miami Beach bar. There was scant cheering; certainly insufficient to warrant the magnitude of their progression to, and performance in the final.

For the Americans can take tremendous credit from their first-half show. They simply ran out of steam and lacked depth against the Brazilians, who punched the wind out of their sails with an early second-half goal. At 2-1, the tide turned South America's way.

The US are perennial qualifiers for the World Cup Finals, and many of their big players star in Europe's top leagues. They've a reputation for professionalism and discipline, and deservedly so.

But put your money on Brazil to win the World Cup next year. They're the only nation to win the tournament outside their continent, and they've done that thrice. Frankly, Italy and Spain look beatable. As an Englishman, I daren't tempt fate by commenting on our chances (carpe diem, Fabio!)

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Victory over Spain wasted on the Yanks

It's arguably the greatest victory for the USA since the 1950 World Cup.

Goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey gave the US a 2-0 victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup.

Back in the day, the Yanks recorded a famous 1-0 win over England, starring Billy Wright, Tom Finney and Stan Mortensen.

Putting this into context, the Spaniards are European champions having won 15 straight matches and undefeated since November 2006. Both are world records.

And they were at close to full strength: Fernando Torres partnered David Villa up front together with a star-spangled lineup featuring the cream of the Premier League and Barcelona.

The US, who reached the semis thanks to a dramatic six-goal swing in the last round of the group stage, seemingly used that as a confidence fillip.

Imagine if England had just beaten Spain; not just in the scoreline, but in the manner of the Americans win. Their discipline, organisation, workrate and belief has echoes of the Greeks sensational victory at Euro 2004.

This morning's tabloids would be larging it. The Sun'ld dig up eighties nearly-men and get ten-word quotes from each like, "We can definitely end 44 years of hurt in South Africa!", then pop 'em in a highlighted box in the middle of the page.

Do you remember when we beat Argentina 3-2 in Geneva ahead of the last World Cup? Two late Michael Owen goals turned the game on its head. The press talked of our Golden Generation: Terry, Ferdinand, Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard; not forgetting the blend of more senior players like Owen and Beckham. The hacks were hysterical!

They're not doing that in the Miami Herald or the Archbold Buckeye this morning, I can tell you!

The magnitude of the American victory is totally wasted on their sporting public.

The USA are perennial World Cup qualifiers - but not even their Latino emigres can trigger a football culture, with baseball, basketball and football so embedded in their collective consciences.

The Americans truly arrived on the world football stage with this win. And though the scoreline in raw print is an eye-raiser, they utterly deserved it.

Shame it won't move them, like it's moved me.

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