Bad Break for Cisse

OH MY GOD! Did you see Djibril Cisse's injury?! That was horrendous. Running down the pitch in a friendly against China, he got kicked in the back of the leg and the blow broke his fibula and tibia. Of course, FSN replayed the injury 10 or 12 times for full effect. Thanks, guys! I felt woozy after the show. But you've got to feel bad for Cisse. He missed the last WC 2002 with an injury, and the 2004 Euros with a similar injury to the other leg.

It seems that injuries are like football groupies, the closer we get to opening day, the more every team gets. For England it's the good and the bad; Wayne Rooney is looking more and more like a possible factor as his foot scan yesterday was positive and he can resume training. It'll be weeks before he's match fit again, but I think the news that he's back could be just the thing to lift the England team out of its usual WC doldrums...unless the injury bug bites someone else. Like Steven Gerrard.

Herr Ballack is out of the opener for Germany. Mexican keeper Oswaldo Sanchez is back in Mexico after his father's sudden death. Milan Baros is still uncertain for a date with the US.