Terry to captain England against USA

[TheGift]

LONDON (AP)—John Terry will captain England in its exhibition against the United States.

England coach Fabio Capello made the announcement Tuesday, a day before the match at Wembley Stadium.

Capello said he made the decision before last Wednesday’s Champions League final, when Terry missed the penalty kick that could have won the trophy for Chelsea over Manchester United.

“When I said to him that he would be the captain, he was very, very happy,” Capello said. “It is very important to be a leader and John Terry is a leader.”

Terry was selected England’s permanent captain by former coach Steve McClaren when David Beckham relinquished the role after the 2006 World Cup.

However, Capello has preferred to experiment with the captaincy role since being appointed in December. Steven Gerrard led England in Capello’s first game in charge against Switzerland in February, a 2-1 win, and Rio Ferdinand was captain for the 1-0 loss to France in March.

Capello will decide on a permanent choice before World Cup qualifying starts in September.

Terry to captain England against USA - World Soccer - Yahoo! Sports