By Alex Al-Kazzaz
England needed the win in order to secure qualification to the World Cup Round of 16 while the United States needed to avoid a loss in order to keep their hopes alive. Interestingly enough, Wales lost to Iran before the USA vs England clash, which is beneficial for the USA. Based on the 0-0 draw against England, all the USA has to do is beat Iran to make it past the group stage.
A very respectable performance for the Stars and Stripes. The USA's rock-solid and resilient defense was able to prevent a dangerous English attack from finding the back of the net. Matt Turner made three saves while the American defense made a total of 14 clearances with 3 interceptions. In addition, the USA was able to play the entire game without getting any yellow cards.
The USA looked strong the entire 90 minutes. Although England would dominate ball possession, the USA was able to prevent any threats that England threw at them. Early on, England's Harry Kane was beaten by Walker Zimmerman, which prevented England from taking an early lead. The USA's brilliant defensive play was too much for England's loaded attack. The USA had plenty of scoring opportunities, but could not take advantage. Christian Pulisic came close twice and Weston McKinnie sent the ball too high and which gave England a goal kick. England had their scoring opportunities and they couldn't take advantage either. However, England's defensive efforts can't go unnoticed as they had made a total of 19 clearances. So this game is depicted as a heavy defensive contest.
This 0-0 draw paints a bad image for England considering they were heavily favored to win. England came into this tournament as one of the favorites to hoist the title, and for them to not win against a much less experienced and talented team may affect their ability to contend for the title. So clearly, England's got some adjustments to make as well as the USA.
England will play their final group game on Tuesday against Wales. The USA will also close it on Tuesday when they take on Iran in a must-win game. Considering Wales lost to Iran, the USA is in for another challenge. In England's case, Wales shouldn't be a problem, but based on their performance against the USA, England needs to get their act together. The same goes for the USA.
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