U.S. frustrates England again

Three Lions have never defeated Americans on game’s biggest stage

England’s fans were not happy. The United States had frustrated them yet again at a World Cup.

The countries have met three times on the biggest stage in men’s soccer, and England is still looking for its first win against the Americans after a 0-0 draw on Friday.

Coach Gareth Southgate reminded his players of that record beforehand, with the U.S. famously winning 1-0 in 1950 and playing out a 1-1 draw in 2010. They didn’t heed the warning, and didn’t respond to Gregg Berhalter’s young and energetic team.

England beat Iran 6-2 in its opener in Qatar to justify its status as one of the tournament favourites, but should consider itself fortunate to avoid defeat after Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar with a first-half strike and Weston McKinnie lifted a shot over from eight metres out.

England fans had turned up at Al Bayt Stadium in anticipation of a win and qualification for the knockout stages with a game to play.

“I want our fans at home to have a smile on their faces, and we haven’t quite managed to achieve that,” Southgate said. “But people are going to react how they react and I can’t let that affect how I feel about the team, or how the team feels. The objective is to qualify and we have three games to do it.”

Frustrating England is one thing, but Berhalter’s job is to advance. The U.S. will face Iran on Tuesday for a spot in the round of 16. Iran beat Wales 2-0 earlier and sits second in Group B with three points, one more than the Americans.

“It sets up our first knockout game of the World Cup,” Berhalter said. “We win or we’re out of the World Cup. That’s going to be the focus for us while we are preparing the team for the next game. But most importantly, understanding the intensity Iran is going to bring ... We’ll have to be up for it.”

Southgate described his players as dejected. But despite the boos, England still leads the group with four points.

“It wasn’t the best performance, for sure,” said Harry Kane, who came close to scoring with a stoppage-time header. “Good spells with the ball, but we didn’t quite have the final product. We had two or three opportunities and didn’t put it away.”

Kane, Golden Boot winner at the 2018 World Cup, is looking for his first goal at this tournament.