The United States and England battled to a goalless draw in Qatar on Friday night as the United States kept alive hope of advancing to World Cup knockout action.
A well organized US team pressured well and frustrated England and could be disappointed in the end after creating the best chances in the game.
Christian Pulisic rattled the crossbar with England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford defeated in the first half while Weston McKennie, twice struck over the bar from promising positions. Team USA was also unable to capitalize on a series of corner kicks in the second half.
England created little and there the possibilities were limited. Forward Harry Kane had a deflected shot deflected and American goalkeeper Matt Turner made a good save on Mason Mount late in the first half.
The United States, with two points after drawing twice, sits in third place in Group B, behind England and Iran, which earlier in the day scored an impressive victory against Wales.
The Americans finish pool play on Tuesday against Iran and a win over Team Melli would guarantee nothing worse than a second-place finish and a US breakthrough.
USA coach Gregg Berhalter said he was pleased with Friday’s point but already had the next game on his mind.
“We are proud, but our work is not done,” he said in an interview on the field. “We have to win on Tuesday. We know that five points allow us to enter, we have to concentrate on the five points”.
Before Friday night’s game at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, USA v England I’ve only played twice in the history of the World Cup.
The Americans beat their compatriots across the Atlantic in the 1950 tournament, 1-0, in Brazil.
The United States then escaped with a 1-1 draw against the Three Lions in South Africa in 2010. That draw was only possible when Clint Dempsey’s smooth shot in the 40th minute went wide. inexplicably clumsy within England Net by goalkeeper Robert Green.
That point proved crucial for the United States in 2010, as Landon Donovan scored a famous stoppage-time winner in the last match of the group stage of his team against Algeria. The Americans finished with five points in Group C, one more than third place Slovenia, allowing them to qualify for the tie.
the united states party against Iran is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at 2 pm EST at Al-Thumama Stadium. It can be seen on Telemundo or streaming in Spanish in peacock.