Poor John

Fabio Capello, manager of the England Nation Football Team, issued a statement last week relieving John Terry of his captaincy following the news of his infidelity (full article: http://tr.im/MYT9).  Terry, ironically named the UK’s “Dad of the Year” last summer, had been the English skipper since 2003.  Fabio Capello certainly has proven himself as quality manager (winning four titles for four different team including a Champion League title with Milan), but his decision to sacked Terry as captain is quite shocking giving Terry’s performance as a footballer and as a leader.

Furthermore, with the World Cup looming just months away, one can only wonder how this will play on Terry’s psyche.  While former England Manager Graham Taylor believes fans and players tend to “overstate the importance of” the captain title, Terry may suffer a short-term lull in performance, which may give the United States the edge they need to knock off the Brits on June 12 in the World Cup opener.  Granted, John Terry is strong player, both mentally and physically, however it only takes one mistake to prove fatal.  On the international level, teams pay a hefty price for their mistakes.

John Terry is probably one of my least favorite European footballers.  Partially because he plays for Chelsea and partly because of his drunken spat several years back where he harassed grieving American tourists in the aftermath of 9/11.  Regardless of my predisposition, Terry is a proud man and one hell of a footballer which I do respect.  However, any advantage that the United States can exploit should be considered in order to leave the opener will 3 points.  Doing such would be a gigantic step in moving through to the round of 16.

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