From The Independent:

David Beckham is a shock contender to be named England captain for tomorrow’s friendly against Trinidad & Tobago. The game has been arranged so that the Football Association can secure the vote of the Caribbean nation’s influential grandee Jack Warner for its 2018 World Cup bid and Beckham making a token return to the captaincy is regarded as a way of winning over Fifa.

Beckham quit the England captaincy after elimination from the 2006 World Cup and made his comeback to the team only when Steve McClaren recalled him against Germany in August. Warner is the president of Concacaf (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) and is one of only 24 men who will vote on who will host the 2018 World Cup. He has already been pictured meeting Beckham off the team plane in the local press.

Although Fabio Capello is not given to cheap publicity stunts, a one-match captaincy for Beckham would enable Warner, who was involved in a 2006 World Cup ticketing scandal, to be seen glad-handing the most famous footballer on the planet. The England manager is thought to be considering the idea. He has given Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry the chance to prove themselves as potential long-term captains.

Read more here and here.

I can’t leave without linking you to this article on Capello’s response to playing Beckham. It’s from the Mirror, but has been confirmed as true quotes from Capello. (Thanks to Diane for the find.) He makes an interesting point: that playing David is a tactical decision, and sometimes he will be tactically suitable to start against a team, sometimes he will sub on or even not play. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing when playing Beckham. And I know that Beckham is happy to be of use to England in pretty much any capacity.

I’ve also found a great article by Glenn Davis for the Houston Chronicle discussing Beckham’s impact on the MLS and soccer in America. I found that the article echoed my own thoughts on several points, including critics of Beckham’s play. Here in an excerpt below. Oh, and catch the game on ESPN Classic.

“Maybe you were one of the many who believed Beckham’s on-field impact would be limited to his famous free kicks. Many pundits and commentators have made the mistake of calling him one-dimensional. Even more claimed he would not be able to stay interested in MLS and would not adapt to playing with teammates whose names weren’t Zindeine Zidane, Ryan Giggs or Roy Keane.”

I cannot WAIT to watch Beckham and Donovan play against each other — not to mention every other player on both the English and U.S. squads. It should be a good one.

After failing to qualify for Euro 2008, the FA has announced new targets for English football. Steve McClaren has been critical of the FA’s targets, saying they need to implement strategies to reach their goals rather than just being visionaries.

Anyone know when Capello will name his squad for the England v. USA match on May 28th?

More on Capello’s role/reaction HERE.

More on McClaren’s response/concerns HERE.