Jesse Lingard broke an early deadlock with a gorgeous curler in the 25th-minute, and the US national team never fully recovered in a 3-0 friendly defeat to England at Wembley Stadium on Thursday in the penultimate match of interim coach Dave Sarachan's tenure.
Trent Alexander-Arnold added a second goal two minutes later, and Callum Wilson sealed it with a third he richly deserved in a second half that saw the US drastically improve upon a poor first, but without results.
The American's best chance came shortly before Lingard's opener, when Christian Pulisic's persistence turned a broken play into a breakaway, only for Jordan Pickford to to deny Pulisic's promising 1-on-1 chance.
Goals
- 25' - ENG - Jesse Lingard | Watch
- 27' - ENG - Trent Alexander-Arnold | Watch
- 77' - ENG - Callum Wilson
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Effectively, there are now only five days remaining in the tenure of Sarachan, who has done an admirable job steadying the US ship in the after math of a World Cup Qualifying failure, with a new coach expected to be in place in time for the program's annual January camp. One certainty to be in the next manager's plans? Dortmund's Christian Pulisic, who made his first appearance in a US shirt since May and had a scattering of promising moments vs. England.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Everyone's smartphones were out in the 58th minute, when D.C. United striker and England all-time leading goal scorer Wayne Rooney made his entrance onto the Wembley pitch for the last time. The 33-year-old made a more than respectable account of himself, nearly snagging one last international goal in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: At age 26, Wilson scored a first international goal that has been a lifetime in the making after a career that has included recoveries from ACL surgeries on both knees. He could've had two or three with slightly better finishing, but the Bournemouth man was England's most consistently dangerous player on the evening.
Up Next
- ENG: Sunday, November 18 vs. Croatia, UEFA Nations League (9 am ET)
- USA: Tuesday, November 20 vs. Italy, at Genk, Belgium (2:45 pm ET | FS1, UniMas, UDN)
