Spain coach Vicente del Bosque dropped Chelsea striker Fernando Torres on Friday from his squad for an upcoming World Cup qualifier against Finland. Torres has never been a set player for the national team under Del Bosque despite his goals at major tournaments. But the former Real Madrid coach did rely on Torres to help Spain reach the final of the Confederations Cup. "We shouldn't lament or blow out of proportion the fact that certain names that are not included on the list," Del Bosque said. "We should be happy for those that are coming and who can help us get three points against Finland and increase the gap over France."
Spain visits Finland on September 6. The Finns surprised world champion Spain by holding it to a 1-1 draw in March. Spain leads its group with 11 points, one more than France. The winner of each group qualifies for the World Cup in Brazil, while the runner-up faces a playoff to reach the tournament. Four days after facing Finland, Spain will play a friendly against Chile in Switzerland.
Squad: GK: Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes, Pepe Reina; Def: Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Arbeloa, Jordi Alba, Ignacio Monreal, Inigo Martinez, Raul Albiol; MF: Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez, Santi Cazorla, Francisco "Isco" Alarcon, Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion, Mario Suarez; Fwd: Pedro Rodriguez, David Villa, Jesus Navas, Roberto Soldado, David Silva, Alvaro Negredo
Schweinsteiger, Goetze, Kroos back for Germany
FRANKFURT: Germany coach Joachim loew recalled Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mario Goetze and Toni Kroos to his squad on Friday for the World Cup qualifiers against Austria and the Faeroe Islands. The Bayern Munich players missed Germany's friendly with Paraguay on Aug. 14 but return to face Austria in Munich on Sept. 6 and the Faeroe Islands in Torshavn four days later.
The Germans have a five-point lead in Group C after six matches. "We have a head start as leaders in our World Cup qualifying group but we're not yet qualified for the finals in Brazil," loew said Friday. "It's our clear objective to take another step there with two wins." loew also called up Sidney Sam and Max Kruse after their impressive starts to the season.
Squad: GK: Manuel Neuer, Rene Adler, Ron-Robert Zieler; Def: Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Hoewedes, Philipp lahm, Mats Hummels, Marcel Schmelzer, Per Mertesacker; MF: lars Bender, Sven Bender, Mario Goetze, Marco Reus, Julian Draxler, Sami Khedira, Mesut Ozil, Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sidney Sam, Andre Schuerrle; Fwds: Mario Gomez (Fiorentina), Miroslav Klose (lazio), Max Kruse (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Donovan back for next round of qualifying
CHICAGO: With landon Donovan back in the fold, the United States resumes its World Cup qualifying campaign next week with its strongest squad yet. Donovan was among 23 players selected Thursday by coach Jurgen Klinsmann for qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico. Klinsmann had overlooked Donovan — the career scoring leader for the US — for the previous qualifier after saying the veteran player needed to work his way back onto the team following his offseason sabbatical. But Donovan redeemed himself with his play in last month's Gold Cup, scoring five goals as the Americans won the title. He has continued his good form with four goals in three games for the los Angeles Galaxy, which on Wednesday rewarded him with a new, long-term contract. "He got himself back into the team during the Gold Cup," Klinsmann said. "He did a wonderful job there." While it's hard to imagine a starting lineup without Donovan when the Americans resume qualifying at Costa Rica on September 6, Klinsmann now has multiple options at almost every position.
Squad: GK: Brad Guzan, Tim Howard, Nick Rimando; Def: DaMarcus Beasley, Matt Besler, John Brooks, Geoff Cameron, Edgar Castillo, Brad Evans, Omar Gonzalez, Michael Orozco; MF: Kyle Beckerman, Alejandro Bedoya, Michael Bradley, Mix Diskerud, Fabian Johnson, Jermaine Jones, Graham Zusi; Fwds: Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, landon Donovan, Aron Johannsson, Eddie Johnson