Southgate defends Rooney 'reward'

LONDON - England manager Gareth Southgate on Thursday defended his decision to reward Wayne Rooney by fielding the country's top international scorer in a friendly against Team USA at Wembley next week.

The Football Association announced earlier in the week that Rooney would be awarded his 120th cap as a tribute to his England career, which appeared to have come to an end when he retired from international soccer in August 2017.

The decision has been criticized in the English media, with a number of exciting young prospects needing more game time to be tested at the international level and the Team USA match seen as preparation for what could be a crucial Nations League decider against Croatia four days later.