28 March 2001 - The Magnificent Manchester Seven

On 28 March 2001, England beat Albania in a World Cup qualifier with almost half their team coming from one club--Manchester United.

It was only the fourth qualifier for the two teams, who were both off to a difficult start. England had four points with a win, loss, and draw, while Albania were one point back after two losses and a win. They met at the Qemal Stafa Stadium in the Albanian capital of Tirana where England fielded their Manchester-based squad.

Five members of the starting eleven--Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Andy Cole--were from Manchester United, the defending Premier League champions. Additionally, Red Devils Wes Brown and Teddy Sheringham entered as second-half substitutes, taking the club's total to seven. That matched the previous record for any one club, set by Arsenal in a November 1934 friendly against Italy (though all seven Gunners started that match).

The line-up worked against Albania, with both Scholes (86') and Cole (95') scoring in England's 1-3 win (their other goal came from Liverpool's Michael Owen in the 74th minute, while Altin Rraklli scored for Albania in the 93rd minute).

1 September 2001 - Liverpool Beats Germany

On 1 September 2001, England beat Germany 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier, with all five of their goals coming from Liverpool players. 

The two teams have a longstanding rivalry, highlighted by England's win over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final. Going into the qualifier, the overall record stood at ten wins for England, eleven for Germany (including two on penalty kicks), and three draws. Germany had gotten the better of England in their most recent matches, winning six of the last seven. 

In the qualifier, played at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany looked likely to continue their winning ways when forward Carsten Jancker opened the scoring in just the 6th minute. But striker Michael Owen (pictured), coming off a treble-winning season with Liverpool, equalized six minutes later. The teams remained evenly matched through the remainder of the first half, but Owen's Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard blasted the ball into the German net from distance to put the visitors ahead. 

The second half belonged to England, as Owen notched his second goal in the 48th minute, then completed his hat-trick in the 66th-minute after latching on to a precision pass from Gerrard and blasting the ball over keeper Oliver Kahn. 

The day's last goal came from yet another Liverpool player, forward Emile Heskey, who completed the rout in the 74th minute.The four-goal margin of victory was the highest in the rivalry's history, beating the previous record of three set by England in 1935, 1938, and 1985. 

England went on to win the qualification group and Germany finished second. But the Germans got the last laugh in the tournament proper, finishing as losing finalists while England fell in the quarterfinals (both teams were eliminated by Brazil). 

20 June 2000 - England Gets Nevilled

On 20 June 2000, Romania humbled England, eliminating them from the European Championship with an 89th-minute penalty kick.

England have traditionally struggled in the Euros, advancing out of the group stages only twice from 1964 to 1996 (and failing to qualify for four of those tournaments). But they made it to the semi-finals in 1996 before losing on penalties to Germany and were looking to improve on that showing in 2000. Although they lost their opening group stage match to Portugal, they beat Germany and needed only a draw against Romania to advance to the quarterfinals.

Playing before a crowd of 30,000 at the Stade du Pays de Charleroi, Romania took the lead with a 22nd-minute goal from defender Cristian Chivu, whose attempted cross missed its target and instead found the top corner of the net. But England scored twice before the break, first after a Chivu foul on Paul Ince resulted in an Alan Shearer penalty kick (41'), then when Michael Owen found the net four minutes later.

Midfielder Dorinal Munteanu equalized three minutes after the restart and England appeared content to play for the draw. In the 89th minute, though, Romanian striker Viorel Moldovan charged into the England box and was brought down by left back Phil Neville. The referee awarded the penalty and substitute Ioan Ganea converted it with ease. The kick sent England home and put Romania through to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Italy, 2-0.

14 December 1979 - Ready To Score Owen Goals

On 14 December 1979, future Liverpool star and Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen was born in the English city of Chester.

Owen signed a youth contract with Liverpool in 1991, then jumped to the first team in 1996. A prolific striker, he netted 18 league goals in his first full season, earning honors as joint top scorer and and being named the PFA Young Player of the Year. After winning additional golden boots in 1998 and 1999, he was instrumental in Liverpool's successful League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup runs in 2000-01, leading to him being named the 2001 European Footballer of the Year.

The success drew the attention of Real Madrid, who signed him in August 2004 for a transfer fee of £8 million. But despite an impressive scoring record, he never settled in Spain and moved to Newcastle in August 2005 for a fee of £16 million.

His four seasons with Newcastle were hampered by injuries so that, in his second season there, he made only three appearances. In all, he scored 30 goals in 79 appearances for Newcastle, but the club was relegated in 2009. Owen then spent time with Manchester United and Stoke City before retiring in 2013.

18 July 2005 - The Galácticos Take Over The Galaxy

On 18 July 2005, Real Madrid completed their preseason US tour with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center.

Playing before a capacity crowd of 27,000, the Spanish starting XI included several of their newly-arrived superstar contingent known as theGalácticos, including Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Michael Owen, as well as established players like forward Raúl and goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Galaxy, on the other hand, were missing their marquee player, Landon Donovan.

But despite the apparent gulf in talent, the MLS side quickly made clear their intentions to compete, with midfielder Pando Ramirez earning a 3rd-minute yellow card after hard tackles on Zidane and Michel Salgado. Real did not take long to claim the lead, with a goal from Owen in the 5th minute after an incisive Zidane pass unlocked the Galaxy defense, but the MLS side held firm for the remainder of the half and even created a handful of chances, forcing some excellent saves from Casillas.

The match remained close enough that Real manager Vanderlei Luxembourgo kept many of his stars on the pitch deep into the second half. Both Zidane and Beckham came off in the 60th minute, while fellow Galáctico Owen remained until the 77th minute. His replacement, striker Roberto Soldado, scored the second goal shortly after coming on.

The match was LA's first exposure to Beckham, who joined the Galaxy three years later.

28 December 1998 - 'Pool Sinks Newcastle

On 28 December 1998, Liverpool rallied from a 2-0 deficit to secure a 4-2 win against Newcastle before a crowd of 45,000 at Anfield. All four of Liverpool's goals came in an 18-minute span in the second half.

The two sides entered the match separated by four points in the table, with Newcastle in 12th place on 24 points. Liverpool were in 9th place, but were suffering from the fallout of their recent Christmas party scandal, which reportedly included strippers and Jamie Carragher in a Hunchback of Notre Dame costume.

Newcastle took the lead with a 29th-minute blast from midfielder Nolberto Solano, but were forced into a defensive strategy a minurte later when midfielder Dietmar Hamann received his second yellow card and was sent off. Nevertheless, they were able to capitalize on a Liverpool defensive lapse in the second half and substitute Andreas Andersson put the visitors ahead 2-0.

Liverpool's comeback started deep into the second half when striker Michael Owen (pictured) deflected a Carragher shot into the back of the net. Five minutes later, striker Karl-Heinz Riedle equalized with a rebound after keeper Shay Given blocked his first attempt. After another eight minutes, Given blocked a shot by Owen, who also caught the rebound and slotted home the eventual game-winner. Riedle scored an insurance goal five minutes later to complete his brace.

28 March 2001 - The Magnificent Manchester Seven

On 28 March 2001, England beat Albania in a World Cup qualifier with almost half their team coming from one club--Manchester United.

It was only the fourth qualifier for the two teams, who were both off to a difficult start. England had four points with a win, loss, and draw, while Albania were one point back after two losses and a win. They met at the Qemal Stafa Stadium in the Albanian capital of Tirana where England fielded their Manchester-based squad.

Five members of the starting eleven--Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, and Andy Cole--were from Manchester United, the defending Premier League champions. Additionally, Red Devils Wes Brown and Teddy Sheringham entered as second-half substitutes, taking the club's total to seven. That matched the previous record for any one club, set by Arsenal in a November 1934 friendly against Italy (though all seven Gunners started that match).

The line-up worked against Albania, with both Scholes (86') and Cole (95') scoring in England's 1-3 win (their other goal came from Liverpool's Michael Owen in the 74th minute, while Altin Rraklli scored for Albania in the 93rd minute).

1 September 2001 - Liverpool Beats Germany

On 1 September 2001, England beat Germany 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier, with all five of their goals coming from Liverpool players.

The two teams have a longstanding rivalry, highlighted by England's win over West Germany in the 1966 World Cup Final. Going into the qualifier, the overall record stood at ten wins for England, eleven for Germany (including two on penalty kicks), and three draws. Germany had gotten the better of England in their most recent matches, winning six of the last seven.

In the qualifier, played at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany looked likely to continue their winning ways when forward Carsten Jancker opened the scoring in just the 6th minute. But striker Michael Owen (pictured), coming off a treble-winning season with Liverpool, equalized six minutes later. The teams remained evenly matched through the remainder of the first half, but Owen's Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard blasted the ball into the German net from distance to put the visitors ahead.

The second half belonged to England, as Owen notched his second goal in the 48th minute, then completed his hat-trick in the 66th-minute after latching on to a precision pass from Gerrard and blasting the ball over keeper Oliver Kahn.

The day's last goal came from yet another Liverpool player, forward Emile Heskey, who completed the rout in the 74th minute.The four-goal margin of victory was the highest in the rivalry's history, beating the previous record of three set by England in 1935, 1938, and 1985.

England went on to win the qualification group and Germany finished second. But the Germans got the last laugh in the tournament proper, finishing as losing finalists while England fell in the quarterfinals (both teams were eliminated by Brazil).

20 June 2000 - England Gets Nevilled

On 20 June 2000, Romania humbled England, eliminating them from the European Championship with an 89th-minute penalty kick.

England have traditionally struggled in the Euros, advancing out of the group stages only twice from 1964 to 1996 (and failing to qualify for four of those tournaments). But they made it to the semi-finals in 1996 before losing on penalties to Germany and were looking to improve on that showing in 2000. Although they lost their opening group stage match to Portugal, they beat Germany and needed only a draw against Romania to advance to the quarterfinals.

Playing before a crowd of 30,000 at the Stade du Pays de Charleroi, Romania took the lead with a 22nd-minute goal from defender Cristian Chivu, whose attempted cross missed its target and instead found the top corner of the net. But England scored twice before the break, first after a Chivu foul on Paul Ince resulted in an Alan Shearer penalty kick (41'), then when Michael Owen found the net four minutes later.

Midfielder Dorinal Munteanu equalized three minutes after the restart and England appeared content to play for the draw. In the 89th minute, though, Romanian striker Viorel Moldovan charged into the England box and was brought down by left back Phil Neville. The referee awarded the penalty and substitute Ioan Ganea converted it with ease. The kick sent England home and put Romania through to the quarterfinals, where they lost to Italy, 2-0.

14 December 1979 - Ready To Score Owen Goals

On 14 December 1979, future Liverpool star and Ballon d'Or winner Michael Owen was born in the English city of Chester.

Owen signed a youth contract with Liverpool in 1991, then jumped to the first team in 1996. A prolific striker, he netted 18 league goals in his first full season, earning honors as joint top scorer and and being named the PFA Young Player of the Year. After winning additional golden boots in 1998 and 1999, he was instrumental in Liverpool's successful League Cup, FA Cup, and UEFA Cup runs in 2000-01, leading to him being named the 2001 European Footballer of the Year.

The success drew the attention of Real Madrid, who signed him in August 2004 for a transfer fee of £8 million. But despite an impressive scoring record, he never settled in Spain and moved to Newcastle in August 2005 for a fee of £16 million.

His four seasons with Newcastle were hampered by injuries so that, in his second season there, he made only three appearances. In all, he scored 30 goals in 79 appearances for Newcastle, but the club was relegated in 2009, prompting Owen to make another move, this time to Manchester United, his current club.

18 July 2005 - The Galácticos Take Over The Galaxy

On 18 July 2005, Real Madrid completed their preseason US tour with a 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center.

Playing before a capacity crowd of 27,000, the Spanish starting XI included several of their newly-arrived superstar contingent known as the Galácticos, including Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Michael Owen, as well as established players like forward Raúl and goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Galaxy, on the other hand, were missing their marquee player, Landon Donovan.

But despite the apparent gulf in talent, the MLS side quickly made clear their intentions to compete, with midfielder Pando Ramirez earning a 3rd-minute yellow card after hard tackles on Zidane and Michel Salgado. Real did not take long to claim the lead, with a goal from Owen in the 5th minute after an incisive Zidane pass unlocked the Galaxy defense, but the MLS side held firm for the remainder of the half and even created a handful of chances, forcing some excellent saves from Casillas.

The match remained close enough that Real manager Vanderlei Luxembourgo kept many of his stars on the pitch deep into the second half. Both Zidane and Beckham came off in the 60th minute, while fellow Galáctico Owen remained until the 77th minute. His replacement, striker Roberto Soldado, scored the second goal shortly after coming on.

The match was LA's first exposure to Beckham, who joined the Galaxy three years later.

28 December 1998 - 'Pool Sinks Newcastle

On 28 December 1998, Liverpool rallied from a 2-0 deficit to secure a 4-2 win against Newcastle before a crowd of 45,000 at Anfield. All four of Liverpool's goals came in an 18-minute span in the second half.

The two sides entered the match separated by four points in the table, with Newcastle in 12th place on 24 points. Liverpool were in 9th place, but were suffering from the fallout of their recent Christmas party scandal, which reportedly included strippers and Jamie Carragher in a Hunchback of Notre Dame costume.

Newcastle took the lead with a 29th-minute blast from midfielder Nolberto Solano, but were forced into a defensive strategy a minurte later when midfielder Dietmar Hamann received his second yellow card and was sent off. Nevertheless, they were able to capitalize on a Liverpool defensive lapse in the second half and substitute Andreas Andersson put the visitors ahead 2-0.

Liverpool's comeback started deep into the second half when striker Michael Owen (pictured) deflected a Carragher shot into the back of the net. Five minutes later, striker Karl-Heinz Riedle equalized with a rebound after keeper Shay Given blocked his first attempt. After another eight minutes, Given blocked a shot by Owen, who also caught the rebound and slotted home the eventual game-winner. Riedle scored an insurance goal five minutes later to complete his brace.