The USMNT was clearly the better team in Friday’s scoreless draw against England — which is amazing. The impressive performance bodes well for the U.S. team’s chances moving forward, including Tuesday’s must-win match against Iran.
On Tuesday at the World Cup, the U.S. Men’s National Team ended up with an extremely frustrating draw with Wales, a team they were clearly better than for most of the match. On Friday, the USMNT drew once again. But this result, while a little frustrating, was more revelatory, because it means this U.S. team may be so much better than anyone — least of all England — thought.
The final score of the Group B match with England on Friday was 0-0, but it was the furthest thing from boring. England, a team whose coach kept praising the USMNT ahead of the match as his country mostly mocked them, was shaken from about the 20th minute on. This England team, widely thought to be one of the best teams in the world amid one of the best-ever generations of England players, didn’t just fail to score against the United States — it barely hung on for a draw at all. The U.S. team was younger, faster, and more attacking the whole match, putting England on its heels for most of the first half and the entire second half.
