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The US men's national team lost its penultimate match of its calendar year on Thursday, tilting 3-0 to England at Wembley Stadium during a match friendly international. The three Lions, World Cup semi-finalists this summer, scored two goals in three minutes in the first half as young and inexperienced visitors struggled to install early. It was a comfortable win in Wayne Rooney's farewell game. Here is how it happened.
Dominance of hosts
England was from the beginning a much more accurate team, dominating the ball and playing with patience. The Three Lions took advantage of the space located at the bottom of the wings to cause damage and got the first with pure class. Jesse Lingard got the winner just 25 minutes from this great shot:
A few minutes later, it was Trent Alexander-Arnold, of Liverpool, who shot a superb second goal with a low and fast effort on the right side of the area:
The trio that fans wanted
American fans have expressed their desire to see the midfielder trio of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams over and over again. In fact, when the news of the starting formation was revealed, the fans were not afraid to let it know.
Of course, it's important to remember that Adams has just left the two rounds of the MLS playoffs with the New York Red Bulls, still alive in the competition and who will face Atlanta United for a spot in MLS Cup 2018. It was unlikely to be the beginning with all the last minutes and then coming from the States. For example, Will Trapp of Columbus Crew, recently eliminated by the Red Bulls, has started for the Americans.
But Adams arrived in the second half and the trio saw a few minutes together on the pitch. It's hard to take away a lot of marginal minutes, but it's three guys who are the best hopes and future of the American midfielder. Pulisic and McKennie are killing him in Europe, and Adams is expected to follow soon.
Goodbye, Wayne Rooney
Rooney played his last game for the English national team and nearly scored late. Now MLS star with D.C. United, he is the most caped player in the history of England with 120 caps and no one has more than his 53 goals.
Break down the numbers
- England has managed 15 shots out of 10, and seven of them are on the board. The United States had only two shots on goal. The team struggled to find a pass through the back line, resulting in a lack of scoring chances.
- England had 61% of possession despite not playing with the largest number of players in the center, like Fabian Delph. England has used spacing well to quickly handle US pressure.
- The United States has recorded one win, two draws and four losses in its last seven games. All are international friendly matches and the results are not significant, but the form has not been particularly clear.
Updated coaching search
Want to know the latest news regarding the USMNT coaching position? We have you covered here with updates on the search and in particular what is the latest with the favorite to land the job, Gregg Berhalter.
And after?
England faces Croatia on Sunday in an important League of Nations match, while the United States will face Italy in Belgium on Tuesday. You can see both games on fuboTV (try for free).
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