England’s young stars thump Christian Pulisic, U.S. in Wayne Rooney’s final international
LONDON — England disposed of the United States 3-0 in an international friendly on Thursday. Goals two minutes apart from Jesse Lingard and Trent Alexander-Arnold put the home side 2-0 up at halftime. Callum Wilson celebrated his international debut with England’s third goal toward the end.
Here are three thoughts from the match.
1. U.S. no match for ruthless England
On a night when Wayne Rooney was being honored one final time, the U.S. faced a daunting task against an in-form England side. Yet there were some factors that, at first glance, lessened the talent disparity. First, the U.S. welcomed back Christian Pulisic for the first time since last May and for just the second time in 2018. There was also the fact that with England having a UEFA Nations League game against Croatia in three days’ time, manager Gareth Southgate opted to put a starting XI comprised mostly of reserves. The total number of caps in England’s lineup was less than Wayne Rooney has by himself.
None of it mattered in the end, though, as the U.S.’s lack of defensive awareness in critical moments, combined with its usual inability to keep possession, showed just how far the U.S. has to go before it can even begin to compete with a top side like England.
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