draw between USA and England

Soccer is not inferior Soccer. That’s the surprising conclusion after a 0-0 draw between England and the United States at the World Cup in Qatar.

The Brits still have everything in hand in Group B, but were taken down by the Americans after their big win in their opener against Iran.

With a physical, energetic and dynamic game in which a lot of things went wrong – it had something of English football – the United States gave England a bad night. The United States will fight in a direct duel with Iran next Tuesday for a place in the round of 16. England cannot lose to Wales.

England, which fights at every tournament not only against the opponent but also seemingly against history as the inventor of the game of football, has met the United States twice at a World Cup but never won. In 1950, the Americans won 1-0, until Argentina’s recent disappointment against Saudi Arabia was statistically the biggest upset of the World Cup. In 2010 it became 1-1.

Although the English seemed freed from major tournament demons since the 2021 European Championship final and rolled up the Iranians 6-2 in their first group game in Qatar, it turned out after the first half against the United States that football is still far from ‘home’ has been removed.

In fact, football seemed to belong on the other side of the Atlantic before half-time.

England started well. Thanks to Kieran Trippier, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane, things went very fast in the opening phase, but Walker Zimmerman managed to block a shot from Kane from a corner. On the heels of the corner, defender Harry Maguire dribbled past the American defense with stumbles a la Laurel and Hardy and found Sterling, but also to no avail.

After that, only the United States attacked and played football with courage. Christian Pulisic has often been the engine of the offensive, sometimes the terminus. The closest thing the Chelsea midfielder came to 1-0 was when he nearly fumbled the ball past England keeper Jordan Pickford in the top corner. The bar got in the way.

If it weren’t for Pulisic, Juventus bench Weston McKennie and AC Milan reserve Sergiño Dest created danger. The former Ajax full-back trotted up and down the right flank in characteristic fashion. With crosses a little less strange, the Americans could have scored in the first half.

The English often played the ball long and indecisively and rarely created any danger for the American goal. It wasn’t until just before half-time that the British fans rebounded. Arsenal second-choice goalkeeper Matt Turner went straight for a corner from Mount’s shot.

Immediately after the break, little seemed to have changed: the United States continued to pin England, only it produced far fewer chances than before the break.

After the arrival of Jack Grealish and Jordan Henderson, England have a little more control. But even after national coach Gareth Southgate brought Marcus Rashford into the line, the English did very little. Kane still had the winner on his forehead, but his head grazed the crossbar.

For example, the English-speaking meeting in the desert ended in a nice 0-0 – the fifth already of this World Cup – and the American soccer stand up to the English Soccer. The young American team can probably dream of a World Cup fairy tale in their own country in 2026, when the United States, Mexico and Canada will host the tournament.