World Cup: England versus Platinum Stars: A 3-0 victory and U.S. waiting in the wings

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Goals by Jermain Defoe, Joe Cole and Wayne Rooney earned England a 3-0 victory over the Platinum Stars of South Africa’s Premier League on Monday in the last tune-up game for the Three Lions before they play the U.S. in the World Cup on Saturday.

The game in Rustenburg attracted a modest crowd and it took England a while to hit stride. Defoe scored in the first half, Cole in the second and Rooney near the end. Overall, it was not an impressive performance, but concerns about injury likely contributed to that.

England Coach Fabio Capello had said beforehand that he had to give his starters playing time to see how they looked. ‘I have to play all the players that will play against the USA for 45 minutes or 60 minutes,’ he said. ‘I don’t know if it’s a major risk. I touch wood. We have to be careful about injuries, but we have to prepare for that game.

‘I know what can happen, but that is the job. What do you do? Swim and not play? You have to train. Sometimes you try to be careful and it still doesn’t work.’

England appeared to come out of the low-key match without any injuries. These were Capello’s starters: Joe Hart, Glen Johnson, John Terry, Ledley King, Ashley Cole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Steve Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe.

Rooney came into the game later, as did Emile Heskey, but Capello made 10 changes in all, so if U.S. scouts were watching, it would be tough for them to tell exactly what Capello has in mind for Saturday. The only two players not to get time were injured midfielder Gareth Barry and goalkeeper David James.

-- Grahame L. Jones reporting from Johannesburg, South Africa