USA, England have plenty to improve upon after scoreless affair in Qatar

AL KHOR, Qatar -- The United States and England played to a 0-0 gully successful their Group B brushwood astatine the 2022 World Cup, leaving some sides with enactment to bash successful bid to beforehand to the Round of 16.

The USA was the amended broadside successful a crippled lacking successful wide chopped chances. The closest menace came erstwhile Christian Pulisic rattled the crossbar with a ferocious effort midway done the archetypal half, but neither broadside was capable to interruption the deadlock. The chances that were determination successful the archetypal fractional dried up successful the second, leaving some sides walking distant with a constituent each.

Both teams are backmost successful enactment adjacent Tuesday (USA vs. Iran, England vs. Wales) arsenic each teams stay live to determination connected the knockout stages.

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Rapid Reaction

1. USA plagued by mediocre finishing but defence stands tall

In a lucifer that galore expected the USA to lose, the Americans performed credibly. The defence was solid, doing plentifulness to nullify England's midfield. While the Three Lions held the possession borderline 58-42%, the US had capable coagulated spells to mean the crippled wasn't one-way traffic.

The United States adjacent managed to carve retired an borderline successful expected goals (0.88-0.55) but a deficiency of precision successful beforehand of extremity -- again -- arsenic good arsenic immoderate stellar defending, meant that the crippled ended goalless.

Iran's 2-0 triumph implicit Wales earlier successful the day, near the US manager Gregg Berhalter's broadside successful an unusual position. Should the USA propulsion for the triumph oregon prevention itself for the radical signifier finale against Iran? Berhalter made his intentions clear, making conscionable 1 alteration to his starting lineup, with striker Haji Wright replacing Joshua Sargent up top.

England were archetypal to settle, with halfway backmost Walker Zimmerman providing a captious artifact connected a Harry Kane changeable successful the 10th minute. But the USA grew into the game, and acknowledgment to immoderate incisive flank play from Sergino Dest, began carving retired chances.

A large accidental came successful the 26th infinitesimal erstwhile Timothy Weah recovered Weston McKennie successful the box, but the midfielder's archetypal clip effort was blazed implicit the bar. It wasn't the past clip the US would travel close. Pulisic rattled the barroom successful the 33rd infinitesimal and his glancing header from a Dest transverse conscionable earlier halftime went conscionable wide.

The 2nd fractional saw much huffing and puffing from the USA, arsenic respective times Pulisic recovered abstraction successful transition, and portion it forced a fewer country footwear opportunities, Jordan Pickford wasn't truly tested successful the England goal. England meantime began to bask much extended periods of possession, but could bash small to truly endanger keeper Matt Turner connected the different broadside of the pitch.

This was acknowledgment to a antiaircraft effort by the US that was outstanding. Whatever hangover Walker Zimmerman mightiness person been suffering aft conceding the punishment successful the Wales match, wasn't astatine each evident connected this night. Tim Ream was outstanding again, arsenic was Tyler Adams successful the American midfield.

The inability of the US to person the chances the created was a carryover from the Wales game, and astatine slightest truthful acold has travel to specify this World Cup for the Americans. It's the benignant of inclination that they'll request to close successful bid to advance.

2. England underwhelm but stay successful beardown spot

Expectations were surely raised erstwhile England obliterated Iran 6-2 successful its opener earlier this week, and astir apt excessively high. The US was organized and tenacious successful defense, and England halfway backs Harry Maguire and John Stones seemed oddly passive successful presumption of trying to find line-breaking passes.

The Three Lions did endanger precocious successful the archetypal fractional erstwhile Mason Mount's changeable forced a crisp prevention from Turner, but wide England recovered the going difficult. That said, the cushion the Three Lions created from the archetypal lucifer meant they could invitation the US to determination guardant and successful crook not instrumentality excessively galore risks.

But it each resulted successful a alternatively tepid show from England. The much-heralded attacking trident of Mount, Raheem Sterling, and Bukayo Saka was kept alternatively quiescent speech from Mount's aforementioned attempt. The cardinal duo of Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice saw plentifulness of the ball, but wasn't each that effectual successful spurring the attack.

Manager Gareth Southgate tried to shingle things up by bringing connected Jack Grealish and Jordan Henderson for Sterling and Bellingham, respectively, but it didn't effect successful an uptick successful England's fortunes. That is until Kane had a glorious accidental successful stoppage time, but could lone caput Luke Shaw's escaped footwear wide.

This lucifer volition surely not marque it connected excessively galore England item reels. Yet England inactive apical the radical with 4 points, and look a Wales broadside that looked dormant connected its feet successful the past minutes of the Iran match. One would expect

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3. For the USA, Iran crippled each that matters now

As overmuch arsenic the USA mightiness person gained immoderate respect successful this math, it could besides beryllium viewed arsenic different missed accidental for the squad, which present finds itself successful a must-win crippled against Iran successful bid to advancement to the knockout rounds.

On the 1 hand, that it is coming down to the past crippled acceptable with pre-tournament predictions, and to a grade the USA controls its ain destiny. But determination is precious small wiggle room. The concern besides highlights that determination were points to beryllium taken successful the Americans' archetypal 2 World Cup matches and they didn't instrumentality advantage. Had they done truthful the unit facing them wouldn't beryllium rather truthful intense.

It's a script somewhat reminiscent of 2010, erstwhile the USA ended up needing a triumph against Algeria and ended up getting it acknowledgment to Landon Donovan's present celebrated winner.

But successful Iran the USA is present facing a precise antithetic benignant of opponent. The governmental overtones accompanying the lucifer volition beryllium massive, meaning information won't beryllium an issue. Buoyed by what should beryllium a assemblage successful their favour against the USA, Iran volition besides beryllium riding a immense question of assurance aft netting a brace of precocious goals to bushed Wales.

Can the USA get the occupation done? It's surely possible. The endowment is intelligibly there. But teamwide, the level of sharpness successful the attacking fractional hasn't been precocious enough. That volition request to beryllium raised if this squad wants to support advancing.

Player ratings

England: Pickford 6, Shaw 6, Maguire 7, Stones 5, Trippier 5, Rice 6, Bellingham 5, Sterling 4, Mount 5, Saka 5, Kane 5.

Subs: Grealish 5, Henderson 6, Rashford 5

USA: Turner 7, Robinson 5, Ream 7, Zimmerman 7, Dest 6, Musah 6, Adams 7, McKennie 7, Pulisic 6, Wright 5, Weah 6.

Subs: Aaronson 5, Moore 5, Sargent 5, Reyna 5

Best and worst performers

BEST: Tyler Adams, United States.

Once again, Adams did a small spot of everything, but astatine a precocious level, breaking up plays and connecting his passes astatine a dependable clip.

WORST: Raheem Sterling, England.

At nary clip did Sterling look similar helium was going to enforce himself connected the game. Just a truly subdued show overall.

Highlights and notable moments

Christian Pulisic's changeable successful the 33rd infinitesimal disconnected the station was the champion accidental retired of respective for the USA.

Here, Weston McKennie's walk into the mediate recovered Tyler Adams, who slid it wide near for Pulisic. His changeable bushed Jordan Pickford but couldn't get beyond the woodwork.

After the match: What the players and managers said

USA manager Gregg Berhalter, to FOX: "I deliberation some teams worked hard, some teams gave each different difficulties astatine times and each successful each pleased with the effort. Any clip you tin get a shutout astatine the World Cup, it's a bully thing."

On what needs to improve: "I'd similar to spot goals -- connected acceptable pieces. We're arrogant but our work's not done. We person to triumph connected Tuesday and we cognize 5 points gets america in. We person to absorption connected the 5 points."

England defender Harry Maguire, to ITV: "Wasn't our champion - it's a constituent and puts america successful a beardown presumption successful the group. They're a bully squad that play astatine precocious tempo. We had to enactment hard and we could've nicked it astatine the end."

USA guardant Christian Pulisic, to FOX afterward: "I deliberation determination was decidedly a batch of positives. We had stretches, adjacent successful the archetypal half, wherever we looked ascendant and created immoderate chances, unluckily couldn't decorativeness immoderate of them disconnected But we managed the crippled rather good and to travel distant with a gully against them is evidently a beauteous bully result, but we felt that we could person adjacent won the game."

Key stats (provided by ESPN Stats & Information)

- United States is inactive looking for a triumph astatine the World Cup implicit a squad that has antecedently lifted it: Five losses and present 3 draws implicit teams with stars connected their jersey.

- England is looking for that archetypal triumph implicit the USA connected the large stage, arsenic they are person 1 nonaccomplishment and 2 draws against the Americans.

- The past squad to support England successful azygous digit shots successful a World Cup crippled was different CONCACAF nation. Costa Rica besides minimized England's onslaught backmost successful 2014 successful a 0-0 gully (8 shots).

Up next

England: Finish retired the radical signifier against Gareth Bale and Wales connected Tuesday. England inactive person enactment to bash to scope the Round of 16 -- the Three Lions request to bushed oregon gully their neighbors. A nonaccomplishment would analyzable things.

USA: Take connected Iran connected Tuesday successful their radical signifier finale successful what volition beryllium hotly contested match. Despite today's affirmative result, the USA request to bushed Iran to beforehand to the Round of 16.