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KHOR, Qatar – Some seven months ago, when the World Cup draw dropped the United States and England into the same group, the countdown began for Friday’s showdown at the marquee-inspired Al Bayt Stadium . The young Americans had made progress in their rebuilding efforts, but with this delicious matchup, they were able to measure their progress and relate to world soccer’s nobility.
The flamboyant opposition were not fazed and created two delicious chances before the break. They were disciplined and mature, never deviating from the plan devised by coach Gregg Berhalter. They silenced a team that scored six goals in their first game.
Although the game ended in a 0-0 draw, the U.S. enjoyed its performance and liked its chances of advancing out of a very uncomfortable Group B. Entering the last seven games on Tuesday, the Americans (0-0-2, two points). ) must defeat Iran (1-1-0, three points) to secure one of the two places in the round of 16. England (1-0-1, four points) will face Wales (0-1-1, one point) in the other game.
“I’m pleased with the performance of the group and more importantly the belief of the group because that never wavered,” Berhalter said. “And what I saw before the game was a team very focused on getting a result. In the end, it sets up our first World Cup qualifier. We win or we’re out of the World Cup.”
Midfielder Weston McKennie said: “The most important thing is that we control the outcome of our journey in this tournament.”
The Americans grew into the game and made things difficult for the Three Lions, who have high hopes of winning their first World Cup trophy since 1966. “We went toe-to-toe with them,” he said. say striker Christian Pulisic.
The United States created the best scoring chances and, dare one say, were superior to a team that finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup and second at Euro 2020 (played in 2021).
“There’s a lot of people who obviously thought we were going to fly,” McKennie said. “There are a lot of people in the outside world who thought we were obvious underdogs, but to us, we don’t feel like underdogs at all.”
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The U.S. is 2-8-2 all-time against England, with the previous win coming 29 years ago, but in three World Cup meetings, it is undefeated (1-0-2). In this matchup, you could not tell the blue blood of the beginners, the team full of international stars expensive of the international rookies.
“This team has come a long way and we have to be proud of the performance,” Pulisic said. “Above all, it should inspire confidence and give us a great feeling ahead of this last game which is essential for us.”
England set the tone, but it wasn’t long before American spells of optimism gave way to sustained possession and two glorious chances.
Unmarked nine yards from goal, McKennie missed badly. She clutched at her wedge of red, white and blue dyed hair in frustration, knowing that such chances would likely be rare.
Seven minutes later, Pulisic took care of a pocket of space just inside the penalty area and headed into the top corner. His left-footed 16-yarder beat goalkeeper Jordan Pickford but crashed against the crossbar.
England fans became restless. Mocking them, American supporters chanted, “It’s called football!”
Despite controlling large parts of the game, the Americans continue to struggle to score. They failed to score in either of the last two fixtures in September and scored just one goal in the first half of a 1-1 draw against Wales on Monday.
“We were happy with the positions we took and had some close chances,” Berhalter said.
The defense made up for it, however, with a flawless performance against world-class striker Harry Kane and his strong supporting cast. England never looked comfortable in possession and struggled to find solutions to a well-structured US defence.
The only goal conceded by the American team in the first two games came on Gareth Bale’s late penalty for Wales. Friday marked the first time the United States had eliminated a European World Cup opponent since its historic upset of England in 1950.
England managed quality chances at the end of each half. Matt Turner made a diving save to keep out Mason Mount’s bid just before the break and Kane won an aerial duel with Luke Shaw’s free-kick but sent his header wide yards
For the most part, the Three Lions struggled to unlock an American resistance that offered an unexpected look: while the team kept three forwards when they had the ball, Pulisic dropped into midfield from the front line when England took possession
Centers Walker Zimmerman and Tim Ream didn’t miss. Inspiration was provided by captain Tyler Adams who, from his defensive space in midfield, won loose ball after loose ball and executed a superb tackle into the penalty area to avoid trouble.
The Three Lions tried to pick up the pace late in the game, but the Americans weren’t deterred.
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Liked the way things were going, Berhalter didn’t make his first play until about 15 minutes remained. With yellow cards from the Wales match, McKennie and Sergiño Dest came off, avoiding a further booking which would have meant a suspension for the Iran match.
Gio Reyna, the 20-year-old sensation, made his long-awaited World Cup debut in the 83rd minute, but the Americans had no chances. Although they did not score or win, they continued to earn the respect of the football world after missing out on the 2018 World Cup. Gains were made both with their large army of fans here and with the general public at home his
“I talked before the World Cup about how seriously the team is taking this responsibility to gain momentum in the sport in the United States, and good performances will do that,” Berhalter said. “We want to capture the public’s attention. We want to perform at a high level. We want to give them something to be proud of. And nights like this help, but there’s got to be more to come.”
World Cup in Qatar
The last: The United States drew 0-0 with England in their second World Cup match on Friday to set up a must-win group final against Iran. Read highlights from the Group B match.
Political protest: The backdrop looming over Iran’s World Cup campaign is a nationwide protest movement at home targeting its clerical leadership, and the inescapable and lingering tensions they are spreading in the field.
Highlights: Where on Tuesday there had been Saudi Arabia over Argentina, now the spectacle arrived at 73 minutes in Brazil over Serbia. Richarlison’s one-goal wonder sealed Brazil’s first 2-0 victory.
Perspective: The beautiful game is fine. Suitcases full of cash are better. Read Sally Jenkins on the human rights controversy in Qatar.
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