Gareth Southgate’s side missed out on a chance to enter the World Cup last 16 after a poor performance against a spirited USA side in Al Khor on Friday evening.
Following England’s empathic display against Iran in Doha on Monday, it was expected that they would carry on their good form against a USA side, who on paper appeared the weaker side. However, what happened was the opposite. The USA dominated for large periods of the game, creating by far the better chances.
England, on the other hand, were sloppy in possession throughout and did little to trouble American goalkeeper, Matt Turner, in a match where the Three Lions were considered lucky to earn a point.
Harry Kane began his typical tendency to drop deep and help the midfield, winning a foul near the halfway line.
Kane, primarily known for his goal scoring ability, needs only three more goals to beat Wayne Rooney’s current record of 53 for England.
The Three Lions’ first big chance came in the 10th minute, Kane and Bukayo Saka combining with some lovely play which ultimately forced a deflection for an England corner. The set play came to nothing, however, despite Harry Maguire’s attempt to dribble into the box from the left hand side.
Southgate’s men were proving to be a danger down the right, Saka unlucky not to find Kane with a cross following a combination of one-two play with Kieran Trippier.
The USA appeared to sit back and let England keep the ball, relying on the energy of their midfield, which included Juventus stalwart Weston McKennie.
McKennie could have opened the scoring for the Americans, squandering an opportunity from close range in the 26th minute.
The first booking of the match went to Trippier two minutes later, following a needless foul on midfielder Tyler Adams in the middle of the pitch.
The USA’s increasingly good play continued to send warnings to Southgate’s side, with forward Christian Pulisic blasting a shot against the bar in the 33rd minute.
It could be argued that they had had the two best chances of the half at that point, albeit struggling to convert their shots which would have put them in pole position going into half-time. England, in contrast, appeared sluggish and unable to cause problems for the opposition, giving away several corners and throw-ins.
An opportunity for the Three Lions finally came shortly before half time, Mason Mount forcing a save from Turner following linkup play with Saka.
But, with the half ending goalless, England’s biggest positive was perhaps not being a goal down.
The second half started as the first ended, with the USA finding space in midfield and driving the ball up the pitch.
The American threat continued, breaking well on the counter attack with Pulisic, and despite another miss from McKennie, the seven-time CONCACAF Gold Cup winners continued to look the more dangerous side.
England appeared unable to get out of the penalty box, forcing numerous corners for Gregg Berhalter’s side.
Looking to change the outcome of the game, Southgate brought on Jack Grealish for Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson for Jude Bellingham.
Grealish started brightly, making dangerous dribbles and winning fouls in England’s favour.
The Americans made their first substitutions in the 78th minute, Brenden Aaronson and Shaq Moore being brought on to try and snatch the three points. At the same time, Marcus Rashford took charge of the right hand side in place of Saka, looking to influence the game as he did on Monday.
Rashford, who has 13 goals for England in 47 appearances, netted in 49 seconds against Iran, the fastest in the World Cup so far for a substitute.
Two more changes were made for the USA, Giovanni Reyna and Josh Sargent coming on for Timothy Weah and Haji Wright.
Reyna, son of former Rangers and Manchester City midfielder Claudio Reyna, could have played for England, due to his father being at Sunderland at the time of his birth.
Weah is also the son of a former player, his father George Weah being the current President of Liberia and the only African to win the prestigious Ballon D’Or award.
England continued to do little that troubled the USA, Rashford curling a shot straight at Turner in the 87th minute.
There appeared to be no real effort from England to move the ball forward, rather preferring to see the game out without a loss but despite this, the Three Lions came close three minutes into stoppage time. Kane squandered a header in the box following a delivery from Shaw.
With the match ending 0-0, Southgate and his side can consider themselves lucky to win a point following their poor performance.
But despite the disappointment, England still have a major chance of qualifying for the Round of 16, needing to lose to Wales by four goals to exit the World Cup on Tuesday.