Among the youngest teams of the tournament, the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) matched Group B favorite England in an action-packed draw 0–0 on Friday, Nov. 25.
It was the first scoreless draw for the U.S. at a World Cup, as the British press and analysts expected a huge victory for England in front of mostly English fans of 68,463 at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar.
England coach Gareth Southgate however reminded his players of the historic U.S. victory 1–0 in 1950, and the 1–1 draw in 2010.
“Very tough game, which is exactly what we expected,” said Southgate. It was “difficult to come off the back of such an incredible high (defeating Iran 6–2) and then to have to play a team who make it so difficult to ge through the first two thirds of the field because of their athleticism and defensive organization…we had to show a bit more resilience.”…