Ever since the FIFA World Cup draw, Black Friday has been circled on the calendar for the Group B matchup between the United States men’s national team and England, and the anticipated matchup did not disappoint.
The two teams played to a 0-0 draw at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, both knowing what each possible outcome would mean for their chances of advancement following Iran’s 2–0 win over Wales earlier in the day. A draw, on the heels of the 1–1 draw against Wales, is not prohibitive for the U.S., but it makes Tuesday’s group finale against Iran a must-win affair.
Despite their differing histories, the U.S. entered Friday having never lost to England at the World Cup, following the famous 1950 upset and a draw in South Africa in 2010, and that record remains in tact at 1-0-2.
Managers Gregg Berhalter and Gareth Southgate both took similar approaches to their lineups, opting for continuity over rotation. Berhalter made one change from the side that started against Wales, swapping center forward Josh Sargent for Haji Wright, while Southgate named an unchanged squad from the group that routed Team Melli 6–2 in their opening game.
Three U.S. starters began on high alert, with Weston McKennie, Sergiño Dest and Tim Ream all carrying yellow cards into the match. They all avoided picking up a second, though, keeping them eligible for Tuesday’s showdown vs. Iran.
For England, meanwhile, Harry Kane overcame an ankle injury scare to return to the starting lineup, something Southgate had hinted would occur in his pre-match press conference.
Despite the same lineup as the previous match, the U.S. came out in more of a 4-4-2 in a bit of a tactical wrinkle, perhaps offering Southgate and his side a look they weren’t expecting while also adding another body into the midfield to clog the center.
Regardless, England’s center backs oddly passed the ball back and forth to each other for the opening 30 seconds before thumping it down the field, leading to nothing. When given the chance to finally possess, the U.S. surged forward via McKennie down the right channel, but his ball seeking out Wright behind the England back line was hit too hard and allowed goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to collect.
England again resorted to possessing deep in its own end five minutes later, seemingly daring the U.S. to come press and make a mistake.
The U.S. enjoyed its first piece of extended possession in the eighth minute, moving quite comfortably and methodically from Matt Turner in goal and toward the left side in the attacking third through England-born U.S. left back Antonee Robinson, but, again, nothing came of it, as the cagey start to the match continued.
At last, England generated the game’s first chance in the 10 minutes. It was Jude Bellingham surging forward and finding Bukayo Saka on the overlapping run down the right-hand side. The Arsenal star cut a cross back for Kane in the center of the box, but Walker Zimmerman closed down the space and made a goal-saving block to force it out for a corner.
That sequence appeared to wake England up, with the Three Lions continuing to apply pressure in the U.S. half. Kane nearly wound up with a spectacular effort at goal from about the same place as his previous shot, as he loaded up for a bicycle kick, but McKennie closed down to win the ball, and the U.S. cleared the danger in the 13th minute.
The U.S. had its first shot in the 17th minute. After Christian Pulisic got forward down the left-hand side, he crossed to the right to pick out McKennie. The Juventus midfielder surveyed his options and tried to find Wright in the box, but all the forward could do was headed it in the direction of goal, but not on frame.
A better chance materialized after 25 minutes, and it was McKennie on the end of it. The U.S. pushed numbers forward and patiently possessed in the England third before Tim Weah picked out an open McKennie in the center of the box. He couldn’t keep his first-time chance down, though, sending it over the bar and immediately putting his head in his hands.
The U.S. kept bringing it, and three minutes later, Yunus Musah forced Pickford into making his first save of the game. He took a speculative blast from long range, and it deflected off of Declan Rice before popping up quite comfortably for the England goalkeeper.
The closest call came a few minutes after that. It was McKennie in the center of it again, surging forward down the right, and ultimately the ball was worked to Pulisic, whose left-footed blast beat Pickford but rattled the crossbar.
The U.S. momentum kept rolling in a game that long since opened up, and it was Pulisic who had the next chance, flashing a header from the center of the box just wide of the goal in the 43rd minute.
As first-half stoppage time hit, England called Turner into action, and the U.S. goalkeeper delivered. Mason Mount laced a low shot on goal from just outside the box, but Turner was equal to it, going down and to his right to parry it away.
The U.S. came out of the locker room for the second half with plenty of verve, and in the 49th minute had its first chance. It was Wright, down the left-hand side trying to make something happen, and the ball eventually fell for McKennie just outside of the box on the other side. Not for the first time, McKennie sent his chance sailing over the bar, overhitting it and failing to test Pickford.
As England looked to create some danger, the U.S.’s captain snuffed it out. Tyler Adams made a phenomenal recovery tackle to take the ball off Saka and keep the Three Lions from completing any sort of movement.
The U.S. seized control back and kept applying pressure over the ensuing 10 minutes, earning three corner kicks and forcing Harry Maguire—and even Kane—into some massive clearances and defensive stops to prevent anything from reaching Pickford’s goal.
The first manager to make changes was Southgate, who took Bellingham and Sterling off in favor of Jordan Henderson and Jack Grealish in the 69th minute. Berhalter, meanwhile, continued to wait to go to the bench, and given how well his side was playing, it was a balance of changing up the flow vs. accounting for tiring legs.
With those tiring legs starting to show as England began to wrest control, the first U.S. subs came on in the 77th minute, with Aaronson coming on to replace McKennie and Shaq Moore replacing Dest at right back.
Gio Reyna and Sargent were tabbed in the 83rd minute, replacing Weah and Wright as the U.S. went in search of a late winner.
It was England that came closest to it, though, with Marcus Rashford, who had replaced Saka, curling an 87th-minute chance that, fortunately for the U.S., was hit directly to Turner, who made the easy catch.
England had an even better chance deep into stoppage time. A needless foul gifted the Three Lions a set piece from far out, and the curling ball picked out Kane, whose clean header was directed just wide of the post.
The U.S. did have one final opportunity, but it neglected to force the issue with it, playing a free kick from just inside the England half short instead of hoofing it long and hoping for a miracle winner. As a result, the U.S. has two draws in two matches—and anything less than a win on Tuesday will bring its World Cup to an abrupt end.
