England v USA
International Friendly
8.05pm, Wednesday 28 May 2008
Wembley Stadium
USA stopper Tim Howard insists that England may well be surprised by the standard of their team at Wembley on Wednesday night.
Whilst Three Lions Manager Fabio Capello will certainly have his team prepared for the challenge in store, Howard believes that the Americans can more than match them.
The Everton player, in line to win his 29th cap should he feature, insists that the prospect of a win at Wembley is firmly in their sights.
“We step on the field expecting to win,” he said.
“We are not a pushover by any stretch of the imagination and we're going to fight them, and give as good as we get.
“It won't be a situation like we are a deer in the headlights. We won't be awed by the size of the game, we have something to prove as a team and we're up for the challenge.”
The 29-year-old has been a Premier League regular since his arrival at Manchester United back in 2003, making well over 100 appearances in the top flight.
He believes he has seen enough of England to know what quality they possess and admits he is as surprised as anyone that the Three Lions won’t be contesting the European Championships this summer.
“It was a surprise to me they (England) didn't qualify,” he added.
“When you set out an England XI, it's probably one of the better teams in the world. For them not to qualify was a shock to everybody.
“England lives for football so the fact that there won't be a tournament for them this summer is disappointing.
“Two of the teams were in the Champions League Final and it's a major surprise they didn't qualify but football doesn't wait for anyone.”