Argentina missing ARGENTINA coach Jose Pekerman has revealed the names of 16 players who will go to the World Cup. The list, containing some notable omissions, offers the first concrete sign of what Pekerman's final squad for Germany will look like. Of the players called up, all but one are European-based. The exception is Boca Juniors goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri. Some sections of the country's media expressed surprise at the players not on the list, among them Javier Zanetti, Pablo Aimar and Martin Demichelis. However, several of these are involved in key end-of-season games with their clubs, and their absence does not rule out the possibility of inclusion in the final 23-man squad to be named on or before 15 May. The list announced by Pekerman is as follows: Goalkeepers: Roberto Abbondanzieri (Boca Juniors), Leonardo Franco (Atletico Madrid, Spain) Defenders: Roberto Ayala (Valencia, Spain), Nicolas Burdisso (Inter Milan, Italy), Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain), Leandro Cufre (AS Roma, Italy), Gabriel Heinze (Manchester United, England), Gabriel Milito (Real Zaragoza, Spain), Juan Pablo Sorin (Villarreal, Spain) Midfielders: Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan, Italy), Luis Gonzalez (Porto, Portugal), Juan Roman Riquelme (Villarreal, Spain), Maximiliano Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid, Spain), Lionel Scaloni (West Ham United, England) Forwards: Hernan Crespo (Chelsea, England), Lionel Messi (Barcelona, Spain). Akwa leads Angola WITH impeccable timing, and much to the delight of his coach, Angola captain Akwa has made a spectacular return to form after a short and not-so-sweet contribution to his country's ill-fated 2006 African Cup of Nations bid. The former Benfica star hit a hat trick in the recent Cosafa Castle Cup victory over Mauritius, a remarkable feat given that it was his first competitive outing since Angola's first round elimination from the Egypt-held Nations Cup in January. Akwa, whose contract with Al-Wakrah in Qatar was cancelled at the start of the year, has been training in Luanda with former champions AS Aviacao while looking for a new club, yet there was no evidence whatsoever of a lack of sharpness in his play during the mini-tournament which took place in Lesotho from 26-30 April. For Luis Oliveira Goncalves, the man charged with guiding Angola through their first-ever World Cup, the 28-year-old's sparkling performance could not have been better timed. "The hat trick really helps him psychologically at a crucial time and I think it sets his mind at ease before the World Cup," Goncalves said. "He knows he did not do well in Egypt, but this performance is very good for him, and for the team." Akwa, who turns 29 on the eve of the World Cup, will captain Angola in Germany, and the hat trick he chalked up on Saturday extended his record goal tally for his country to an impressive 35. He was recently named his country's top sportsman for 2005 after scoring the goal against Rwanda that sealed Angola's qualification for Germany. Goncalves, meanwhile, claimed to have been pleased with the overall performance of an under-strength Angolan squad in the two matches against Mauritius (5-1) and Lesotho (3-1) in Maseru, both of which the Palancas Negras won easily to take the honours and qualify for August's semi-finals of the annual regional southern African championship. For their coach, the Cosafa Castle Cup had certainly more than served its purpose. "Obviously ahead of the World Cup we need to prepare against better and stronger opposition, but this was my chance to look at some of the players on the outside of the selection who could still make the squad," said Goncalves, who saw Ze Kalanga score twice against Lesotho. "We have games coming up against strong teams, which will be much better for us, but it was good to see several new players making a strong impression." Angola are next in action against fellow World Cup finalists Argentina on 30 May. Vicente back VALENCIA winger Vicente returned to action after nearly four months out with an ankle injury in his side's match against Atletico Madrid on Saturday. The 24-year-old Spain international, who has 38 caps, came on as a substitute after 71 minutes. He had not played since damaging the ligaments in his right ankle in a league match against Osasuna in January. On Friday, Vicente was left out of Luis Aragones's 27-man Spanish squad for a pre-World Cup get-together on 8 May. With just over a week left before Aragones names his 23-man squad for Germany Vicente's chances of making the finals remain slim. Friendly off TUNISIA'S World Cup warm-up match against Kuwait has been cancelled after their opponents withdrew, the Tunisian Football Federation said. Tunisia were due to play Kuwait at their base in Schweinfurt in Germany just days before the start of their finals campaign. Tunisia are in Group H with Saudi Arabia, Spain and Ukraine. The federation said Kuwait had told them they would not be able to assemble a side for the fixture. There was no indication whether Tunisia would seek an alternate opponent. Lennon dreams TOTTENHAM Hotspur's teenage sensation Aaron Lennon has found himself overwhelmed by speculation that he might be part of England's World Cup squad as he has hardly got used to playing in the Premier League. Lennon, who turned 19 last month, has emerged as everybody's favourite dark horse for Sven-Goran Eriksson's party for Germany, despite never previously appearing in a full senior squad. The winger's priceless attribute of searing pace, together with terrific ball control and the ability to provide a pinpoint cross, makes him the sort of player that Eriksson could just take a chance on. Lennon, however, is struggling to take it all in. "Everything's happened so quickly for me, it's unbelievable," he told journalists this week. "What has happened to me is almost too fantastic to be true. The World Cup? I never imagined I might be part of it. I'd love to go, what footballer wouldn't? But everything has moved on so quickly for me that it's difficult to take in the possibility. "I have just been trying to do my best for Spurs and only ever thought I would watch the World Cup on television." Lennon joined Spurs from Leeds United in July having become the Premier League's youngest player when he made his Leeds debut against his current club in August 2003 at the age of 16 years 121 days. He got an unexpectedly early opportunity at Spurs after Wayne Routledge cracked a bone in his foot at Portsmouth in the first game of the season and has been in and around the first team ever since. "You quickly learn that you have to take opportunities when they arise," he said. With Wayne Rooney likely to miss the World Cup and Michael Owen battling to get back to form after his broken toe, the door could yet open for Lennon. "I remember as a kid watching Michael and that stunning solo goal against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup. They (Owen and Rooney) were both 18, younger than me now, and they set the world alight. "I'm not saying for one minute that I could ever make the same impact but obviously it would be a dream come true to go to Germany and then maybe come off the bench and help swing a result. "My life is amazing. It's seems no time at all since I was kicking a ball around in the streets of Leeds with my brother."
