The U.S. men’s national team fell to England, 3-0, at London’s Wembley Stadium. The match, billed as Wayne Rooney’s final international appearance, turned into a showcase for the Three Lions’ young talent.
Get rowdy at Wembley. The #USMNT starting XI is here. #TheFutureIsUS.
— U.S. Soccer MNT (@ussoccer_mnt) November 15, 2018
Lineup notes » https://t.co/YF2OJLGma5 pic.twitter.com/MYLBETN7pd
American striker Josh Sargent missed the match with an ankle injury. Tyler Adams was held out of the starting lineup because of travel and “the number of minutes [he] has played recently” in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
England dominated the first 20 minutes, enjoying the majority of possession and was unlucky to not have been awarded what appeared to be a clear penalty. Against the run of play, Christian Pulisic took advantage of a fortuitous bounce in the 24th minute and found himself alone in the box, but his golden opportunity was saved by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Moments before the England double, Christian Pulisic had his chance (via @UnivisionSports) pic.twitter.com/vfG6iV27Bs
— Planet Fútbol (@si_soccer) November 15, 2018
Shortly after, Jesse Lingard put England ahead with a well-taken goal in the 25th minute. The Manchester United attacker received the ball in the corner of the box, and curved his shot past a diving Brad Guzan.
Trent Alexander-Arnold doubled England’s lead in the 27th minute. Jadon Sancho played the ball to the former USMNT-eligible fullback on the side of the box, who in turn finished into the bottom corner of the net.
The U.S. established a sense of normalcy following the flurry of attack, but was unable to create any serious opportunities leading into halftime. Despite being down multiple goals, manager Dave Sarachan elected to not make any substitutions until the 62nd minute, when Adams replaced a largely anonymous Julian Green.
Bobby Wood squandered the opportunity to pull one back when his 66th minute header off of a short corner cleared the crossbar.
¡Muuuuuy cerca EEUU! Cabezazo de @BobbyS_Wood que pasa por encima del travesaño.
— Univision Deportes (@UnivisionSports) November 15, 2018
EN VIVO | @England 2️⃣-0️⃣ @ussoccer_mnt desde Wembley, por aquí: https://t.co/7wi2ja9rw2 pic.twitter.com/HXOV0uVrUr
The USMNT continued to push for a goal, but was stymied by their energetic opponents. England put the match out of reach in the 77th minute. Debutante Callum Wilson volleyed Fabian Delph’s cross past an out-of-sorts Guzan.
Rooney — who entered the match in the 57th minute, earning his 120th cap — pushed for one last international goal, but was unable to convert several opportunities.
The USMNT returns to action against Italy on Tuesday, November 20th at Luminus Arena in Genk, Belgium.