English hopes of participating in the World Cup took a slight blow on Friday when a vibrant and high-pressure United States team anonymously outplayed the young stars of their tournament opener.
Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount scored in Monday’s 6-2 win over Iran and England fans dream of a formidable midfield that will carry them through this World Cup and the next.
They looked set to keep the momentum going when in the 10th minute on Friday, Bellingham and Saka made a slow move down the right flank to give captain Harry Kane a good chance to open the scoring.
A well-drilled American team had already shown that they were not going to give England’s midfield the same space they had enjoyed on Monday.
Faced with a suffocating wall of blue shirts, England soon fell back on the sluggish, predictable passing game that marked a six-match winless streak prior to the tournament.
In contrast, the United States quickly showed what a high pace, accurate passing and ball speed could achieve and were unlucky not to have the lead at halftime.
He kept up the high pressing and moved forward with even more confidence after the break, sprinting through the England midfield and laying siege to the exposed defence.