Updated at 7:49 a.m., Thursday, November 22, 2007
Soccer: Beckham sets sights on 2010 World Cup
Associated Press
LONDON — Steve McClaren's exit will trigger a mass overhaul within the England team. David Beckham hopes it doesn't include him — again.
The Los Angeles Galaxy star wants to play in the 2010 World Cup.
"I said at the start of my career I'll always want to play for my country and I'd never retire from playing for my country," Beckham said Thursday. "That could obviously be taken out of my hands but I want to reach my 100 caps.
"To get those 100 caps would be a dream come true for me."
Initially discarded after the 2006 World Cup, the former captain rode to McClaren's rescue when England's European Championship hopes began to fade away.
They were finally extinguished on Wednesday by Croatia's 3-2 triumph at Wembley, ending McClaren's bleak 15-month reign and Beckham's dream of playing in a sixth major international tournament.
"I'll still be available," said Beckham, who will be 35 years old by the World Cup. "Hopefully I'll still be playing, and playing well enough to be in the England squad in 2010.
"But who knows? Everything can change, and I have seen that in the last 12 months."
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder believes the Football Association will hire a foreign coach.
"There are not many English managers out there that haven't got jobs already," he said. "There are also a lot of talented foreign managers."
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, of Portugal, is among the favorites.
Beckham came off the bench Wednesday at half time to make his 99th appearance and set up Peter Crouch on the tying goal — which would have been enough to clinch a berth in the finals if the Croats hadn't scored a late winner.
"When you are at home and you claw yourself back like that, you are on an up and your confidence gets lifted," Beckham said. "But they broke away and got another goal and we just couldn't come back from that.
"We are disappointed and hurting."
And so are the fans.
"When people are seeing the amount of money in football, and the amount players earn, people want results," Beckham said. "We've not got the results and not qualified.
"There is going to be a backlash and it's about how we handle it."
English soccer is in mourning after the failure and Beckham delivered his own post mortem.
"There must be something wrong, but we are a nation that has got some of the best players in the world and we should be qualifying," he said. "There are no excuses. We should be qualifying for a competition."
