The match also proved once again just how deadly Michael Owen can be, and the England Head Coach could not praise him enough after his hat-trick in New Jersey.

"I've known for a long time that Michael Owen is one of the best strikers in the world and he showed it again tonight," said Sven.

"He scored three fantastic goals but that is nothing new because he has been doing that for I don't know how long.

"He is a brilliant finisher and I imagine it would be hard to find a better one in the world.

"It showed again how important he is for the team. He has scored 32 goals for England and he is only 25, so there should be a lot more to come."

And Sven repeated the value of the USA Tour for him: "It has been a fantastic exercise for us. Two matches played and we won both of them against teams we might meet in Germany.

"People have come in and taken their chances, like Kieran Richardson and Michael Carrick on Saturday. Tonight I thought the two centre-halves Zat Knight and Glen Johnson both did very well against good opposition.

"Colombia are a dangerous side who keep the ball for long periods and if you don't have a good shape they can take advantage of you. I thought we coped well."

Sven also had a word of praise for Peter Crouch, one of two England debutants in New Jersey: "I like him. You cannot defend in the air against him. It's impossible. And he has good feet with the ball. You give him the ball and he doesn't give it away."